My Leprosy
I didn’t know I was infected. In fact, I thought I was in better condition than most people and didn’t need treatment at all. God then brought me to serve people with leprosy in order to show me that I was actually the one who needed to be healed from my leprosy of selfishness. In February 2013, God gave me the awesome opportunity to serve as a volunteer in one of the 600 leper colonies in China. The country has a total of about 240,000 abandoned, mainly elderly people with leprosy, who need not only physical but also spiritual help—hearing the good news of Jesus.
An elderly Korean man named Kim Jin To, now 81 years old, initiated the leprosy ministry in 2006. He came alone to China after serving lepers in Korea for 17 years and blind people in Japan for five years before that. Approximately 90 volunteers from various countries are currently united in this work. The volunteers live in nine different leper colonies in order to meet the physical needs of the people there. As their physical needs are met, the people’s hearts naturally open up to hearing about the volunteers’ Savior, Jesus.
“Can You Get It?”
The question I’m asked most often is “Aren’t you afraid you’re going to get leprosy yourself?” Thankfully, the answer is no. Because of modern medicine leprosy is an easily curable disease, and all the people in the colonies have been treated and are no longer contagious. Unfortunately, the colonists were infected before receiving proper treatment, and they are living with the aftermath of the disease. This means they struggle with various wounds and physical handicaps. Many are blind, crippled, disfigured, and missing fingers, hands, and legs. The most detrimental characteristic of leprosy, though, is the inability to feel. For example, while cooking, some of the people do not realize that their hand is being burned from the scalding water. When we’re dressing their wounds, they say it doesn’t hurt, even though the wound may be large and deep.
Spiritual Leprosy
Soon after I began my volunteer assignment in China, I read a quote from Ellen White: “The leprosy of selfishness has taken hold of the church. The Lord Jesus Christ will heal the church of this terrible disease if she will be healed. The remedy is found in the fifty-eighth chapter of Isaiah.”1 Then it hit me. I was the real leper! On the outside I looked “normal,” but my heart was numb and I was decaying spiritually because of my selfishness and sin. I had not truly realized my condition and had been living without Christ’s love in my heart. I had been ignoring the suffering and afflicted who were dying without knowing Jesus. God showed me that I was like the priest and the Levite in the parable of the good Samaritan (see Luke 10:25-37). They thought they were spiritually healthy because they were attending church every Sabbath, eating clean foods, and had a lot of Bible knowledge. But in reality, as Jesus pointed out, they were breaking the very principles of God’s law—love to God and love to others (see Matt. 22:37-40).
Now Is the Time
Now is the time for us to repent and put away our selfishness and sins so we can be changed to reflect Jesus’ character. As Luke wrote in the book of Acts, we need to “repent . . . and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that He may send Jesus Christ, who was preached to you before.” Acts 3:19, 20 “I saw that none could share the ‘refreshing’ unless they obtain the victory over every besetment, over pride, selfishness, love of the world, and over every wrong word and action. We should, therefore, be drawing nearer and nearer to the Lord and be earnestly seeking that preparation necessary to enable us to stand in the battle in the day of the Lord.”2
I am so thankful that God brought me to China to show me that I had the leprosy of selfishness and needed to be healed by Him. Truly the Holy Spirit is working in the leper colonies here. So far, 677 people have accepted Jesus as their Savior and have been baptized—and many others are preparing for baptism, asking Jesus to cleanse them from their sins and empower them to live a new life in Him.
Our brothers and sisters here cannot wait until Jesus comes again—but what about us? My great desire is that when He comes, we, along with those in China’s leper colonies, will be joyously praising Him for healing not only our physical leprosy but our spiritual maladies as well.
1 Ellen G. White, Counsels on Stewardship (Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald Pub. Assn., 1940), p. 85.
2 Ellen G. White, Early Writings (Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald Pub. Assn., 1982), p. 71.
G. Lee, a graduate of Southern Adventist University in Tennessee, and has been a volunteer for the Adventist lay leprosy ministry in China since 2013.
I have long to feel the lord Jesus in my heart. I’m 44 yrs old. I lost my job due to a lower back injury that actually occurred on the job. My job refused to acknowledge that fact. I was put on restrictions and my job was suppose to find some sort of work that I was able to do. They refused. They fired me via U.S. Mail 2 months later. 3 different Drs. have written and said that I am permantly disabled. I’m not able to get unemployment , disability, or workers comp. I went from making $25 an hour full time , to having to move in with family. I lived in Wisconsin , now I live in Mississippi. I have ZERO income. I pray every day and night for God to show me the way. I have been saved at the church. But it’s been 3 yrs now and I’m still in the same (no income/cannot work) situation. Disability has denied me twice even though all my Dr.s say I cannot work. I’m at rock bottom , and I feel like God doesn’t care. Maybe the fact that I’m still alive , have shelter , food, and family that loves me is because of God. But I feel completely empty inside. I’m ashamed of myself when my 20 yr old and his fiancé drives 14 hours to visit me. I feel like I dont want to leave my room because it’s hard to look him in the eyes. I cannot read minds, but I feel like my son is ashamed of me as well. Although he has treated me like a son that loves his dad, I still feel ashamed of myself. I would NEVER hurt myself, but I don’t know what to do anymore. I love my hobby of wood segmented vase, and bowl turning. I have been told I’m quite the artist by total strangers. I love woodturning. But since I had to move to mississippi I cannot pursue my hobby because I do not have a shop or any other space to set and use my woodworking machines and tools. All that stuff is in a storage unit. Back in Wisconsin I had a shop that I could go to and either work on a new piece or just sit by myself and meditate. I know God is watching. I don’t know if God will change things for me, but I hope he hears my prayers and ans shows me the way. Please pray for me. I’m a good man. Not perfect by any means. I was quite the life of the party in my younger days. I never did drugs , but I drank a lot. I will say that I am not and never was an alcoholic, because on April 10th 1995 , my wife at the time gave birth to my first and only child. My son jake. From that very day I can say with all honesty that less than 10 cans of beer have touched my lips. And all 10 cans were left unfinished. I have raised my son to be a good, respectful , church going man. I’m getting off subject now. Sorry. I have faith that God will show me the way. I just hope and pray something happens soon. I use to be able to hold my head high. Now my head faces the ground. If you read through all of this, I thank you. God bless you all.
John king (#1) – June 14, 2015