Glasses for Peru – Trip #1

Please Welcome Guest Blogger Shannon Avery! Her family was on a "mission" to bring glasses to Peru! Here is her wonderful story!

Our Glasses for Peru trip was a great success! I was humbled by the number of glasses donated by kind-hearted people, and was amazed by all the places the glasses came from. I received emails, Facebook messages, and packages of glasses from people I don’t know and have never met. It’s a beautiful thing when people hear of a need and just reach out to help.

In the weeks leading up to the trip we were blessed to have two eye doctors allow us to use their equipment to read the prescriptions of our donated glasses. This made the task of finding the right glasses during our clinics so much easier! I think it would have been practically impossible to meet the needs of the people who walked into our clinics if we had not known the strengths of the glasses we received. Special thanks to Dr. David Brockbank at Olympus Eye Associates and Dr. Jodi Johnson at Riverton Family Eye Care for allowing me to spend hours (and even days!) reading the prescriptions for our donated glasses. We truly could not have held successful clinics in Peru without your generosity.

In the end, we took over 1,200 pairs of glasses. We received donations of reading glasses, bifocals, prescription sunglasses, prescription goggles (for car mechanics, etc.), distance vision glasses, and just about every other kind of glasses you can imagine. And they came from all over – Tennessee, Canada, Alabama, Florida, California, Utah, and Maryland, just to name a few. It was a miracle!

Before we came to Peru, a friend told us about a condition calledPterygium which is caused from spending a lot of time outside in the sun, wind and dust. To protect the eye, a layer of skin begins to grow from the inside of the eye near the nose. Left unchecked this layer of skin can continue to grow until it covers the eyeball and makes it impossible to see anymore. Sunglasses with 100% UV protection will help the condition to slow or stop growing completely (it can only be removed with surgery). Most of the sunglasses you see for sale in Peru do not have UV protection, so those glasses end up acting like a magnifying glass and making the condition worse. It’s better to not wear sunglasses than to wear them without UV protection. Jake (my son who lived in Peru for two years) told us that he never knew what the condition was called, but he saw it a lot, especially in a little fishing village where we were planning to hold one of our clinics.

Our friend also told us that almost all the people coming through his clinics had needed reading glasses. At that point, we only had about 50 pairs of reading glasses donated, and only a couple of pairs of sunglasses. This made me panic a little.

With this new information, we knew we needed lots more sunglasses and reading glasses. Thankfully, the Dollar Store has UV protected sunglasses and many strengths of reading glasses. With money we’d made selling missionary products on this website, we were able to purchase hundreds of pairs of sunglasses and reading glasses for our trip. In addition, we had a huge donation of sunglasses and reading glasses from our friend Tom Rush at Rush Plumbing, and we were delighted that Tom was willing to come to Peru with us and help with the clinics!

In the days leading up to the trip, we cleaned and packaged all the glasses. Many of the donated glasses came with cases, which was so great. We packaged the ones we bought in plastic bags to keep them from being scratched in transit. We also took some care packages to deliver to missionaries in the the five Lima LDS Missions and the Cusco Mission, as well as five laptop computers that were donated for us to give to a school in Huacho, Peru. Altogether, we had 12 large suitcases, and 6 backpacks. It was a sight!

The day for our departure arrived. When the boys got out of school, we loaded down our 12 passenger van (lovingly named the “Bumble” because it’s huge and   and made it to Las Vegas in plenty of time for our flight.

We had an eight hour layover in Mexico City, so after clearing all our bags through customs, we took a taxi to Teotihuacan(Pyramid of the Sun). After our adventure and a delicious Mexican meal back at the airport, we boarded our flight to Lima. Having taken the red eye from Las Vegas and spending the day hiking around, we all slept the whole flight to Peru and landed after dark. It was tricky getting through customs because they thought we were going to try to sell the glasses. Thankfully, Jake can speak Spanish and he was able to convince them (after a tense 30 minutes of interviews, combing through our bags several times, and them disappearing with Jake’s passport) that we were honestly giving the glasses away at free clinics.

