| Bringing Love and Life to the Lepers |
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Gospel for Asia-supported missionary Prisan Pinak spends time with a special group of people who live in his ministry area. He knows that God loves these people, even though the rest of society has abandoned them because they suffer from leprosy.
This elderly leprosy sufferer is quite happy about the clean clothes and warm blanket she received from Prisan's church.
 Prisan, who ministers in one of South Asia's largest and most prosperous cities, routinely visits several slum areas where lepers live in communities of misery and neglect.
Because of their disease, they are shunned by society in general. Most of them were disowned and kicked out of their family homes. Their disfiguring disease prevents them from working at most jobs and they resort to begging just to get a few rupees to buy rice. There is no social safety net for them?they are completely on their own and live without hope.
On September 8, rather than going to each settlement to visit them, Prisan invited the lepers to visit him at the church he pastors in the city. They were surprised and deeply grateful when Prisan gave them warm blankets and clean, new clothing.
A local doctor who is an expert in their disease, was also at the church that day. He worked with them offering important information on how to treat their disease and even sharing hygiene practices that would prevent it from spreading.
 Leprosy ravaged this woman's body, and society shuns her. But on this day, she heard that Jesus loves her.
In addition to the warm clothing, blankets and medical advice, the leprosy patients also received Gospel tracts and New Testaments to help them learn more about the Great Physician.
Prisan also invited some of the local political leaders to the program. One of those who attended was an elected official who had, in the past, been a vocal opponent of Prisan's ministry. After seeing Prisan's compassionate acts toward the leprosy patients, this politician changed his tune. He was praising the church and the missionary, rather than opposing the work.
Prisan asks for prayer that the leprosy patients will read the Gospel tracts and New Testaments, and that they will choose to put their hope in Jesus.
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