Mormon Life - India tag

Michelle King: Helping the leprosy-affected in India, on 'Mormon Times TV'

Wed, 14 Mar 2012 10:13:00 -0600

source: MormonTimes.com

Sometimes we focus on work and career solely because we know we’ll get paid. After all, a job puts food on the table and helps us provide for our families. But it’s frequently looked at as something we have to do. What a bonus, though, if we love what we do and actually look forward to going to work every day. And if we really have a passion for our jobs — and helping others — we might even be willing to donate our time with no thought of monetary reward.

That’s the case with Dr. Scott McGavin, a local dentist and humanitarian who travels to India to help the leprosy-affected and their children. This Sunday, on the March 18 installment of "Mormon Times TV," you’ll get a firsthand look at the lives and faces he and his colleagues are changing, one smile at a time. It’s love of fellowman and true charity at their finest.

'Centers of strength' — Church flourishing in India

Mon, 24 Oct 2011 13:07:00 -0600

source: ldschurchnews.com

Mormon Life says: Love seeing pictures of Saints from around the world. We not only have missions in India, but we also have districts that are preparing to become stakes. The Church is being established in India in a deliberate and impressive way. And although North American members are contributing in important ways to the spread of the gospel in India, the Indian members themselves are the driving force as the truths of the Restoration spread across their land.

As I became acquainted with our Indian Church members, I kept thinking of President Gordon B. Hinckley's words: "The lives of our people must become the most meaningful symbol of our faith" (Ensign, April 2005). The power of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ can be found most easily not in the beauty of the buildings we construct but in the lives of individual members. I found such power as I became acquainted with those who have joined the Church in India.

Worshiping with the Saints in India

Wed, 22 Jun 2011 10:51:00 -0600

source: MormonTimes.com

Business travel has been a significant part of my life for the past three years. This has allowed me the opportunity to visit nearly every state in the continental United States and a few foreign countries. It has also afforded me the opportunity to visit several temples. Many great personal spiritual experiences have ensued when attending temples in places such as Manhattan, Toronto, Orlando and Detroit. However, what has perhaps been the most rewarding experience I have had while traveling occurred recently when I was in New Delhi, India.

There are four branches in the city. I chose to attend the New Delhi 1st Branch because its meetings had the earliest start time. When I arranged the driver with the hotel, I told the concierge I would be going to church. He asked if the place where I was going to say my prayers was close, and I told him it was only about 18 kilometers (11 miles) away.

Former NBA player Shawn Bradley shares experience volunteering at leprosy colonies

Mon, 14 Mar 2011 10:05:00 -0600

source: deseretnews.com

An estimated 1 million people in India are afflicted with leprosy, a disease many people believe was eradicated long ago. But thanks to Rising Star Outreach and former BYU and NBA basketball player Shawn Bradley, the goal is to make the current generation the last to suffer from this disease.

Bradley recently attended a fundraiser in Salt Lake City for the organization. Its mission is to help leprosy colonies become thriving, self-sufficient communities by the year 2020. It's an organization he and his family hold close to their hearts.

Bradley and his wife, Annette, didn't know much about leprosy when they first attended a fundraiser a few years ago. "The only leper experience I had was in reading the Bible and those stories," Shawn Bradley said.

Leprosy is an infectious disease that mainly affects the skin and nerves in the hands and feet, and in some cases, the lining of the nose. The World Health Organization says there are countries in the world where cases of leprosy remain high, including, Angola, Brazil, Democratic Republic of Congo and India. Since the 1980s, 11 million people have been cured of leprosy in India.

Youth in India share the gospel through pageant

Wed, 24 Nov 2010 00:01:00 -0700

by Jamie Lawson
source: ldsliving.com

Mormon Life says: Sharing the Book of Mormon through song and dance in New Delhi, India. There are only about 8,000 Latter-day Saints in India. But the LDS youth of New Delhi hope they have set the stage for future Church growth by sharing their testimonies in a unique way—a Book of Mormon pageant.

Diane Pritchett of Belmont, Massachusetts, wrote, produced, and organized the pageant. Pritchett was living in New Delhi for the summer so her husband, Lant, who specializes in international economic development, could write a book about India, and so the couple could pick up their son when he completed his mission in Bangalore.

