When Rose was last in Miraj, India visiting the Dayanand Handloom Project, she met this gentleman, who told a fascinating story about the bag he carries.

The bag was made by the Dayanand group, known as a group of people who have been healed from Hansen’s Disease (formerly known as leprosy). Miraj is in the southeast corner of India.

This gentleman was walking down the street in Chennai, on the west side of India, several hundred miles away, and someone he passed said, “Praise the Lord” in a way only Christians say it in India. Startled, the gentleman stopped and said, “Because of the bag you carry.”

Why would that make a difference? The bags are known as being made by “lepers” … and in India, no one will carry those bags. Except, that is, for followers of Jesus, who also was known as a friend of the outcast.

SEED values affirming empowerment, recognizing that everyone is made in the image of God and deserves an opportunity to provide for themselves and their family, and to participate in the life of the community.