Friday Eye Clinic: Grama Niladari, Sri Lanka

Sorry - I've gotten a day behind with posting due to a combination of fickle wifi and busy, long days.

Friday morning, we woke to glorious sights and sounds at our bird sanctuary lodgings near Nuwara Eliya, with an added bonus of tea in the upper viewing room, followed by breakfast with new friends from a UK ministry group.

Friday's eye clinic was held at the senior centre in Grama Niladari.  When we arrived, 15 or so people were waiting outside - because the inside room was packed with 50 to 60 more, all standing up, patiently awaiting the start time, knowing that more waiting was to come. 

From the very start, I found myself overwhelmed at the abundance of thankfulness in the room, several times even to tears. The senior group president greeted us warmly on behalf of their community, stating how glad they were for us to come and hold the clinic in their building. For so many of the people at the different clinics, the eyeglasses we present are the first they've ever owned: it's delightfully rewarding to see spontaneous smiles as the world suddenly comes into focus. The light in their faces is a vivid reminder of how much we take for granted, and also of how what seem to be simple kindnesses from our view can literally change someone's life. 

This is a rampant vegetable growing region - leeks, carrots, cabbages, potatoes, etc., flourishing in fields of perfectly uniform raised beds, with more terraced in anywhere there is space. Perhaps since vegetables are plenteous local staples, overall health of eyes was very good, especially compared to other areas with less produce available. 

Though the majority of today's group was mainly Buddhist, many asked for additional prayer for needs other than compromised eyesight, clearly stating that they believe Jesus can help them. It's amazing how showing love through meeting a present need can open hearts to trust for other very real but unseen needs. 

Mid-morning tea and short eats were served to us; my Western mind finds it a bit of a conundrum to eat in front of people who are still waiting, but knowing It is an honour to receive such gracious hospitality. (Somehow, though, I managed to try one of everything ... savoury samosas are very helpful toward mental adjustment.) After the clinic, we were invited to the home next door to join several local community leaders for a late lunch. I'm trying not to overuse the word 'gracious', but this is part and parcel of all the Sri Lankan people we've met, so it's a bit of a challenge.

In all, 69 people's eyes were examined, and 59 pairs of eyeglasses were given away today. 

Saturday is another clinic day at a different location, so please check in tomorrow - there is more to come. - Cyndy

Driving To Nurawa Eliya

Our Thursday travels started early and lasted past dark. Granted, this included a couple stops for tea and short eats (Sri Lankan slang for tasty snacks that aren't quite a meal). From seaside Moratuwa to the highest point in the tea growing country near  Nurawa Eliya, we gained 5700 feet in elevation. Scroll down to 'hop on the bus'!

Morning commuter traffic at 6:30 AM, heading to Columbo

Breakfast just down the street from the optometrist shop and school where Deepthi is attending classes. (Yes, that is sort of a hot dog with the lettuce leaf. If you order sausages here, you'll most likely get a frankfurter.)

Stopping just before Yakkala for tomorrow's breakfast pineapples - and takeaway bags of fresh cut pineapple chunks that smelled aMAZing, with overtones of coconut. The best kind of fast food!

Roadside scenes through multiple towns graced with rhythmic names: Thihariya, Nittambuwa, Warakapola, Mawanella, Pilimatalawa, Gelioya, Weligalla. They merge together, similar to how Southern California's communities are laced together along the main highways. Well, similar in a rather broad sense...

Fascinating contrasts abound - brick and palm construction next to glass and steel, one-table snack shops cheek-to-jowl with mini supermarkets, brand new cars alongside well-worn bicycles, women in traditional saris chatting on smartphones. 

Shops large and small - mostly VERY small - sell pretty much everything you could think of, and more. (Note the hardware store selling sinks, etc. - Home Depot, eat your heart out!)

Billboards everywhere - Lady Bird Johnson would have been inspired to another clean-up campaign. 

Oddly enough, all the shrines were out the side opposite my window seat, in case you'd heard there are a few of these in Sri Lanka. I also shied away from overt people pictures, erring on the respectful side. 

All of this driving (which, by the way - you should sit down for this - is without seatbelts) functions for me as a kind of condensed cultural immersion school. Thus, by the time we arrive in a village, I have some sense of context of the daily world of the people we're serving. I am so loving being fully present in every portion of this trip. 

The entire drive was a vivid, bountiful  visual feast; I hope you enjoy this small representation. - Cyndy

Wednesday Evening: Moratuwa

Wednesday evening's service, held in the same location as Adara Sevana, was a lively blend of music, preaching, and prayer. Funny enough, I knew most of the songs we sang, but hearing them in Sinhala blanked out the English words in my brain. Thankfully, I retained the melodies, and could draft along with the local language surrounding me.

One purpose of the service is to bring together Christians from many churches and denominations, thus it is deliberately scheduled from 6:00 to 7:00 PM, to allow people time to also attend service at their home church, particularly during the Lenten season. Gary shared a very direct and faith-stirring message on the eternal, inimitable, life-altering power in the Blood of Christ, after which many people came forward to receive prayer. 

