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A New Vision for Nigeria Lying on my back in the dark of the Nigerian night, shining my pen torch around the mosquito net that cocooned me, i began to contemplate this, my third mission overseas. However, this mission was certainly quite different from the previous two. Working as an optometrist in sunny Southwest England for three years and traveling to countries such as Ghana and India under the banner of a United Kingdom-based secular charity “Vision Aid Overseas,” i believed i had a reasonably good balance in my life until i met Miles Jesu and the Epiphany Medical Missions and was introduced to a higher ideal. After a period of discernment, by the grace of God i joined the community this past January working as part of the Epiphany Medical Missions and began to develop a clearer understanding of the real work God was calling me to. Working for the UK charity had given me an invaluable insight into how the vast majority of people were living. Unfortunately on both my previous missions overseas my optometric colleagues did not share my Christian and Catholic faith. At first, one might consider this a minor inconvenience as we were united together in the one aim of serving the poor, but as the weeks progressed i felt something was really missing. I considered this to be a collective offering of all the work we had done and all that was still to be done in thanksgiving to God for having given us the ability and privilege to help serve our brothers and sisters who were in need. We were taking care of the physical needs of these people, but perhaps for a lot of the people the spiritual thirst still remained. The Epiphany Medical Missions has given me the opportunity to offer all my prayers, works, joys, sorrows and sufferings each and every morning at Holy Mass, and throughout the day together with my brothers, in thanksgiving to God for the call He has given us in this missionary work. As we enter each mission clinic site under the banner of the Catholic Church, the people gathered there associate us with their local parish priest who accompanies us during the week. The weekday Mass attendance increases as people are profoundly affected by the love and concern we show them. They seem to understand that what motivates us is a love which goes much further and deeper than our own natural concern for our fellow humans. The people see and experience through us the source of love and compassion, God Himself. I have experienced a number of remarkable incidents as an optometrist providing eye care for people at our clinics. One particular incident remains very clear in my mind. A very tall young man in his early forties attended one of the clinics we were conducting out in the bush. As he entered the clinic in a very slow and careful manner with his long wooden stick, i understood that his vision was probably quite poor. During the consultation he informed me that he was afraid to venture outside of his home because of his low vision. It transpired during the examination that he was in fact very short sighted, which meant that everything farther than about one foot away from his face was a complete blur. Thankfully this problem can be corrected very simply with the use of a pair of spectacles – a very strong pair of spectacles! I looked into my box of used glasses and was relieved to put my hands on a pair that were perfect for him. I quickly placed them on his face, anticipating the huge difference it would make to his vision. His huge face slowly broke into a big white smile as he began to see things in the distance suddenly focus and take form for the first time in years! He proceeded to the door, forgetting his stick, and went out to where the people were gathered and waiting. He started to shout across to people outside of the clinic, telling them that he could see their faces. There were gasps of amazement from the people. When the gentleman returned he was lost for words, and i gave him a case for his glasses. As he left the room i waved goodbye and noticed that he communicated something to my interpreter in his own tribal language. Thomas, my interpreter, looked at me with a big smile and told me that he said he would be returning to the Catholic Church after many lapsed years, as a result of this “miracle” that had occurred that day. On another occasion we arrived at a nearby clinic that was to be conducted at the local Catholic Church, and we were surprised to find only a handful of colorful and curious people there. Usually there are hundreds awaiting us, but this time the priest forgot to make the announcement at the weekend Masses. Eric, our team director, appeared unfazed and simply told us to set up our clinics as quickly as we could, and that the people would come. I had just finished setting up all my labeled boxes of spectacles when my interpreter came in to tell me that around forty people were waiting to see me! Incredibly by the end of the day 230 people had been given queue tickets for the “eye doc,” and as we finished up for the day they encircled us, pleading with us to return the following day. We have now treated over 2000 patients in total on this trip. It is a big blessing to see our medical mission continue to expand, especially into new departments like eye care, which treat simple infections that would otherwise leave children blind in one or both eyes. Our supply never meets the demand, and therefore every little bit that you contribute makes a big difference. It has been estimated that there are over 200 million people in the world who only need a pair of spectacles to lead a normal life. The lines seem endless, but we are making a huge difference in the lives of many. Please help us to spread the good news and encourage relatives and friends to donate to this great mission. Thank you for your generosity and God bless you! |