Gabby North from the Leprosy Mission  
 

The Leprosy Mission is a global organisation leading the fight against leprosy- one of the world’s most marginalising and stigmatising diseases. For many, leprosy might be thought of as a disease of the past- seen only in Biblical times, but sadly today, every 2 minutes someone is newly diagnosed with leprosy. In Matthew 10:8, Jesus sends out his disciples saying, ‘Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give.’ At The Leprosy Mission, we strive to follow in the footsteps of Jesus to make sure that nobody affected by leprosy are left forgotten or unseen. 

My name is Gabby North, and I am really excited to be coming to visit Chilton and Harwell Churches on the 21st April to give a talk about the life changing work that The Leprosy is doing around the world. 

One person whose life has been changed through your love and support is Santosh- a young man in Nepal whose life was changed forever when he was diagnosed with leprosy. Sadly he had to have both of his legs amputated at just 18 years old because of infected ulcers caused by leprosy, and he felt that he had no hope for the future. But there is now hope once more for Santosh! Santosh came to The Leprosy Mission hospital Anandaban, where he was given love, support, and a pair of prosthetic legs, and Santosh can now walk again! My colleague met Santosh recently, and he is thriving, with a specially adapted moped so he can zoom around his neighbourhood. He has also married and his wife has had a beautiful baby girl, and when he looks at his daughter, his face lights up with joy. It is amazing to see the difference that your love and support has made, as Santosh has changed from being a sad teenager with no hope for the future, to a joyful young man looking forward to a hopeful future with his family. 
In February I had the privilege of visiting Andhra Pradesh- a state in the South East of India, where The Leprosy Mission work tirelessly to show people affected by leprosy that they are seen and loved. God absolutely broke my heart for the people that I met there, I have returned feeling so inspired and full of thankfulness for all God is doing through you as supporters of The Leprosy Mission!

 I really look forward to sharing a story about an amazing woman called Sarojani (pictured here) who I met at Salur- one of The Leprosy Mission’s hospitals, and to give you an opportunity to show people affected by leprosy that you see and love them through our current appeal- to build a new Outpatients Department at Muzaffarpur Hospital in Bihar- India’s poorest state. If you would like to find out more about how you can get involved with our work prior to the service, please visit https://www.leprosymission.org.uk/. Just £24 provides the cure for leprosy for one person- what an amazing gift to give! If you would like to give a gift to transform the lives of people affected by leprosy, you can head here- https://actions.leprosymission.org.uk/page/145680/donate/1?ea.tracking.id=p3638wxr

God bless!
Gabby North
Community Partnerships Manager- Central South region
gabbyn@lm.org.uk
07842231596