As LEAP left the hospital in central India, the patients and their families left their respective tents in the make shift “camp” to form a line and give our team members love and gratitude for what we were able to accomplish in our short time in India. We were told by the locals that God had answered their prayers to bring these children to a new life through surgery. Parents misunderstood why God would allow their children to be born with deformities and were further misled by myths within the village which proclaimed curses as the root cause. As a result, many of these children are dismissed as valuable members of society, denied an opportunity to interact with others in the village, and offered little hope for the integration. However, our hope is that through education and these corrective surgeries this village can experience God’s presence in a new light and see that even those born with deformities are valuable.
The word of the LEAP mission, now 10 years old in India, and through the reach of CICM’s 900+ churches there is now a huge stretch for patients from farther and farther away to seek aid on each new trip. LEAP strives for excellence in providing life changing surgeries in some of the poorest and most neglected regions of the world, but that is merely our toolset; our mission is to share the love of Christ and show these people, who ultimately show us, our God knows no boundaries.
Check out our Facebook page for many more photos from the trip.
The people of LEAP – volunteers, donors, prayer partners, and supporters – are who make these trips transpire. One great example is Jackie Reed. Jackie is a living legend! From working months to make things perfect in the warehouse for every surgery, to keeping things moving efficiently during the trip, to packing 30 plus trunks in less than an hour so we don’t have to deny anyone surgical time, and so much more — no one else can compare. Jackie’s presence and efforts were crucial on this trip and LEAP can’t thank her enough for all she does.
I deeply appreciate the LEAP Foundation and its team members. Through their sacrifice and efforts the lives of patients, family and friends are being changed. You have brought hope to those you have touched. I praise God for your willingness to sacrifice you time and to use your skills, talents, training and experience to impact the lives of the people of India and others around the world.