A Few of My Favourite Things....

New Friends! 

This is my seventh TWECS mission and am so delighted to part of this amazing team.  There are the Veterans that I have had the honour for them to be part of my life and become like family over the past 22 years.  And then there are the 
"newbies" which always bring such great energy and new dance moves, seriously that bring fresh inspiration and excitement to goal of serving the poorest of the poor. 
Along with our very cool team there are a few other my "favorite things " on this mission. 

New Shoes! 

After retiring my TWECS shoes 10 years old and 7 missions I was excited to buy a new pair. A Walmart special for $14.97 had been the most comfortable shoes ever. However,  after a few clinic days walking in the dirt they are not loking that new anymore. 

Puppies! 

I was so thrilled the first clinic day to be surrounded by furry friends.  I met Skipper who belonged to the very kind and generous family that opened up their entire home to hold our clinic .

Kidlets and Babies! 

I asked a mother if I could hold her baby while she was doing her visual acuity test. Thank you Mama! We were surrounded by numerous happy kidlets throughout the various locations we set up clinics. 

Fresh Eyes!

This is what we come for.

Susana age 67:

- knits delicate little booties for dolls
- near visual acuities 20/100

- +5.00 readers give her 20/20 close up

Maria age 27

- distance visual acuities 20/120 
- came in with broken glasses 
- dispensed -11.00 OU
- exit V/As 20/40

Selena:

- near VA's 20/200
- +5.50 readers gave her 20/20 

- distance VA's 20/100
- +3.00 glasses gave her 20/25


Andrei 13 year old student
- distance V/A's 20/60
- -1.50 gave him 20/20
- can see the blackboard now 

Hanging out with MRM!

A beautiful lady and great leader set out with a mission to  help as many poorest of the poor. 

Bren (AKA Agnes)

Never Disappoint

This is my third project with TWECS, and they never disappoint.

The people are always so gracious and thankful of the work we do for them. On Thursday we helped a lady with 4 children who, because of the economy found it difficult to find the necessary money for eye exams and resulting glasses for her family. I received a big hug and blessing in return.

Today we helped a 93 yr old man who insisted he needed glasses to be able to see where he was walking but wasn't concerned about glasses for reading which I thought would be more important at his age.  He left very satisfied and happy as we found him two pairs to help him out.

The team commardarie is wonderful of course, and the willingness to work together has made this project special for me.  Thanks everyone!

Sharyn Higginson

Why He Cried, Will Break Your Heart......

Where does one start.  The sights, the smells, the 10 hour days, the team support, rough 2 hour rides in a small bus when every muscle hurts.   For all team members we likely will start with the miracles of sight that happen every day during a TWECS clinic.  

The traffic in Lima is the most chaotic and dangerous I've ever experienced anywhere in the world and it has its consequences.  It has been another long clinic day and I thought all the patients had been seen.  I was surprised to to see this old gentleman holding his registration form sitting on a dispensing chair.  He was patiently waiting so I took his form and studied the doctors prescription.  He was 86 years old and legally blind.  His shoes were worn, his jacket thread bare, he looked tired and hadn't shaven for a couple of days. I dove into the glasses and to my amazement found a pair matching his special prescription. I was delighted to think we may be able to give him some sight back. He put them on we tested his sight.  He could see the top line on the chart.  I thought this is a win, in fact I was ecstatic. He started to cry almost uncontrollably and brought out a large handkerchief.  An interpreter was close by and I asked him if he could understand what the man was saying as he wiped his tears away.  He was telling us that his wife had been run over 3 days ago by a hit and run driver and he now had no one to help take care of him.  Even though the glasses helped there was no way they could replace his wife's eyesight.  I felt defeated.   I helped him down the stairs and out to the street.  He turns and embraces me with a most gracious hug. Sometimes small miracles just don't seem enough.  

Doug Higginson

I Wonder If I Will Remember to Love?

Stacy at Registration

Typical Peruvian home in the slopes of Lima's hills

I WONDER.....

If I was the one waiting in a never ending line - hot and crowded and exhausting and chaotic - hoping and praying to see an optometrist - knowing this might be my only chance to receive help;  to receive the incredible gift of sight - I wonder how I would behave ?

Would I be the one to eagerly step forward and help the person ahead of me who didn't understand what was being asked?

Would I be the one to cheerfully fill out the form for the elderly man that couldn't see to write ?

Would I gently hold the sleeping baby of the mother behind me so she could comfort her crying three year old?

Would I graciously step aside and allow someone to cut in line because they said it was their spot?

