User:Joshshish/Ephphatha Ministries

HOW EPHPHATHA MINISTRIES FIRST STARTED

Editor's note: Kaylie and Rachel are two teenagers that range from 12-13 years old

Dear all, About one week ago, I made a trip to the Leprosy Village to pass on some supplies and check on the old people there. It all began on March 27th. I woke up at 6:30am, creeping around the house on tiptoe so as not to waken my sleeping family. After a quick bite of breakfast, my mother and I left home weighted down by 9 bags containing peanut oil, uncooked noodles, medicine, insect repellent, sauces, tissue paper, face towels, and canned bean porridge.

Once we arrived at the Love and Care Center, we met up with 11 more children and adults who were going with us. After distributing the bags and bundles around, we all hopped onto a bus that would pass by the village. While we were still going there, an alarming discovery was made--we had forgotten our food! Thankfully, we had money on us, and we got the bus driver to drop off three people who went and bought vegetables while we continued onwards. After approximately 30 minutes, we reached the foot of the mountain on which the village is situated. When the team was 10 minutes down the rocky dirt road, we met two of the village members going out--Zhao Shu Shu and Huang Shu Shu. We exchanged greetings and then resumed our walk. 20 minutes later, we reached the first part of the village. It was a large but dingy house a garden growing various vegetables. Its residents were two men, both of which I guessed to be in their seventies. The team left me and another girl there to keep them company. Though I was barely able to communicate with the two grandpas--they both spoke TuHua--I did learn a bit about them.

Both have been in the Leprosy Village for a long time, and one is rather deaf. To my surprise, I found that they were both literate, and, aside from a couple of old newspapers, had little to read. Upon inquiries, I found that they did not have much water and one felt cold, but were otherwise doing well. Thee almost-deaf man walked with a limp and his skin was in bad condition, but none of them seemed to be affected too badly by leprosy. After chatting as best I could with them and giving them our gifts, we left for the next part of the village.

My friend and I arrived after 5 minutes. There we greeted an old man and woman who lived, once again, in two dirty houses. The main thing that struck me about the two was their bright smiles and happy faces. The old man had serious scabs on his head as a result of mosquito bites, so we spent a while explaining the use of the insect repellent to him. After checking on their scanty water supplies, my friend and I met up with the three team members who had gone to buy vegetables and the two men we had encountered while coming in. They had brought back meat, flour, and more for the old man and woman. It was then that I found that the old man was a sweet tooth, and loved mints!

Soon we continued on to the third part of the village. It was a slightly dangerous climb down the mountain, but we made it with no incidents. There we rejoined our team, and visited Liu Shu Shu and A Po. A Po's legs have a problem, and she is incapable of walking. Therefore, she spends her everyday in a dark, damp home. Liu Shu Shu takes care of her, and she, in return, cooks for him.

That afternoon, after a lunch of noodles and a short siesta in our tents, the team carried buckets of water from a well ten minutes away for the old people. Then we separated again. Some went back to the first and second part of the village, but I and some other friends stayed behind and watched Huang Shu Shu, the village leader, Zhao Shu Shu, and Liu Shu Shu weave baskets. That night, the old people retired early, as did their poultry and guard dogs. However, Zho Shu Shu did spent a little while listening to his radio before turning in. Around 9:30, after a quick meeting and some snacks, I rolled up in my blanket and went to sleep as well.

I woke up to the cock's crow at around 7:00am the next morning, noting tha tthe elderly village residents were not up yet. After a quick bite of rice porridge, I went to the first and second part of the village with a few other children. We all chatted and visited with each other, but I most enjoyed listening to one old, near-deaf grandpa singing songs from long ago. Around noon, we went back to our tents, had lunch, and took a rest, I spent a large amount of time chatting with Huang Shu Shu and Zhao Shu Shu. From them I found that every year they have two corn crops, which they sell to someone else as 5 or 6 mao per jin. They also grow rice. Zhao Shu Shu, who has a prosthetic, informed me that the rain has been late in coming, which is bad for this year's first corn crop. I responded by saying I believed that rain would eventually come...and it has. This rain is not only good for the corm, it also benefits the old people's water supply. (They gather rain water through a surprisingly simple system where the rain on their roofs slide into a cut-open pipe, then enters a tin water holder.)

That afternoon, we stopped at the second part of the village before going home. There was a considerably large fire going on nearby, and at first we were worried about the old people's safety. I think this experience reminded me of the eight old people's vulnerability.

Financially, the village residents are stable enough. Each gets 70 Kuai a month which covers their most basic needs. What Ephphatha is trying to do is brighten up their lives. Maybe we could buy the women some plastic flowevers or ornaments to make their houses prettier, buy everyone some new clothing to replace their current dirty ones, or get them some reading material. Also, we are trying to visit them regularly, just to show them that we care and that they aren't completely forgotten. They only get visitors once every month or so, and I'd like to just be there with them more.

Of course, Ephphatha isn't just planning to help the Leprosy Village! Rachel and I have some ideas and plans that are about to come out...Anyway, thank you all so much for your help, and please keep praying!