On April 16, 2008, ALM hosted the first installment in the James D. Cockman Distinguished Lecture Series. Millard Fuller, founder and former president of Habitat for Humanity, and founder and current president of The Fuller Center for Housing spoke on the importance of Persevering in the Mission. Approximately 60 people attended the event at ALM headquarters in Greenville, SC. People from all walks of life came together for this uplifting time of fellowship and encouragement. Mr. Fuller exhorted attendees to press forward in their work despite obstacles and hardships.

Persevering for over a century, ALM, its project partners and generous donors have changed, and continue to change the lives of thousands. Years of stalwart faithfulness by so many dedicated servants have yielded tremendous progress in the fight to restore hope, health and humanity to people affected by leprosy. Even so, there is still so much work to do in ALM’s mission to free the world of this horrific disease. Continued commitment and sacrifice are needed to receive the priceless honor of being used as the hands of Jesus to touch a hurting world.

This same spirit embodied the life of James “Jim” Cockman, for whom the lecture series was named. As the chairman of the Greenville Chamber of Commerce, Jim Cockman worked tirelessly to bring the international headquarters of American Leprosy Missions to Greenville, SC. He joined the ALM board in 1996 and served as chairman for three years. Under his leadership, ALM expanded its programs to include the treatment of Buruli ulcer and fearlessly dared to dream of a world without leprosy through vaccine research. As a successful leader in business, Mr. Cockman used his influence and resources to advocate for those whose voices could not be heard. He and his wife, Cathy, raised six children and cared for many foster children. Although his life was tragically cut short in 2004, his heart and legacy continue on through the vision and mission of American Leprosy Missions. His life is a testimony to what the power of one life selflessly given in the service of others can accomplish.

The next lecture will be on Wednesday, May, 28, 2008. Mr. Kenneth Behr, president and CEO of The Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA) will present The Integrity Crisis in America.

Click to register for the next lecture.

During last summer’s Vacation Bible School, the children at Christ Presbyterian Church (CPC) raised $285.75 by filling Pete the Pig banks with their change. Their generosity and concern for those affected by leprosy continues. The church recently held their annual Souper Bowl of Caring fundraiser. By combining the money given in Sunday school piggy banks since September of ’07 and the proceeds from the annual Souper Bowl of Caring event, the Teknion Youth Choir, garbed in their favorite team’s jersey, raised an impressive $477.00. When the children were asked where the money should go, “PETE THE PIG!” was the overwhelming response.

The generous people at CPC matched the funds raised by the children and donated an additional $477.00 to help American Leprosy Missions in our work to cure people affected by leprosy.

Sue Rodkey, Chair of the Christian Education Department at CPC echoed the vision of American Leprosy Missions when she commented, “We hope that one day soon we can rid the world of this dreaded disease.” With partners like the Teknion Youth Choir and the Children of CPC, we can press on towards reaching that goal. We are grateful for their hard work and generosity.

 –The following article was published October 25, 2007 in IRIN Humanitarian News and Analysis, UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

Flomo Kerkula, Liberia, “All my fingers and toes have gone and my family abandoned me”

GANTA, Northern Liberia. Leprosy patient Flomo Kerkula, 55, has been living in one of Liberia’s biggest [leprosy] camps in Ganta, Nimba County, for over two decades.

Flomo Kerkula has spent 20 of his 55 years in a [colony for people affected by leprosy]in northern Liberia.

One of his elder brothers first took him to the camp for treatment, but twenty years later, Kerkula told IRIN that his family has abandoned him, despite the completion of his treatment.
 
“I had a wife when I contracted leprosy and I have brothers and sisters, uncles and aunts, as well as other relatives like cousins.

When I contracted leprosy they brought me to the camp for treatment and since then none of them has even come to visit me.

I am left at the mercy of God and the caretakers of this camp who I now consider as my family.”

Every time I sent a message to some of my relatives in my village in Bong County [central Liberia] for them to visit me in the camp, no one replied. They do not care about me and no one even bothered to reply to say so.

“It reminds me of when I got the disease. People in my village said to me that I was involved in witchcraft activities and that was why I got leprosy.

The villagers were afraid to greet me and some of them even advised their children and relatives not to shake my hands or think of being closed to me.

I am unable to work now. All my figures and toes have gone. But the only thing that bothers me right now is that my family abandoned me like this.”
 

- http://www.irinnews.org/HOVReport.aspx?ReportId=74944

Ahmednagar, India. After a full day of traveling around to villages with the Vadala team, Karen and I were getting tired, not to mention dehydrated. Both of us were eager to head back to the hotel, away from the grit and pain of the many stories we had recorded that day. “Just one more stop,” they told us. Reluctantly, we agreed, steeling ourselves for the inevitable emotional drain.

