Originally published in The Lynn Haven Ledger/Gulf Coast Gazette in July 2018 as a spotlight on a local eye technician who travels to Uganda and South Sudan treating eye diseases and bringing the Good News of the Gospel of Jesus.
Here in America we’ve not been too happy with our health insurance as of late. Premiums are too high and the deductibles have skyrocketed. Good eye care and dental care can get very expensive as we seek to purchase the latest and greatest contact lenses and fancy glasses frames and bleach our teeth to make our smiles sparkle extra bright.
Larry Morris is a native of Panama City, and a Certified Ophthalmic Medical Technologist. He graduated from the University of Florida’s College of Medicine in 1992 and obtained his national level Medical License.
One day, about 3 years ago, he was examining a patient who shared a need. Someone with Larry’s skillset was needed in Uganda and his patient asked him if he would come with him on a medical mission. Since then, Larry has been back to Uganda about 5 times where he performs eye surgeries, helps locate potable water, teaches hygiene, and, most importantly, shares the Good News of the Gospel with the villagers.
Cataracts and Trachoma are the main conditions Larry treats while he’s there. Trachoma is the leading cause of blindness in the world, and in third world countries where there is no medical treatment of any kind available it’s a huge problem. Conjunctivitis in one eye, left untreated, often spreads to the other, and, over time, blindness results.
While Larry is there, he sets up a temporary clinic where he performs cataract surgeries, removes foreign bodies from eyes, growths from eyelids, and treats Trachoma.
Because of the poor hygiene issue, he also shows the Ugandans how to make soap from animal fat and ashes, how to wash their faces, and safe food handling and preparation. He told me that in Uganda they grow many different types of fruit that are healthy and good to eat, but you should never accept an already cut up piece of fruit. When I asked him why, he told me “they may use the same knife they just cut off the head of a chicken with, and then turn around and use it to slice fruit.”
But that is Uganda. This past May, Larry journeyed for the first time to South Sudan’s refugee camp at the UN’s express invitation. And it was an experience unlike any other he’d had up to this point, and he thought he’d already had some pretty intense experiences.
“The first thing that hits you is the 115 degree temperature, and then the stench. You look around and everything is burned and torn down and riddled with bullet holes.” South Sudan in the UN refugee camp in Malakal was one of his most difficult missions to date. Once you reach the camp, “the sounds hit you. There are people everywhere screaming, and weeping, and wailing.” There’s a lot of violence in the camp with the air itself feeling electrically charged with volatility.
You might wonder how he was able to afford such a trip? The UN footed part of the bill into South Sudan, with the remainder covered by friends and colleagues with a generous heart. His employer at Eye Center of North Florida has provided supplies, equipment, and sponsorship many times. It’s very difficult to get from Juba, the largest city in the Republic of South Sudan to Malakal where they did their work. You have to have a letter of invitation to get in, such as from the UN, World Health Organization, Samaritan’s Purse, or Doctors without Borders. You have to come in under an NGO – non-governmental organization, or you may be killed outright. Although, having the official papers don’t guarantee your safety.
Once on site, the workers are put up in a separate part of the camp, where it’s relatively safe as long as they don’t venture out on their own. Where Larry stayed they were provided running water, although not water you’d want to drink, and a commode, and a very rudimentary shower. They also cook for you and the food is served at specific times, so if you aren’t there when it’s ready, you’re out of luck. They serve a lot of goat soup, rice, and potatoes. I asked Larry if they were able to raise any animals or grow crops. “No,” he told me. “Everything is brought in. It’s a desert.”
There are many tribes represented in the refugee camp, and violence can erupt at any time, so there are guards stationed throughout the camp from every country on earth. Sometimes their authority is recognized and sometimes it’s not.
Larry set up his equipment in a tent using a generator for power, and proceeded to perform over 200 surgeries. Because of the time constraint and limited supplies there is a finite number of surgeries they can do. Since all of the equipment is run by generator, it can get difficult to keep everything all powered up. Sometimes, right in the middle of a surgery, the generator goes out and everything shuts down. “It gets very interesting,” Larry said.
I asked him what he took away from this unique mission trip. “We are a very blessed people. A lot of people just don’t see how blessed we are. The access here is so different from there. There is nowhere for them to go. We stay focused on what we can do because it’s easy to get overwhelmed.”
I also asked Larry how the people he was able to help responded. “They are genuinely grateful. They’ll even kneel down and hug your feet.”
I mentioned earlier that for Larry’s most recent trip, and because he was expressly invited by the UN, they paid for a portion of the expenses. In order for Larry to go on any of these missions of mercy, it costs money, and he’s grateful for all his colleagues, friends, and family who’ve become sponsors to make these trips possible.
In our world, we stress over how long we’ll be sitting in traffic in our air conditioned car. In other worlds mothers and fathers stress over their children’s suffering, knowing they have no place to go for help, and no funds with which to pay for their treatment. We could use more servants like Larry who are willing to be the hands and feet of Jesus in some of the most inhospitable places on earth.
“Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.” Matthew 25:40
