Dear Friends:
During these difficult economic times everyone has to be careful with spending money and the same is true for the Board of Directors of Damien the Leper Society (DLS); therefore we are being very thorough in making decisions in order to help the lepers in the most effective way.
Along with providing food and shelter, we are helping them to embrace a better future with opportunities for integration into a normal way of life. In the past years we have helped fund their children’s education. This year, specifically, we completed the water projects for village A and village B in Pleiku. This encompassed approximately 1,000 people.
In mountain area, we had to drill through many layers of rock, and go at least 300 feet deep to reach the clean water table. The day we got the water to the surface, the people were so excited they came from every direction with their plastic containers, drinking bottles and jugs from a few quarts to a couple of ounces to get the water. That was the first time that they didn’t have to rely on their children or to climb down into the creek for water. That was the first time they had ever gotten water that was clean and free of poison from insecticides.
As you are reading these words, clean water is flowing to the houses of the people in villages A & B, and moreover, each severely handicapped leper has a private restroom in their house for easier access. With water coming to their houses, their yards are greener and fruits and vegetation flourish. People from other villages come to sell and trade goods. The environment is less gloomy and there is less stress. The air is easier to breathe. Clean water is flushing out the miseries of leprosy.
However, there are still many other people who need the water for everyday use, for escaping the stigmas of the cruel and evil malady, leprosy. There are still many people who drink cloudy water from the creeks and streams in the jungles full of alum and sludge, mold and algae.
Throughout life, there are many obligations we all must shoulder, but we must continue this work of charity in order to bring relief to those who suffer.
I pray for you and all your loved ones to find the true happiness and joy. May our merciful and loving God continue to pour upon you his grace and blessings!
Sincerely in Christ,
Rev. Viet Huynh