We were met at the airport by several of Jake’s friends from his mission. They helped us get transportation to the house where we were staying, and a couple of them came with us to make sure we got there safe and sound.

Our first couple of days were spent visiting and attending church with people Jake had taught and become friends with during his missionary service. Then, on day three, we drove to Vegueta, about 2 hours north of Lima, for our first eye clinic. I loved this place! The town was small, humble and quiet. And the people were so friendly and appreciated the glasses so much. Two of Jake’s Peruvian friends and some very dedicated missionaries came to help us with the clinic. We couldn’t have pulled it off without them! We learned so much at our first clinic, which helped make the later ones easier.

We saw literally hundreds of cases of Pterygium in Vegueta, I’m sure because it’s right on the water and most people either fish or farm for a living. In the end, we gave all the sunglasses we’d brought with us to people in Vegueta who had some degree of Pterygium. When we ran out, we had to just educate the rest of them about the importance of wearing sunglasses with UV protection (and say a little prayer in our hearts that they would be able to get them). It was really heartbreaking to see someone so close to losing their vision from Pterygium and having no more sunglasses to give them. But there are so many happy stories too.

Our next eye clinic was in Ventanilla, a suburb of Lima. It was the most populated area we visited, and it was a VERY hot day. We didn’t have the rental car anymore, so we had to take two taxis with all the glasses – an adventure! Thankfully, Jake’s friends and two different sets of missionaries were there to help us. The city was so busy that it seemed like nobody could tell that we were holding a clinic. So Jared and Brig made a poster and put it out on the gate, then tons of people started coming in. Because it’s surrounded by businesses, there were lots of people who came in on their lunch and dinner breaks. It was really neat when we were leaving that night, to walk by shops and see people who’d come to get glasses working inside  Ventanilla was our busiest clinic, having served at least 400 people.

The last clinic was in Puente Piedra, another suburb of Lima. We had lots of help at this clinic, from Jake’s friends, people from the church where the clinic was held, more missionaries, and friends of from our daughter’s mission in Chile. This clinic was interesting because it was our third, so we had our system down and were able to get people through in really good time. But, being our last clinic, we were running very low on our distance glasses. And the tricky thing with the distance glasses is that we just had to take what was donated and had no way of getting more of any particular size, like we were easily able to do with the reading glasses. So the challenge in Puente Piedra was not having the needed prescriptions for the people who needed distance glasses. Don’t get me wrong, we were able to give away at least 50 pairs of distance glasses, but it felt like we also had to turn away several dozen people because we didn’t have what they needed. That was my least favorite part of the whole experience. The positive side was that we had plenty of reading glasses for everyone who needed them. And we were even able to leave what was left at the end of the night with the stake president who is now planning to hold a free eye clinic with his family, so they can give away the rest.

The thing that struck me the most about holding the eye clinics was how much we felt like God was helping us. From the very beginning when we were trying to figure out how on earth to give life to the idea we had in our minds, opening the mailbox day after day to find donated glasses inside, and finding places to have the clinics and people who were willing to help, to getting the glasses through customs and all over the place without losing or damaging any of them, and having exactly what so many people needed. I will share a few of the remarkable things we saw:

