If you are a member of some church congregation, you have no doubt often engaged in discussion with other members on the matter of foreign missions. Many people feel that until such time as the needs of our own people are looked after we do not have an obligation to others in far away places. I must confess I felt that way myself until very recently when a kind and gentle Canadian doctor came to my office to talk about the work he was doing in a mission hospital in India. This man, together with his associates, specializes in the removal of cataracts from the eyes of blind Indian men, women and children. They perform this delicate operation as many as 40 times every day restoring faith and hope to these people who otherwise would live out their days in darkness. The standard charge for this operation, if the Indians can pay at all, is $10. This price includes one week post operative care, food, clothing and a pair of glasses. He showed me pictures of six blind adult beggars being led to the hospital by a small Indian girl. They had traveled over 165 miles during a period in excess of two months to receive help at the small mission hospital. After hearing these facts I had to change my position on the value of foreign missions for it was obvious to me that the poorest among us was 10 times better off than these poor souls in that far away land. I shall think about this doctor and his work the next time my church asks for help with missions. I hope you will do the same.
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