True Religion

"Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows (and I’m sure lepers) in their distress….” James 1:26

Had an interesting trip Tuesday afternoon. Cameron and David Friend (Kiwi surgeon here) and the hospital physio (I can’t for the life of me remember his name – I have enough trouble retaining western names like John and Mary! I think it is Mr. Chilimunda) and I set out on a 20 minute trek over the hill and into an incredibly beautiful valley where a leper village is situated. The government has built about 15 simple brick one-room homes where those disabled from this disease live. David (who is a modern day saint by the way – and would be the last one to want someone to acknowledge him in this way) takes his Tuesday afternoon off once every 2 weeks to go to the village with Mr. Chilimunda for “a social visit” and to hear about their aches and pains and bring them a gift. He goes to the Boma weekly (30-40 minute walk) with his backpack to pick up oil or flour or sugar or salt or soap for the visit. Each visit he takes a gift to each household of a different staple (this week was soap).

The people obviously are anticipating the visit and are each sitting outside their home in their Sunday best. We go through the wonderful Kaonde greeting “byepe mwane” with a bit of a genuflex and handshake followed by several cupped handclaps then repeat. The reply is “twasanta mwane” (we are well) or “pecheeche mwane” (“a little bit” – a wonderfully vague term meaning a bit unwell or a bit better, etc). He then settles in to speak with them – showing care and compassion and a gentle spirit. They usually complain about their pains, or their cough or their eyes; he does a rudimentary exam, reassures them, gives them medicine or advises follow up at the hospital. He presents them with their soap and moves on with a Kaonde farewell.

Like the lepers in Jesus’ time these people are often missing digits or limbs and have all the psychological issues that go along with chronic illness and deformity along with the social stigma of their disease. Despite this, they had broad ready smiles and an appreciative spirit for the most part. David thinks they most appreciate knowing that they “are not forgotten”.

He tells me that there is a donor in the US that has for years been providing funding so that each household can have a monthly allotment of maize meal. It apparently costs $2500 U$ to fund feeding the whole village for the year. For some reason this funding is coming to an end. Any takers for practicing some pure and faultless religion?