beWARM

On the Amazon river, there is a spot where Colombia, Brazil and Peru intersect called Tres Fronteras.  Leticia, Colombia is the city that sits closest to this juncture.  It is here where our 72 member MMI team has set up an eye clinic which has been operating for the past week.

Each time we work on a project, I am amazed at how the hundreds of bags that we bring are expeditiously emptied – in less than ideal surroundings.  A school is transformed into an eye clinic; a modest general operating room is transformed into a 3 table ophthalmic surgical suite.

Seasoned MMI General Helpers train new team members to take visions, operate the auto refractor, and fit reading and prescription glasses. Eye care professionals go about their usual work in a Third World vernacular.

Inevitably, there are challenges; electricity, essential for much of our equipment, can be inconsistent. Logistics of patient flow sometimes need adjusting after the first few days.

It is a wonder how it always comes together.  But before too long, our group settles into a rhythm; patients are evaluated and treated, and visions are improved.

This year, we saw a record 780 patients on our first day of clinic, and scheduled 65 cataract surgeries.  By the end of  the week, the surgical schedule was almost full for the second week of the project.

The need for eye care here in Amazonas is dire; an ophthalmologist comes to the area once every 2 months. Besides that infrequent presence, most people cannot afford the cost of glasses or surgery.

We have barely touched the tip of the iceberg.

In my mind, the “B” in this title stands for blessings. There are Blue moments during every project, to be sure, such as blind patients that we are unable to help – but by and large, God’s providence abounds…and astounds.

• Meeting Rebecca, a missionary who has prayed for 10 years for an eye team to come here.
• A man blind in both eyes for 15 years who can see again after his cataract surgery.
• A 10 year old boy who cried when he saw in the mirror that his crossed eye had been straightened by strabismus surgery.

I could go on and on….but you get the idea.

Though optimism is thriving here, our team still has The Blues about the 2000 pairs of glasses that are still being held in Customs in Bogota, for no valid reason…miles away from the many eyes that need them. We are praying that a heart would soften enough to sign papers for their release.

This morning, I am also praying for each of you as you live out God’s mission for your lives.  Every one of us has work to do for Him – and not necessarily in a Third World country.

Live joyfully!  Settle into the cadence of the life you have been given, beat the blues as you rely on Him…and count your multitude of blessings.

He is at work everywhere.

For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them. ~Matthew 18:20

An isolated moment in any given day can result in a torrent of imaginings.

Such was the case when, in the midst of Christmas baking, I reached for the eggs –  and discovered one less than a dozen…in both cartons I had purchased.

This gaping hole prompted me to picture someone desperate enough to carefully remove them, gingerly and discreetly exiting the store.

Where was their final destination? Would those eggs serve as  a meal for someone…or the addition to a bread or cookie batter as a special family treat?

My heart started to ache as I envisioned this incident; I began to pray for the person whose existence precipitated such actions.

As I emptied those cartons in the course of making holiday treats (of which we all devour excessively!), I reflected on my casual – and frequent – trips to the grocery.

How often I reach the checkout line with extra items purchased on impulse.

How often my cart is so very full.

And yet, to someone else, a couple of eggs are so important – vital, perhaps.

I think God wants us to be more mindful – grateful for all the comforts we are blessed with, relishing those intangibles that He freely gives.

In this season of overindulgence, He challenges us to be purposeful in our purchasing and generous in our praying.

As we concentrate on the doings of the holidays, are we lacking elsewhere – as in being present to the person or the situation before us?

Do our flurried and flustered minds leave an empty cavity where God should be?

As we check off our gift lists, let’s not forget about The One who has given us Everything.

What can we do for Him today?

What small gesture or kind word can fill that barren spot in someone’s heart?

The old saying goes, “Don’t put all your eggs in one basket.”

When it comes to God, I disagree.  In Him, we can place all of our hopes and fears, joys and disappointments.

Even when we fall short.

And he also said, “It is finished! I am the Alpha and the Omega—the Beginning and the End. To all who are thirsty I will give freely from the springs of the water of life.  ~Revelation 21:6

When was the last time you felt your eyes brimming with tears? Most usually, they arrive when we are sad – but occasionally appear when we are deeply moved.

Hearts and eyes full, emotion crests… and our tears spill over.

I experienced this phenomenon more than once during our eye project in the sleepy village of Peren Town, Nagaland, India.

Out of the most severe trials their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. ~2 Corinthians 8:2

In this verse, Paul is referring to monetary donations that he was collecting for the distressed believers in Jerusalem. For me, this verse speaks of the magnanimity of the heart.

Prior to my first MMI experience, I held the assumption that the poor were continually in need of “receiving”. Our very first trip to Honduras in 1995 was motivated by a desire to “give back”, and to expose our daughters to life in a Third World Country. (much unlike the cushy existence we are accustomed to)

With each subsequent project, I increasingly discovered the richness of life present among peoples who have little – and remarkably, began to feel as if I was receiving much more than I was giving.

In Peren Town, our eye team experienced warm hospitality from villagers who live without the creature comforts we take for granted. Hosted by local families, we shared in their daily routines; hot tea with milk throughout the day, warm water magically appearing each morning for our “bucket showers”, meals cooked in iron cauldrons over open fires.

We saw the pride they have in their community, felt the contentment they have with their lives, and knew the deep appreciation they had for our service to them.

One might presume that dissatisfaction and discouragement would be the prevailing attitudes in such communities; rather, Peren Town exudes a spirit of hope and optimism…and peace.

In verse 3, Paul continues: For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, even beyond their ability.

Often during mission projects, we find ourselves being  stretched beyond our personal capability and endurance. It is relatively easy to settle into “living like the locals” when we know it is only for 2 weeks out of the year!

With life’s cares and concerns thousands of miles away, we readily empty ourselves in service with patience and flexibility we never knew we had.

The question is, how can I/we continue to cultivate this rich generosity of spirit in our lives at home? Here, we are challenged by poverty of a different sort that can be present in our very own lives.

For some, it comes in the form of loss – be it of health, job, or relationship. For others, emptiness exists due to lack of connection and loneliness. I would bet that some of the people who engage in constant electronic communication and have hundreds of internet friends still long for a true soul connection – for that deep and lasting relationship  where expressions of love are never measured.

How can we nurture this largesse of spirit so that it becomes our permanent life mission, wherever we may be? How can it continue to “well up” and spill over to others, reflecting God’s love and goodness to all – even in spite of our personal challenges?

God’s generous grace is a bubbling fountain – living waters available to us at all times. Through a relationship with His son Jesus, we can discover a richer and fuller life than we ever could have imagined.

If we continue to follow Him, His love within us will fill us to overflowing. And, with hearts at peace, we will naturally reach out to others.

The beautiful Christ-filled people of Peren Town are an example and an inspiration for us. The way in which they shared their hearts, homes and lives have left an indelible imprint within.

And we will always remember how they have made the best of the lives they have been given.

 But since you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in the love we have kindled in you—see that you also excel in this grace of giving. ~ 2 Corinthians 8:7

My heart is fuller from my experience in Nagaland. I will hold onto these memories of selfless generosity that welled up and overflowed, coming from the people of a poor village who extended themselves to us so fully – above and beyond our expectations.

Let all of us seek to excel in the rich grace of giving while being grateful recipients of God’s lavish generosity.

And may our continued spiritual growth in Christ result in the spilling over of abundant joy to all.