As our vehicle made its way through the narrow streets of the village, we noticed people going about their daily routines, preparing for dinner. School children with neatly pressed white shirts made their way home as we wove through what seemed like a never-ending sea of motorbikes, bicycles, and auto-rickshaws.

We came to a stop in front of a small white house, where a woman sitting at a sewing machine was visible through the doorway. As she looked up at us, I instantly recognized her eyes—vivid, haunting brown eyes. Eyes that immediately touch the soul.

Just the summer before last, I began my job at ALM. Sometime during my first month or so, an Indian client’s story and photo came across my desk. Workers at the ALM-supported Vadala Mission Hospital had interviewed a 29-year-old woman named Mangal. When they found her, she was despondent. Having lost her fingers and toes, as well as some of the eyesight in her left eye, she was forced to spend each day in the isolation of her home. Why was she living in such despair? She had contracted leprosy years before.

Before leprosy, Mangal’s life was full of promise. She was an intelligent, beautiful young woman who studied until the 10th grade, remarkable for a woman in rural India. When her father approached Mangal with news of possible marriage proposals, she asked him to allow her to continue her studies. He agreed as he was proud of his only daughter’s accomplishments.

However, Mangal contracted leprosy and her life immediately changed. Her father was heartbroken about his daughter’s illness and died shortly after her diagnosis. Mangal began taking multi-drug therapy, but when her skin became dark (a side effect of the MDT), she stopped. For years, leprosy wrecked havoc on her body.

When Vadala workers met her at a Prevention of Disability (POD) clinic, Mangal told them that she had no hope. She said, “Leprosy destroyed my life. I could not get married because of my fingers getting lost due to leprosy. I don’t blame them. After all, who would want to marry a girl like me? A girl who is not able to do any work with her hands?”

Because Mangal was no longer able to work, her elderly mother was forced to find a job doing manual field labor. Yet, Vadala workers saw promise for Mangal’s life. She told them that she was interested in sewing, and they purchased a sewing machine for her through the vocational rehabilitation and training program.

Slowly, she learned how to sew. She was terrible at first, but she practiced by sewing garments for the poor women in her village. As she improved, her reputation began to spread. She was able to earn money and purchase additional sewing machines. Before long, Mangal became the most well-known, well-respected tailor in her village.

Now, Mangal teaches stitching to local girls from 10-3:30 every day. When she’s not teaching, she’s busy stitching, especially during the marriage season and the Hindu holiday of Diwali.

“I stitch blouses so well that once I stitch a blouse for someone, they won’t go to someone else,” she tells us.

Her business has done so well that Mangal’s mother no longer has to do manual labor to support the family. Mangal even has plans to expand her shop into a bigger building.

Just when we think that this remarkable woman cannot possibly amaze or inspire us any more, we hear a poem she’s written that hangs on her wall. It’s called Life’s Chariot:

Life’s Chariot
When you go on your life’s chariot, you should never be sad.
Even if you have sadness in your heart, you should always be smiling.
Even if you have tears you should be strong like the sandalwood.
Even if you have sadness, you should bear it alone.
You should only give happiness.
When you’re going out of this life,
You should give everyone your light.

As Karen and I leave Mangal behind, I think about how grateful I am, not just because I’m fortunate enough to be free from disability, not just because I was able to earn a post-graduate degree in the “fluff” study of English Literature, and not even because I live in a house with rooms in it that I seldom enter. I’m grateful that day for being able to sit and share just one hour of time with Mangal.

–Jennifer Copeland and Karen Marshall (photographer)–India, August 2007.

Meredith Powers doesn’t let something like chronic back pain stop her from enjoying physical activity.  Since January, Powers has competed in two triathlons which include running 5 kilometers, cycling 20 kilometers, and swimming 300 yards.

Suffering from chronic pain has given Powers a new appreciation of life.  After reading “Where is God When It Hurts,” a book about people affected by leprosy, Powers was inspired to compete in triathlons in order to raise money for people affected by leprosy.  She says,

“If you have leprosy, you could be raking leaves in your yard and get a blister and not feel it.  That blister can go to the bone, and you wouldn’t know it because your nerve endings don’t work.  Despite my dealings with my chronic pain for so many years, it never occurred to me that pain is a miracle.  It is a gift from our Creator. I had tried to endure it, suffer through it, learn leassons from my pain, but never before did I appreciate it as a gift.

In late March, Powers competed in the Azalea Festival triathlon. Her initial goal was to raise $270 dollars to help ALM buy bicycles for healthcare workers in order to help them minister in remote communities.

But she far surpassed that initial goal!

Since her first triathlon in March, Powers has raised over $1500 with assistance from St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, the Catawba Valley Chapter of Thrivent Financial for Lutherans, as well as family and friends.

Powers is a powerful example of just one person can do to help change the world.

