the little jersak clan

i want to tell you a story of this family i am proud to call my own...
everyday rod goes on a bus to rutnabad in the heart of the temple area where many poor people live. he is doing home care nursing for a woman named sushila. usually rod takes a girl with him or we go as a whole family. on one of our trips we were walking by a hospital and on the other side of the street was a woman with leprosy begging for money. we walked about 10 steps passed when rod stopped and said, "i have to do something." so we all turned around and approached her. with hand gestures rod tries to communicate that he wanted to help her. as he took off the dirty rags that covered her feet we were overcome with a smell indescribable. her toes were no more and in the blood and puss flies were lying eggs. he carefully cleaned the wound with little anya pouring water on the bandage for him. as he worked she stood with her hand on his shoulder. the other two were praying out loud and conversing with the people who had stopped to gawk. i took instruction from rod and handed supplies from the medical bag. soon a crowd of over 50 people were gathered...sadly not to support but in curiousity of why these white people would bother to stop and help this woman who surely had deserved such a state. it is good to be different.