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ETMC Nurse in Togo, Africa

ETMC Nurse in Togo, Africa

“Yovo yovo, bonsior, ça va bien, merci!” The little Togolese children would chant their greeting as they waved at me as I entered their village. They were all too delighted to alert their friends and family to the rarity of seeing a pale-faced foreigner such as myself in their land. “Bonjour, Ma Ma!” they would say. “Bonjour!” I would reply and wave to the children and adults alike who would crowd around to see the “Yovo” or “foreigner” who had come to their village. Soon enough, the children would crowd around me, begging me to listen to their heart with my stethoscope, or waiting for the chance to stroke my pale skin.

Sight.org

Sight.org

In August, I had the opportunity to serve with Sight.org in Togo, Africa, as a nurse. Sight.org is a ministry based out of Tyler, Texas, that performs cataract as well as pterygium surgeries for the people of Togo. Over 80,000 people in Togo, young and old alike, suffer from blindness that cataracts or pterygium cause due to sun exposure. In a country where over half the population lives on $1.25 a day and running water and air conditioning are fantasies that most only hear about, the idea of receiving a life-changing surgery to correct their blindness, free of cost, is unbelievable. What could possibly provide a clean and sterile environment for performing these surgeries? An ambulance donated by East Texas Medical Center.

Sight.org

Sight.org

Seeing the familiar green ambulance parked on the outskirts of a small town in Togo gave me so much pride to work for a hospital such as ETMC. Over the course of three days, I was overwhelmed to help guide 60+ blind patients enter and exit the ambulance to receive their sight again. A Togolese eye surgeon, Dr. Nestor Avia, welcomed me in to the ambulance to observe eye surgeries my second day in Togo. It was not uncommon for Dr. Avia to kneel down beside the stretcher of a patient in order to calm their fears of the surgery looming before them. Tenderly, Dr. Avia would perform the surgery while reassuring the patients, in their own language, that all was going well.

Sight.org

Sight.org

While helping in pre-op, I got to meet and talk to the patients via a translator. I met Yawa, a 70-year old-woman who said she could not remember how many years it had been since she had last had full sight. All of her family members in her village had died due to sickness. She had lived on her own for six years. Komlan was a 65-year-old man who was looking forward to farming again. He could barely see and walked around with a cane. He said that “farming will be much easier” after the surgery. Masalou had not been able to see for the past seventeen years. The 69-year-old lady told me that she was not afraid of her upcoming surgery. She was ready to be able to cook, bathe, and eat on her own so her family did not have to help her. Not all the patients were elderly, however. Enyonam was a 35-year-old woman suffering from pterygium. She explained to me how painful it was to endure the discomfort in her eyes during her daily tasks. She said she felt shameful because she did not feel beautiful when people looked at her.

Sight.org

Sight.org

After surgery, the patients wore patches over their eyes until the next day when they returned to have them removed. The patients eagerly waited hours before the appointed post-op time. Upon removal of the eye-patches, patients would blink their eyes in disbelief at having their sight again. I would see many smile for the first time since I had met them. Others wept. One patient exclaimed, “I see a Yovo!” upon seeing me standing before her. Another woman kept whispering, “Merci, Jesus. Merci,” as tears rolled down her face. One man who was a teacher said, “I don’t have to lose my job now!” Often times the patients would dance or throw their cane into bushes to celebrate the gift of sight that they had been given.

Sight.org

When not helping with surgeries, I was able to travel to villages with the Sight.org team and meet all the medical needs that we could. Often times, the villages would be so remote that the only “road” to get there would be a trail not even a foot wide.

Sight.org

It was not uncommon for there to be no well for the villagers to drink clean water from. Once a village heard that a nurse was coming to their village, it was certain that I could expect a crowd upon arrival. Many children and adults had malaria and dysentery. Other villagers would present their infected wounds to me to clean and bandage. One woman came to me with a soiled cloth around her foot. Upon removal, she explained to me that she had burned her whole foot about a month ago when hot oil spilled on it. At one particular village, the villagers informed me that soap was too expensive for them to afford. One child about nine years old crawled around on swollen knees due to one of her legs being deformed since she was two years old. After traveling to a bigger city in Togo, I was able to return to the same village with a $22 pair of crutches for the little girl named Canditt. I taught Canditt how to walk again with crutches.