“The pageant had four goals,” she says. “For the youth to have fun, bring the Spirit, share the gospel, and learn how to work hard at a community endeavor.”

“Much of the Church in India is first generation,” explains Praveen Beesa, New Delhi District Young Men president. “Most of our youth only joined the Church one or two years ago, and I can’t express how excited they have been about this project.”

The production, which consisted of both singing and dancing, portrayed nine different Book of Mormon stories, including Nephi breaking his bow, Ammon defending King Lamoni’s fl ocks, and Christ appearing to the Nephites. According to Pritchett, the pageant was created as a missionary tool, as well as a way to strengthen the testimonies of the cast—objectives the youth understood well.

“There are people [who] don’t know about this church,” says Ryckiel Beya, who played Ammon. “That is why we are doing this—to show them that our church is true.” He continues, “Because we have to go through the Book of Mormon, it makes you understand the gospel more deeply.”

On the night of the performance, more than 300 people attended, including fulltime
missionaries with investigators. The youth were also challenged to bring family
and friends.

“The pageant was wonderful,” Pritchett recalls. “Everything went smoothly, so it was a great experience for the participants and the audience, and it was a good production
to boot.”

Riya Sunny, another cast member, is certain that all of their hard work will have a positive impact on the community. “People will think, ‘They are Mormons. Mormons are great.’” And it seems Sunny is right—a few baptisms have already resulted from the production.

The Untouchables: Part 3

Tue, 19 Oct 2010 02:02:00 -0600

by Jamie Lawson
source: MormonLife.com

Mormon Life says: The final article in a series in which LDS Living editor Jamie Lawson describes her experiences among leprosy victims in India. Click here to watch a video on Jamie Lawson's experience in India at the leprosy colony.

In case you missed them, here are The Untouchables: Part I and Part II.

Evil. Cursed. Untouchable. In India, leprosy victims are despised, shunned from society. Tragically, so are their children—even if they don’t suffer from the disease. These children are most often destined to beg on the streets and live in the filthy conditions of the leprosy colonies which, when combined with their genetic predisposition for contracting the disease, puts them at great risk of continuing a horrific cycle of suffering for another generation. But Becky Douglas, founder of Rising Star Outreach, is striving to give them much brighter futures through unprecedented educational opportunities.

I recently visited Douglas at Rising Star Outreach in Chingleput, India. As soon as I arrived, I was greeted by half a dozen children in crisp, cotton school uniforms. “Auntie! Auntie! What’s your name?” One young girl with short black hair and large dark eyes eagerly grasped my hand. Another small girl touched my hair, fascinated by its blonde color. They asked me questions, taking the opportunity to practice their English, and happily told me about themselves as we walked to the nearby playground where dozens more children were playing basketball, swinging, and climbing on the monkey bars. These children, or “colony kids,” as they are often called, live and study at Rising Star Outreach as part of the charity’s mission to help leprosy victims and their families create better lives for themselves.

“When we first opened the school, we only had room for twenty kids,” Douglas recalls. “People came from all over India, having heard about the school through the grapevine on the streets. The demand was so great that we ended up squeezing in twenty-six kids.”

Arun was one of those twenty-six kids. When his father heard about the school, the two traveled more than 1,000 miles from their leprosy colony in New Delhi in hopes of securing a spot for the boy. “We were already full, so we put him on a waiting list,” Douglas recalls. “A couple of days later, we were out doing some volunteer work in the colonies, and there was Arun, alone, crying in the dirt. His father had left him at the colony so he could go begging. He didn’t have enough money to bring him back to New Delhi. This father went to such great lengths to give his son a better life, so we took him in.”

While there are many parents who are willing to make such a sacrifice, Douglas says that many others have to be convinced to send their children to school and forfeit the income they would bring in as beggars. It’s something Douglas handles with great sensitivity while explaining the opportunities their children would have to learn English and computer skills—two things that will help secure employment with international companies in the future. (Despite having such skills, Indian companies would not hire them because they are “untouchables”—a stigma the children could carry throughout their lives.)

“If you don’t respect their culture, you’ll never win their hearts,” Douglas says. “We realize it’s a huge sacrifice to send a child to our school.”

And sometimes parents decide they can’t spare their children after all. For example, five-year-old Santos and his older sister, Amal, both came to Rising Star, where they lived and studied for about three years. But when their father lost his leg to leprosy, he withdrew them from the school so they could take care of him and return to begging on the streets.

