Last Day

Here's some pics from today. I'll have to commentate later. It's time to come home.

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.

Every time I lay down I go into a coughing fit, so I figured as long as I'm up I may as well blog.

Today was the hardest day for me so far. I felt a sense of oppression when I woke up that just kind of lingered around all morning. I barely slept at all last night, despite having taken an Ambien. I think my body has built up a tolerance to it now, so I guess tonight I'm on my own. For whatever reason, I didn't sleep and was really tired.

We got started a bit late this morning, but ended up seeing something like 175 people and giving away 100 pairs of glasses. We're running out of certain prescriptions, and the ones we do have in certain strengths are not attractive. There were times today when I really lost my patience, and that hasn't happened any day previously to this one. But I had one man who I spent five minutes trying to talk into trying on a certain strength just so I could see if they made him see clearly because he didn't like the plastic frames. I feel like the people I saw today kind of got shafted because I wasn't at my best.

Nelson had the idea on Tuesday that we should each take 30-minute shifts in the prayer tower to pray over what we are doing here and just find restoration for our own souls. Sometimes we go with one of the people from here, but today I needed to go by myself and just try to hear from God. After lunch I finally felt the cloud lift and received a fresh wind. So if any of you were up and praying late last night, thank you! It made a huge difference.

I can't believe that tomorrow is our last day of clinic. We've been told to expect about twice the number of people we've been seeing because people will know it's their last chance. Should be a long day, but I'm going to try and suck the life out of it.

This lady came through the line this afternoon, and it turns out she is a classical singer. She was a great sport and sang for us. Her voice was like an angel, and did much to lift our spirits.
Every day for lunch our interpreters have been eating some delicious biryani, so yesterday we asked if we could order it for ourselves today. We did, and it was fantastic. Chicken and rice India style. Emme even gave me a lesson in eating it with my fingers. I'm pretty terrible at it, but I think with practice I could get it down. Unfortunately, it probably wouldn't go over very well back home, but my kids would definitely get a kick out of it.

Here's Singing David and my new friend Joseph. Joseph has been an interpreter for Jeff quite a bit this week, but I didn't really have a chance to get to know him until today. We got really up close and personal when he drove me on his scooter through the streets of Hyderabad. Don't tell my mom that I did that. (Seriously, Mom, he went really slow and it wasn't scary at all. In fact, now that I've done it I feel much better about seeing entire families of four piled up on one. :))
This is Sarah and Amulya. Amulya interpreted for me earlier in the week, but I worked with Sarah a lot today. Very sweet girl. Our interpreters are worth their weight in gold because our task here would be virtually impossible without them. Amulya turned 21 yesterday, and spent much of her birthday with us. That's some commitment.
Shane is an awesome story. I could tell earlier in the week he was struggling with finding his purpose here. He is in construction, and this is not the type of mission trip he typically goes on. He's been dealing with a lot of health issues while he's been here, and Satan has really been trying to steal his joy. But the last couple of days have been a new Shane. He really found his stride in the testing area of clinic, and now signs all of his paperwork "Dr. Shane." It's hilarious! It has been such a joy to watch him fall in love with India.

Jena has also been struggling with sinus issues and her voice has been in and out each day. It's hard talking so much outside every day in air that is pretty polluted. But she is hilarious and has such a beauty about her when she sees and experiences new things. Her eyes light up like a little girl and her smile is totally contagious.

Royce just makes me smile. What a huge heart and love for Jesus. I've enjoyed getting to know him so much. Last night he told us the story of meeting his wife and how they fell in love, and he was grinning from ear to ear. So Karole, if you read this, know you owe him a great big kiss when he gets home because he paints an extremely flattering picture. :)

This man is a police officer and works specifically with fingerprints. Instead of looking at the reading material, he kept looking at his fingers to see if he could make out the lines. I tried to explain that he needed to make sure the glasses made print clear and not the delicate lines of his fingertips, but he wasn't interested. I hope he didn't walk out of there with magnifying glasses!

Last night and tonight there were weddings in the church. We were invited to attend, but were just too exhausted after clinic all day, and really didn't want to come in our scrubs. Nelson and Jeremy went to one for a little while last night. We did get to see the bride today and she was absolutely beautiful. This is what the church looked like for her.
Tonight, some of the team members went to eat at this place called Barbecue Nation. It was an all-you-can eat place with little charcoal grills built right into the table. As soon as you sit down they bring out all of these skewers loaded down with different kinds of meat and veggies and they grill right there. It was beyond delicious. They also had ice cream for dessert, which I haven't had in over a week. That's saying a lot for me.
This is what all of the guys looked like after they had completely over-indulged. :)

There was a kid selling balloons outside, and I was given three, one for each of my children. It is amazing how much these people love them sight unseen. I can't even explain it, but it is just real. They've asked so many times for us to bring them here that I think we just might. Can you imagine Bryant on a 24-hour commute? Yikes. That would have to be a true calling of the Lord.
Seems my coughing has finally subsided. Going to try the prone position. At least I have a good six hours before I have to be up.

My prayer for tomorrow is that the people I encounter will get as much from me as the ones I saw Monday. They don't deserve less just because I am tired. They need as much Jesus as anyone else, and I'm going to do everything I can to let that light shine.

Way too tired tonight to blog. Fortunately, Sharon wrote a story out for me to post. It sums it all up anyway.
-------
Dr. Gene brought a small lady to the dispensing area. She had broken her glasses a few months before and had no money to replace them. So she was resigned to living with limited vision. The glasses she needed were a very strong minus and we have few glasses that strong.