Sight.org

Sight.org

Sight.org

Sight.org

In a country like Togo, it is incredible to see how so little can help so much, like soap, $22 dollars, and a donated ambulance. The health needs of the Togolese people are astounding. It was a privilege to use the skills that ETMC has cultivated and taught me as a nurse to help others in such an impoverished country. I am grateful that I had the opportunity to serve with this amazing ministry.

Sight.org

Sight.org

Teaching Children Different Ways to Worship God

Teaching Children Different Ways to Worship God

In September we started expanding the ministry weeks in the villages here in Togo, Africa.

We have been visiting different villages each week. We get permission from the chiefs of that village first.

We do health teaching, children’s ministry, show the Jesus Film along with other Bible films, fit and give eyeglasses, do door to door ministry, and pray for those who ask for prayer. We also meet any other needs that we’re able.

We also have been finding a “Person of Peace” in each village who will be responsible to play the audio Bible.  We leave it in their care to help spread God’s Word in these villages!

The audio Bible is wonderful because it is played in Ewe, which is one of the languages they speak.

Sight.org

We want to teach the children different ways to worship God and we are using instruments to do this. 

Wayne and I asked a blacksmith to make bells and triangles to add to the musical instruments that we have been collecting here in Africa! We also have African shakers and home made shakers. 

The children love singing and playing the different instruments. We now have about 23 instruments and will add to these as we can.  Usually we have about 50-150 children in one village, depending on the size. We “take turns” passing the instruments around and sing a lot of songs, to give everyone a chance to worship our Lord! 

Sight.org

Sight.org

Sight.org

 

We also try to have a coloring sheet with a Scripture that goes along with the lesson of the day. This can be costly to make copies for each village, but when you see their faces and watch them color, it’s worth the expense! Crayons are not readily available here but I sure am glad I bought several large boxes of crayons. They will go a long way!

 

Sight.org

Sight.org has collected MANY used/unwanted eyeglasses. These are given to people who need a little help with their vision. Many want glasses in order to read their Bibles!  They even bring their Bible to the screening to make sure they can see with the glasses!  The eyeglass cases are just as important because they don’t want anything to scratch their glasses.

Seeing is everything!

So if you have some eyeglasses that you have outgrown, contact our Sight.org office in Tyler, TX to make your donation! Or if you don’t have any eyeglasses and would like to buy some reading glasses from the weakest strength 1.25 – 2.50 strength. We run out of these quickly! You can also make a monetary donation to help with the shipping costs.

Sight.org

We would like to invite you to help with the work here in Togo, Africa in giving $10 for color sheets or instruments.

We truly appreciate all our family, friends and church body who support us each month in order for us to do the work here in Togo! Thank you from the bottom of our hearts!

 

Stories Behind the Art at Sight Night

Stories Behind the Art at Sight Night

Last week, we had our first annual Sight Night: The Joy of Sight.

It featured local art inspired by or related to the work we do in Togo. In case you didn’t get to attend, we would love to share the art and the stories behind the art with you. We are so thankful for each artist and their contribution to our ministry.

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Through the art alone, we were able to raise over $6000 for sight restoring surgeries. Total raised from the entire event was over $32,000! That equals 213 eye surgeries!

Go to our Facebook page to see photos from the event.

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Lisa Rachel Horlander
“Serene Epiphany”
oil on canvas

When we first talked to Lisa about our event, she got so excited because she already has a passion for visual impairment and has a whole series of work based on this theme. We are so thankful to have Lisa on our team of artists for this show!

Statement from artist:
“Our individual view of a moment can be hindered by impaired sight, whether it’s a physical handicap or atmospheric conditions, which will determine how we visually interpret something. This painting is designed to give the viewer a similar experience of impaired sight but with only the distilled beauty of light and color.”

Story from Sight.org:
We felt that the story of Jeanaway went along perfectly with this painting.

