Joseph was a bright young man who had always shown a determined desire to have a strong and loving mindset, which blessed him immensely on his family's farm, and would also prove its value throughout his adventure-filled life. His family would often try to make predictions on what this strange boy's life would be like because they knew that he was no ordinary boy. His grandmother strongly believed he would become a priest, while his godfather believed he should join the military to seek unknown adventures as he once had. After a long period of time Joseph, who had his own idea of what he was to do, begged and begged his father to let him become a missionary. Finally, he was granted his continuous and passionate desire to leave the farm and journey off to an academy where he could gain further knowledge on Christ and the gospel.
Joseph, now known as Father Damien, had traveled to a leprosy-filled colony on the coast of the Peninsula where he was determined to help aid these lost and hurting souls and point them towards Christ. At first, the locals didn't trust this mysterious man because they were afraid of what his intentions might be. Knowing this, Joseph carefully proceeded with his mission to help and to comfort these people. He spent fourteen years attending to their sores and wounds that had been disrupting their lives long before his arrival. Father Damien, who was now confident that he would dedicate his life to help these people in their suffering, showed them how to enjoy and cherish their time on Earth by pointing them to Christ. He gave the lepers the hope they lost because of their sickness. He often pondered the idea that if he could show them just how precious each life was to the Lord, they would live in love and thankfulness towards each other and more importantly Christ, who was the only One who could truly save them from their brokenness.
Father Damien, determined to continue spreading the love of God that he himself received and knew to be true, sent out letters to the surrounding government. In these letters he would demand food and clothing for the sick and hurting people in the village. It had crushed his very soul to watch these people suffer beyond what this terrible disease had done to them. Even their water source was just a small well that was exclusively reachable by hiking through rough terrain, which was extremely hard for these sick people. Finally the supplies had been granted and Father Damian wasted no time in improving the lives of his friends. With the help of the village, they made fresh water much more accessible through using iron piping, which would conserve energy and strength in the village because they didn't have to strive to such lengths to receive just a simple drink of water. He also helped them to construct two stores, a brand new hospital, and later, two churches. These churches are where he found just how much they craved a Savior. Many would frequently enjoy the Sunday service and even agreed to help wherever they could throughout the church. Father Damian’s plan to share the gospel with his comrades became much more persistent through the help of having a place that people could visit and learn about Jesus. Because Father Damian had been with the village for over a decade, he was able to speak directly to the curious and yearning ears of the people. This small village which seemed to have lost all desire to live with purpose, joy, or any happiness was finally beginning to look to the Lord as the only one who could set them free from the bondage of pain and despair. They now had a new hope that seemed to brighten their souls with love and thanksgiving towards Christ, who had the power to set any one of them free and give them a new life not only on earth, but more importantly, they would be in Heaven with the God of love and peace forever.