Most of the children at Rising Star Outreach come from tragic circumstances. Douglas says that earlier this year, two brothers, Anutha and Aravine, were brought to Rising Star from a nearby leprosy colony after their father doused their mother with oil and lit her on fire. “She died, but both boys had burns on their hands from trying to save her.”

Twelve-year-old Satya came to Rising Star years ago, after her father died from the effects of leprosy. Her mother was mentally ill and had been placed in an institution, so when her father passed away, there was no one willing to care for her. “Her uncle said he didn’t want to be burdened by a worthless girl,” Douglas recalls. “We were so full—the kids were practically sleeping on top of each other.” But at the request of well-known social activist Padma Venkataraman, Douglas made room for Satya. “That first day, I held her in my arms the whole day, and she just sobbed.”

Because of the emotional distress the children have suffered, Douglas keeps a full-time counselor on staff. “We want to help them heal and get them talking,” she says. “We know we’re not the answer to every problem, but we do what we can.”

Over the years the school has expanded, and today there are about 200 children at Rising Star Outreach. Even so, Douglas says, “We will never have enough places for kids. Our goal is to take one or two from a family, hoping that as those two children succeed, they will raise the level of hope for everyone else.”

The school has become so successful that Douglas has reserved 20 percent of the slots for children from the nearby village. “At first, everyone laughed at us. They said no one from the village would send their child to school with a bunch of untouchables. But because of our top-notch program, the spots filled quickly, and now there is a long waiting list.”

Douglas hopes that by integrating the children, the stigma of leprosy will eventually disappear in India. “We have to start with this generation,” she says. “Sometimes one small thing can have massive repercussions in society. These children will eventually change the stigma that has existed for millennia. They are already starting to think for themselves and find their place in the world.”

To sponsor a child at Rising Star Outreach, or to find out how you can help in other ways, visit risingstaroutreach.org.

The Untouchables: Part 2

Mon, 06 Sep 2010 18:00:00 -0600

by Jamie Lawson
source: MormonLife.com

Mormon Life says: Part two in a series in which LDS Living editor Jamie Lawson describes her experiences among leprosy victims in India. In India, those suffering from leprosy are considered to be “untouchables.” Believed to be cursed by God, they have been cast out of society to live on the outskirts of civilization, where they beg on the streets for survival. Even their shadows are believed to be cursed. (To learn more, click here to read "The Untouchables: Part 1.") But strides are being made to fight the cultural stigma associated with the disease and to help leprosy victims heal both physically and emotionally.

As we rode in the Rising Star Outreach mobile medical van along the dilapidated and dusty roads of Chingleput, India, Dr. Senthil Kumar, who travels to various leprosy colonies to provide medical care, explained the cultural stigma that compounds the physical suffering caused by the disease.

"Leprosy has been around for more than three thousand years, and it has always been considered a curse," he said at the time. "Many believe it is a punishment from God, that if a person has leprosy, they are evil."

He continued, "In the past, when someone contracted the disease, the only option was to send that person out of the house. That way, at least the other family members would have a chance for education and a normal life."

Healing Wounds The first scene I observed at Chettipunniyam leprosy colony was overpowering. Piles of garbage lined the rows of tiny mud shacks, and goats, chickens, cats, and dogs roamed freely. The unsanitary conditions and poor diet have created an environment in which it is extremely difficult for residents to stay healthy.

The day I visited, many volunteers had accompanied the doctor in hopes of helping to clean victims' wounds. They quickly spread the word that the doctor was there, then they filled basins with water, donned latex gloves, and began carefully washing the hands and feet of leprosy patients. The sight of deformities and gaping wounds was overwhelming at first - but so was the love and tenderness shown by the volunteers as they knelt down and freely touched these "untouchables." With the help of nurses, volunteers removed old bandages, washed wounds, carefully scraped away dead tissue, and applied ointment and clean bandages. Dr. Kumar then screened patients for diabetes, hypertension, and tuberculosis.

"Leprosy causes nerve damage, so people lose feeling in their extremities and often injure themselves," Kumar explains. "They don't know how hot the coffee is they're holding, or if they're walking with a nail in their foot. They get skin ulcers, which get infected, and the hands claw and become paralyzed. The wound care is so terrible that we have to remove hands and feet and legs." He also explains how vermin, including maggots and rats, will remain unnoticed as they consume the tissue of leprosy victims.

