Regional Synod of Canada - Reformed Church in America

Pioneer Christian Monthly

Date - June/92

Contributor - Marti Van Hoeve

Title - "The Blind Receive Sight."

Topic - Missions

"The blind receive sight.. Matthew 11.5

I was so delighted to visit Nicaragua for a second time in February 1992. My first trip was in 1987 on a study tour with the Reformed Church in Canada. This time my visit was with a group, which made up an eye clinic organized by Medical Group Missions (MGM). This was my fourth medical mission trip to a Third World Country. MGM operates two-week medical trips to Third World Countries to provide medical, dental and vision care in the name of Christ. Annually MGM organizes 35 projects in South and Central America, Africa, the Philippines and, starting this year, China and Nepal. All participants are volunteers, such as medical doctors, nurses, and dentists. All play an important role, however, general helpers with no medical background are also needed. This is the group to which I belonged. We flew from Toronto to Managua, the capital of Nicaragua. From Managua we travelled by bus to Matagalpa, located in the central mountainous region. In and around Matagalpa there had been numerous fights between Sandinistas and Contra troops during the Sandinista reign from 1979 to 1990.

The eye clinic was held in a local hospital where workers registered the patients and recorded their main complaint with regard to their vision. Identifying paper in hand, the patients moved through the visual acuity area. A team of eight people tested every patient with a "tumbling E" (a cube displaying a series of different sized E's). I was assigned to this area and when time was available I helped dispense reading glasses.

In Nicaragua most of the patients can read. During the literacy campaign organized by the Sandinistas in the early eighties, young people from the cities went to live in rural villages and taught the poor the basics of the three R:s. Thousands were able to learn the alphabet and numbers and were able to demonstrate basic reading skills. Our job was to follow up by providing glasses and eye care.

Eye glasses in Nicaragua cost more than $100 U.S. Nine-tenths of the population earn less than $300 per year; as a result, most go without the glasses they need. MGM distributed free eye glasses and free medical service. Many patients travelled more than 100 kilometres and waited more than 24 hours to have their eyes examined. This is so different from our North American mentality where everything has to be instantaneous and often taken for granted! On average 900 patients were treated by the team daily. Dr. Rosie Adorjan, one of the eight doctors, examined approximately 250 patients daily.

Each patient was screened by an ophthalmologist who took a 30-second look with an ophthalmoscope and asked a few questions to determine their course through the clinic. Some required no help and were dismissed with a kind word and a small gift. Many older people could only see hand movements. Others had vision loss because of infection and were required to go to the consulting room to wait for a more detailed examination. Cataract surgery with lens implants was done, but most patients simply needed glasses. Plain reading glasses were the easiest to fit and dispense. Patients tried an assortment of standard strengths until they were satisfied that they could see at a close distance. "It has been ten years since I could see to sign my name" one man admitted. A woman proclaimed "Praise God! I will be able to read my Bible again." The patients were cautioned that the glasses were for close vision only and not to be used for distance. The workers reminded them, "You cannot wear them to walk".

Refraction for prescription glasses took much longer than dispensing reading glasses. The optometrist determined what each patient needed for good vision. A record of all of the eye glasses had been entered into a computer prior to the trip. The computer was scanned to match the right pair of glasses to every patient. The worker would ask the patient if they could read through the bifocals. A common response was "Dios Mia, I can see the print!". The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because he has chosen me to bring good news to the poor.. the blind recover their sight. We came in the name of Jesus to help them see better.

For every patient we had a little gift, which was either a pencil, a balloon, a Spanish tract, or a bar of soap. Used tennis balls were a real "hit" with the children as they have so few toys. We made hair ribbons from gift wrappings and it looked so festive to see little girls wearing brightly, coloured ribbons.

Many questioned the condition of Nicaragua since Violetta Chamorra took over as president from Daniel Ortega and the Sandinistas. She has a formidable task; to mould a democracy out of a nation overwhelmed by poverty with the legacy of ten years of war; a nation devastated by natural disasters, dictatorship and strife. There is now a new group of "contras" calling themselves "recontras" who have once again taken up arms. They claim the Chamorra government has not fulfilled its promise to provide them with land and return their homes to them. The agrarian land reform and the explosive question of poverty are the major concerns of conflict in Nicaragua under Violetta Chamorra.

The last day of our two-week project we did some sight-seeing in Managua. My friend and I were pickpocketed while hanging on for "dear life" on a crowded city bus. We were forewarned not to go to certain areas but we wanted to see and feel the "nit and grit" of the people. We did not even realize we had been robbed.

Being home for a little while, I feel humble and very grateful to the Lord that he gave me health and strength to help these noble and courageous Nicaraguans. Jesus healed miraculously. We healed with modern medicine and the work speaks for itself. When they thanked us, we replied "gracias a Dios" meaning "Thanks to God".

MGM can be reached through EMAS Canada 705924-2323.

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