• A woman came in with a severe loss of vision in one eye and perfect vision in the other. I remembered having found a pair of glasses like that when I was reading prescriptions at Dr. Brockbank’s office and wondering if I should even bother taking them because of the unlikelihood of finding someone who needed them. After searching through all my bags of glasses, I found that pair, and it was exactly what this woman needed. She had never had a pair of glasses in her life, and was finally able to see equally out of both eyes. I’d guess she was about 30 years old.
• One old man in Vegueta made a real impression on all of us. When he walked in the door for his assessment, he couldn’t see where the eye chart was on the wall. I don’t mean he couldn’t see the letters on the chart…I mean he couldn’t even see where the chart was hanging. In addition to giving him a pair of sunglasses for severe Pterygium, we gave him the strongest pair of prescription distance glasses we’d brought with us. Within seconds of putting them on, tears started to trickle down his face as he said (in Spanish), “I don’t remember the last time I could see.” Then he read the first four lines on the eye chart 
• A family came in consisting of a grandmother, mother and son. Within just a couple of minutes we found a pair of glasses for each of them, and they were so excited and thankful that they stayed and helped us with the rest of our clinic.
• A charismatic, hard working missionary came to help with one of our clinics. He didn’t speak English but was eager to do whatever he could, so we taught him how to do a simple distance eye exam. As he started helping with the eye exams for other people, he realized he couldn’t read very far on the chart at that distance (20 feet) either. So we did a quick check, determined he did need glasses, and the first pair he tried on were perfect for him! He was so excited and worked tirelessly for hours to help us find glasses that would make that kind of difference to someone else.

There are hundreds of stories like these, but the overarching similarity is that people came with specific needs and, 9 times out of 10, God was able to meet their needs with the little offering of glasses that we brought with us. It goes all the way back to one person hearing we were taking glasses to Peru, deciding they would send their glasses to me, those glasses being the exact pair that a person in Peru needed, that specific person in Peru showing up to the eye clinic, and the person helping them at the clinic finding that exact pair of donated glasses that was needed. I don’t believe there are coincidences in any of this. I saw God’s love right before my eyes, and I can never deny that each of His children is equally precious to Him.

I’ll sum up with an experience from our last clinic, the night before we came home. A quiet missionary from Peru asked his companion to translate a message for me. He said, “Sister, I want to thank you for what you have done for these people in my country. Most people don’t care and don’t try to help. I will never forget what you have done today, and it makes me want to do more things to help other people. I welcome you in my country and in my home forever.”

I thank all of you who donated glasses and purchased from MissionaryExchanges.com. The project wouldn’t have happened without you! And I am so grateful for the opportunity that my family had to travel to Peru and make a small difference there. The things I saw, the people I met, and the experiences I had have changed me forever. This is only the first of many more “Glasses for Friends” trips!

~Missionary Momma Shannon Avery

     

Merry Skypemas

The holidays are over now, but my Skype with my Missionary is still fresh on my mind! Having our little family "all together" for a few minutes was definitely the highlight of Christmas day!

We laughed, shared stories and laughed some more... it felt so good! When our time was almost up, we asked our Elder to bare his testimony to us in Spanish... the Spirit was strong! And then our 10 year old offered the sweetest family prayer! It was a little slice of heaven!

In MM households all over the world, families gathered around computers, tablets and phones to share a few minutes with their Missionaries. Some got a "Family" picture, some had new members of the family to introduce to their Missionary, some couldn't get the connection to work very well, and some only got a phone call. BUT, we were all excited to hear from our Missionaries!

Let the countdown to Mother's Day begin!  ;)

***THE GOSPEL IS TRUE***
~Heidi  =0)

A Very Missionary Christmas - MM Angel Momma Project 2015

A Missionary Christmas

I skipped the sales after Thanksgiving, the thrill just wasn't there.

No pictures taken with Santa Claus, my decorating has no flair.

His presents are shoes, shirts and ties, two suits and socks...no fun.

I've bought him all white clothes because….This year, I'm giving Christ my son.

I've spent more time in the temple, my testimony stirred.

I've reread November’s Ensign, felt strength come from His words.

I pray more frequently. My tears are quick to run.

Abraham seems closer because, this year I'm giving Christ my son.

I wonder how those Lamanite mothers gave their sons to war.

Or how the pioneers chose Zion, their sacrifice was so much more.

My loss will be his presence. I'll miss his smile a ton.

For two years I will pray for him, I'm giving Christ my son.

I stare at his face when he's not looking. I memorize his eyes, their shine.

He's always hungered for the part of him that makes his soul divine.

The stories and lessons he always heard, His choice and mine are one.

