Nielson Fiji Adventures: Waiting Lines...

This week, we spent our time at two churches, seeing lots of adults. Each day, I examined between 90 and 99 patients,

and gave out about 80 to 85 glasses.

We were exhausted by the end of each day, but it was a "good" tired, knowing we were helping to change many people's lives for the better by allowing them to see much better.

This was a week of many line ups with some people waiting several hours to have a simple eye exam. To ensure that they would get an eye exam some would come two hours before we even arrived. It was sad and difficult, at the end of each day, to have to turn away 30 to 60 people.

We met some wonderful church leaders, as shown below. These are dedicated men who love their "flock", and would make any sacrifice to help them out. They would stay all day with us to assist us in translation and organizing the crowds.

Many of these people (in their 50's, 60's, and 70's) told us this was their first eye exam, ever! I found several people who had "Pterygiums" growing across their corneas. Without treatment, they go blind. I was able to refer these people to the Pacific Eye Institute in Suva to have this taken care of.

This lady had the most severe case of "Keratoconus" I have ever seen. This is a disease where the apex of the cornea pokes out like cone and becomes very distorted, making it very difficult to see.

If you look closely at her cornea (from these two angles), you will see that the cornea really pokes out there.

This patient with Keratoconus was very happy with her new glasses,
even though glasses can't fully correct her vision with this disease.

This sweet mother & daughter were
happy to have an eye exam and get glasses.

This group of 5 ladies popped over to the church to have their
eyes examined, all wearing their matching outfits from work.

We have become very active and involved in our church group, here. Ann was assigned to teach a Sunday School class each week to a large group of teenagers. When everyone attends, there are a total of 18 kids. We have found that the teenagers here are very respectful and obedient to what you say and ask them to do. They are a fun group!

In another time slot during our church meetings, I teach all the teenage boys. When all are present, there are a total of seven boys. You can see that most of them wear Sulu's (the men's skirt...).

Each Thursday, we have all the teenage boys over for supper, and then play different kinds of games. Last week, we played a fun card game. This week, we did a number of "minute-to-win-it" challenges balancing dice on a table knife in their mouths, as well as balancing dice or ping-pong balls in the plate on their head. Next week, we're planning to play Rugby or Soccer, or Basketball.

After out meetings at church on Sunday, we

enjoyed a potluck supper and some dessert.

It's a great way to get to know the other people at the church, better.

They love their ice-cream!

One sad thing, was that we went to the funeral of a 1 year old girl who died of meningitis. She was the daughter of the principal of the high school where we first did eye exams when we arrived in October. Instead of a funeral, they called it a "Mortal Graduation Ceremony", because they know that they will be reunited with her again in the next life in the future.

Can you see the long name of the child who passed away?
Esalynn Rose Salailagi Qoliwasawasa Malani Maiwirwiri

After the funeral, I had to take a picture of a couple of young boys, who were so cute wearing their Sulu's.

Following the funeral services, there was a luncheon. Besides the main course, they give everyone a box of desserts to eat. Wow!

This young man was serving the punch from a big cooler. We were later told that it's the custom to poor the drink powder into the water and mix it up by swirling their hand in the drink. Interesting?

We attended another graduation ceremony. It's their custom to wear "Salu-Salu's" around their neck at graduation, sometimes multiple ones. Don't they look wonderful!