Today as the team arrived at the open field that would be our site for the week, I was once again stirred by the poverty of the Honduran people. But before I could get too wrapped up in sorrow for their circumstances, they overwhelmed me with their love. While walking down the muddy path to the site, I received countless hugs from children and adults coming out of their ‘shacks’ to welcome us.
The eyeglass clinic had not received the inventory file for the computer system and we discussed the possibility of not being able to do prescription glasses at all. Without the correct inventory, it would be impossible to match the correct glasses with the patients. God quickly reminded us that ALL things are possible through Him and we got excited to see what miracles HE was going to show us today….which He of course did. Through prayer, we were able to help everyone who came through the clinic and were rewarded with lots of hugs and smiles. Tom was having a hard time getting a reading on an older gentleman with cataracts and asked me if I wanted to try. We prayed and I had a reading within seconds…not me….GOD. I don’t know which made the man smile bigger, the glasses allowing him to see or us telling Him that GOD was the one who made it happen.
The entire team reported that they had an amazing day as we shared stories after supper. The best of all, for me, was a young mother and a little baby that we discovered had worked their way into all our hearts. I held this one month old baby while the mother was fitted for glasses. Before I gave him back, I felt we needed to pray blessing on his life. So we gathered around the mother and prayed. As I held the baby in my arms we prayed that God would bless him and protect him as he grew up with difficult circumstances and seemingly bleak possibilities for the future. I prayed that God would use this child to change lives in Honduras.
At the end of the day, I was called over to talk to the same mother. Her husband had been murdered and she lived with her mother with little hope for the future…until today. She had been touched by all the team as she went through the clinic. She had been given HOPE. She bonded with Deb White and requested that Deb be the godmother of the baby. We explained to her that Deb lived far away and would likely never see them again, but she would be honored to pray for the mother and child. Don took a picture for them, because the mother wanted to remember this day forever….the day she found HOPE.It’s the little moments that make a difference. Whether in Honduras or at home, your kind words, prayers and love can change the world for Christ. YOU can offer them HOPE.