Kumar says most of the time leprosy victims use old bandages simply to cover their wounds, not to keep them clean, so their sores don't heal. "The sores are sometimes there for ten or twenty years," he says. According to Church member Becky Douglas, who founded Rising Star Outreach, that's why they began to teach self wound care. "As soon as we put the responsibility on them, wounds began to heal much more quickly than when we were coming around once or twice a month. The difference has been unbelievable."

Rebuilding Lives Despite the physical suffering, Kumar insists, "it's not the disease that kills them, but . . . the stigma that is killing the people here. Leprosy doesn't kill all at once, but it kills the self-esteem, the family life, the social status, chances of education, and chances of being a respectable person in society." (Dr. Kumar himself is unable to open a private practice because he works with untouchables. When people find out he treats leprosy victims, they refuse to come to him.)

In the past, street begging seemed like the only way leprosy victims could survive. But thanks to Rising Star Outreach and their partnership with Padma Venkataraman, a well-known activist and daughter of a former Indian president, thousands of leprosy victims who were once beggars have been able to receive micro loans to build their own businesses. I saw these businesses at the Bharatapuram leprosy colony in southern India, businesses that included a sewing business, a barber shop, a snack shop, and a carpentry business (which remarkably employs colonists as well as people from the surrounding village).

"When you beg on the streets, the worse you look the more money you make. It makes leprosy victims want to be the worst they can be," says Douglas. "But when they start their micro businesses, they begin cleaning themselves up. They have transformed themselves both inside and outside, and have regained their self respect."

Thriving businesses make Bharatapuram unique, but the jewel of this colony is the Bindu Art School - a place where leprosy patients learn to express their creativity through painting. Launched in 2005 by Austrian artist Werner Dornik and Padma Venkataraman, students here learn to paint despite their deformities, sometimes taping paintbrushes to their fists.

"At first, they only had two colors to use - blue and black. Those colors, combined with the mood of the patients, led to pretty depressing art," says Douglas. "But as the painters began to get access to more colors, and as they healed through self expression, the art became more joyous."

"Joyous" is a good description. After spending some time with the artists, I found all of their work to be colorful, often whimsical. Some painted nature scenes, while other pieces were abstract. Some paintings were sophisticated, some were elementary, but all had a great energy about them. (I couldn't resist buying a painting of my own.) In fact, the artists here are gaining worldwide recognition; their work has been shown in the galleries of cities like London, Berlin, and New Delhi.

The Bharatapuram colony was a fascinating example of how leprosy victims are healing emotionally and rebuilding their lives. But perhaps the most touching example of resiliency I found was in the tiny colony of Mugalvadi.

The few residents who live here were friendly and welcoming, and upon our arrival we were immediately donned with bindis (the ornamental dots worn on the forehead). The colonists, who were all elderly, were eager to communicate through hand gestures and a few English words.

With the help of Dr. Kumar, who translated between Tamil and English, I was able to hear the moving stories of these colonists. For example, Krishnan, who has lost all his fingers and one leg, contracted leprosy when he was 15 years old and was forced to leave home. His wife, Saroja, was just 9 years old when she and her father contracted the disease. They survived as beggars near a temple in Chennai. Saroja's father met Krishnan at a leprosy treatment facility and wanted him to marry Saroja. The couple has been married for 40 years, living in Mugalvadi since 1972.

As the volunteers visited with the colonists, Dr. Kumar took me behind the living quarters to show me something quite remarkable. Saroja, who has lost a leg to leprosy, along with many fingers and toes, had set up a birdbath and bird feeder.

"It takes her more than an hour to drag herself over to the well and fill bowls with water for the birds," he explains. "She then scoots herself and the bowls back behind the homes."

The residents here do not have enough to eat. In fact, we brought a 50-pound bag of rice with us to supplement the meager amount of food they receive from the government. Yet, Kumar says, Saroja takes some of her rice and lovingly grinds it up to feed the birds.

"It is her way of sharing," he says. "Though she needs so much help herself, she still finds a way to give to someone else."

