2020 | October

• Medical Director Report October 2020 | “Trust Me” – A Mission of Faith in Uncertain Times

  A mission of trust.

  We just returned from our cataract mission. With me as the only surgeon, our team completed 101 cataract surgeries for the blinded poor.

  According to SEE International, which provides supplies for more than 11,000 cataract surgeries each year, Mission of Healing Eyes was the first cataract mission in the world to resume after COVID began in March.

  How? It became a mission of trust.

  Trusting in Him to get our supplies to Mexico when a nonstop flight finally became available.
  Trusting in Him to provide a safe setting during COVID, using a model similar to my own surgery center in the U.S.
  Trusting in Him that our team would feel confident serving, and that both patients and volunteers would be protected.

  Never in my 27 mission trips to our site in Zihuatanejo, Mexico, had I felt such overwhelming pressure.
  “Trust Me,” He said.

  A story helps explain why we do this.

  Ernie was a handicapped man raised in a loving home by his sisters. As he aged, he developed blinding cataracts. Once kind and joyful, he became aggressive. During his exam, he even shoved the optometrist who was trying to help him. Still, he was scheduled for surgery.

  As he entered the operating room, I prayed:
  “Please Lord, let this patient be calm on my table so that he can have a beautiful result and see Your glory.”
  Trust Me.

  After prepping and exposing the immense black cataract that obscured his vision, I prayed again:
  “Please Lord, give me Your hands, Your patience, and Your wisdom to remove this safely. It seems insurmountable.”
  Trust Me.

  And as the surgery finished, I prayed once more:
  “Please Lord, let him heal beautifully, without infection or pain.”
  Trust Me.

  Each step reminded us who truly leads this mission.

  Peace,
  Dr. Jim Conahan, MD