Dear Friends and Supporters,

Well, this correspondence has taken longer to write, and our apologies for its delay. We have had a very full and intense last couple of weeks in Zimbabwe as we ministered and worked with friends and colleagues in the care of many needy patients.

Firstly, the shipment of shoeboxes for children, the medical equipment, and medical textbooks in the 20-foot container that left the US in December was finally cleared by the Zimbabwe government. We were able to deliver 500 boxes to children at a rural school and 83 boxes at two orphanages. The expressions of joy and delight on their faces when they opened their gifts will stay in our memories for many years to come. We say ‘thank you’ on behalf of all of them to those who gave these expressions of love to underprivileged children and especially a ‘thank you’ to Brookstone School in Columbus, GA for the collection of these shoeboxes.

We also used the contents of the shipment to Zimbabwe to open a new eye service at a large hospital in Bulawayo, and to upgrade the equipment at the other larger referral teaching hospital on the opposite side of the city.  We were also given a large number of ophthalmic textbooks and pediatric texts as well as general medical texts by physician friends in the States. We dispersed these to the medical school library, and to the pediatric and eye hospitals. A valuable resource has now been added to their education, and the medical staff expressed their deepest thanks to those here in the US who provided this donation.

The brief update that we are writing to you cannot fully relate the many experiences of these last seven weeks, but just a few of them must be shared. We were able to mentor and teach the training doctors in a greater capacity during this trip, and they were eager to learn techniques in surgery and in management of eye conditions. From the little three year old with blinding cataracts in both eyes that we repaired to straightening crossed eyes in several children, teaching restorative plastic surgery in a number of patients to some of the latest techniques in adult cataract surgery, the training program of doctors received a variety of experience as we taught them.

We also were able to conduct a total of seven eye camps, both surgical and non-surgical. Many needy patients received eyeglasses and medications or had their cataracts removed, and the Good News was also given to many who were eager to hear about spiritual eyesight.

Thank you once again for your support, both in prayer and in other ways. We consider you to be our partners in taking eye care to so many needy in Africa, and to also bring eyesight to the spiritually blind.  We plan to return to Zimbabwe with several teams in July where the work to help so many will continue.

We want to express special thanks to Dr. Mark Smith for his donation of  equipment  which enabled us to set up the eye clinic at Mpilo Hospital. We also thank Dr. and Mrs. Lloyd Hudson and Mrs. Judy Hubbard for their donations of medical textbooks to facilitate three medical libraries in Bulawayo.

Blessings to all,

Steve and Jane Beaty

P.S. — We just received these 2 videos from the medical doctor who continues to care for the 3 year old that I removed bilateral cataracts. The videos are one week post-op. The nurses were having to prior open his eyes to put in drops because of the bright light frightening the young boy. This child had been blind since 18 months of age and non-ambulatory.

In the videos above, you will see he now opens his eyes, he is crawling and pulling up to stand and is very active. His life has changed—- he can SEE!