 

 

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Lindsay Boone
“Earth Has No Sorrow that Heaven Cannot Heal”
oil on gold leaf

Statement from artist:
“On a metro in Paris, I sat across from an exhausted, distracted Muslim woman. We rode together for perhaps thirty minutes, and she never made eye contact, never smiled, never glanced around. She just…waited. She was beautiful, with a sharp profile and yards of fabric about her, and I managed to take a few pictures of her on my phone without her noticing. In the picture, she is bowed in fatigue and irritation, waiting for the ride to be over. But in the painting, she is bowed in fatigue and reverence, awaiting the sweet relief of the Father’s love. The gold leaf is a shining allusion to the imprint of God on all humanity, and to the divine Presence exhibited in the common grace of Christ, which showers even those who are unaware of it. She may be blind to the beauty of God’s reality, but one hopes that one day she will truly see.”

Statement from Sight.org:
“Our greatest passion is to share the love of Christ, which drives our desire to serve. By projecting the Jesus Film, evangelizing door-to-door, and providing discipleship through local ministry partners, we share the good news in a country where 295,000 people have never heard the gospel of Jesus.”

 

 

www.facebook.com/callynthphotography #callynthphotography

Aaron Nguyen
“Friends”
printed art on wine bottle

Statement from the artist’s mother:
“This past summer my husband and I created our own bottle of wine when we were in Napa at Judds Hill. We came up with the recipe ourselves, mixed it, bottled it, corked it, and labeled it all by hand. We asked our son Aaron to name the wine and make the artwork for the label. He named it “Friends” and sent us a picture of his first masterpiece he created when he was 6 years old. The value of the wine is priceless since it’s “handmade”. Aaron would love to donate this to Sight.org.”

Story of Aaron and his involvement with Sight.org:
“Last year, Lewis Swann, founder of Sight.org, visited with the 3rd-5th grade students at The Brook Hill School. When one of Brook Hill’s third grade students, Aaron, heard about Sight.org, his heart broke for the blind in Africa and he decided to do something about it.

“Every Christmas I get a big gift, so I told my parents that I wanted my big gift this year to be sunglasses for the blind in Africa,” Aaron explained. “So we went to the Dollar General and the manager let us in the back so that we could pick out sunglasses. We got 108 sunglasses for children and adults, boys and girls.”

“We then met Lewis at a coffee shop and gave him the sunglasses,” Aaron continued. Aaron’s family also donated funds for a surgery along with the sunglasses. “Sunglasses are vital to a successful surgery,” Swann commented. “Without them, patient’s eyes are too exposed to light and it leads to a bad treatment.”

Swann left for Togo shortly after receiving the sunglasses from Aaron and his family. During his trip, nearly 80 patients received sight and also received sunglasses from Aaron. The rest have since been given to other patients receiving the surgery.

During his trip, Swann and his wife took pictures and made a book for Aaron with many of the patients wearing his sunglasses and holding up signs like “Yay God!” and “Aaron Rocks!” When we asked Aaron how he felt when he looked at the book, he said “Happy. It feels good to know that these people can see.” “I am so proud of Aaron for stepping out to make life better for others,” Swann said. “There is a light shining in Togo and Aaron is a part of that light! Aaron realizes that he doesn’t have to be a surgeon to make miracles happen. His love for the poor in action has changed the lives of others forever!”

Excerpt from the Brook Hill School website

 

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Monique Dorsey
“Eyes of Joy”
watercolor on paper

Statement from the artist:
“I have been so touched by Sight.org’s work.  I personally know the Rileys, who are missionaries in Togo with Sight.org.  They have been a part of my prayer group for a long time.  They are wonderful, Christ filled people who have a heart to serve Him.  They have been in Togo since February of this year working for Sight.org.  I was so moved by Elaine’s posts about all the children and the lives they are touching with Christ’s ministries.  I wanted my piece to reflect the masses being affected, that’s why there are three faces, each a little different.  Their eyes are meant to reflect not just their physical vision restored but their spiritual vision come to light!  May God continue to bless your wonderful works for His Kingdom!” 

Story from Sight.org’s missionaries:
“We have been drawn especially to the Togolese children.

They are pure innocence and beautiful and they love to see “Yovos” or “white people.” We hear their giggles and laughs and chants, “Yovo, Yovo, Bonsoir Yovo” as we pass by and we always give them silly waves.  I always take pics of all the children we come across as they have my heart!  They love looking at their own picture and try to figure out how it’s done!

