Seeing Clearly in CAR

Jonathan’s House in Central African Republic (CAR) was recently awarded a Presbytery Mission Partnership grant for an exciting and important new ministry. In November 2025, Carter Strand and his wife, Julie, went to Jonathan’s House to provide eye exams and eyeglasses to those in need in the orphanage’s neighborhood. What they discovered led to this new ministry to restore vision to the blind and an opportunity to witness to the kingdom of God.

People listening to the gospel message in the morning before the vision clinic begins.

Each day’s vision clinic begins with the opportunity to share the gospel. Carter Strand delivers a message to the group of patients, and Samuel Masseugue (site director) offers a prayer and an invitation to accept Jesus as Savior. Immediately after each individual eye exam, patients are reminded that they are loved by God.

Below is from First Presbyterian Church’s application for this grant:

This project began with a mission trip in November 2025 to Jonathan’s House Central African Republic to provide eye exams and eyeglasses to the population surrounding the town of Sibut, Central African Republic. The missions team included two people from our congregation: Julie Strand, an ophthalmic nurse, and Carter Strand, founder of Jonathan’s House Central African Republic. On that visit, Julie conducted 513 eye exams and provided hundreds of pairs of corrective vision lenses. Approximately 125 people arrived early each morning to wait in line for exams. The vision clinic was held daily until the supply of eyeglass frames and lenses were depleted.

One of the major surprises of the first visit was the number of completely blind cataract patients who were in the crowd. Because the team was only equipped to provide eye exams and prescription lenses, treatment for cataracts was not offered. For those suffering with cataracts, photos and documentation were completed in hopes that we could provide assistance in the future. The project that we are submitting is our plan to restore sight to the completely blind cataract patients.

We have identified 42 people who are completely blind in both eyes. These are the poorest of the poor, in one of the poorest countries in the world. Cataract surgery is available at a government hospital in Bangui, the capital city, which is approximately three hours from Sibut at a cost of $300 per eye. Because we are working with people who do not have access to sanitary conditions for recovery and there is some risk that sight will not be restored if infections develop, we plan to provide access to surgery for one eye per patient. This will leave one eye available as a backup for a future surgery if necessary. We will provide transportation, lodging, food, and the funding for cataract surgery for each patient. Only completely or very nearly blind patients will qualify for the program, according to our list which is ranked in order of urgency and likelihood of success.

We intend for this to be a multi-year program. In developed countries, cataracts are easily treated. In much of Africa, the formation of cataracts leads to blindness without hope. We strongly believe that sight should not depend upon where a person was born and the economic situation in that country. For this project, the need for sight restoration vastly exceeds our available resources. The people that we intend to help have no other options for treatment and they will remain blind for the rest of their lives if we do not assist.

This project excites our congregation because it closely follows the example of Jesus, who demonstrated the love and power of God as he restored sight to many people during his ministry. Carter and Julie will be returning to Jonathan’s House to support the program, so our congregation will be directly connected to the project and receive regular updates.

Carter will be sharing more with our congregation in the coming weeks. More information on how you can donate or be a part of this ministry will be coming soon.