A Lasting Difference

Ok, the following is not blog-esque mellow drama.  This is just fact.  Here we go:  Hot. Sweaty. Tired. Sore. Confused. Overwhelmed. Impatient. Thirsty. Thirsty. Thirsty.  Did I mention SWEATY? Linguistically challenged. The whole gamut.  If it seems bothersome and uncomfortable it was probably felt, thought, or experienced.

Ok, so a bit of drama.  I confess.  Cause the truth is--or the greater truth-- is that in the midst of these ranging emotions and experiences the team has truly felt deeply encouraged and blessed.  This is the sentiment that rest within the team after this week's clinics.  The team has seen hundreds of strained eyes & bodies receive much needed glasses, supportive medicine and prevention education.  They watched people come through the clinics knowing they will be able to breath with greater ease.  Knowing they will be able read without squinting.  Knowing they will be able to see more clearly the food they are preparing or motors they are fixing. Knowing they will be able to to see with greater ease the clothes they are mending or the bricks they are laying.  It has been incredibly rewarding to see hundreds of people receive this much needed care.

Thank you to those who have supported this team.  Your partnership has made an incredible difference in the lives of so, so, so many.  A lasting difference that is seeing and breathing everyday.

Do You See What EYE See?

The gift of sight is an incredible one. By sight we can see as far as the stars in the sky or the near words of Scripture held close in hand. We see and appreciate a beautiful meal, a familiar face, a dangerous situation, a sunset, an intriguing painting, get caught up in the pages of a good read, or an ever-present “to do” list. The gift of sight is truly amazing—if you have it. For many this gift is a something never had or a distant memory of years gone by.

This week we are blessed to be working with a long-time partnering church from Canada, Varsity Bible Church (Calgary, Canada). With hundreds of glasses in tow, the team of 13 is working here in the barrio hosting eye clinics in partnership with a church on Street 3 (Iglesia de Cristo Misionera). As you can see pictured, hundreds of people are able to be tested and fitted with an appropriate pair of prescription glasses. A walk around the barrio after the first clinic and you could see all the people who were proudly and thankfully sporting there new lenses. What a great gift!

Additionally, three members of the team specializing in asthma research, treatment, and rehabilitation, in partnership with two local nurses, are providing testing and treatment to those who have asthma or respiratory problems. This unique testing and treatment is an incredible gift for so many who for sufficient breath for basic daily activities.

Meanwhile, over at the T.E.A.R.S. School teacher workshops are underway with our teaching staff and three visiting teachers from the Canadian team. The workshops provide all teachers local and visiting to share both questions and ideas on teaching, class room management and character development with students. Best practices are shared and the teachers have the opportunity to learn from one another about the challenges and great rewards of education.

We are so grateful for the partnerships taking place not only with Canadian and US teams but alongside our neighbors from other churches here in Maria Auxiliadora and around La Vega. It is truly a blessing to see these partnerships and friendships form and to see so many people benefit in practical ways while walls of dvision are challenged and lose their grip. We invite your continued prayers that people would not only receive the gift of vision, breathing, and new learning but that in all of this they would encounter—in a personal way—the One who is the giver of all these gifts. To learn about and know the One—Jesus Christ—who truly gives us Life-giving sight and breath in Him.

More pictures HERE.

Just Plain Dominican