By Sharon Daily | President
Dear Friends and Partners of Mossy Foot Patients,
When the angels sang “Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace, goodwill toward men,” HOPE was restored to mankind through the birth of the Christ child.
As we move into the Christmas season, my heart is full of JOY because of what I am personally witnessing in Ethiopia. As I sit next to recovered mossy foot patients, I feel like a child seated by a pile of beautifully wrapped Christmas gifts, eagerly anticipating unwrapping each of them to discover what is going to be revealed inside.
For me, the presents are stories of many, many of our patients at the 16 Mossy Foot clinics. One special story was the gift of HOPE restored in Bogalee’s life.
I sat on a rough hewn bench with the patients in our mudded clinic building, listening, mesmerized by Bogalee’s compelling story. Other patients nodded and murmurred agreement as they identified with her story through their own similar experiences. Bogalee’s feet were in such terrible condition that she could not walk but had to crawl to get to the Bale clinic for treatment. Discouraged and without hope, outcast from society, struggling just to have a little bit of food to survive, Bogalee contemplated throwing herself in front of a car in order to end her miserable existence.
Now, what a change had come in her circumstances. She praised God for the transformation in her life and thanked the Mossy Foot Project for the compassionate treatment and healing of her feet. Now Bogalee has her life restored to her. She received a self help loan and was able to start her own business and become a self-supporting, valued member of her community.
Bogalee’s story is not unique. While I was at her clinic, I heard many, many more stories of desperately discouraged, people without hope, the outcast, poorest of the poor, whose lives have been completely transformed. The Mossy Foot Project is restoring HOPE to so many people.
With your help we can continue and expand this important work. It doesn’t take much to give the life changing gift of healing to a needy mossy foot patient in Ethiopia and change his or her life forever.
May you be given the gift of great JOY this Christmas season as you contribute generously to this important work of bringing healing, HOPE, and transformation to the lives of those who suffer from mossy foot disease (podoconiosis).
May you have a joyous, blessed Christmas.
With much Gratitude and Joy,
Sharon Barlow Daly, President of Mossy Foot Project
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