Brigades continue

Yesterday the brigade in Danli....they were very happy to have us there. Wow....buying us lunch (a great, fabulous lunch....either chicken breast or fish fillet) and having quite a few people with visual needs for us to see. It was the first time for us to do any work in Danli, and it is a very interesting town at least from what we saw in just that day. The handout that they gave people before coming in was most interesting...asking them to cooperate, create order, and be thankful for the glasses they received, which was a first for me to see.

Today we were in Guyamaca, at the Baptist hospital there. They do medical, dental and more there...but nothing eye related. It turns out the 100 we promised to see....turned into 160. The group really just gels so well, communicates so well, and works so well, that we were able to do that and still make it back to Teguc before dark. Having the Orr family and some of the staff from the hospital to help in a few important areas helped a ton as well.

It is difficult for so many of us to contemplate what it means to people to be able to see again....to be able to read, to see someone whose face as it actually exists you have not seen in quite some time...or ever, and just being able to help with the huge problems with dry eye and allergies here. To just stop and think when someone says "I just want to read again" after months or years....just imagine not being able to read this blog, to surf the internet, to read your Bible.

Our pictures here are of two patients...Mom just asked me to snap a picture of her cute daughter (plus I got to hold her while mom got glasses) and this mature gentleman...perhaps he was 91? I am not quite sure...but I do remember that his prescription came in...."as much + as you can give him." We compared our most powerful Rx we had (to simplify things....a +14) and he could see better than how he came in (with very old glasses...nose pads completely gone...not even the posts where they were originally attached) and he had a very big smile. There were quite a few smiles, thanks, hand shakes (despite the big swine flu warnings going on here) and hugs given.

Plus I had time to get a medical consult from Dr. Denis...my back is still out of whack somewhat, but to fix my other ailments, it looks like I will be taking three different meds. At least I can hopefully start recovering, not that I am suffering greatly.....after all, I can still read.