Heart to Heart

Serving those who are blind is easily done when your heart is in the right place.

By Ron Bowes, PR Director

Doug Martin came to the Blind Center in San Diego, California, a depressed and beaten man who considered himself an agnostic. Every day he was angry, not so much because he was blind, for that was a fact of life he'd come to grips with some years before, but because something besides his sight was missing.

Into Doug Martin's world came a voice. . .a woman's voice. . .a sympathetic voice. She'd heard about his anger from others at the center, and she was there to help.

However, when Martin heard that this woman's work was based on religion, he "exploded." He lashed out at her with profane and searing words, ending with, "I'm not buying what you're selling!"

When the verbal torrent was finished, Molly Lesick was still there - listening. "I saw something in that man that told me he was reaching out, even though he didn't know it yet," says Lesick, a representative of Christian Record Services, a Christian ministry that focuses directly on the needs of those who are blind.

Molly Lesick has seen that "something" in the lives of hundreds of blind people. Her special ministry to them has been to teach them the benefits of healthful living. Because of her concern, Lesick has been invited to speak to thousands of blind people at national conventions. "Lifestyle changes in easy doses," she calls it. "It's a way to combat obesity, diabetes, and heart disease, which are epidemic among blind people."

Martin was invited with other members of the Blind Center to a cooking school. Those who are blind do their cooking school up close and personal. They gather around to touch and feel. The most important factor, however, is the simplicity of the preparations. While many blind cooks can deftly handle sharp knives, can openers, hot ovens, and more, those who are blind, as do most of us, need to keep it simple.

"The recipes we teach are similar to those traditionally included in vegetarian cooking schools," says Lesick, who has altered these recipes so that a slow cooker, a blender, and a microwave oven are the only appliances needed.

For most blind people, the idea of healthful cooking is a new thought altogether. Many are borderline diabetics and face serious consequences if they continue to neglect their health. Therefore, Lesick believes that a balanced diet and exercise are the "most important things we can teach."

Molly Lesick's approach is very simple. She goes where the blind people are, and she meets their needs. "Most blind people don't mind a discussion concerning their disability; they just want respect," she says. And she gives them that respect, along with a healthy dose of Christian love.

In Doug Martin's case, he needed a personal program of rehabilitation, so Lesick started by trying to meet his needs for a better way of life here and now.

Blind since birth, Doug had built himself a relatively good life. He received a master's degree in engineering from Penn State University, then worked as an acoustical engineer for the Navy for 17 years. However, recently his life has been unraveling. He has been divorced, estranged from his child, dependent on prescription drugs, a smoker, an unemployed professional, a bitter person, a wreck.

Where should the helping process begin?

At the beginning, Molly decided. At breakfast. Doug, it turned out, had never eaten a decent breakfast in his adult life. Most of the time it was just a cup of coffee and a cigarette. This would lead to a day filled with anger. Molly helped point out to him that his angry explosions were directly related to his lack of nutritious food.

Slowly Molly tackled Doug's problems one by one. A stop-smoking clinic, a cooking school for several blind people in the home of a friend, a visit to a Christian church, a weekly Bible study, an attorney to help with legal problems, and a financial counselor to help him get back on track financially.

So what's the secret of Molly Lesick's witness?

It's not the study guides; there are none. It's not the braille literature. It's not the cassettes that supplement her activities. It's not the camping program headed by Christian Record Services. It's not even the combination of all of the above. It's the singular devotion of a life to the lives and needs of others.

How can you help this ministry? If it is your gift, you can reach those who are blind just as Molly does - one person at a time.

In almost every metropolitan area in the United States and Canada there are federally sponsored blind centers, just like the one Doug Martin visited in San Diego. These centers are filled with blind people who could use a helping hand.

Christian Record Services (CRS) has more than 100 workers in the United States and Canada engaged in full-time ministry to the blind people. CRS publishes the oldest braille religious magazine in America. There are more than 300 students studying the Bible in braille and large print at home through the CRS Bible School. CRS has a 1,700-volume lending library of books on audiocassette. We also operate National Camps for Blind Children/Adults every summer.

As Christian Record Services enters the new millennium and a second century of service, the staff seeks to create an increased awareness of how sighted individuals can assist the blind people in their communities.

"Blind people may be hard to preach to," says Larry Pitcher, president of CRS, "but they are easy to love. With 1.2 million blind people in North America alone, there are lots of people who need us."