Clinic Day 5

Sorry for no update yesterday. Last night I was too physically and emotionally drained to do anything but fall into bed. Prepare ye for a long post. I have some time to kill before we head to the airport. :)

Yesterday was our last day of clinic. In the morning, we invited Pastor Samuel to come over so that we could present him with some gifts of our appreciation for allowing us the opportunity of being here this week. He and Dick have a really special relationship, so Dick got to be the presenter. Our gifts were a Holman Illustrated Study Bible that we each signed, and this really creepy but hilarious mug that Dr. Gene brought. I'm not sure that Pastor G. will ever drink out of it, but I think he'll definitely remember us when he looks at it. What you can't see is a towering eyeball rising from the bottom of the mug and the caption, "Here's looking at you!"
The sweet spirit that had been present throughout the week was back in full force for our last day. We saw close to 200 people, and many of them waited literally all day for the opportunity. Knowing someone arrived at 5:30 a.m. and has waited for six hours makes you want to do the best you can for them.

At one point I overheard Royce sharing the gospel, and I could sense some urgency in his voice. I began to listen as he went over the story, and tried to stress that you have to choose. Apparently the man he was treating told him that he was a Christian and attends Methodist church each week, immediately following up with the fact that he was also Hindu. Royce is definitely not one to let that go. He tried several times to explain that you can't be both, and I know he was frustrated over the lack of understanding. We will pray that something he said at least planted a seed and that one day this man and his family will come to know the Truth.

This beautiful girl is Celestina. She told me that she is facing a lot of crisis right now in her family with finances. She is ready to take her exams but apparently someone has to sign off in order for her to be able to do that and they are holding back. She asked me to pray for her, and asked that I continue to pray for her after we leave. I'm praying that God will reveal Himself to her in a mighty way and that she will know she was in the presence of Truth on this day.
I just love this picture of Gene and his girls praying over this sweet man. I don't know the story, but I know their hearts, and it was a beautiful thing.
This is Deepak. He's always like this. And I rode on his motorcycle last night. Suspended reality can be a really fun thing, as in America I am far too sensible for something like that!
This sweet little boy hung out in the window of the church forever waiting on his turn. I kept winking at him and waving, and he would smile back. He let me take his picture, but when I offered him an Oreo he turned me down. Apparently he was just playing hard to get, because by the end of the day he had me wrapped around his finger and I think he walked out with about five. :)
Isn't she beautiful?
Shortly after lunch, the interpreters I was working with and I were feeling a little bit giddy, primarily from exhaustion mixed with a sugar rush that Shane had created after a trip to a nearby store for some ice cream and cookies. We were almost completely out of +1.5 reading glasses, and it seemed that everyone that came by needed exactly that. This one lady sat down and just practically refused to put on the red plastic glasses I was giving her to try. She kept saying that her sons would make fun of her if she wore them.

I brought her a +1.75 to try since they were in a more suitable frame. She tried them on and told me that they gave her the sensation of sinking into a deep valley. I and the interpreters busted out with laughter. I felt sorry for her, because she just happened to be there at that silly time of day. When I went back to a +1.5, I offered some pink plastic frames, and my interpreter said, "They make you look like Britney Spears." Then Joseph said, "Oops, she did it again," and it was all over but the clean-up.

Things turned a bit darker close to the end of the day, when Joseph came over and asked me to come quickly and pray over someone. It turns out that Nelson had treated this lady originally, and she had come through our line and received some glasses. As she was walking out, she thanked him, and he asked if he could pray for her. She suddenly started pouring out her story and her tears, telling him that her husband is basically a drunk that beats her almost every night. She asked him to please pray for her. I was brought in to have a woman in the mix, and when I heard what was going on I felt utterly helpless. I asked if there was anything we could do for her, and was told to just pray.

In India, it is basically against the law to leave your husband. There is no such thing as a women's shelter, and her only hope is that her husband would come to know Christ and that his heart would change. How do you pray over someone in that situation? It was an impossible moment in my own strength, but I know God is bigger than anything we can see. I just prayed for her protection from his rage and that he would come to know Jesus so their lives could all be redeemed. As we prayed for her, she was just crying out over and over in a tongue that I couldn't understand but a plea I could never forget. This is her face.
On a much lighter note, this sweet little baby came through with her mom at the very end. Check out Jeff's face. He was completely enamored with her, but as he took her in his arms it was clear that she was soaked all the way through. We both held her and smiled like champs. All in a day's work!
Once clinic was over, everyone who had been working with us got in a huddle and we had a little closing ceremony. It turns out we saw somewhere around 900 people this week and gave away about half that many glasses. We got to thank our interpreters for all of their hard work, and they thanked us for being here. It was a perfect moment as we all just basked in God's glory for a few minutes, and ended up with "Shout to the Lord" at the top of our lungs. It echoed through that hall in splendor and I know God was right there with us.


There was a girl that I treated on the first or second day of clinic that lived right behind the church. Each afternoon she and her friends would come out and wave and smile at me, and yesterday they were all out watching us finish up. We had a special connection, and I pray that she will be drawn back to BCH for more than glasses now that she has been loved with the love of Jesus.
Last night we went back to Barbecue Nation so the rest of the team could enjoy it as much as we did the night before. I'm pretty sure it was a success!

I left the clinic yesterday feeling a quiet sadness that our mission for this trip had come to a close. I have had some incredible experiences this week, and the sense of God's presence has been so strong. Having the chance to hold a Muslim woman's hand and pray over her with her blessing is not something that happens every day. They didn't know what I was saying, so I was able to sneak some special requests in while they thought I was just asking for good health and praying for their families.

My fervent prayer is that seeds have been planted, and that these sweet people will have received way more than the glasses or eye drops they thought they were seeking. I pray that they will know they've been touched with a special kind of love, and will be so drawn to it that they can't help but seek it's source. I pray that the Lord will not allow me rest from my burden for these people, and that I will continue to intercede for them as long as I have days on this earth.

I pray that my heart won't break as I say goodbye for now.