Tonight, it’s Mother-Daughter night on the blog! Anna is our optometrist and served in the medical outreach today and Clara, her daughter, spent the morning repairing the roof of a man who has been coming to the outreach for years!
From Clara:
The second day of working in Guatemala was a very memorable one! Being with the compassion team was a different experience from the medical outreach yesterday, but still very new and exciting. We arrived at Sabino’s house in the morning and left around lunch time. When we got there, we all were immediately aware of the number of spiders hiding in the house, behind wood piles, and on Elin’s arm. Not knowing much Spanish made it difficult for me and a few others to communicate with Sabino, but we were able to work around it. The team and I worked together to take the roof panels off the house, clean up inside, and put new panels on. Being in the sun was exhausting, but I knew I was doing something important for someone who deserved it. Even though we had a few close calls with the rain, God spared us, and we were able to finish the roof before the big storm rolled in. Seeing the way that most Guatemalans live made me really appreciate the luxuries I have back at home, and it made me want to do more for the people living here. I believe that with the work Healing Nations is doing, God’s kingdom will continue to grow and prosper, not just in Guatemala, but in many places in the world. For me, this trip is only the beginning of a lifetime more of missions to reflect Jesus, and share His love with everyone everywhere.
From Anna:
There is a quote I love by Elizabeth Barrett Browning:
“Earth’s crammed with heaven, and every common bush afire with God,
But only he who sees takes off his shoes; the rest sit round it and pluck blackberries.”
It’s easy to “pluck blackberries” when we get caught up in our own day to day lives. I’m guilty of this for sure. But when we take the time to look up from our selves, we see God at work in every common bush.
What I’ve seen in the Guatemalan people I’ve interacted with these last two days is that their ability to see God at work far surpasses mine!
Despite poor vision and other health concerns, meager economic situations, and what seems to my Western eyes no reason to rejoice, I’ve witnessed person after person afire with the love of God.
While I’m the one checking their eyes, they’re the ones opening the eyes of my heart.
(P.S. This is Dana… Anna also told a story during our debrief tonight about a woman who was attacked andwas in a coma for 3 years. She woke up with very partial vision in one eye and no vision in the other. Today, Anna was able to assess her vision and found a perfect pair of glasses so that what vision she does have was restored. She was so grateful to God and to our optometry team, full of the joy of the Lord!)
I am so humbled by the work you are doing. We in the US are blessed with advantages that sometimes we take for granted. I am praying daily for the team. Thank you for the blog.
Thanks for sharing these stories! What an absolute gift to be able to include optometry in the outreach. It’s fun to see so many familiar faces and families on this team. Praying for you all and sending my love!