After visiting these colonies, it is clear to me that leprosy victims have talents and stories and love that they crave to share. And now, in a variety of ways, they are finding the opportunities to do so.

Click here to read The Untouchables: Part 3

The Untouchables: Part 1

Mon, 23 Aug 2010 18:00:00 -0600

by Jamie Lawson
source: MormonLife.com

Mormon Life says: Part one in a series in which LDS Living editor Jamie Lawson describes her experiences among leprosy victims in India.

Leprosy is one of the most feared diseases in human history. Assumed by many people to have disappeared centuries ago, this devastating disease continues to destroy the lives of people around the world.

Like most of us, I'd never given leprosy much thought. The only time it crossed my mind was during scripture study or Sunday school lessons. (The Old Testament notes that Moses, his sister Miriam, Naaman, and King Uzziah were all at some time afflicted with the disease. There are also accounts of Jesus healing leprosy victims in Matthew, Mark, and Luke - I use the term "leprosy victims" because "leper" is considered extremely offensive today.)

It was Church member Becky Douglas who first opened my eyes to the suffering this ancient disease still inflicts today. She is the founder of Rising Star Outreach, a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping leprosy victims and their families (to read her story, click here ). Her accounts of the trials leprosy victims face and the amazing progress that is being made through her organization fascinated me, so I immediately accepted her gracious invitation to come to India and see for myself. I'll be sharing my experiences with you over the coming weeks, but today I want to give you some background about the disease - much of which may surprise you.

While doing some research for my trip, I learned that an effective treatment for leprosy, also known as Hansen's disease, has existed since 1982. In fact, the World Health Organization (WHO) has made this treatment available free of charge worldwide since 1995. Still, the WHO estimates that about three million people worldwide are permanently disabled by the disease, and approximately 70 percent of the world's cases are found in India.

Why India? There are several reasons. First, there are about half a billion people living in poverty there. So despite government initiatives to educate the public about the disease, the message doesn’t reach the poorest of the poor, who are living in horrendous conditions tantamount to disease and starvation.

But perhaps the most influential factor is the cultural stigma associated with the disease. In India, leprosy is widely considered to be a curse, and those who contract the disease are evil, receiving punishment for a sin committed in this life or a previous one. Those afflicted with leprosy are often treated as "untouchables," disowned by family members, and cast out of society - forced to live in leprosy colonies on the outskirts of civilization and beg on the streets for survival. That's why many times people are too ashamed and afraid to seek treatment, and those who are brave enough to go to the hospital are often turned away. (Yes, it's shocking. But before you rush to judgment, it should be noted that for years leprosy patients in the U.S. were required by law to be confined at a facility in Carville, Louisiana, many of whom were forced there against their will. Patients there often changed their names to protect their families' reputations, were not allowed to marry, and were denied the right to vote - a right they finally won in 1946.)

Despite the tremendous obstacles, progress is being made in India. I have seen it. But it will likely take generations to overcome the cultural stigma associated with leprosy, as well as restore health, self-respect, and self-confidence to leprosy victims.

While in India I had the privilege of meeting many leprosy victims and their children, who are also considered "untouchables" by association. By sharing some of their stories, it is my hope to show the hearts and souls and indomitable spirits of those who suffer from the effects of this disease. Stay tuned.

Click here to read the second part of the series, "Healing Body and Spirit."

Hope Rising

Mon, 28 Jun 2010 18:00:00 -0600

by Jamie Lawson
source: MormonLife.com

Mormon Life says: A family tragedy would lead this ordinary housewife down an unexpected path—one that would bring hope and healing to thousands of people half a world away.

Ten years ago Becky Douglas's life changed forever.

Her oldest daughter, Amber, lost her battle with bipolar disorder and took her own life while away at college. As a grieving Douglas sorted through her daughter's belongings, she discovered that Amber had been sending money to India to support an orphan. "I think because she suffered so much she had a real soft spot for others who suffered," Douglas recalls.

In lieu of flowers, the family asked that donations be made to the orphanage; so much money was collected that Douglas was asked to serve on the orphanage's board of directors. "I decided I'd better go to India to see first-hand what was going on," she says.

During her visit, Douglas found the orphanage to be clean and the children well cared for. "They actually had a lot by Indian standards," she says. But while driving through the city of Chennai, between the orphanage and her hotel, she was struck by the intense suffering of the beggars who assailed her car at every stop. Dirty and deformed, some with gaping wounds, these beggars were afflicted with a debilitating disease that Douglas thought was a thing of the past - leprosy.