I'll put my faith in God's hand, this year, I'm giving Him my son.

Past gifts have lost their glitter; I think I finally understand.

Christ's birth should be celebrated by giving Him a hand.

It's because I know Christ lives and reigns, that all his packing's done.

My gift has taken years to make, this year...I'm giving Christ my son.

I know there’s One who understands, the sacrifice I’m making. 

Who knows the gift I willingly give, the toll it will be taking.

For He has done it all before. Greater love—there could be none. 

For years ago God gave to me, His only begotten son.

The hands I washed, the hands I held, the hands I taught to pray;

Now knock on doors to find the ones who will listen to what he’ll say.

Because I know Christ needs him, until all the gathering’s done.

My gift has taken years to make. This year…I’m giving Christ my son.


-Author Unknown-

We are pleased to announce the 2015 Missionary Momma Angel Project! 

***CLICK HERE TO SEE ANGEL SHIRTS AND HOODIES***

When you order an Angel Momma T-shirt and/or Hoodie, part of the proceeds go to the General Mission Fund. 

These funds are used to support Missionaries around the world! Come join us and be an "Angel Momma" today! ;)

Glasses for Peru: By Small and Simple Means, Great Things are Brought to Pass

Please welcome guest blogger MM Shannon Avery!


I remember the day clearly…
My oldest son had been serving in South America for almost fourteen months, and his brother
was really struggling in his absence. They were best buddies, confidants, partners in crime :) I’d
been praying and wondering what it would take for my younger son to snap out of his gloomy
place.

Then one day a missionary name tag arrived in a dirty, crumbled envelope from Peru. That name
tag, and the letter that came with it, changed everything.

My elder told his brother about the joy he’d found serving the Lord and the people of Peru. He
explained that his name tag had gotten too worn out and he’d received a replacement, but he
couldn’t bring himself to get rid of it because it symbolized the love, sweat, and tears that he was
so grateful to have been able to experience. He said his name tag represented what was most
important to him in the whole world – the Lord, His gospel, and eternal families.

The day my elder’s name tag arrived in the mail was a turning point for my younger son. It was
simple, but it changed things for him in a powerful way. That tag and what it meant was
motivating and inspiring. Most of all, it was a little reminder of his brother that he could look at
every day, confirming for him that their time apart was worth it!

(Fast forward about 8 weeks… : )

As Christmastime came around a few months later, I was trying to come up with a meaningful,
inexpensive gift for our family members who'd supported our missionaries during the year. Some
of them contributed to our missionaries’ mission funds. Others wrote encouraging letters and
emails. I really wanted something unique that would represent this special time in our family,
and that would let them know how much their love and support meant to our missionaries and to
us.

Remembering how much my elder’s name tag had meant to him personally, and what it had done
for my son at home, I decided to design a name tag that could be hung on a Christmas tree, given
as a gift, and kept in a special place in the home of any family with a missionary.

As you can probably imagine, the name tag gift was a hit! Our missionaries' grandparents, aunts,
and uncles loved them! My friends with missionaries asked me to make name tag ornaments for
their families too. Now, here we are at the second Christmas season since creating the missionary
name tag ornaments, and I have people I’ve never met contacting me to ask if there’s any way I
can make them for their families! I even had a grandma ask if I would make one for each of her
returned missionary grandchildren so she could have a "missionary tree."

With how much people have enjoyed the ornaments, I decided I would offer them on a website
dedicated exclusively to missionary families. And I'd also offer other products, advice, and
information that I've found helpful along the way. So that's how the idea of
MissionaryExchanges.com was born :)

Now, here's my very favorite part of all this, and the reason why I didn't give up when I realized
how much work it was going to be, haha! All of the profits from Missionary Exchanges will go
directly toward missionary work. Every penny. That is my promise.

So, the first thing we are doing is a project we are calling "Glasses for Peru." Let me tell you
about it.

