Mission Memories - 4/10

My trip to Russia, was my first humanitarian trip to help others in another country.  When my sister Cathy first asked me to go, I was so excited, as I had wanted to do humanitarian work somewhere, and to be able to go with my sister was a true gift from God. 

Both my sister and brother have gone on mission trips throughout the years. I was never able to go, nor did I realize how to go about doing such wonderful work.  All I had to do was join the Methodist Church in New Bern, and they would let me go!  I read up on the Methodist religion, and realized it had a wonderful world view of helping not only those around us, but those in other countries that desperately need help.  So after 20 plus years of not being a member of any particular church, I joined Garber and began my journey with 6 other remarkable team members and the wonderful Hope chest deciphers and interpreters that were in Russia to assist us.

 

The idea of vision exams for orphan children and their caretakers really made this trip exciting and worthwhile to me. Since I am medical, I know the power and gift good vision is for all of us.   I also know how important it is to allow these children all the necessary tools they needed to learn all they can while in school, so they can graduate from the orphanages and make their way to tech school or university. 

The caretakers also need glasses to help see and help read to the children.  The bus drivers, directors of the orphanages, even the medical personnel of these orphanages needed glasses!!    

Cathy was amazing! Tireless, she examined everyone that wanted to be examined.  All the team members worked so well together, it was never about us, only about the children, their eyes, their smiles and their acceptance of our helping them, through God's eyes.
 
We were so well cared for by Children's Hope Chest. I felt safe and secure and we were well fed and well understood, by amazing young women/disciplers and interpreters who met our every need, day after day, never complaining. The food was excellent!! The Russian Orthodox Christmas celebration, the most wonderful, joyous time I can remember. Lots of children laughing and singing and participating in fun activities.
 
This trip was for me, a little impact on world peace. As if even ONE of those children , remember how their glasses enabled them to see to  read and learn and educate themselves, and then one year in the future, they may  have the chance to say whether Americans are all bad,  whether they want to go to war with us or not. Maybe one day, the man or woman in charge of Russia, will say, no, Americans do care, they helped me when I was a small child.   They brought me glasses so I could see.  And what I saw was LOVE and KINDNESS and CARING and with that HOPE, I saw HOPE. 
 
Just maybe one child  will tell another child, and the idea will spread, as love does among all of us that are blessed enough to work together for a common cause...God's love, and world peace! 
 
 I met my sponsor child Kolia, told him I would be sponsoring him and writing him, and his smile was just beautiful! He was a great rock wall climber! 
 
I also met a little boy named Ilia, who is diabetic.  He too was amazing, checking his blood sugar and adjusting his own insulin. We talked about diabetes with deciphers. Who translated so Ilia and I could talk about his diabetes. He was a smart child. Gorgeous... 

Thank you Children's Hope Chest and  Thank you Garber Methodist Church for allow me the opportunity of a lifetime.

                              Susan Freeland