So, when all was said and done, why did we go to Nicaragua in July 2011?
We went out of service to our God and the same Jesus who talked about bringing sight to the blind and restoring the people.
We brought 500 Bibles to a community with few books. And we gave away over 1300 pair of reading and distance glasses.
More than 700 people received sunglasses to protect their eyes from the harsh sunlight near the equator that so often causes cataracts.
We handed out Snoopy dolls, bouncy balls, and stories about Jesus to the children.
And we learned a little bit about ourselves in the mix.
The best part of the trip was walking through town after the clinics were done and seeing the people changed. We loved coming upon children reading the booklets we handed out.
We were thrilled to get a note from an 89-year-old man who had walked six hours to come to us, thanking us for being kind and for spending time to get him a pair of glasses.
One woman rode a horse and walked for two days. It was a joy to fit her with spectacles.
We loved the enthusiasm of the children, who waved at us when we walked past. We were honored to talk with a handicapped man while his entire family was fitted.
We were humbled when a man put on a pair of glasses and then held up his hand before his face in a long moment of quiet. He didn’t realize he had lines on his fingers.
We laughed with the excited man who voiced his pleasure at being able to see at a distance again: “These are so good I can see the ants on the leaves!”
And what an honor to watch folks slowly page through the words of God and be comforted.
Thanks be to God for the opportunity to go to the Rio San Juan and serve.
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