My son Jake (the one who sent his name tag home in the mail) was telling us about how excited
people were when the missionaries would give them FREE scriptures :) But many times when
the missionaries would return to teach them, they would not have read their new scriptures....not
because they could not read, but because they could not see the words on the pages! Jake
explains that the number of people who need glasses in Peru is staggering. As a family, we
talked about how much we would like to help them out, but we just didn't know where to begin
(you can see, this is a recurring theme with us...great ideas with no idea how to make them
happen, haha!).

But then, a few weeks later, Jake was talking to a man in the temple about how we wanted to
figure out a way to offer free eye exams, glasses, and scriptures to needy people in Peru, and the
man told him that he's done that before! He told Jake the kind of machine we'd need to figure out
the strength of the glasses people needed, and he told Jake where to get the glasses in bulk for a
good price.

Jake is working with the stake presidents he met in his mission to figure out places to do the free
eye exams. And because missionaries have a requirement for service hours, we will work with
the mission president to involve the missionaries in helping with the distribution of glasses and
scriptures to those who need them. Win-Win for everyone!

Our first trip to Peru is scheduled for the middle of January, after their summer vacation and
before it starts to get cold there. I'll post updates on our progress as we work out the details.
So there you have it! MissionaryExchanges.com is my labor of love. We only have a couple of
products and blog posts right now, but we’ll grow! I welcome you all to visit the site and take a
look around. We also have a Facebook page and a pretty lame Pinterest account, LOL! Please
“Like” and “Share” if you feel inclined. The more people who know about us and like our
products, the more people we can give the gift of vision. Thanks so much!

Merry Christmas, you wonderful missionary mommas! Your sacrifice is so precious ♥

Site: www.MissionaryExchanges.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/missionaryexchanges
Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/missionaryexch

The first batch is in the mail!!!  Thank you so much!!!

Stand As His Warrior Today

Anna Carbone

Please welcome Guest Blogger Anna Carbone!

Take a walk with me...a few years back.......... Febuary 2013 "Mom We have to Talk" Those 5 little words struck terror in my heart. Did she quit her job or get fired? OH no, is she pregnant? No, she was going to be baptized in a church I knew nothing about. "Mom, they don't smoke, drink, do drugs or alcohol or sex before marriage!" Ok...she is going to start a new phase and I am ok with this because she will have her moral compass pointed in the right way! I am ok with this! Ha, maybe she will be a little more considerate, kind and respectful! Huh- she's been seeing these "missionaries" when I am not here. I bet this is about a "boy" doesn't matter, she seems happy, and I am OK with this! 

June 2013- "Mom we have to talk"  Now what can this be? "Mom, I am going on a mission, and I will be gone for 18 months" Huh? OK, I will use my vacation time and come and see you  "Ahh mom, you can't come visit me. But I can call you 2 times a year and you can email me!" OH My Gosh, she has lost her mind! What kind of church sends their kids off?  She told me the boys go out for 2 years. This is crazy. In my church we have missions too, but for 6 weeks at a time and they build a house in Africa or somewhere. I guess I have to Google this.

Google information I did not like. They can send kids anywhere in the world, what? There are bad people in some places; my worry gene has kicked in. More lessons and different missionaries..and YSA friends are always over and trying to get me to join. Ha, sure no way. I happen to love my coffee and occasional wine and I should quit smoking someday, but not now.

All this getting ready for this mission. That is all I hear about day in and day out and the closer it gets she is getting very prickly and I am getting sadder by the moment. How does one deal with this? I don't even have any friends who are dealing with this, so I am alone in a world of this mission. She is always gone to church or activates or institute, but I like calling it "institution" cause that's where they will send me when she leaves on this crazy mission.

She turned 21 and her papers are in. Last birthday and thanksgiving together, I am feeling sad already. She now stalks that mailbox. I need more tums. Glass of wine anyone? Everyday she is more and more prickly. Just like her brother, who seems to think, if they are mean and we fight that I won't miss them when they are gone. Silly kids. Moms will always miss their children no matter what. Although if she keeps this up I may send her early. "Mom my papers are here"! I will mark December 13th as the hardest day. Reading the call at her Bishops, she is going to Wisconsin. Its fetching cold there, why are they all cheering? Why am I crying? She leaves April 9th. OMGosh. Its weeks until Christmas, our last one for awhile. This is killing me.

