2012

Plans so far for 2012

Feb. trip to Belize
March trip to Ecuador
April trip to Panama
May trip to Amazon River N.E.Peru
June trip to Uganda
August trip to Haiti
October trip to Nicaragua

There's a few more trips in the making so maybe even a few more to choose from, if you are interested in coming with us on any trip write to us at Godseyes4u@aol.com

We continue to see the Lords blessings through his ministry to the poor around the world. We would love to share the stories of God showing up on these trips with your church or bible study or any of your community civic groups. Once again please contact us at Godseyes4u@aol.com.

May Gods favor and blessings rest upon you all is my prayer.

Off again to help the poor see,
bryan

vessels that leak.

Its really not about the eyeglasses.
Seems like a funny thing to say especially for a ministry named God's Eyes but every year I believe that statement more and more.
Last year we of course distributed many thousands of new prescription eyeglasses and sunglasses but I think what we really did was to begin to pour out the love that Father poured into us.

This is what happens when you do that..... (written down for His glory)

The blind and visually impaired see clearly.
Eyes are saved from becoming damaged.
Doctors quit their practices to become part of our ministry full time.
Air traffic controllers retire early and go into the ministry full time.
Full time eye services become available where there once were none.
Money shows up for the ministry from people we have never met;
sometimes from people we don't know at all.
Restaurants hold fund raisers for us.
Churches call US and become partners.
Churches increase their support to us without us even asking.
Retired couples from all over the world team up with us;
some even become our in-country ground teams.
Someone donates a car to us.
Friends nominate us for awards, and we become finalists for
the Epoch Missions Awards.
A church gives us both the entire first and second services to speak at.
Customs agents leave their post as our supplies pass though.
More than a hundred people volunteer to help us.
Eye Centers hold fund raisers for us.
New optical equipment is donated.
In one of the worst economies in history, record amounts are donated to us.
A eye glass frame company partners with us.
Articles in magazines and newspapers are written about us.
A national missionary group sends film teams to make videos for us
then distributes it for viewing around the country.
Rooms in clinics are built and then given to us.
Churches in small villages become crowded with new believers.
The kingdom of Heaven is expanded.

Father does all of this for us, none of it is by our doing.
He offers an NEVER ENDING supply of love.
He is always looking for vessels that He can pour through.
Pouring out love is the first step to living an extraordinary life.

Pray that in 2012 we get even more holes in our vessel, then ......
come pour out His love with us,
bryan

Posts from a friend

There are so many wonderful stories from Bryan of God’s blessings through God’s Eyes. I’ve encouraged Bryan to record them many times, he just mentioned to me that he has a blog and he should update his site. I asked Bryan if I could submit something for his blog and he agreed. I started my first blog entry and soon realized that I am writing a full narrative of his stories. A blog should be short and concise. This is not. My plan is to write the full narrative and clip out only the concise parts to post on his blog. Here goes.

Bryan just returned from a 6-day trip to Panama this past month. There were several stories he shared that testified to God’s presence. This first story is a repeat prayer in preparing for Panama. Apparently,the customs in Panama can be rather difficult at times to get through and sometimes they will appropriate passenger’s items. Bryan was concerned about the possibility of losing some of his more expensive equipment or even supplies such as frames or lenses as this has happened a number of times while going through other countries customs. Anything taken could clearly jeopardize the effectiveness of this current mission trip. Bryan asked for prayer in the weeks prior to departing on his last two trips into Panama. He asked us to pray that his equipment and supplies would make it past customs. Our prayers were answered in a remarkable way.

Panama customs direct each passenger to load their baggage onto a conveyor belt that passes through an x-ray machine with an operator viewing each x-ray image. During this most recent trip as he approached customs, he followed a woman who had one bag. Bryan helped lift her bag onto the conveyor belt and then turned around to place his four bags also onto the belt. He observed that as soon as the woman’s bag had completed the x-ray process, the technician viewing the screen got up and wandered off about 15 ft away, presumably to stretch his back. This technician stared at the wall long enough for all four bags to pass through the x-ray machine he then returned to his station only after Bryan finished collecting his four items of baggage. Now what drove the technician to “skip” Bryan’s bags? I’d have to say, “An answer to prayer.”