“Let the little children come unto me” Mark 10:14

You can be a part of these great works by making a donation whether modest or great. We rely on our donors to provide these surgeries each month in these poor villages in the country of Togo. Won’t you make a difference today?”

 

 

god

Amanda Slaughter
“God”
mixed media on canvas

Statement from the artist:
“This painting came from the idea that no matter how much we mess up, God’s grace cleans us white as snow….what a blessing!  And then we sparkle. (Cue the glitter)”

Statement from Sight.org:
All people are redeemable through Christ’s finished work on the cross, and we believe He died so that we could carry His light to the ends of the earth. By His grace, we have been redeemed to serve: The Blind, The Unreached, and The Malnourished in Togo, Africa.”

 

 

malibow

Rosemary Swann
“Malibow”
oil on panel

Statement from the artist:
“This piece is inspired by a woman named Malibow. She had epilepsy and the medical team at Sight.org prayed over her.”

Story from Sight.org:
“During that time, many came with very sad conditions. One lady suffered from epilepsy, and one of her episodes led her to fall into a fire where she severely burned her face. Sadly, this is very common for people with epilepsy in Africa, and such people are often treated as outcasts. In her own words, she had no one.

Deep hurt and shame was plainly seen in her eyes. People like this often hear people say bad things to them. She hears that she is cursed, a nobody, and much worse. I asked some of our team to pray over her with me. We began, and the tears ran down her face. It’s hard to describe, and I have only seen it a few times with this level of clarity, but it was very clear to everyone praying that God was bringing major restoration in her life. To the point of convulsion, she wept throughout the five minutes we prayed over her. Then, when it was all over, joy was all over her face. At that moment, she had received Christ.

The next day, she came to our first church service. She was in the back corner, looking up and praising God. Before, she was drenched in shame, and now, she is restored. One of our pastors went to talk to her, and she explained that something happened during our prayer, and that she knows that her life is forever changed. It’s so clear to see a life restored by God. As I looked into her eyes, it was like I was looking at a totally different person. God is so good.

God is so good.”

 

 

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Angie Tellman
“Restored”
watercolor on paper

Statement from the artist:
“This man is featured on the website where he is shown before and after surgery. He is now able to care and provide for his family.”

Statement from Sight.org:
“This man’s name is Ouro. He is 72 years old and lives in the village of Badou in Togo. He is so thankful to have his sight back.”

 

 

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Angie Tellman
“Blind Soccer”
Watercolor on paper

Statement from the artist:
“This piece was inspired by a picture on the Sight.org blog of children playing soccer. With or without vision, boys enjoy playing. I was moved by the joy and energy of the photograph.”

Statement from Sight.org:
“At our farm in Togo, many children come every afternoon to play soccer. God has given us opportunities to love on these children in many ways. One child, named Chris, has become very dear to us. He has Sickle Cell Anemia and was abandoned by his parents. His grandma takes care of him, but our medical team and missionaries have also started sharing in the responsibility of taking care of him. They feed him and take him to his doctor’s visits.

We also see many children with cataracts or other visual impairments. Cataracts are found in all ages in Togo due to malnutrition and lack of medical resources. We are able to remove the cataracts and give children back their sight.”

 

 

 

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Angie Tellman
“Waiting for Sight”
watercolor on paper

Statement from the artist:
“This painting is a visual reminder that blindness can be frightening. The child is pictured in a room where he cannot see colors all around him.”

Statement from Sight.org:
We see many children with cataracts or other visual impairments. Cataracts are found in all ages in Togo due to malnutrition and lack of medical resources. Praise the Lord that we are able remove the cataracts and give children back their sight and their life.”

 

 

 

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Mary Evelyn Tucker
“Togo View”
acrylic on canvas

Statement from the artist:
“This piece is inspired by the beautiful landscape of Togo, Africa.”

Statement from Sight.org:
“The country of Togo has captured the hearts of the Sight.org team. We will be serving there as long as God tells us to. Village by village we share the gospel, help the blind, improve nutrition, teach community health, perform visual analysis, support local pastors and refer illnesses outside of their criteria with the information needed for care.”