April is here, it’s the night before and we can't sleep. Why is she going? I wished I had won the lotto I would have bribed her with a new car. I am sick to my stomach and I cry all the time. We are at the airport, lucky for me, we got a gate pass and I am sitting staring at her. I can smell her perfume; she looks so innocent and happy. I am a bad mom for not wanting her to go on with her life. What is wrong with me? We hug and kiss...she is gone, I watch that plane taxi out of Denver, my life will never be the same, I feel it. My baby girl is gone and there is nothing I can do about this. 

I found the Missionary Momma’s group online. They are helping me figure this out. I just might get through this. I get a phone call from the airport, she said, when she goes to Wisconsin, She has a layover, I prayed about going to see her and the Spirit said I shouldn’t go. Why is God always right? HA!

I have been sent Missionaries. Started with 2, now I have 4, really? Ha that’s OK! I pepper them with questions, and I have totally danced around their questions about taking lessons. No way am I going to give up my vices. I am going to a retreat, I hope they don’t pray all day, been there done that in my own religion. 

Fast forward…lessons taken, online and at home…baptism dreams and the biggest decision of my life... and 6 missionaries later!

The months fly by. Packages and letter sent. Three phone calls home. Counting down the days for me. She’s witnessed so much on her mission. She has been instrumental in baptisms. She has made an impact in her mission. She is loved by many, and I have shared for 18 months. The time is here. NO more packages. No more letters. Now it’s a welcome home event. She really doesn’t want to come home and I can’t wait. 

Thank you all for being here during our journey. I can’t believe its finally here. October 22nd is tomorrow! Its MY turn tomorrow! I get my hug tomorrow! I love you all!

Anna banana

Transfers

One sure thing about missions is CHANGE. Transfers are every six weeks in most missions. Elders and Sisters may be in an area for only one transfer or for many. These changes are made by the Mission President who receives inspiration as to where each missionary needs to be.

Nathan Bartling, an RM from Chino Hills, CA, served his mission in the Thailand Bangkok Mission 2012 - 2014. Nathan makes tourism videos for a living and is currently living in Bangkok. He has used his talent to put together this beautiful video of a transfer meeting! ENJOY!!!

CLICK HERE>>>

https://www.facebook.com/mormonthai/videos/vb.335601019805520/1018192834879665/?type=2&theater

Our Mothers Always Taught Us

You know, growing up I always thought my Mom knew everything. Heck, she knew when I was getting into something before I even had a chance to enjoy whatever it was I was getting into!  ;)  I watched my Mom cook, clean, serve, study to teach lessons and pray with our family. I paid close attention to how she did things...even tho I acted like I didn't!

There were some things that my Mom did that I was SURE I would NEVER do when I was a Mom... like turning into a wild woman when my brother got lost at the swap meet. And then, yep you guessed it...Pam Campbell popped right outta my mouth one day when I least expected it, and on many occasions since! (YES, I was the wild woman frantically searching for my son in Mervyn's a few years back!)

I am so grateful for a Mom that has lived and loved the Gospel. My Mom continues to set a good example! Today she is serving a full time mission with my Dad. They are in the Mississippi Jackson Mission right now, and loving it there....except for the humidity!  ;)  Now she gets to "Mother" young Elders and Sisters... gosh, aren't you glad that there are Senior Couples out there keeping our kids in line!?!?

I sure hope that I am the kind of Mom that when my kids look back, they will feel blessed for the things that have been taught in our home! I am not nearly as good at cleaning, cooking or crafts as my Mom is, but I love my kids with all my heart!!!

~Heidi

PS A note to my kids: Running around like a stark raven lunatic does not help you find a lost child any quicker!  ;) ~MoM