Praying for people is always a privilege, and we all step forward in faith every time we pray. But a difference in language between a pray-er and pray-ee presents an interesting reliance and stretching of another sort, when you have no idea what the person wants prayer for  - and even when they tell you, you can only nod and smile, and dive in! (And I'm sure there's stretch and oddness on the pray-ee side as well!)

My sister and I have chatted a bit this trip about how we absorbed at a very young age that God was always with us, and He has promised that He hears us when we pray. I think this sureness of His nearness provides a launching pad from which to pray for people, resting in the confidence that it is God's job to see and meet the need, and we get the easy work of paying attention and being willing to go along for the ride. It's the most amazing, rewarding interaction - with both God and people He loves dearly - and we really need to be available to do more of it, no matter where we are in the world. (Big note to self...!)

Thursday, we are up with the birds and headed to stay at a bird sanctuary in Nuwara Eliya, which will be home base as we conduct four more eye clinics nearby on Friday and Saturday. The weather forecast there is significantly cooler - similar to late spring in Montana - which will be a nice change. 

Thank you for journeying with us this far; please stay tuned for more of our travels! - Cyndy

Tuesday In Moratuwa, Sri Lanka

Today (whatever that is on your side of the world!), please join in a brief tour of our Tuesday in Moratuwa:

Morning chapel and exercise time at Adara Sevana, the school Deepthi and Layasing have here in Moratuwa for 'differently-abled' young people. There is nothing available for them in the regular schools, so without Adara Savana, which means 'Love Shelter', they would just sit at home and not learn and grow at all.

J

Lovely rooftop terrace views while we enjoy a cup of tea (to recuperate from all that exercise!)

Stop to see the resell shop that helps support Adara Savana - and I mean a literal stop just to see; we just opened the van door and said hello, as we still had to go to the bank, pharmacy, and produce stand, then stop to pick up lunch.

Takeaway fried rice and chicken on our balcony for lunch - yum!

Examining and cleaning 16 boxes of newly purchased eyeglasses, with a break for tea and lemon biscuits - I will miss tea time!

Since it was raining, we hopped in a 3-wheeler to dinner - too much fun! The swoosh of red on the right is a small bus, very close, in a small lane. 

The cook made Pat's egg hopper fresh on the little griddle cooking promontory out front of the shoppe.

A walk back in the dark - yes, with flashlights - capped the evening. 

Wednesday, we fast and prepare for an early evening service, which is kind of a weekly unity service attended by congregants from many different churches in the area. The early time frame still allows them plenty of time to attend the service at their home church. (Double-scoop servings are always delightful

Eye Clinic Update, Week One

"What mankind wants is not talent; it is purpose." - Edward G. Bulwer-Lytton (1803-1873)

It turns out that standing 6-8 hours on concrete two days in a row makes my feet swell to painfully grotesque proportions. (Add this to the list of 'Laments of My Mum That I Swore I'd Never Utter'.) Thus, at Pat's insistence (big sisters tend to be right), I spent a fair bit of Sunday's drive laying on the back seat with my feet elevated above my heart. Staring out the side windows at blue sky, fluffy clouds, and power lines, I thought, "I could be most anywhere - I could be home in Montana, even - looking at this very view." (I know - deep, humanitarian mission thoughts.) And then the top of a palm tree flashed past; I smiled, thinking, "But I'm really in Sri Lanka (pinch me!) with two of my favourite people, participating in a very purposeful plan that is helping people."

If you skim through posts on this site from earlier trips, you'll see that Pat and Gary (aka Greater Works Unlimited, a 501 (c) 3 non-profit corporation) work with local ministers to identify key areas of need that are within their reach to assist with, and the aid is not necessarily the same for each area. Home water filters, wells, and housing were important in Cambodia. Sri Lanka needed eye glasses. And so we are here to conduct free eye clinics that consist primarily of a basic eye examination, determination of ideal prescription strength (you know the drill: 'Tell me which is clearer: 1 or 2? Now 2 or 3?...'), and dispensing of appropriate eyeglasses. If more serious conditions are observed, the local pastor refers to an ophthalmologist, often assisting with the arrangements and expenses. 

Before their first eye clinic outreach in Ghana in 2014, Greater Works connected with Dr. David Curtis's very practical training and equipping organization, Eye Doc In A Box, and learned his system. As you'll see in the photos with this post, increasingly high tech diagnostic equipment is not needed to identify basic corrective lens strength.

For many of us in Western cultures, eye maintenance is simple and routine. Annually, in less than an hour, we can get an exam and, if needed, reading or prescription glasses, through our choice of commercial outlets, big or small. But to so many people in Sri Lanka, they go without needed eyeglasses because they cannot afford: the day off work, the trip across or into a city for an exam, and the actual price of glasses. These are simply out of reach, economically and physically. And the lack of something as simple as drugstore reading glasses can have severe effects: a tailor cannot see to do his work that supports his family; students struggle with reading and may miss education opportunities; mothers worry about damaged teeth if they cannot see small pebbles when they sort and clean lentils.