 

 

 

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Mary Evelyn Tucker
“Walk by Faith”
acrylic on canvas

Statement from the artist:
“This piece is based on a blog post from the Riley’s (Sight.org missionaries) about the hill they climb every Sunday to get to church in Togo.”

Statement from Sight.org:
“Our missionaries, Elaine and Wayne Riley, have been in Togo for eight months. They took a huge step of faith to become missionaries. They left their children, grandchildren, and home church to go to a country they had never been to before. Elaine worked with Sight.org in Tyler for a year as our Event Coordinator, as God stirred her heart to go to Togo. We are thankful for their obedience to God as they serve the people of Togo.”

 

 

 

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Mary Evelyn Tucker
“Ishaka’s Mountain”
acrylic on canvas

Statement from the artist:
“This piece is inspired by Ishsaka, the surgery sterilizer at Sight.org. This is the mountain he likes to climb after all eye surgeries are completed.”

The story of Ishaka:
https://sight.org/2016/06/smiling-ishaka/

 

 

 

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Becky Chelf
“From Darkness to Light”
oil on canvas

Statement from the artist:
“This piece was inspired by the agriculture work that Sight.org does in Togo. They teach people to use modern farming techniques so that they get better nutrition. When the people get better nutrition, they can help future generations to not have as many cataracts.”

Statement from Sight.org:
“Eye diseases in West Africa are largely affected by malnutrition, and 2.5 million people in Togo are malnourished. At our agriculture training facility, we train farming students in modern farming techniques that create ten times the production of traditional farming. After training, the students return to their respective villages, resulting in a ripple effect that impacts the lives of hundreds.”

 

 

 

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Amy Proctor
“The Joy of Sight I”
acrylic on canvas 

Statement from the artist:
“This is inspired by the theme of The Joy of Sight. Bright colors make me joyful and bring joy to my heart just seeing them. The beautiful colors with the eyes reminds me of the joy of having sight.”

A story from Sight.org:
https://sight.org/2015/11/they-said-i-was-old/

 

 

 

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Amy Proctor
“The Joy of Sight II”
acrylic on canvas

Statement from the artist:
“This is inspired by the theme of The Joy of Sight. Bright colors make me joyful and bring joy to my heart just seeing them. The beautiful colors with the eyes reminds me of the joy of having sight.”

A story from Sight.org:
https://sight.org/2015/12/guiybiebe-sees-for-the-first-time-in-9-years/

 

 

 

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Nicole F. Root
“Psalm 103:1-4”
pencil and watercolor on paper

Statement from the artist:
“I was captured by a photo in the Sight.org story “Extending Christ’s Healing Hand to the Blind.” I was inspired by the posture of praise and the face of gratitude in this woman. It shows how we all should be praising the Lord, even if we weren’t healed of physical blindness, because of the great thing that He did for us by dying for our sins. Sight.org’s ministry is so wonderful. I thank the Lord for the work that is going on in Togo.”

Statement from Sight.org:
“The woman featured in this art is named Pauline. She is 54 years old and has had a cataract for three years. She had her own business, but being blind in one eye made it very hard for her to sell merchandise. We praise Jesus that He enabled us to restore her sight! Our medical team travels to some of the poorest and most remote parts of Togo in order to share the good news of Christ while extending Christ’s healing hand to the blind. So many lives are touched by this group, and through them, many are coming to know Christ.”

 

 

 

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Jan Widner
Decisions 2”
oil on canvas

Statement from the artist:
“This is second in the series, “Decisions”.  Every day we are confronted with issues that require decisions. Some are life changing crossroads, some are simply minor choices.  All impact our lives. In this painting, the multitude of shapes and colors intermingle with directional black lines.  These close relationships illustrate how our decisions intimately affect our lives as well as those around us.”

Statement from Lewis Swann, founder of Sight.org:
“In 2010, I signed up for a three-year volunteer services in West Africa aboard Mercy Ships, a charity which offers free medical care in the world’s poorest nations. I was working in Public Relations, and I was exposed to a level of need that was beyond comprehension. I felt good serving others, but there was still a void in my heart, and God seemed as distant as ever.