Would I have the dignity and strength to stand hour after hour in dust and noise without complaining and whining?

Would I comfort the child beside me who was scared and confused ?

Would I see the needs of others even though my own need was great ?

Time after time I saw such examples of courtesy and compassion from the people in the villages of Peru. 

I HOPE.....

I hope I will  be like the Peruvian people - kind and patient and gracious and sensitive. Full of dignity and determination.

I hope I will be like them and have the resilience to laugh and find humour even in difficult circumstances.

I hope I will be

like them and remain calm and willing in situations that are not fair.

I hope I will say thank you sincerely and humbly; as every single one of them did to me;  for acts of kindness.

My cheek will forever be touched by their sweet kisses of gratitude and my heart filled to over-flowing with the word - Gracias .

Day after day I saw the people of Peru live what the world needs - and that is love.
Pure and simple love - It's what makes life beautiful.

I WONDER.....

I wonder if when I go home , back to my life of comfort and ease, I wonder if I will I remember what I have learned here from these incredible people ?

I wonder if I will remember to love ?


Stacy Bowler 
Volunteer 

Fe Y Alegria

 We arrive in "Faith and Happiness" School 26 for our next two days of work, only a one hour butt crushing ride from our hotel. To our surprise the local community has already lined up outside the school and down the block.

Just a few hours later the registered patients have completed the first 5 stations in the classrooms around the square and are now seating in the dispensary with anticipation.

Thank God for our student interpreters who make

communication so much easier , Muchas Gracias

Delaney focused on a search for a plus lens in the eyeglass library as Rodger dispenses his find

Doug, Sharon and Brenda finger pointing at ten feet. A Simple test of a person's ability to read at a distance, as the patient answers correctly the "operator" points to letters on the next line down which are smaller, until the patient misses. Testing while one eye covered and both eyes open. It is an effective guide for the eye doctors who refine the each patients script in a darkened room

Two kids who got some eyeglasses from Arun and Karin

Bone crushing ride is easier to take with a refreshing Cusquena, but with all the bumps and traffic jams at every intersection in Lima, a much needed bathroom break is sure to happen

After a quick shower, we jump into a taxi and into a restaurant for some Peruvian food
 and 4.7 magnitude earthquake outside of Lima

I Love "Station 6"

TWECS mission in Villa El Salvador.... if you have seen photos of the Great Depression of the Dirty Thirties, this neighbourhood would fit right in! Half finished buildings, mud/sandy unpaved streets, dilapidated buildings... but Beauty People. Today I was blessed with helping many of the poorest of the poor regain some sight. One 81 year old gent went from "finger counting" at 5 feet to being able to see 20/30 with his +5.00 reading glasses and his +3.00 distance glasses. Another 70 year old fellow went from 20/800 to 20/40 with his new -4.00 glasses! And I have been blessed by being a helper in the eye glass dispensing divisions, so I get to see all the fruits of the labour of our team of 19 volunteers.

Typical yard on the clinic street, complete with dog curled up in the dirt.

Another typical yard with firewood in front for use in cooking.

Old VW in front of our clinic

Eye glass dispensing station with 10,000 to 11,000 used eye glasses all sorted by prescription power and by Men's, Women's and Children's styles.

This woman went from seeing 20/200 to seeing 20/20 with her new glasses!

Mona, our newest TWECS volunteer with a very happy patient who now sees again.

Friday our Final Day at Villa El Salvador

In the morning our new team members, Karin and Lilly find a trio of Quechua elders sitting outside our Visual Acuity station waiting patiently for the day to start.

Our 1 hour commute in the morning passes through interesting sites, all around us are many many barrios that make up the city of Villa El Salvador

Metro Lima is a city of 10 million, so it is not surprising our second day draws more crowds and a long morning line

More people keep coming hoping to get tickets

VA girls outside on the clinic wall working the tumbling E chart for everyone who shows up

 Rodger is checking the exit reading acuities for an elders new readers

Brenda and Marina with a Mom and her 8 year old girl, both get new glasses.

Mom gets -3.00 ou and the daughter gets -6.00 ou.

Lilley performing retinoscopy on a patient

The line up continues into the afternoon, most people in this barrio will never have another opportunity  for eye care

Another Quechua elder dressed nicely in her native clothes waits for the line to move.

A final good-bye to our hosts before boarding our bus and heading back to our Hotel one hour away.

Our transportation.

 Because of the severe traffic snarls all over Lima it took over 2 hours for us to get back to our hotel. Hopefully this is not a sign of what's ahead for us tomorrow on the way to Conto Grande.