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One Thing After Another

One Thing After Another

Last week, it was one thing after another.

 

Lack of funds for surgeries.
Bank transfer fail.
Being forced to get supplies in one day instead of the normal three days.
Electricity going off in the ambulance during surgeries.

 

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We were sitting in our comfortable office chairs here in Texas, but we could feel the stress in Togo, from 6,000 miles away. This was not our easiest round of surgeries.

Several times throughout the week, we thought about canceling this round of surgeries. It just seemed like everything was against them.

Every time we talked about canceling, we immediately said no.

These eye surgeries are a doorway to the gospel.

We love giving sight to the blind. It is amazing to experience people go from blind to sight in twenty-four hours. But more than that, we love that these eye surgeries open a door for the love and truth of Jesus to be shared.

Many people who come to us are from a Voodoo or Muslim background. They have no interest in hearing about Jesus, until the lives of fifty blind people in their region are completely changed over the span of three days.

After that, everyone in the village is willing to listen to the word of God.

That is when the real miracles happen.
That is when real life change happens.
And that is when the church continues to grow.

 

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Last weekend, in spite of so many challenges, we didn’t have to say no to this round of eye surgeries. Our dedicated supporters and prayer partners said yes to fifty life changing eye surgeries.

 

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17-year-old Atakpa got her sight back this weekend. She has had a cataract since she was a child, but her family didn’t have money to go to the hospital. Last week Atakpa’s mother heard about Sight.org from a friend so they decided to come for help.

She said, “Please help me to get my sight back, I want to go back to school.”

 

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Atakpa wants to thank everyone who gave to Sight.org to make her surgery possible. She says, “May God bless you.”

 

atakpa

 

A grandma named Bluyema also got her sight back. She was a rice seller but she stopped selling because of her age. For the last 4 years, she has had a cataract. This cataract was preventing her from doing what she really loves, and that is taking care of her grandchildren.

 

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This is what she said before her surgery, “I love playing with my grandchildren, I love watching them playing around me. But since I got this cataract, I can’t take care of them. Please help me to get back my sight, so I can see and play with them again before I die”

And now, Bluyema can see her grandchildren again!

 

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After all the eye surgeries were performed, the team took the patches off the patients’ eyes. As they all realized that they could see, the newly sighted Africans broke out in song and worship. Jeanaway stood in the middle of the patients, leading them to praise Jesus for their sight. Just last year, this 17-year old got his sight back and is now serving on the Sight.org team as a ministry leader.

 

 

When you give to Sight.org, you are not just giving sight to the blind. You are also giving them the love and truth of Jesus. You open the door for the gospel.

This week, you are hearing stories of the big beautiful door of eye surgeries. Next week, you will get to walk through that door and enter the house. You will get to hear stories of what God is doing in baby Christians in the house church in the village of Landa.

 

 

Beloved New Region

Beloved New Region

The region of Elavagnon is the biggest challenge Sight.org has ever faced.

This entire year, we will be serving this region through eye surgeries and ministry. This area is poorer than any region Sight.org has ever served, and the Ministry of Health in Togo believes there are thousands of people in this region that are blind as a result of cataracts.

This region has zero access to eye care, and from what we have seen; the people living in this region are in worse conditions than any population we have ever served.

Elavagnon, Togo

This week, our medical team will be giving sight to 60 people in this region.

 

Elavagnon, Togo

Last month, 50 people in this region received their sight back.

Nine year old Faritte was one of the patients in these surgeries.

When he was three months old, he was hit in the eye with a stick. This caused an immediate cataract. He has not been able to see in his left eye since that day. Because of our mobile eye clinic, he is now able to see again. The photos below are from the day of surgery and a week later. We will check on him again in a few weeks to make sure his sight continues to improve.

Faritte

 

After our first round of surgeries, our ministry team started building relationships with the patients and their families and neighbors. Through these new relationships, 75 people put their faith in Jesus.

Ministry

Our ministry team is now working to start a new house church in this village.

If you would like to know more about this process, read our blog about our last house church.

At the beginning of this year, we asked you to pray specifically for this region. We are already seeing God move. Thank you for pouring your heart prayers into a village that you have never even heard of. God is so good.

Meet Koassi

Meet Koassi

He is 55 years old. He worked as a road builder, but when he developed a cataract in his right eye 3 years ago, he was no longer able to drive a car.

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He knew that he was about to get fired from his job because of his visual impairment and was desperate for help. He came to SIght.org’s mobile eye clinic and can now see.

He wants to say thank you to all the supporters of Sight.org who made his eye surgery possible. He is now able to go back to work and support his family.

You can give sight to someone like Koassi for $12.50 a month or a one time donation of $150. Donate at https://sight.org/donate/

Sight.org Visits Grace Vision

Sight.org Visits Grace Vision

Sight.org’s founder, Lewis Swann and his wife Naomi Swann went to South Africa last month to observe another eye care ministry called Grace Vision. Sight.org is always looking for ways to learn and become a better ministry. We are thankful that we had this opportunity to learn from Grace Vision. This video highlights their trip.

Grace Vision is an awesome medical ministry very similar to Sight.org. Like Sight.org, they are bringing eye care and the gospel to the Eastern Cape of South Africa. We have a lot to learn from each other!

 

httpsss://vimeo.com/204406180

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