Living amongst mature Christians, I tried to conceal my sinful vices. Growing sick of living in hypocrisy, I became inspired by the Christians around me. They were serving with joyful love beyond what I knew, and I wanted what they had.

Desperate, I began reading the New Testament with the intent to fully live out the Christian life as depicted in the Bible. Amazed by the gospel’s message of undeserving love and grace, I discovered a side of Jesus I had never grasped. I began to have a growing burden in my heart for others, especially for those who did not know Christ.

Then one day, God told me to talk to a pastor named Peter in Togo, Africa. I asked Peter if he had a calling. Peter explained that God showed him a vision of blind people in the rural villages, and that he was suppose to go and restore sight to these people while sharing the Gospel. I knew that God wanted me to support Peter’s calling.

Then Sight.org was born!”

 

 

 

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Alexis Hughes
“Contours of Cold” 
watercolor and graphite on paper

Statement from the artist:
“Air is heavy, enduring and permanent. Mass is fleeting. Solitude is vibrant, vital, and optimistic. Logic is altered but we still regain our place in the world through memory. Memory is equilibrium. My paintings are selective and ideals of the truth. They are reflections of my past, the days that I have drawn out in my mind as precious time. The landscape provides stillness and solitude, a moment to reconnect to a personal history within the world.

My work is a metaphor for time, memory, and perception. I formally investigate the visual perception of light and color, the personal experience of both remembering and inventing, and the illusive nature of time. I seek imagery that is constantly moving such as light and water as my platform to explore such philosophies.”

 

 

 

 

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ASHLIE BAILEY
“His Eyes”
woodburning watercolor and gouache

Statement from the artist:
“I choose do a picture of the horse in revelation based on the passage in revelation that describes the eyes of Jesus.

Revelation 19:11-16 “I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and wages war. His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. Coming out of his mouth is a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. “He will rule them with an iron scepter.” He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.”

 

 

 

 

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NOBLE JOHNSON
“The Golden Hind”
ship in a lightbulb

Statement from the artist:
“A light bulb is all about seeing in the dark. Hence the ship in a light bulb instead of a bottle. The ship is the Golden Hind, the first English Ship to circumnavigate the globe. Further, the Golden Hind is one of the most colorful ships of historical importance.”

Statement from Sight.org:
The artist, Noble Johnson, is a friend and supporter of Wayne and Elaine Riley who are our missionaries in Togo. They have gone across the world to serve the people of Togo and share the light of Jesus with them. We are thankful for the Rileys and for all of their supporters.”

 

 

 

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JOHN DEATON
“Heiwa”
Photograph

Statement from the artist:
“Photography is what drives me. My years of darkroom work have now been replaced by a computer, printers, ICC profiles, and the like. Life evolves and so has my equipment, technique, and tastes. Along the way I’ve married, raised sons, earned college degrees, and earned a living treating eye issues at a large clinic in Texas. I love my job; I love photography; I’m blessed!”

Statement from Sight.org:
“We are thankful for this photograph that was donated by John Deaton. He is an optometrist at DeHaven Eye Clinic here in Tyler. More and more optometrists in Tyler are getting involved with Sight.org in various ways. We have optometrists who give $1 to Sight.org for every eye exam they perform. We also have optometry clinics who collect eyeglasses for us. There are many ways that local optometrists can get involved with Sight.org.”

 

Let the Children Come to Me

Let the Children Come to Me

In August when we visited a village and showed the Jesus film we had forty-eight people give their hearts to Jesus. Thirty-two of them were children.

 

 

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Clearly God was speaking to us about the NEED for ministering to the children.

They have no ministry available to the children in the villages we have been to. The children go to church but the pastor is speaking to the adults only and not on the children’s level.

 

Sight.org

 

Sight.org has been growing in many ways with general medical clinics and now we have started doing children’s ministry!

We began our first children’s ministry this month.  It will be challenging in many ways because we don’t have the resources available here but God is showing us ways we can overcome this.  We were eagerly welcomed into the villages to do children’s church. We even had teenagers come and participate. These teens will be mentored with hopes that they will take over the ministry one day.

 

Sight.org

Sight.org

Sight.org

 

This was our first village and this was our “hut” for children’s ministry.

