Bringing the Light into their Lives

"Thank you to bring the light to my life because now I can see again."
~ Thailand Tree Farmer

"I don't have anything to give, but I give you a wai (Thai thank you)."
~ Thai woman

These were only a few of the memorable quotes we collected during the eyeglass clinic.  God never ceases to amaze us when he puts His work into action.  Over 1000 pairs of glasses were given out to people who could not easily or safely live their daily lives.  Our clinic served the Kuiburi elders age 50+.  Children in Thailand get eye exams and glasses through the schools, so this was not our focus group.  Elders in the community were asked if they had ever been to an eye doctor to have their eyes checked.  Each session, only 2-3 individuals of 150 in each session had even seen an eye doctor.  Many were able to see clearly for the first time in years.  The elders are often the caregivers for the children of the larger family.  Without sight they struggle.  We saw many of these beautiful children during the clinic.

The eye doctors there shared that there were several people who had correction well over 1000 meaning they likely saw very little without the glasses provided.  The smiles, love, and appreciation were overwhelming to the BLC team.  We found ourselves holding back tears many times. 

Pastor of Kuiburi Church and his wife

First Day of the Eyeglass Clinic

And above all these put on love, which binds everything 
together in perfect harmony. ~ Colossians 3:14

Our day was full of love.  The love of fellowship, new friends, the love shared over meals together, the simple love shown through the smiles of understanding when languages do not work, the love of music, laughter, and the perfect love of Christ shared with others.

Our team gathered for another breakfast and greeted new Journey into Light friends as they too gathered for breakfast.  We loaded vans and headed to Kuiburi Church. Having set up the day before we were prepared for the 300 people who would come for an eye exam and a new pair of glasses. Our team, with the team from Journey into Light, optometrist team, and the members of the church gathered in the church, prayed and went over last minute details.

At 9AM The opening ceremonies began with the district official speaking.  He brought in people from the health department who shared the importance of good hand washing and gave us all a great lesson. Shortly after, we began the clinic.  Our demographic for this clinic was age 50 and up. However, we enjoyed people of all ages as some of the people there for the clinic were care givers for young grandchildren and some were escorted to the clinic. People came and left in all forms of transportation. We quickly found our inability to speak Thai was not an essential element for sharing the love in our hearts.  We did learn some essential Thai words (thank you, be careful, looks good, candy, chin, forehead, God bless you). As much as we tried to speak Thai, people were gracious in helping us re-pronounce, or laughing with us.  Mostly they appreciated that we tried, and spoke a "thank you" to us in English.

The church made a wonderful lunch for us and by the end of the day 300 people had passed through the church.  We each shared stories of the love in our hearts and the beautiful people who touched our day.  Our team was treated to fresh, chilled coconuts from the church.  We cooled off from the heat while sipping the water and eating the coconuts while sharing about the day.

Sunday - Day One

Late Saturday evening we our sleepy crew arrived after 22 hours of travel.  We were greeted warmly despite the late hour from the staff at Lutheran Hour Ministry.   We were welcomed with beautiful flower bracelet gifts.  There are no words to describe the scent of the flowers. 

After checking into the hotel, a light snack we were grateful to be off to bed.  Sunday morning we were greeted by God's beautiful new day. 

We had a beautiful breakfast at our hotel.  We walked to Thailand Concordia Lutheran Church where we met many new friends for a worship service. What a blessing to share the love of Christ through worship and song.  We were treated to a wonderful Thai lunch. 
The afternoon was spent at Journey into Light - Thailand Lutheran Hour Ministry hearing about the work being done here to reach those in Thailand and beyond.  Boom shared the needs for our mission work over the next week and we loved getting to know the team here in Thailand. We are so grateful for their hospitality, kindness, and laughs.  Dinner, a spin through a Thai supermarket, and devotions ended the day.  Tomorrow we load up vans and head south!  Pray for safe travel, friendships to build and grow and many opportunities to serve and share His love with those we encounter.

Psalm 91:2  I will say about the Lord, "He is my place of safety.  He is my God.  I trust in Him."

Practice Prayerful Flexibility

As our team has prepared for this trip we have heard advice from many different people.  Some who have been to Thailand, some who have been on other mission trips.  One common thing in the months of preparation that we have heard from so many people is that we should be prepared to be flexible and adjust accordingly.  This week, just days before we were to leave, we were informed that our flights, originally through Hong Kong were cancelled. They rebooked us on flights that we could not make work without much difficulty.  In one of our first tests of prayerful flexibility, we prayed as a team and explored options.  We are happy to share that we were able to rebook through Incheon, South Korea on a new airline.  
Ephesians 6:10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might.

Commissioning

Today the Thailand Team was commissioned for our trip leaving the US on Friday February 21st.  As we prepare for the trip our prayers are rooted in the desire to help others.  In recent emails with the team on of the mission team members wrote as inspiration. We go out to serve and share his message, and He prepares the road before us.

Philippians 2:4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.

This verse, suggested as our mission verse, keeps coming up in my heart and mind. We have joined the teams in Thailand to be their partners in a vision clinic for 1000 people. Not only will we assist with attendees with seeing things in life better but, by Gods grace, we will help them see their need for Jesus. We will be looking to the interests of others.