Reflections on an "Eye Opening" Trip

It's been a little over a week since we returned to the good ol' USA and I still am having a hard time wrapping my feeble brain around what happened while we were in Guatemala. My position on the team -- the screener. I was trusted to determine if a patient would benefit from surgery. Some patients' vision was too good to risk doing surgery at that time. Some patients had health issues with the light-sensing portion of their eye, and surgery would not improve their vision. I'd like to tell stories of three patients I will never forget.
1. One lady came into the clinic with very poor vision. She was probably on the doorsteps of having to be led around so she wouldn't bump into walls. However, her eyes were nice and healthy behind the cataract -- a great candidate for surgery. When I told her we should be able to improve her vision with surgery, she began to cry... I shot a startled look the other team-member who was in the room with me, then asked her if everything was okay. She said, "I'm just disappointed you aren't going to be able to give me bright, blue eyes!" Then she grinned, and we all had a good laugh. The real reason she was crying was that she had given up hope that her vision could return to what it used to be -- and we restored that hope, and her vision.
2. A gentleman came into the clinic, again, with very poor vision. He had diabetes, and, if I remember correctly, glaucoma. As I examined him, it became disappointingly apparent that we were not going to be able to help him -- actually, I don't know that anyone could have helped him, in Guatemala, or in the US, or anywhere else in the world. As Dr. Lisa broke the news to him, he began to cry. We all tried to comfort him as best we could, then Kemmel asked him if he'd like him (Kemmel) to say a prayer. The patient said that he would. The three of us who were in the room gathered around him and put our arms around him as Kemmel prayed. I didn't understand some of what he was saying, but that was one of the most heartfelt and memorable prayers I've ever heard. Then, after a round of "Dios le bendiga" (God bless you), he thanked us and went on his way. Heartbreaking. This man came to us hoping we would be able to restore some of his vision, and his hopes were unrealized -- but, hopefully, he left having felt the love of God.
3. An elderly little lady came teetering into the exam room with a big smile on her face -- she was so happy to see us. By the way, she was quite a character! She had pterygium on both eyes and a cataract in one eye. At the beginning of my assessment, she told me she had been to our clinic twice before and was turned away both times. I decided she would be a good candidate for surgery and asked her to sit in the waiting area for the ophthalmologists to take a look and give her the final "yea" or "nay". When the ophthalmologists made their way over to examine her, they were kind of skeptical of a good outcome for her surgery. Then she said, in her chipper, Spanish/Quiche blended voice, "This is the third time I've been to this clinic. By the grace of God, I hope you can help me this time!" Dr. Young said, "Well, how can I tell her 'no' after that?" Her surgery went well and she was seeing pretty well at her post-operative assessment!
My thoughts about the outcome of the trip? I was part of a wonderful team that helped plant The Seed of the Good News and God's Love in many people. I met at least 20 brothers and sisters in Christ, all of whom I grew to love dearly. The work organized by HTI is second to none.
As far as my comprehending how I was changed spiritually -- each day, I understand more and more. Right now, I know I have wrapped my feeble brain around this: God used the talents and blessings He has given us to show His love to the Guatemalans we were able to interact with so He could, in turn, bless us through the immeasurable gratitude and spirit they showed to us. During one of the devotionals, someone mentioned the relationship that exists between the patients we saw and us and made an amazing parallel to the relationship we should have with God. While I know I won't be able to accurately convey the statement properly, I'll do my best to get the general idea... When a medical team travels to Guatemala (or Nicaragua), the people we are serving look to us as the answer to their problems, and put their ailments in our hands -- almost 100% of the time they trust us totally and go along with our treatment recommendations. One patient said, "You all are the experts, I'll do what you think is best." That attitude is how we should lay all our ailments in the hands of The Great Physician... "Lord, you are The Expert, I'll do what You think is best, no matter what the outcome." Total trust in God, no questions asked.
I said all this to say this: God is alive and working to reveal Himself to the people we examine. If you've been on one of these trips before, I know you understand how He works on us as well as the patients. If you haven't been on a trip, you need to. God has marvelous things waiting for you in Central America.

Mardee O'Donnell
Tahlequah, OK
Oklahoma College of Optometry, Class of 2008