"It's hard to admit, but it hurt to look at them," she recalls. "The suffering was palpable - I just wanted to turn away."

When Douglas returned home, she couldn't sleep. She kept seeing the image of one leprosy-affected woman, a young mother, who had crawled toward her car in Chennai. As Douglas rolled down the window to make sure their car wouldn't harm the woman as they pulled away, their eyes met. Those anguished eyes haunted Douglas, and she finally resolved that she would try to do something to help that woman. "I didn't even know where to start, but I had to do something."

She called four close friends, and together they created Rising Star Outreach, a nonprofit organization dedicated to serving leprosy victims in India and their children, who live with them in the leprosy colonies. But as the charity began to take shape and Douglas began to educate herself about the disease, she learned that in India people afflicted with leprosy lost much more than their health - they were treated as "untouchables," disowned by family members, and cast out of society because of the cultural stigma associated with the disease.

"Leprosy is considered to be the worst curse God can give a man," Douglas says. "It's a common belief that if you have this disease, you're being punished for a sin you committed in this life or a previous one."

Despite the fact that leprosy is curable and easily treated (in fact, the Indian government offers treatment free of charge), those afflicted with the disease are often too ashamed and afraid to seek treatment. They've been forced to abandon life as they know it to live in leprosy colonies on the outskirts of civilization and beg on the streets for survival.

To help leprosy victims and their families as much as possible, Douglas eventually determined that Rising Star Outreach needed to take a three-pronged approach: provide mobile medical care for people living in the colonies, create a safe learning environment for the children of leprosy patients, and offer micro business loans to help leprosy-affected individuals become self-sufficient. This formula has had great success, thanks in large part to the selfless volunteers who come from around the world to serve with Rising Star. "It will be the hardest work you've ever done, but when our volunteers come back, they feel like they have the power to change the world," Douglas says.

Mobile Medical Care Due to lack of resources and terrible living conditions, leprosy victims are often forced to use crude instruments in unsanitary conditions to treat their sores. But Rising Star is changing that by giving patients access to clean bandages and medications through its mobile medical clinic. A medical team makes visits to the leprosy colonies several times each month to properly care for wounds, treat other diseases such as tuberculosis and diabetes, and screen people for the beginning stages of leprosy. "If caught early on, a person can avoid any physical signs that he or she was ever afflicted with leprosy," Douglas says.

Volunteers also help leprosy patients care for their injuries. "Patients will sit on chairs while our volunteers wash their hands and feet," Douglas explains. "Leprosy patients don't have feeling in their extremities, so they often injure themselves, causing open sores or ulcers. Leprosy-affected people are treated as untouchables, but caring for their wounds requires a lot of touching," she continues. "There is a power to heal that is born from love and from touch."

Education Even if they are disease-free, the children of leprosy victims are also branded by the stigma and are forced to become street beggars like their parents. And because leprosy has a genetic aspect - only people with a positive component are susceptible to the disease - children of leprosy patients are in grave danger of contracting leprosy themselves. "Long-term exposure and poor living conditions put colony kids at much greater risk for developing leprosy," Douglas says.

But by providing colony kids a separate place to live and go to school, giving them nutritious meals, and teaching them proper hygiene, Rising Star Outreach has greatly reduced that risk. In addition, "the children at our schools learn computer skills and are taught English, which helps ensure their success in the future," Douglas says. "Indian companies will not hire them, but international companies don't care about the leprosy stigma. We're determined to take our kids and putting them at the top of Indian society by helping them become competitive in the international job market."

According to Douglas, there are almost two hundred children in Rising Star's elementary and secondary schools.

Micro Businesses For leprosy victims, street begging seems like their only option for survival. But thanks to Rising Star Outreach and their partnership with Padma Venkataraman, a well-known activist and daughter of a former Indian president, thousands of leprosy victims who were once beggars have been able to receive micro loans to build their own businesses.

"Business is a great vehicle to eliminate stigma and prejudice," says Douglas. "The stigmas kind of melt away when both parties are benefiting." As the micro loans are repaid, the money is loaned again to other families, giving even more leprosy patients the opportunity to enjoy a new way of life.

