Be Thou My Vision

I loved my most recent team's faithfulness to starting and ending each day in the Word and as you'll see in this post and the next, couldn't stop taking pictures of different team members leading the meditations they'd prepared. The title phrase, an ever so brief prayer, comes from a hymn we sang one morning during devotions on the bus to somewhere; it hit differently given our task for the week: visiting two sites in Santo Domingo, DR, to test vision; distribute glasses free of charge, and most importantly, preach the Good News. 

It seems like we, 12 individuals representing six states, one Canadian province, and 10 distinct home congregations, fought Satan at every turn. He clearly did not want us doing what we did, so when heat, travelers' diarrhea (most of the team but not me) and power outages threatened, the only thing to do was keep our gazes firmly fixed on the reason we were there. 

My associate-in-training Dana was by my side all week. The best way for her to learn her new job is to shadow as many teams as possible, so I petitioned for an exception to the no-working-while-in-orientation guideline. We headed down to meet the team on a Thursday morning.

Hotel #1 of 2, near site #1 of 2 (Iglesia Luterana Amigos de Cristo), had a built-in counter in the hallway that made for a perfect lunch-making station. 

Susan leading devotions at breakfast to kick off Day 1 of the clinic, Friday. 

It turned out to be slow compared to the other 4 days - not all bad as we got set up and fine-tuned our processes. By Day 2, Pastor Lucas's publicity had proven effective. 

MOST, an LCMS Recognized Service Organization with which OIM partnered on this particular team, typically sends 3,000 pairs of donated glasses per clinic. 

Team members, an Alliance missionary pastor, and a church member attaching slips with the church's contact info to some of the evangelistic materials patients might receive at the witnessing station. 

Pastor Lucas led a devotion and prayer before we were officially open for business. 

Deac. Maritza, who helped with registration and about a gazillion other things all five clinic days, came through early on. I think she'd sleep in her new specs if she wasn't afraid to break them.

I see pros and cons to MOST's process versus that used by congregations who run eyeglass clinics independently, like the one that came to Santiago, DR, in June. One of the things I most respect about MOST's is the "education station," where patients learn about eye health, what to expect at upcoming stations, and how to care for their new glasses. 

Dana and I served as 2/5 interpreters each day. It was my first time hiring the others, each of whom blessed us and so many patients in ways only God could have ordained. 

The team was blessed with multiple Spanish-speakers! Team member Marty & I ran one testing station, while Alice ran the other on her own. 

Victor & Linda have family about 40 min. from Santiago and manned the final station, fitting, from the get-go. 

Julia and her interpreter, Florence, were a match made in heaven.

Enjoying some BBQ with typically Dominican sides and, for many, house-made juices for dinner after a long, hot first day. 

Another morning, another devotion. 

Saturday was our only day with interpreter Muana, 3rd from left. 

Who knew Pastor Lucas had a rooftop terrace with a stunning view!? The burgers he grilled for us - and THREE dessert options - weren't bad, either. 

Sunday, we'd worship, enjoy an early lunch and fellowship with the congregation (including two visitors who'd come to the clinic Saturday!), and then, at Pastor Lucas's wise suggestion, rest up for Monday instead of squeezing in a 1/2 day clinic. 

Taking our last day at Amigos de Cristo before the Lord in prayer. 

And boy, was it a day. Many of us ate lunch in the air conditioned bus during a power outage that made an already oven-like space even more unbearable...

...while Pastor Lucas was inside singing hymns with those left waiting a la Paul and Silas in prison (c.f. Acts 16) ❤

It came back on before the day's end, which meant we had lights and fans by which to pack up everything and head across the city to hotel #2, near site #2. 

Until next time, blessings in Christ!