Bryan’s previous trip to Panama had a similar result with Panamanian customs. This time, the technician didn’t wander off, rather he simply looked away from the screen while all of Bryan’s and Jennifer"s bags went through the x-ray. Isn’t it amazing how God works? Isn’t it amazing how God does answer prayer?

Bryan saw a lot of people in his six days in Panama. He related of one 91-year old woman who had twelve children. She has cared for her youngest child his entire life, as he has been an invalid since birth and today is age 38. Her husband had died years ago and she has no income. Furthermore, she hasn’t seen clearly for years and came to God’s Eyes ministries for glasses. As she was getting fitted with lenses, Bryan asked her, “How have you survived all these years?” She replied, “God has provided everything that I need.”

She shared with Bryan that she has no money and needed to take a cab to travel to God’s Eyes clinic that day. When she arrived in a cab, the cabbie didn’t charge her. Immediately, Bryan felt led by God to give her the money that was in his pocket. He did this before sending her to pick up her new prescription eyeglasses. The remarkable thing about this story is a 91-year old woman, with poor sight and penniless, walks away with her sight restored and money in her pocket. A living testimony of faith in the Lord.

Here is another interesting story of God’s work through God’s Eyes.There was a man indigenous to Panama, age 40’ish, who wandered into the God’s Eyes clinic on the very first day. This man would paint with oil on canvass while evangelizing to whoever would listen. He received permission from God's Eyes to paint for those were lined up waiting to receive glasses. He literally painted the good news of the gospel as well as told its story to those waiting. He was used by God to lead many to Christ that day. At the end of the day, this man asked if he could follow God’s Eyes to their next location around Panama and continue painting. He showed up everyday and shared the gospel with the Panamanian people. They didn't know who this man was, but God is using him in a very powerful way. Praise be to God.

Bryan’s first day in Panama was spent at the Word of Life Camp, which is a camp for under privileged kids. There is a fee to attend this camp and that day,153 children were signed up for, and their fees paid for, a week long evangelism camp they hold in the summer.Most of these scholarships came from the very people who arrived to receive eyeglasses from God’s Eyes. God must have worked on the hearts of these people while they were simply waiting. God blessed this camp through God’s Eyes.

Not so much related to the Panama trip, but Bryan also shared how God continues to feed God’s Eyes at just the right moments. Just last week six people from all different parts of North America have donated money to God’s Eyes, this came from people Bryan and Jennifer do not know.God continues to amaze and confirm to them that Bryan is doing what he is suppose to be doing. God does provide and bless His ministries and God’s Eyes will continue reaching far and wide all over the globe.

Lastly, there is a local merchant who has made a wonderful offer to God’s Eyes. This merchant is the Peachtree City Eye Center. Here is what they said on their Facebook page.
“As we enter this season of giving, we would like to show gratitude to our patients and partners by donating $10 to the God's Eyes Ministry for everyone that "likes" our Facebook page between now and New Year's Eve! So please tell all your friends to like our page and we will help give sight to those in need around the world this holiday season.”

So, please go to their facebook page at facebook.com/ptceyecenter
and click on the LIKE box at the top of the page next to the Peachtree Eye Center name.

God bless you all, Larry … friend of Bryan

good things not God things

It's been 2 or 3 weeks since I've been back from Haiti. I have rested and I now I'm working on edging more lenses so we'll have enough for our next trip to Nicaragua and shortly after that back to Panama again.

To me its always nice to return home. I have the finest wife of anyone I know and I miss her so much when I am gone. While I was in Haiti one of my daughters, Ashley who was working in Alaska fell off an 82 ft. tower while repelling. Thank the Lord her shirt and the loose rope in her hand snagged on a clip that was left on another rope 15 ft. above the ground. She hung there momentarily before falling the rest of the way and breaking her foot in a few places. I got word of this in Haiti, a couple of days after it happened. It is hard to be far away from home in another country when something goes wrong back home. This is one of the minor costs of the missionary life.

