Today was the day that many tsunami victims were to receive new glasses that had been prescribed for them at the Operation Blessing Eye Clinic.

Report from the field: OBI teams share their firsthand, eye-witness accounts of the relief efforts in Japan

SHIOGAMA, Japan – Today was the big day that many survivors of the tsunami in Shiogama City had been waiting for—the day they were to receive new glasses that had been prescribed for them at the Operation Blessing Eye Clinic.

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Eye clinics had been held in three locations in the city some ten days earlier. Our optician, Mr. Taketora Nishimura, had worked night and day this past week in his small shop near Tokyo, to grind the glasses and prepare each in their own plastic case for the promised date of delivery.

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People were patiently waiting in line for their glasses as our team arrived, to present the glasses to each person individually.

Then today, at each location, people were patiently waiting in line for their glasses as our team arrived, to present the glasses to each person individually.

“Oh wow! I can see!” were some of the exclamations that we heard. “Wow! These are perfect.” “Its been over a month since I could see so well!,” “Arigato Gozaimasu!” or “Thank you” were the typical comments of all.

Mr. Nishimura was there to make any adjustments so that the frames fit nicely on each recipient’s face. The Operation Blessing Eye Clinic with personal prescriptions has been a unique relief effort that has impacted so many in Japan. Several national papers reported our activities and many have shaken their heads in amazement at such an effort.

Even the Mayor of Shiogama commented, “All we thought about was getting food and water to the people, but we never thought that delivering glasses like this to the people was so important.”

Mr. Nishimura was there to make any adjustments so that the frames fit nicely on each recipient’s face.

Many hearts and lives, and not those just of the survivors, have been touched and reached in Japan through the Operation Blessing Eye Clinic. Our optician commented, “I am so happy to be able to cooperate with Operation Blessing. I even had a visit from my local city mayor the other day, who thanked me, and said that I had beaten his local government in doing something for the people of North Japan. All I can say is that I am so very happy that we could do this.”

Today we discussed with city officials the possibility of doing another eye clinic in the Urato Islands off the coast from Shiogama, where Operation Blessing has already delivered computers and generators for the local fishing cooperative office, with more on the way.

The Operation Blessing team today also delivered the batteries that will be needed to start the generators that are en route, and we also took delivery of another 3,300 pounds of rice, which will be delivered to a variety of shelters in the coming days.

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