Thus far, we've conducted four clinics. At each location, all ages of people were already waiting, despite the heat and dust and inconvenience to them. I was privileged to see how people's countenances changed - many arrived appearing worrisome and downcast, and left wearing open smiles. They came because they heard they could receive much-needed eyeglasses for free. But it seemed to me that, when they left, it was hope I saw lighting each face - hope born of seeing God's great love for them through unexpected consideration and kindness, prayer and counseling for any other needs, and, yes, eyeglasses.

I'll close this post with photos and basic stats from each location (go ahead - give the village pronunciations a try!). You'll see from the numbers that everyone examined did not receive eyeglasses; some of these had healthy eyes and 20/20 vision, others having more complicated conditions were referred to an opthamologist, and some needed special prescriptions that we will acquire and have delivered later by the local pastor. One photo explanation: an simple, respectful way to double-check a correct match of glasses for people who don't read is to ask them to attempt something they need glasses to do, which commonly is threading a needle.

We'll be in Moratuwa for the next couple days, then head east a bit to conduct additional clinics, so please stay tuned for more! -Cyndy 

Friday morning: Paranthan: 33 people examined, 26 pair of glasses given away

Friday afternoon: Puthukudirupu: 34 people examined, 26 pair of glasses given away

Saturday morning: Akkarayan: 34 people examined, 25 pair of glasses given away

Saturday afternoon: Annaivilunthan: 58 people examined, 45 pair of glasses given away

Sunday Morning In Kilinochchi

Today (Sunday, 2/14/2016) we joined the local Methodist Church in Kilinochchi for Sunday morning service. What better way to spend Valentine's Day than sharing God's love?!  It just happens to be Women's Sunday, and the ladies of the church lead the aspects of service. This is a bigger deal in Sri Lanka than in America - in the church here, women and men sit on opposite sides of the church. In perfect orchestration, Pat has had a message brewing, and so was ready when asked to be today's guest speaker (with help of an interpreter). 

Then we drive south 6-ish hours to Moratuwa, which is our home base that we haven't been to yet this trip (or ever, for me!).

I will be a little sad to say goodbye to my first princess bed - the canopy is mosquito netting, the bedding is my green silk sleep sack -  and also my first roommate, a little frog that was waiting when we arrived the first night. 

He lives in the bathroom, which is just fine by me - I can see him on the white tile floor. He travels along the edges of the sink and shower wall, and cozies up during the day in the cubby behind the pedestal sink base.

A second, smaller frog was waiting on my doorstep Friday morning, and hopped inside under the gap of the door, despite my attempts to dissuade him. ('No! Shoo! I already have a frog!' Maybe he only speaks the local Tamil dialect?)

Hopefully, he found his way out or to join his buddy in the bathroom, and isn't hopping about the black tile bedroom floor...I guess this solidifies the case for wearing flip-flips indoors...

We are off to Moratuwa. I will write about the eye clinics tomorrow, as there is much to say.

Morning Comes Early: Kilinochchi, Sri Lanka

The resident rooster of our hotel compound takes his job very seriously, and seems to be programmed at decreasing intervals. His first enthusiastic reveille is before 5:00 AM. Then he takes a wee power nap. I noted the second round at 5:20, and a third, slightly less robust version at 5:36. A weak 5:44 crow increased in volume over the next 7 minutes, seemingly roused to greater strength by competition of a neighboring  rooster's call-out. 6:07 hears him still at it. And the sun hasn't yet kissed the morning air over Kilinochchi. My guess is that he keeps it up until daylight heeds his insistent call. Great. Just what I never knew I was missing: a rooster with an inspiring work ethic. Sigh.

But there is the lovely bed tea being served at 6:30 this morning, so I am thankful for his reminder that I have better things to do this fine morning than lay in bed tap-tapping on my phone a critique of the in-house wake-up performance.

We breakfast at 7:30, to leave promptly at 8:00, to give plenty of time for travel over a very rough road to our first of two eye clinics today. Bed tea is an addicting way to start the day - black tea, impeccably brewed strong but not to bitterness, with scalded milk and sugar on the side, and graciously presented as you see in the photo below (in which Pat is praying a prayer of thanks for bed tea.)  Bonus: it is perfectly acceptable to partake of bed tea while wearing your lovely house dress. My first sip of bed tea even generates forgiving thoughts toward our rooster.

At 6:11, someone flipped a switch to begin the ambient birdsong for this morning. And the rooster continues still. To quote my exceedingly cheery mum's oft-repeated refrain on childhood mornings, 'Time to rise and shine!' (So glad to opt out of the historically accompanying flipping on of the overhead light.)