Caring and Sharing - Our Final Day at the Clinic

To begin our day, Arik shared a devotion based on the parable “The Sower and the Seed.” Our patio devotions and songs have each been so impactful to set our hearts and minds on the real purpose of our time in Belize. We are here to help spread God’s love and share the gospel.

Pancakes, plantains, and papayas were on the menu for breakfast. A special treat was fresh soursop juice from trees on Pastor’s farm. Soursop fruit has many health benefits, and several of us thought it tasted like pear juice. Pastor’s wife, Ruth, showed us the outdoor kitchen where many of our meals are cooked over a wood fire.

Today was a bittersweet day at the clinic. Our final day started out slowly, with a steady trickle of clients in the morning. Our supply of eyeglasses in some of the prescriptions was starting to run low, so we would spend extra time to find the right fit.

When be stopped to eat lunch, a client from yesterday treated the team with cold Fanta soda pop! She was so grateful for the gift of new glasses and she wanted to thank us. What a treat to have pineapple and orange Fanta for lunch! To top that, Ruth had brought freshly made mango juice for us also!

As we ate lunch, the crowds began to come. We quickly ate to get back to our purpose for being here. Pastor Rios shared the gospel with more than 20 clients at one time, doubling his usual audience. His explanation of God’s work of creation through redemption is always well received.

The clinic was extremely busy all afternoon. We saw many people who would be considered legally blind in the United States. Most have never seen an eye doctor or they may have had an eye surgery that failed. That is very common in Belize. In every circumstance, we were able to improve their lives by giving them some sight. They were all so grateful to receive this help without any charge to them.

Our interpreters have been so amazing all week. We are all so grateful to them for taking the time to help us in this ministry. Most of them were part of Pastor Rios’ family, and they became part of our MOST family too. It was bittersweet to say goodbye to them after working so closely together for the week.

Total numbers of clients that we helped today was 130, and we provided them 295 pairs of glasses and sunglasses today. God is good!

We packed up the remaining glasses and supplies in the large suitcases that we brought to Belize. They were much lighter, which reminded us that we provided better sight and the gospel message to many people in Belize.

After dinner, Pat shared a very special devotion that reminded us that we are each blessed with different talents and that each one is important. She used the analogy of a puzzle, and we each signed a piece of a puzzle. The completed puzzle was given to Barbara, our team leader, as a remembrance of Team 2506.

Tomorrow we will explore more of the country of Belize. It will allow us to spend time together outside of the clinic, and see more of God’s beautiful creation and the caring people of Belize.