Powers and Friends at the ALM information table at the Greenville Triathlon in August.

Every year, our dedicated friends at Christ Presbyterian Church in Lebanon, Pennsylvania hold their annual Vacation Bible school and donate all offerings to “feeding Pete the Pig.”  No matter what the theme of Bible School, the children participating look forward to feeding the small stuffed Pete with pennies, nickles, and dimes. 

This summer, the kids at Christ Presbyterian fed Pete a total of $285.75, which will be joined with gifts from others to completely cure a child of leprosy!

Christ Presbyterian sent the following message with their life-changing gift,

“On behalf of our children, I wish to thank you for all the work you do in God’s name to care for those with leprosy.  We pray that God will continue to bless your work and that one day soon, this dreaded disease will no longer plague God’s children.”

Dear All,

Thought I would send this out to you on how I spent my Independence Day. I celebrated Congo’s Independence last Saturday and the USA today! Sorry this is quick with LIMITED Spell check. The lights are out and I am on my last few minutes of battery.

Life has been interesting in Lisala (Northwest part of Congo). After waking up at about 3:30am on Sunday to get a ride to a small airport at 4:30 and wait a couple hours in the low light of dawn to finally be greeted by others going with me at 5:30, we were off in a small plane by 7:00 (yes, check in was at 5:30). I was able to comfortably sit behind the pilot and watch him consult his flying manual! - thought it might be good if I knew where the manual was being kept just IN CASE I was needed to fill in :-)!.

Well definitely it was a treat going up and down along the way to drop passengers off and refuel. The kilometers and kilometers of jungle and the winding Congo River was a sight. Had a great breakfast of 3 croissants, coffee and a DVD of Mr. Beans Best! Not bad in addition to no security checks, but the flight was $720 round trip (almost the same as a round trip to Kinshasa from Johannesburg).

Finally we arrived and were met by the Regional TB/HD coordinator (a catholic sister-African) We went to the retired bishop’s home (57 years as bishop in DRC, imagine what he has experienced). He is now 84 years old and for an African in DRC that is a miracle. We got things organized for the training and enjoyed the rest of Sunday resting, eating fish from the Congo River and meeting arriving participants to the leprosy course.

The fish is plentiful and so good. I am enjoying being without meat! Have enjoyed bananas and maniac daily. Our lodging is on the property of the bishop. I am fortunate to not have any leaks in the roof or bugs falling into my room as the others have experienced. The toilet is outside and no keys have fallen into any holes SO FAR! I am blessed to have a place to bathe inside my room by either a bucket of water and at times COLD running water. We have electricity about 3 hrs each evening so I am madly typing this e-mail to you to send out tomorrow.

Monday morning early, I woke up with a terrible headache and other symptoms that were similar to Malaria. After feeling really bad most of the day, I finally started Malaria treatment and within 12 hours was a new person and eating again. I did get some SLEEP!.

Today’s adventures with my computer tell me of God’s wonderful provisions in the most unexpected places and ways. At the World Health Organization’s Regional Office, where we are having our training of 27 health workers from 12 districts, we have wonderful access to electricity (most of the time) and wireless connection from the Satellite dish (now dropped from $6,000 to $2,000 to install) plus about $150 per month fees. I figure some of these details you may find interesting in the middle of it all.

Whoops the energy is out for the night so will finish and go to bed. Good thing the computer has almost fully recharged and I got my cup of coffee made! Now back to the story.

I turned on my computer to work a little more on a hand out some of the participants wanted from my presentation and in the middle the computer just STOPPED. Turned off the computer and tried to start - NOTHING! No electrical current seemed to be getting through by battery or cord. Finally one of the WHO guys called a local to come and fix my computer. I figured there was nothing that could be hurt so I turned over my computer to him and watched him take it ALL apart.

I was glad I was not the one trying to remember where to return the pieces to and trusting this GUY WOULD remember.

Anyway after about 2 hours and checking all the electrical system, cleaning out the inside he put it all together again and IT WORKED. A miracle when I had prepared myself to most likely be without my computer for the next couple weeks and thinking I was OFF the hook to writing my final Travel Report!

The funny side of it all was the WHO Doctor offered to pay the fee for the repair in exchange for me to marry him. How do you like that as a payment? My Congolese friends insisted that he should pay a little more, 3 cows, 20 chickens, etc etc. Great friends. Since I wasn’t too interested in being 2nd, 3rd or 4th wife, I decided to pay. My friends were disappointed not to have a wedding and I said I would be happy to set a date for Feb 30th!.

So you see this very trying morning turned into late morning time of laughter and thanksgiving. So my Independence Day was celebrated in a very special way.

Missed a marriage opportunity!

Best wishes to you ALL with love, Linda

Linda F. Lehman, OTR MPH C.Ped