Indian Santa Claus

Hey guys, hope all is well in the US of A

a little reminder, we have 21 days left

Ok, this time I wanted to tell you guys about Kannappan, otherwise known as Indian Santa Claus (because that’s what he looks like).  I met Kannappan over a year ago when our team last spring was the first ever to visit his leper colony, Tikkri Border, and my summer team got to know him very well.  He used to feed us biscuits and finger paint with us.  We always thought that he was just such a happy man, even sometimes silly (perhaps ‘jolly’).

When I came back with this team I really desired to laught with him again.  A few weeks ago at the leper colony, I got pretty sick and in the agony that I was feeling physically, I cried out to Jesus, begging Him not to leave me.  Before I knew it, Kannappan had taken his cot out of his house and on to his porch along with his pillow and had me lay down.  Even as I vomited on his porch, he held my head and rubbed my back. The entire rest of the day he sat closeby, on his doorstep, watching over me.  Jesus hadn’t left me that day, He was sitting right by the cot, on the doorstep, greatly resembling Santa; and as painful and as embarrasing as tha day was for me, it strengthened my relationship with Kannappan so powerfully.  Only a week later, while visiting this leper colony, my leader Julie was feeling pretty sick.  At first I was afraid the lepers thought that getting sick at their leper colony had become an American trend, but soon enough, Kannappan gently guided Julie to his cot and turned on a big fan over her as she slept.  Just like the week before, Kannappan stayed with me by Julie’s side and instead of fear or anxiety or discomfort that Americans usually have about illness, all I could see was gentleness and understanding in this old man’s eyes.  This must have been pretty humorous to Christ- that I would have the audacity to think that they would uncomfortable with our illnesses–they know sickness and disaese- they know pain and hurt, and if anything, these instances only drew us closer to the lepers, teaching them that we are human too, and we also get sick just like them.

Over the past few weeks, I’ve been finding myself wanting to send most of my time with Kannappan.  As much as he still is the ‘jolliest’ leper I’ve met, I have been seeing more and more a side of him that resembles a father- my heavenly father.  About two weeks ago, as we were leaving, I asked our driver, Ajay, to translate to him my gratitude for everything he ad been doing for us sick Americans.  I told him that he had become like a father to us.  When Ajay translated this, Kannappan’s eyes lit up with joy and he pointed at me and exclaimed: “DAUGHTER!”.  I nodded in agreement.  As I’ve spent more time with him and looked through his few family photos, He’s even made efforts to ask about “Esu Musee”, or Jesus Christ, even though no one has told him that I or anyone on our team are believers.  Perhaps as much as I see Christ revealing himself to me through this amazing man, Kannappan is beginning to find his true maker and the Father who loves him in me.  That is my prayer.  Please pray for Kannappan, my Indian father, that he would come to know His father, whether through me or anyone else the Lord decides to send to him.  I feel like him and Jesus would get along very well.

O, and don’t worry, Dad, you haven’t been replaced…I just missed you so much that the Lord had to give me an Indian dad so I could get by until I see you again.

Tomorrow I will say goodbye to Sidappa, the leper who has the most powerful effect on me, who is now deaf and dying.  Please pray for him, and for me, that I’ll be able to get through it.

I love you all, and you are in my daily prayers,

unitl next time, Annie Auntie