beWARM

These days, we are all navigating uncharted waters. In a flash, our daily lives somersaulted into never-before imagined routines. What we knew as casual and commonplace personal interaction now requires antiseptic treatment before and afterwards.

We’re not sure how best to adapt to what appears to be a murky and uncertain future. Each of us is plagued by questions we never dreamed of asking.

~When will we get to be with family and friends again?

~Will I ever be able to go back to work – or will I even have a job?

~If I or a loved one do contract the Coronavirus, will I /they recover?

Life before COVID-19 seems a distant memory.

I’ve never before considered becoming an “escapee” from reality – but I have to admit that I have employed various distraction techniques during these past weeks.

There have been days of plowing into long neglected house projects, hours of yard work, ambitious cooking escapades (pasta making and bread baking) balanced with long stretches of wandering around the internet and binge-watching Netflix series. And of course, there is comfort to be found in music, piano playing, and long walks with my best friend. :)

Regular Zoom gatherings with family and friends have sprinkled joy, laughter and connection into the isolation world, allowing us to express love and give virtual hugs.

But yet, whatever the diversion, the truth is that this virus – and its ramifications – aren’t disappearing any time soon.

The even bigger TRUTH is, whatever our escape route may be, God is there, waiting for us with His safety net. 

Our loving Lord is our Navigator, our Companion, our Protector, and our Refuge. He waits patiently with open arms for us to arrive; He is happiest when we spend time with Him.

Whatever your diversions of choice are during this time, I hope that you will devote some of your attention to God. Being in His Presence is a balm for the soul that has ultimate staying power.

Rather than seeking any port in a storm, look in God’s direction.

He is our Every Port, for all journeys.

Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve my life.~ Psalm 138:7

 For I am the Lord your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you. ~ Isaiah 41:13
    

Our MMI Bolivia team breezed through Customs when we arrived in Yapacani, thinking that this ease of entry would bode well for the project.

However, we had a host of challenges ahead.

Equipment crucial to the project wasn’t functioning.

Torrential rains flooded the roads that patients needed to travel to get to us.

One bus got stuck in the mud on the way to the clinic; another had a dead battery at the end of the day.

Roads were blocked on a day of national protest. (And yet  – He made a way through when we thought there was no way.)

A wave of illnesses threaded its way through the team.

Still, we persevered, believing that God would send the very patients he wanted us to help.

And He did.

Early on, we prayed that our equipment would be fixed, the rains would cease, and, most of all, that we would build a bridge of trust with the community we served.

It only took a few days for us to be up and running as usual.

And, after some successful cataract and strabismus surgeries, the people came – by the hundreds.

The shift in their perceptions of us were palpable; later, we heard that they so appreciated being treated with dignity.

Our organization does need to keep statistics regarding the numbers of people who are served on the many MMI projects throughout the world. And we do understand that this is important to the Board of Trustees and donors.

But…. so much of a mission project is about the changes in lives that ripple and flow through the members of the communities we leave behind.

The results of eye care, both little and large  –  can change a life forever.

The woman pictured above is a 37 year old mother who is blind from glaucoma. When one of our doctors was examining her eyes, she meekly said that she prayed that our group could do something “just to make her see a little better.” After she received the heartbreaking news that there was nothing we could do to restore her vision,  one of our compassionate doctors suggested that we give her a pair of reading glasses to protect her eyes. And then we prayed with her.

We hope that her smile comes from feeling God’s loving care.

Who could know that simply attending a church service could result in new sight? Some of our team attended a local church on the Sunday mid-project, encouraging people to come. The man on the right, a church member, told his friend (on the left), who was blind from cataracts, to come to our eye clinic. This photo was taken the day after his surgery, when he could see.

Tears of joy sprang up when little Cielo, age 2, with congenital bilateral cataracts was able to see. Initially she walked into the clinic holding onto her father’s leg, not sure of her steps. When she  got home after her surgery, Cielo ran outside and played in her back yard.

God orchestrated it all.

Crossed eyes were straightened by strabismus surgery, 35 people received prostheses for injured eyes or those that had been previously removed, with remarkable results.

A pastor, upon receiving reading glasses, excitedly grabbed his Bible and starting reading Scripture verses aloud!

Most importantly, bridges of trust, faith and friendship were built.

And our team, powered through, relying on the greatest Physician of all.

Here’s a song with a message that helped us stay focused…on Him.     Joy of The Lord

The mid-point of a medical mission project is a very significant day, for both the team members and the patients.

Most commonly, reports of compassionate care received and successful surgery results have spread like wildfire through the communities being served, resulting in long lines, with hundreds of people hoping to be seen at the beginning of the second week.

Today was no exception.

The patients’ feelings of hope, mixed with more than a little desperation, was palpable.

I often think about how that must feel, especially for those who have been living with little or no vision for so long – or the teasing endured by those who have “crazy eyes” (crossed eyes from strabismus). And it is astonishing to see the number of people who are in need of a prostheses due to an eye injury or an illness. Many have lived with an empty socket because there was no affordable alternative.

It is no wonder patients are concerned that the endless lines will prevent their entry as the week goes on.

Worry and fear are clearly the overriding sentiments – but those are coupled with hope, and an enormous amount of patience as the hours of waiting in line increase.

For the team members, the feelings experienced are gratefulness (we are seeing the large crowds of people we hoped for), determination (we will continue to provide love and good eye care to each and every patient), and faith and trust (God will bring the very people He wants us to help.) We also hope that we have the stamina to power through the long and exhausting days ahead.

I never thought about it before – but I do believe that we all have “Second Monday” experiences throughout our lives.

What do your Second Mondays look like?

…Do they come when are you afraid of what might happen in the days or weeks ahead?

…Are there times when feelings of desperation or hopelessness overcome you?

Where do you turn when life circumstances begin to crush your spirit, stealing any remnant of joy you might have had?

I am envisioning each and every one of us in line, waiting in hope to encounter our God of boundless love and compassion, who will minister to our every need.

The beauty of His Presence is that He stands beside us in the waiting – and joins us in each step forward along the way.

He waits…for us to see.

And sometimes the only visual adjustments we need are within the lenses of our own outlooks.

If we can focus on God, we can find the pockets of peace in the midst of our Second Mondays.

And, that being attained, we can celebrate the most clear vision we have ever enjoyed.

His Mission….accomplished.

For I am the Lord your God Who holds your right hand, and Who says to you, ‘Do not be afraid. I will help you.’ ~Isaiah 41:13 (NLV)

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This was written on the Second Monday of the MMI eye project in Yapacaní, Bolivia.