Pastor Britto and missionary Lowell Smith were deeply impressed by the time they spent with a man named Abraham who lives at the colony. The day we visited him at New Life Colony, he was singing:
‘I will see my Redeemer one day, he will wipe away all of my tears. All of my sorrows are going to be wiped away, and I am going to be joyful.’ Our hearts were really moved that he had such a blessed hope that though he is blind and doesn’t know what is going on around him, that one day he has a hope that he will go to heaven and Jesus will wipe away all of his tears.
He encouraged us and prayed for everyone. He was saying ‘Thank you Lord for bringing these wonderful people in my life so that I can pray for them.’ Though he is suffering he still has a joy and hope in the Lord. All of this is because of the ministry and our sponsors. Our missionaries are going there every week to comfort him through God’s word.” Lowell paused slightly before resuming again,
“It’s very humbling and very convicting when I have thousands of times more than he has in this world. Anyone we know would have more than this man—he has nothing! But he is so grateful for what he has. When he prayed for me, I felt very small. I believe we all have things we can learn from Abraham.
He recounted that he had a nice house by Indian standards, but when he got the disease of leprosy the people began to come at night and throw stones at his house. One night, all of the village people came to his house and told him that he had to leave right away. Then one man took his house for a very cheap price and Abraham lost all of his belongings. He then moved to New Life colony and has been living there with his wife and family for thirty years.
“Abraham lives in a tiny, dark, dirty room; only the size of what we would call a closet” began sharing Lowell Smith. “All that he has is in that room—which isn’t much. He himself is a small man and is very feeble because of his leprosy; he can’t see, he can’t hear very well, he cannot walk, and he’s got severe deformities. He can’t get around so he has to sit in his room most of the time. You would think someone like that would be very bitter”.
How to really be thankful for what we have, how to really realize what things are important, and how to realize what we are really on this earth to do.” Independent Church in India and the residents of New Life sincerely and wholeheartedly thank each one of you who is sponsoring New Life Colony or who is helping them in any way.
“You would think that he wouldn’t have anything to thank God for or praise God for” Lowell resumed, “He’s rejected by his whole society and living in a colony with terrible conditions. Would it not be normal, we would think, for someone like that to be asking God ‘Why? Why have you allowed this to happen to me?’ and to have some bitterness towards God? But he has not a trace of it. It’s so humbling because when you ask him ‘what do you do all day?’
He says ‘I sit and I pray and I sing songs of praise and thanksgiving to Jesus all day’ He prays for the people around him and he’s joyful and always ready to sing a song. He’s ready to pray for others.
Your loving prayers and support have made life so much better for them. Through you, their lives have been changed by the love of Jesus Christ, and they are now filled with a joy and peace that is overflowing. We pray that you will continue to make a difference in the lives of these beautiful people living at New Life Colony in the years to come. May God bless and keep you in His love and peace.
