Ministry for the month…EYE GLASS CLINICS.
This month was filled with love, joy, tears, blessings, & a bunch of tea, chocolate, and food.
This month was filled with 3 hour long car rides to our ministry sites (which was a different location each new day). Upon our arrival and before we could even say a word, we were greeted by sweet old babushkas and taken to a room filled with endless amounts of tea, coffee, bread, fruit, cookies, chocolate…and little did we know that this would be the first of several "tea times" throughout the day…
On top of that, we would have at least two "3 course meals" each day that included some sort of soup, followed by a salad, vegetables, lord knows what kind of meat, and baskets full of chocolate. I guess the Lord was trying to teach me about self control this month…unfortuantely that did not work out so well.
Whether this was their culture, or they thought we had not eaten for days, or they just wanted to plump us up, I will never know. But either way…it was an unnecessary amount of food. The amount of food I personally ate for each one of these meals could comfortably feed a family of five..no joke! Let's just say I learned a new definition of what beautiful means. Now I know why they encourage healthful living at training camp…
Whoever thought I would NOT be eating a lot this year and would loose weight due to the conditions I would be facing….you were wrong!
This month was filled with many hand gestured conversations and many laughs. The babushkas would continue talking to us in Russian after several attempts of trying to tell them we did not understand. So we would just respond back to them in English and just laugh about it. Luckily Papa Bruce would step in and translate for us. Lesson learned: love needs no words & the language barrier does not stop you from having a conversation.
But on a more serious note…this month was filled with God's love.
Everyday at least 80 people were given a free eye exam followed by a free pair of glasses.The clinics were usually hosted by a church and set up in a local community center. This was a great way to get unbelievers and people who had never even heard of Jesus Christ, into an environment that was welcoming and loving.
Let's be real..If you saw a FREE EYE EXAM & FREE GLASSES advertisement…you would probably stop in too. You may be a little skeptical at first (like most of the people were) but that would not stop you from checking out what the deal was. Most of the people thought there was some kind of catch or would ask several times before sitting in the chair if they had to pay. They could not get over the fact or come to believe that this was free. The people would walk in: happy, timid, mad, sad, frustrated, embarrassed, and we even had the occasional drunk man stumble in. BUT no matter what their conditions were upon arrival,they would always leave with a grin ear to ear because they could see clearly for the first time.
The purpose of this ministry is not only to give out free eye glasses or to do a nice act of service. The purpose of the ministry is to share the love of Christ with people who have never heard the good news and to give them hope. Whether or not they left that day knowing Jesus, I know that they felt his love…whether they realized it or not!
In case you were wondering…NO…I was not an optometrist this past month. My job was NOT to physically correct people's vision, but rather give them vision for a better way of life. A life of fulfillment and a love far greater than anyone can comprehend. & NO…I did not help a blind mind see. But I did help people who were blinded by guilt, loneliness, hopelessness, and shame, gain a new perspective on life and give them a hope for the future. My job was to spread the love of Christ and in that way, I helped to set their vision straight.
"But blessed are your eyes because they see,
and your ears because they hear."
-Matthew 13:6