"Sadly, when you beg on the streets, the worse you look the more money you make," says Douglas. "It makes leprosy victims want to be the worst they can be. But when they start their micro businesses, they begin cleaning themselves up. The transformation, both inside and outside, is amazing."

*** What started as Becky Douglas's determination to continue her daughter's legacy of giving has turned into a thriving organization that is successfully breaking the tragic cycle of leprosy in India. "We've been invited to open up facilities in nearly every state in the country," she says. "It just goes to show that if you take the first step, God brings the world to you and you can do amazing things. Everyone can make a big difference."

To date Rising Star Outreach has helped more than twenty thousand people. Visit risingstaroutreach.org to learn how you can volunteer in India or help in another way.

--- Stay tuned on LDSLiving.com over August and September as Jamie Lawson documents her experiences of living and working alongside the leprosy victims of Rising Star Outreach.

Everyday Indian

Fri, 28 May 2010 18:00:00 -0600

by Bal Arneson
source: MormonLife.com

Mormon Life says: If you’re ready to expand your dinner options and try something a bit different, we’ve got the thing for you. Don’t let the uncommon ingredients scare you away—items such as garam masala, mango powder, and grapeseed oil are usually available at grocery or ethnic stores. Take this opportunity to explore one of the world’s greatest cuisines! Papaya Chicken

2 tablespoons grapeseed oil
1 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
1/2 teaspoon asafetida
2 tablespoons grated garlic
2 tablespoons grated ginger
1 green chili, finely chopped
1 large onion, chopped
1 tablespoon cumin seeds
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons ground coriander seeds
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/2 teaspoon Spanish paprika
1 teaspoon salt
2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut in small cubes
1/4 cup low-fat, plain yogurt
1 cup cubed ripe papaya

Place the oil, fenugreek seeds, and asafetida in a nonstick skillet over medium heat and cook for 10 seconds. Add the garlic, ginger, and green chili, and cook for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Increase the heat to medium-high, add the onion, and saute for 4 minutes until caramelized. Add the whole cumin seeds, ground cumin, coriander, turmeric, cardamom, paprika, and salt, and cook for 10 seconds.

Add the chicken and cook until almost done, about 8 minutes. Stir in the yogurt and cook until chicken is fully done, another 2 minutes. Add papaya chunks, and remove from heat. Serve over rice or with naan.

Tandoori Quesadillas

2 tablespoons grapeseed oil
1 red onion, finely chopped
1 tablespoon grated garlic
1 tablespoon grated ginger
1/4 cup tandoori paste
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast cut into bite-sized pieces
1/2 cup low-fat plain yogurt
6 large whole wheat tortillas
3/4 cup grated mozzarella cheese

Place the oil in a nonstick skillet over medium heat and saute the onion, garlic, and ginger for 3 minutes. Add the tandoori paste and cook for 1 minute. Add the chicken and cook until it's almost cooked through, about 8 minutes. Add the yogurt and cook until the chicken is completely cooked through, another 2 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 400° F. Place one tortilla on a baking sheet and spread one-third of the chicken mixture on it, spreading it evenly over the entire tortilla. Sprinkle 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese over the top and cover it with another tortilla. Repeat with the remaining ingredients. Bake until the cheese is melted, about 3 to 5 minutes. Cut into 6 wedges and serve with any kind of chutney.

Red Pepper Soup with Toasted Cumin Seeds

2 tablespoons grapeseed oil
1 teaspoon asafetida
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 red onion, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons grated garlic
1 tablespoon garam masala
1 teaspoon Spanish paprika
1 pound red bell peppers, sliced
1/2 cup organic vegetable stock
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

Combine the oil, asafetida, mustard seeds, and cumin seeds in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat and cook for 10 seconds. Stir in the onion and garlic, and cook for 3 minutes. Add the garam masala and paprika and cook for 1 minute. Mix in the red peppers and cook for 2 minutes. Add stock and broth and cook over medium-low heat for 5 minutes.

Remove from the heat and place the mixture in a blender. Process until completely smooth. Serve in individual bowls, topping each serving with 1 tablespoon of grated parmesan cheese.

Excerpted from Everyday Indian: 100 Fast, Fresh, and Healthy Recipes by Bal Arneson. Now available at amazon.com.