There's a Lot of Grace in Optical Ministry

Our second week of training for the mission trip to Burkina Faso has officially ended. For the sake of time, we had two classes in one week, which meant that there was plenty of coffee, pastries and jokes to go around. After all, ministry is fun and the process of learning optometry for the mission field is no exception. Our wackiest moments involved pop-quizzes, debates on hypothetical patient scenarios and tales from previous mission provided by our teacher, Steven Son.

Optical Ministry in a Nutshell

Optical Ministry is not like regular optometry but involves a condensed version of the same process that you might have experienced at your local optometrists' office. Our process is designed for missions and involves a portable set of optometry equipment and a process that is identical to the best examinations available here at home.

The challenge is learning the science and the vocabulary to give eye exams to patients in the field. So we are studying up and learning more about astigmatism, the law of spherical equivalence and writing prescriptions. This information was made super easy to understand thanks to our professor, Steven Son.

Ssem

Steven Son is an engineer by trade who enjoys mission trips and has been to various countries and South Africa with our medical sponsors, Save Vision Mission. This mission is dedicated to ministering to people with eye exams in places where a child could easily grow up with easily-treated conditions like Lazy Eye. He not only completes mission trips by providing optical training but also disciples others by sharing his wisdom gained over the years. Ssem is an affectionate name for a teacher in Korean.

There's so Much Grace in the Visual Acuity Test

After the fourth hour of medical training, even the most dedicated missionary gets weary. In the middle of discussions about hypothetical patient scenarios, we uncovered a gem of wisdom from Ssem. With one of our classmates and supporters, Jo as a hypothetical patient, I performed the visual acuity test. This test is routinely given at eye doctors' offices and involves reading a chart from top to bottom with the letters getting progressively smaller. The question that Ssem asked me was simple, "What if a patient kind of stumbles when reading the chart? What if the letter is "A" and he says, "Well, it could be an "A" or an "0"?

I quickly thought back to the multiple visual acuity tests that I have taken in my life. I got my first pair of glasses when I was about seven years old and am familiar with the testing process. I knew that if you can say something similar or close, then you can pass that line- after all, when traveling to a third world country, the objective is not to test how well the patient can read but how well they can see.

Before I could answer, Ssem calmly responded, "There is so much grace in optical missions. If the patient reads the line and says fifty letters and one of the letters is the right letter then you can pass them to the next line."

I was in awe at how this process reflects the very real life of loving people like Jesus did. I reflected on how much grace was required to get me to where I am now and how much will be required to do everything I will ever do. This attitude toward patients is what distinguishes us from the optometrist that you might visit in your neighborhood. This attitude toward patients is, what I believe, will minister to their spirit and to their eyes.

It is beautiful to witness how God intertwines his love for people into every aspect of this mission. From fundraising to the actual care of people, I am more confident than ever that Jesus is in the details.