The children grew from a 36 to over 100 in about 20 minutes!! Of course we had to go outside to do our wiggle/giggle time!

 

Sight.org

 

In one village, 139 children came, which was the largest group we have seen.

Even the infants came on their mama’s back because nobody wanted to miss this event! We are learning many things and finding we need to tweak and fine tune our presentation but the message is clear, “LET THE LITTLE CHILDREN COME TO ME” Mark 10:12.  We are exhausted after each session, but there is such a JOY in being with these kids and loving them. Our prayer and intent is that seeds of salvation would be planted by the Holy Spirit in the hearts and minds of the young, and indeed the families of these villagers. 

 

Sight.org

Sight.org

 

We have been well and enjoying the wonderful “cool” evenings and warm days. We are even wearing long pants during the day and using a light blanket at night. In February, that was impossible to do because it was so HOT.  We are getting closer to the end of the rainy season and Wayne will soon be starting their building project. We are looking forward to the work on that project!  As always we would LOVE for you to come visit us and see the work for yourself!

We are excited to be a part God’s plan. Thank you for helping us to walk out this dream.

If you should like to help us in prayer or financial support, please go to Sight.org prayer calendar or donate page.

August Update from our Missionaries

August Update from our Missionaries

Greetings from beautiful Atakpame, Togo! 

We have now been living here for 6 months. Alex just received his visa, so we will be having an empty house available soon. That means friends can come see us! We will have the room to house you! So please consider our invitation!

August just seems to have flown by. We are still loving our little church here. This is the climb uphill each Sunday we make to go to church! What a workout! Motos don’t even try to climb this mountain.

 

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We just returned from our outreach ministry week in Amou-Oblo which is close to Amlame. It is about an hour and a half from Atakpame. A couple weeks prior we did 64 eye surgeries in Amou-Oblo with excellent results!

We are happy to be a small part of this work. As you can see our team was rather large this time as our founder, Lewis Swann, and volunteer Rachel Baber RN joined us.

Our team also did our first non-eye medical ministry. Rachel held several clinics not only here in Atakpame but also in the bush! We prayed over a woman who had epilepsy and had fallen into a fire. She does not have a husband or children. She only has her parents to take care of her. God did a miracle in her life while we were praying over her! You can read more of her amazing story in last week’s blog.

 

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We saw countless children, women and men that had needs.  We were able to meet some needs but not all. We had the privilege to pray for these two children. Their parents told us that their limbs need straightening. The girl in white and blue who is 9 years old, crawls on her knees everywhere, so we were able to find crutches for her. The young boy is 4 years old and his right arm is twisted and has pain. There are so many NEEDS here!

 

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Not only were we meeting eye needs but basic health care for the people in these villages.   Most are not able to see a doctor and do without, but when “free” medical care comes they come with their needs!  It was a tremendous experience.  We are so thankful that Rachel Baber came to do this for the people!

 

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We also showed several films highlighting Jesus and were able to give out Bibles and literature.

 

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We found a “person of peace” to leave the audio Bible with and she will be responsible to play the Bible several times a week for all to hear.  We not only bring individuals to Christ but also desire to see them grow. We will be checking on these villages to see their growth!  We hope to plant churches this way.

 

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Please be in prayer for this small village as we have heard it has many Voodoo “witches” Pray for the gospel to break forth and deliver every single person in that community.

What a blessing to find out that Rachel played the violin too!  I played and gave a violin lesson at a school where we held one of our clinics in Amou-Oblo. The children were very curious. I loved it!

 

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We had a prayer tent and a medical tent and I got to spend some time with the children.

We are learning new things about our team members everyday and finding that God has put together some of the most qualified, loving, and committed Christians to work with here. We held our first team building event at our house this month. We did six team building games. We had fun and fellowship and they all got their first taste of Mexican food!

 

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We are truly blessed to be a part and have a place here in Togo.

 

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If you would like to have a part in this ministry by supporting us, please go here.  You can make a monthly donation or a one-time gift!  We also covet your prayers and rely on them to effectively reach out to some of these people who have no hope. May God Bless your giving!!!

Written by: Elaine Riley, missionary in Togo

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