At the beginning of the week I was praying about which book
of the Bible I should start reading next.
Song of Songs, I heard. What, Lord?!
Don’t you think something like the Gospel of Mark would be a little more
appropriate for what I’m doing here?
You know, Jesus, authority, miracles, compassion, etc. Nope. Song of Songs, He said.
So this week I began reading Songs of Songs, a love story
between King Solomon and his bride.
This week we also began our ministry at the leper
colony. A place for the unloved,
society’s outcasts, abandoned with virtually nothing, all because of their
disease.
I wasn’t really sure what to expect to get from Song of
Songs this week. It wasn’t exactly
the book I had in mind.
I also didn’t know what to expect at the leper colony. Can’t say I know anyone with the
disease, much less ever gone to a community where they all live.
On the first day of our ministry there, we said hellos,
shook hands, sat with and made small talk, learned a few of their stories, and
prayed for a couple of them. I had
to put my head down a number of times, because for some reason I was too afraid
for anyone to see my eyes fill with tears. Their hands are so deformed, so without fingers at all. A couple had visible, yellowish soars
that look painful. Their feet the
same way, wrapped up and covered as best as possible as they slowly walk or
drag them to get around. A number
of the people, although still in our presence, sat off by themselves, as though
they wanted nothing to do with being social.
One man in particular caught my eye. He had a turban and a green scarf
on. Both his hands and feet
deformed and his face slightly disfigured. I tried to communicate with and have him sit by me and he
just shook his head and walked off to sit by himself. 
The next day we showed up again. Some new faces that had been in the market begging the day
before, and familiar ones, too.
The same man being one of them.
He sat closer, still by himself.
I decided to take a risk and go sit by him. To my surprise he stayed put. We shook hands and smiled. His dialect our translator did not understand, so there was
no way to verbally communicate. So
I started praying in my head, Lord, help me here, this is awkward.
I clapped my hands once. Then he clapped his, copying me.
This began a clapping game, him repeating me, then me him. We were both laughing and smiling! My teammate Danielle joined and the
three of us proceeded to play hand games, throw rocks, and draw pictures. We first began drawing in the dirt, then
on the dry erase board we had for the Asha House. He put the marker in his deformed hand (he’s a lefty, like
me!), and to our surprise, drew a detailed face and also the Taij Majal. We were shocked. I drew what I thought was a dog until
he started laughing and meowing like a cat. I’m not an artist, but he was and it was amazing to
see. I learned his name after
trying a million times to say it, Sahidamuhad. When we said our goodbyes for the afternoon, I left thankful
for the huge breakthrough in relationships.
Today we went back for the third and final time of the
week. More new faces and again, Sahidamuhad. Sitting alone again
on the concrete wall around a tree while a group congregated, I made eye
contact with him and he put his arms in the air and started smiling. I made my way over and he patted the
spot next to him, telling me to sit.
He then proceeded to lead us in a hand game. Next, he pointed to his mouth followed by his nose. Then he stuck out his tongue, touching
it to his nose, then pointed to me to try. I succeed and we laughed out loud. Although not understanding a word one another said, we
talked as though we did. 
I Again I noticed his deformities caused by the leprosy. In that moment I wanted so bad for him
to know how much God loved him and exactly what God thought about him.
It was then I remembered the love story of King Solomon and
his bride, the picture of God’s love for each one of his people. A love so intimate and personal.
I looked at Sahidamuhad, in his distorted face, and said to
him what King Solomon said to his bride, what God says to us, “All beautiful
you are, my darling. There is no
flaw in you.” (Song of Songs 4:7)