Those of us dispensing glasses have prayed daily that God would multiply the glasses in the boxes like He did the fish and bread on the hillside. I went to the box and there was only one pair of glasses that would possibly work. As I put them on her face and she looked up at the chart her face lit up and she was smiling and talking so fast. She could see! She took our hands and kissed them as she thanked us over and over again.

Afterwards my hearts was so convicted. I asked myself when was the last time with joy and thankfulness I kissed those nail-scarred hands as I thanked my Father for all the good things He has placed in my life. Let us never take for granted the goodness of God.

One of the coolest things I experienced yesterday was working with a couple of women who don't know Jesus. This is Fatima. She was so excited after getting her glasses that she held my face and said that she would remember me every time she wore them. She eagerly accepted my offer to pray for her. Sagar had told me a couple of days ago that I can pray whatever I want because they are on the church property, but I couldn't stick the Bible verse in her glasses case. And since he doesn't usually interpret my prayers I was at complete liberty to just pray all over this sweet girl. I prayed that it would not be my face that she remembered but the love of Christ shining through. I prayed that she would always be drawn back to BCH until the day she realized that it was Jesus calling her to Him. And I'm able to ask all of those things in the precious name of the Lord Jesus Christ. After we prayed and she'd kissed me a few more times, I took this picture to remember her face.

I also had a Hindu girl ask me yesterday to pray for her salvation. That one totally threw me because of course I wanted to just go ahead and shove her down the Roman Road, but clearly she wasn't ready to accept Jesus. She just had a friend praying that she would come to Christ, so she was basically a seeker, looking for the truth. I felt totally liberty to pray all over her as well. I pray that I will see her again one day!

My favorite part of this trip, hands down, is having the chance to pray with these people. There is a freedom in prayer that comes when basically the only thing you know about the person before you is that God loves them and wants them for his own. All the rest of it is temporal and I do pray that He supplies their needs. But most of all, I pray that even as the glasses are bringing them advanced physical sight, that He would open wide their spiritual eyes and they would be overwhelmed with His truth.

The odds are so stacked against the great work this church is doing. Fortunately, God is completely unimpacted by a roll of the dice.

"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." John 16:33

Please pray for strength today after a mostly sleepless night. Still can't find my voice. But hopefully that just means Jesus will be heard better with me out of the way.

Clinic Day 3

I think it's pretty good that I made it until day 3 for my first emotional meltdown. This sweet lady sat down with me to get some glasses, and everything went smoothly throughout the process. As with everyone, I asked how I could pray for her. As she began to talk, the tears welled up in her eyes and Sagar started explaining to me that she lives on the street outside the church shining shoes to make a living. She has a son, but because of some kind of issue with his wife he is refusing to take care of her. As I started to pray, the tears just burst out. I just can't imagine living this way. I don't know her story. I don't know the details behind all of that. But she could be my grandmother. She could be yours. She should not be living on the street. It was not meant to be this way. I'm so sad to say that I've talked with so many people now that I can't remember her name, but I will not forget that face.


I had to take this one for the kids at church. Many of them worked hard one Wednesday night to make little inserts for the eyeglass cases, and here is one of the proud recipients. Her name is Rebecca. :)
Some of the school kids were quite curious today and kept sneaking around the ropes. Since they kept trying to swipe a touch at my hair I finally just bent my head over and let them go for it. I don't think they were expecting that one!

We took off a little early today, because fatigue has definitely set in. That was the plan from the beginning, because in Sharon's many years of experience she says Wednesday is the hardest. My biggest prayer for myself right now is that my voice would return tomorrow. It is not pretty now, and makes what I'm saying harder for the interpreters to understand. Please pray for that.

Meanwhile, back at home, Bradley has not only been dealing with strep throat but yesterday broke his wrist. I can't believe that my child has broken a bone and I'm unable to get to him. What a dirty rotten trick that was. Satan knew my guard was up against the usual things he tries, so he threw me a curveball. But he's nowhere close to stealing my joy. My baby is in wonderful hands, and I will be able to spoil him soon enough.

We ate at a restaurant on the water tonight that was absolutely beautiful. Sharon's son Michael spent some time working at the clinic with us today and then took us to one of his favorite stores for a little shopping. I bought some fun stuff there, but I'm nowhere near the professional bargain hunter as some of my fellow travel mates! They can get serious quick. :)

After dinner, Sagar asked Jeff if he wanted to ride back to the hotel on his motorcycle. I don't know why this shot turned out like this, but I had to include the proof. He made it back alive, praise God. Look at the devilish grin on Sagar's face!
I would love to have a profound close, but my brain isn't functioning all that properly. Maybe tomorrow.

Night y'all.

Just have a minute for a quick update. Jeff, Shane, Jena, Kellyn and I got to go visit the orphange this morning for their chapel service. Both Jena and I are extremely hoarse and unpleasant to listen to talk, much less sing. But the girls wanted a new song, so we gave it our best shot. I'll have to post video for the full effect. But we had a beautiful time of worship together!

Each girl received a bag with either crayons and a coloring book or a spiral notebook and colored pencils, along with a pencil, eraser and some candy. They each held their bag close to their chest and some didn't even look inside while we were there. Totally unlike my kids who would have had it all sprawled out everywhere in their haste to see what they got. It is heart-wrenching to see how treasured a box of crayons can be.


The warden asked me to pray with her, and we had a blessed time of calling out on behalf of these girls and this sweet lady who is pouring out her heart for them.
Group hug.
Must run for now. Clinic is calling. Sleep well my friends!