Thank You Jane & Steve          - 31/7/2006      <--Prev : Next-->


THANK YOU JANE AND STEVE !

JANE AND STEVE BEATY AND THEIR YOUNG FAMILY REBECCA, RACHEL AND
RUSSELL.

Our grateful thanks go to the amazing Beaty family who once lived
in 
Bulawayo but have now returned to the USA.

However the Call of Africa is strong and every year the Beatys come 
back "home" to Bulawayo to spread their love and light amidst our 
community. It is usually a whirlwind tour of Matabeleland
undertaking 
eye clinics, eye operations and dispensing not only corneas and 
spectacles, but dispensing their amazing love of The Lord and Man
as 
only they can do.

This year they conducted a total of 4 eye camps, 3 of which were non-

surgical and one which was surgical at Victoria Falls Hospital.
They saw a total of about 800 patients, a number of whom Steve saw
in 
consultation at John Mcminn's office to whom they are very
grateful. 
John opened up his entire practice, pre-checking the patients, and 
inviting the Beatys to use his rooms while they were in Bulawayo.

There is no way that they would have had the scope of helping the 
numbers of people that they did if it hadn't been for John McMinn
and 
Matthew Love. "We appreciate them so much." said Steve and Jane.

They also performed about 80 operations including a corneal 
transplant on a 14 year old boy from Gweru whose mother had pleaded 
in the Bulawayo Chronicle for $200 million to fund the operation.
The Georgia Eye Bank in the USA was most generous to donate the 
corneal tissue for the operation. SAA were kind to allow them to
keep 
it in a refrigerator on board, and so a host of people were
involved 
in bringing that young boy's eyesight back.

All operations, dispensing of spectacles and all treatment was 
undertaken at no charge ..........

They were able to speak numerous times at different churches, youth 
groups and other meetings, and Steve was able to deliver 3 lectures 
to the doctors in Bulawayo.

On top of all of this they  also conducted a tennis clinic at Petra 
Junior School for 3 days with their energetic friends also from the 
USA - Jerry and Mike, and a number of the children had some 
significant improvement in their game as a result.

"It was a full and wonderful month, and we will forever be grateful 
to God for what He did through us. I have already blocked time
aside 
for next year to come back over, so watch out!" said Steve.

Well Jane and Steve and your supportive family and friends, on
behalf 
of our Matabeleland and Bulawayo  Communities, thank you so much
for 
your time, your efforts and your incredible gifts to us all.

The Gift of Sight ,,,, to see the amazement on the face of a young 
boy or an old man as he "sees" for the first time is sheer joy to 
behold !

We hope and pray you will be with us again next year!!
+++++++++++
                 THE  WAY  CLINIC
The Church of Ascension in Hillside runs a weekly clinic for 
destitute and unemployed people in that area who cannot afford
Clinic 
and Hospital fees..A small fee is charged for those who can afford
it 
but, if not, the fee is waived. A feeding programme is held every 
Wednesday morning, followed by the Clinic which accepts patients up 
to 11am.
It is staffed by volunteers (some from the Mater Dei)  including
two 
doctors, nurses, pharmacists and lay helpers who register the 
Patients, collect fees, count tablets, etc.
But what is a destitute.?  The doctor saw a patient in a very smart 
jersey who brought her two sick babies and gave a Burnside address. 
He enquired gently whether she was a destitute? She said her sister 
worked for a person at that address, living in a small servants 
quarters in the garden. Her husband had died so her sister allowed 
her to stay in the same room with her children - and had lent her
the 
jersey because it was so cold in the morning.  She had no job She 
received free treatment.  Another granny had two sick twins and
said 
she was looking after seven grandchildren because their mothers
(her 
daughters) had died.
We wish that all churches which have doctors and nurses in their 
congregations should develop feeding programmes and provide health 
care in their area for needy people, the numbers of which are
growing 
every month

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