I was fortunate to be able to join the Mission of Healing Eyes in May 2014. I knew it was going to be a special experience, but I had no idea how much it would affect me. Our group worked so well together, coming from different parts of the country and different walks of life in order to achieve the same goal: to help others in need.
Seeing the compassion that was shown on this mission to complete strangers, in actions rather than just words, will stay with me for the rest of my life. I hope to continue the same type of service in every way that I can because of this trip. I feel like I got just as much out of the experience as the patients themselves did with their cataracts/pterygium removed. The joy that I felt when seeing the patients before and after their surgery only solidifed my desire to practice medicine in the future.
I also feel like I have grown closer to God thanks to this trip. The daily group reflections (around the pool, by the way) made an impact on me by providing a way to share the expereinces of the day and how they related to God's message and our own personal lives when we return home.