In 2026, we celebrate 35 years of Eyeglass Ministry at MOST Ministries. During this time, MOST team members have distributed more than 181,000 pairs of glasses and impacted over 174,000 lives across 41 countries.

In celebration of this 35-year milestone, we reflect on the last five years; years marked by a post-COVID-19 return to the field, renewed momentum, and continued growth and impact. Over this period, something remarkable has been happening within MOST Ministries’ Eyeglass Ministry. What could have been a season of decline has instead become a season of resiliency and renewed strength. Teams have returned to the field, thousands of lives have been changed through restored sight and hearing the Gospel, and the ministry has regained forward movement in ways that reflect both global need and faithful support.

Resilience and Recovery Through COVID-19
In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, MOST Ministries began a quiet but determined return to the field. What once slowed to just two teams in 2020 gradually rebuilt into something much stronger. By 2025, 19 teams were once again traveling and serving, a reflection of both renewed opportunity and the faithful return of volunteers.

As teams stepped back into communities around the world, the impact was immediate and life changing. Over the past five years alone, more than 23,000 individuals have received care through MOST team members, gaining clearer vision, renewed independence in their daily lives, and faith and hope through God’s Word.

A Strong Foundation for Growth and Stability

What began as a post–COVID-19 recovery has revealed something more lasting. The Eyeglass Ministry is not simply returning; it has become a central and steady force within MOST’s outreach. In 2020, eyeglass teams made up just over half of those sent. By 2025, they accounted for 15 of the 19 teams in the field.

This growth points to a clear reality: the need for vision care remains constant, and the model works. Teams can be formed, equipped, and sent with relative ease, yet the impact they bring is both immediate and enduring. In communities where access to vision care is limited or nonexistent, a simple pair of glasses can open doors to education, employment, and everyday tasks that were out of reach. For some, it even means reading the Bible for the first time.

Even as the ministry has grown, its core focus has remained steady. It continues to meet real needs in a consistent, reliable way, offering a dependable path for service and meaningful connection between volunteers and those they serve. By meeting basic needs, volunteers connect with people right where they are, creating natural opportunities to share the Gospel through Scripture, words, and actions.

Minimal Barriers to Meaningful Impact

Part of what makes this Ministry so effective is how approachable it is for volunteers. Unlike other mission efforts that require specialized skills or extensive training, eyeglass teams simply require people who are willing and able to serve. With straightforward and practical preparation, volunteers are equipped to step into roles that have an immediate and visible impact.

That impact is often seen within minutes. Someone who has struggled to read or work is fitted with the right pair of glasses and suddenly can see clearly again. Faces light up. Tasks that once felt impossible become simple. These moments, repeated again and again, are what continue to draw people into the ministry and sustain its growth over time.

MOST Co-Founder Don Sommerfeld recalls one such moment from Latvia that captures this joy in a way numbers never could. Many “babushka” women in Riga came through the clinic, deeply grateful for the glasses they received. One woman left the clinic smiling, singing, and speaking excitedly in Latvian. Curious, the team asked a translator what she was saying. Her song translated to: “I now have two pairs of glasses, one for distance and one for reading. I think I have died and gone to heaven.” In that simple moment, her joy said everything about the life-changing impact of something as small as a pair of glasses.

What makes this even more encouraging is that the impact may not end when a team leaves. In Kyrgyzstan, The Lutheran Compassion Ministry, started in 2002, served about 38,000 people before Covid paused its work. It restarted its outreach around 2023/2024 and is now serving 35-50 people each month. In South Africa, Caring Friends, started by MOST in 2018, continues to use the same model introduced by MOST teams to meetongoing vision needs locally. Additionally, after a team serves a community, they leave the host pastor with a list of names and numbers of community members they served. With this information, pastors can follow up to share the Gospel and encourage church attendance.

Volunteers: The Heart of the Mission

Behind every pair of glasses distributed and life changed is a volunteer who made it possible. Long before a team ever boards a plane, the work has already begun at the Mission Center, where thousands of donated glasses are carefully prepared for use. Hundreds of thousands of eyeglasses and sunglasses are donated to MOST every year, and the first step is for volunteers to sort which ones can be used and which can be recycled. Each pair is then washed and dried, then a lensometer is used to determine the correct prescription. Volunteers then bag, label, and sort the glasses before boxing them for upcoming trips.  It is detailed, hands-on work that requires both time and care.

As the Eyeglass Ministry continues into its next season, the need for both service and partnership remain as great as ever. Every pair of glasses, every restored moment of sight, and every story like the one in Latvia is a reminder of God’s compassion made visible through simple acts of care. Through the hands of volunteers and the support of those who give and pray, lives are being touched and the Gospel is being shared in tangible ways around the world. There is still much more to be done, and an open invitation for others to join in this work of bringing both physical sight and the hope of Christ to the world.