Every time I'm away on a trip I see too much poverty, too much needless suffering, too much hunger, too much pain, too much of the injustices that being poor produces. I describe this to myself as "sensory overload" and what happens to me is I sorta go into an auto-pilot mindset. This is where I blur out my thoughts and emotions and I just concentrate on finishing the tasks I believe I came to do. This always leads me to missed opportunities of serving our Lord.




Earlier this year in Haiti I visited the prisoners in the local jail. While I was there I learned that the prisoners do not receive any meals unless someone "on the outside" brings them something to eat. So on this trip early one evening after eye clinics were finished I headed back to the jail. This time I donated the food that I brought to snack on while on my trip and gave it to the prisoners instead. Some of the others who came with me also gave food. There were 5 men in the cell I visited. One of the prisoners was passed out in the back of the cell sound asleep on the concrete floor. Three of the prisoners eagerly came to the bars that separated us and quickly took the food I had brought. The fifth prisoner looked straight me and started shouting "no, no, no" as he backed away to the farthest corner of the cell. I spent a few precious minuets talking with the men at the bars and prayed for them before leaving. After I returned home a friend asked me if I prayed for the prisoner who so quickly backed away and stayed away from me, and I said " Nope, I prayed and held hands with those standing at the bars." Later that night the Lord showed me how I missed yet another opportunity he provided for me. You see the 3 men who accepted my offering were already believers in Christ but perhaps the one who cowarded far away from me was not. Who is going to share the love of Christ if we( or I ) don't. I ended up doing something good that day "the good thing" not the "God thing"

Let's not get to busy or too zoned out that we just live our lives on auto-pilot and miss out what God really intended for us to do. Don't settle on good, strive for God instead.

This lesson was for me and I'm just writing it down so I can refer back to it often, you however are more than welcomed to ease drop on my conversation that I have with myself anytime you'd like.

Life is for learning, we have the best teacher if we want ever to attend that class.

sometimes just in a daze,
bryan

Greetings from Haiti

Hello everyone
Its 300 in the afternoon and I'm stepping out to take a short break. I tried to write Saturday night but it took me 41 min to long on and I wrote you all a letter but I lost the email connection before I could send it, that's just the way things are here. TIH. This is Haiti!!!!

I don't know where to start I only have a few dozen new stories so I guess I'll just give you a few brief notes.

1) It is really hot here, every night I take a shower and 5min later I have sweat pouring off me again. My sheets are soaking wet in the morning. I don't cover with them I use them as a towel to wipe the sweat off of me.

2) We were told this year we would cut back to seeing only 100 patients per day because the team is half the size of what it was in Feb. But starting today we are seeing over 200 patients.

3) We went to the far west yesterday the small rural village of La Baie to see 40 patients ... We saw 97 and it took a few hours to get there due to huge mud lakes in the dirt roads, wait until you see the pictures, we could not get back because a large truck was blocking the road because it was stuck in a mud puddle it was way after dark now we were suppose to be back at 7 because that's when it is pitch black outside and the bus had no headlamps we ended up walking for over an hour in the dark I got several large thorns in my right foot which easily penetrated the flips I was wearing and we walked through mud well above our ankles many times.
We finally had some tap taps (small trucks) pick us up and drive us a couple of hours home.

Many people are seeing again .... Saw a lady today with cancer that ate up her entire eye and part of her cheek. Haiti is sometimes a sad sad place.

On the bright side I am losing weight eating rice with weird things in it!

I have to get back to clinics now.

love is real, bryan

How Time Flies.

I was just reviewing some of my blogs and I realized there are so many trips that I have been on that never even got mentioned in my blogs. No pictures, no posts, nadda, just nothing. I think what happened was I waited until after I got back to learn what it was the Lord was teaching me before I wrote anything and then this thing called the busyness of life interrupted my good intentions. There are so many stories that have gone untold here, and I'm pondering whether or not its even to late to record them.

