Jamaica Update

So I just returned home from my week-long trip to Montego Bay, Jamaica, where I was learning about eye surgery, specifically Manual Small Incision Cataract Surgery (or MSICS), which is the primary procedure we will be performing on the YWAM Liberty.

I had no idea what to expect on this journey, just that I would be learning about eye surgery and how to scrub in as a nurse. I did learn SO much, including how to scrub in, how to set up a tray, what the pre/post operative teaching and procedures are, and got some really good ideas to implement when I am running the clinic on the ship.

Learning how to apply a drape

I also learned more than just medical procedures. The trip was being operated through an organization called Surgical Eye Expeditions (SEE) International. This isn’t a Christian organization, and the other volunteers who were on the trip were not Christians. It was a very interesting experience for me to be in a mission/volunteering environment, and yet to be in a secular environment as well. God’s transforming of my heart really became evident to me when the pressure was on, people were getting frustrated and bickering, and I was able to react with calm, peace, and forgiveness.

They knew that I was part of YWAM, and am a Christian, and I was able to share a lot about YWAM and my own story with them. I don’t know what they thought about me, or if anything I said had an impact on them, but I felt a sense that they knew I was different in a way that they couldn’t quite put their finger on. I prayed for each of them a lot that week, and continue to pray for them, that the seeds I was sowing would resonate in their heart and fall on good soil.

The team!


It was challenging being the only Christian, and not having anyone around to debrief with, but I know that I was well covered in prayer, and I felt God’s presence in that operating room every single day.

Definitely the best part of the whole trip was post-ops! Taking the patches off and seeing the joy in the patient’s eyes when they were suddenly able to see again! It was also touching to hear that some of them had been asking to see me during their post-op appointment, because I had been able to make a connection with them during the surgery.

Dr. Kondrot with an overjoyed post-op patient


Ultimately this trip re-confirmed my decision to move to Papua New Guinea and to assume the role of ophthalmology clinic coordinator. I couldn’t be more excited to continue God’s work in PNG and bring God’s joy and life back into people’s lives!

Me and Shirley!

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