I will never forget the first time I got kissed on the lips from an old man with leprosy. I remember thinking, gosh, can I get this hideous disease from a kiss? I honestly had no idea, but, ended up getting more kisses, and hugs, and hand holding all week with the most precious group of men I had ever met in my life. I was in love.

There are times in our life, when we physically feel the Bible come alive in supernatural ways. For me, spending 3 months serving in a leper colony, in my daughter Zoie’s birth village of Korah, made me feel like I had lived-out a story from scripture. There is no possible way for a North American Christian to fathom or understand the horrors of this disease, unless you go and see it with your own eyes; to even be able to believe it still exists, just like in Bible times.

I could spend a week telling you story after story of my time loving and serving the leper elders’ who live in Korah and how they changed my life over the past five years. How is it possible to watch human beings suffering with leprosy, but can still live a full life, smiling, hugging, singing, dancing, and fellowshipping? Well, it takes a miracle and it’s the loving care from people (like you and me) who believe in making a difference loving the least of these.

How Can We Make 14 Men With Leprosy Feel Whole Again?

We need your help at the Elders’ Home for Lepers. We are looking for 14 more sponsors to help support Hope for Korah’s “Elderly Home for Lepers.” for $60 a month. This coming together of sponsors would help to bring dignity and hope to those who by societies’ standards could very easily be considered the “Least of These.”

Love. Big. Sponsor.

Around the world leprosy has seen a great decline but there are still places where people continue to suffer the physical and great emotional abuse of this disease. Korah, Ethiopia is one of those places. Many lepers in Korah are without family, completely alone, without support and often living in the most horrendous circumstances. Their debilitating disease leaves many of them crippled and unable to feed or care for themselves.

We have been in the hovels where they sleep on dirt floors or dilapidated beds. These are horrendous conditions that are inhumane; corners of make-shift shacks that we would consider unsuitable for animals. It is so wrong, these men in spite of their disease are ‘fearfully and wonderfully made’ – Psalm 139.

In response to this injustice in June 2012, HFK began a program ‘Loving the Least of These’- The Elders’ Home for Lepers. We have recently moved into a larger compound, allowing us to add 3 more gentlemen (endearingly referred to as “Elders”.) With the help of additional sponsors we will soon have 8 Elders living full-time in the home.

The Elders’ Home provides these men with dignity and hope through proper housing, beds, daily assistance with hygiene, food, medical, clothing and loving community.

We have been praying for 20 sponsors who would give $60 per month to support these Elders and we are almost one-third of the way there!

We still need 14 more sponsors! This ‘working together’ would fully fund the Elders’ Home and bring dignity, love and hope to these men who have been ostracized, persecuted and forgotten for so long. Would you prayerfully consider helping to make this happen? Your monthly sponsorship or one-time gift to The Elders’ Home would make an immediate and lasting impact in the lives of Getachew, Alayehu, Gebray, Regasa, Adana and three additional elderly lepers who will soon be calling this place “HOME”.

For more information please email office@hopeforkorah.com. To donate please see Hope for Korah Elders Home Donation Information attached. You can print off this form here.