Yesterday I spent the day packing eyeglasses and sunglasses for Africa and last night we had help from friends so we packed frames that are going to Haiti. One of our friends Dawn, stayed afterwards and showed Jen and me how to make this blog look better. Thank God Jen was there because most of what she did was all Greek to me.

So here again is one of my efforts to be a better blogger. I leave next week for Haiti. Once again I'll be in traveling to the Northwest Haiti Christian Mission, which is located in the poorest providence in Haiti. This will be my third trip to the NWHCM, they are such an incredible ministry. You enter through a well guarded steel door into a compound the size of several football fields. Once inside you are safe from.... well safe from whatever could happen to you if you weren't well protected in Haiti. Northwest is a busy place. they run orphanages and birthing centers. They offer eye, dental and general medical care and run a well stocked pharmacy. They even have 2 or 3 operating rooms on site. In another part of the compound they have a center where the mentally and physically challenged children can live and receive love and care. There is a ministry inside for the older folks to live and be cared for. They put on daily food programs for hundreds of the poor and they offer so many other programs I can't even mention them all here.


Twice a year the "I team" arrives to Northwest. In Feb.and once again in August. The "I team" or (eye team) consists of volunteer ophthalmologists, optometrists, opticians, oculists and ophthalmic techs from all over the USA and even Canada. Over 40 volunteers were there in Feb. operating on well over a hundred patients and treating and examining nearly a thousand more. This is where God's Eyes comes in. We are the provider for the prescription eyeglasses that are given out there. I forget how many hundreds of prescription eyeglasses we did in Feb. but now we have made a complete eye kit which we will leave behind so that even when the eye team is not there, the local Haitian eye doctor who volunteers there several times a month can prescribe and offer prescription eyeglasses to the poor in St Louis De Noir and surrounding areas. When I was there in Feb. the local optician who works at NWHCM told me there are only three areas where there are optical facilities in all of Haiti. I'm not sure if that is correct but imagine having only a handful of dispensaries to service 8 million people.



This is a picture of Safina, a 3 year girl who was buried for 5 days in the Port Au Prince earthquake that took place a year ago. Next week I am taking back a pair of prescription eyeglasses for her. In Feb. the eye surgeons were able to remove the traumatic cataracts she obtained from that horrifying experience, and God's Eyes will provide the eyeglasses that will return her sight to perfect again.




I have so many other stories like that last one. We have been traveling to some of the poorest places on this planet for the past few years restoring sight to those who could never afford the eyeglasses they need. I have been on this incredible journey where I've seen the Lord do marvelous works and have learned first hand just how much He cares for and loves on the poor throughout the world.
I will try to be a better blogger because I know the stories I have are not meant just for me. If you ever want to hear more please contact me at Godseyes4u@aol.com. Jen and I will go anywhere at anytime to share with anyone the marvels of what God is doing. Until the next blog I remain,

humbly yours,
bryan

Panama one more time

We are off to Panama today. I'll try to keep you all informed about how things are going if we can get internet. This trip I'll have more help, Dr. Joseph Sansanelli will join us from Texas as well as an ophthalmologist from Panama who I haven't met yet.
Please pray we get through customs tonight and that we get through to our gate in Atlanta as we've heard Delta may give us a hassle since our tickets were purchased on Pastor Tim's credit card and he already left for Panama yesterday.

Jennifer ( my wife) gets to come with me on this trip I love serving in the field with her. She brings such joy and enthusiasm to the team. Pray for the team that we don't get so busy that we miss anything the Lord may desire for us to accomplish. This trips are really not only about eyeglasses.

I owe so many thanks to many who have already worked hard to make everything go smooth for us. Pam and John, Carolyn, Tim, Ellen and Lidia you have been such a blessing to us. In fact everyone at the the Coronado Bible Church has been so kind.We are looking forward to working along side of you once again in order to bring vision to the world.

Dr. Scott Bowser I want to thank you so very much for also being such a big part of God's Eyes ministry. Your constant support and prayers are so appreciated.

just a joyful servant.
bryan