One thing David has been really looking forward to in our training this year was the week of "Dental Training". A dentist came and taught how to clean teeth, identify, drill and fill cavities, teach dental hygiene in a tribal setting, check for oral cancer, how to sharpen, care for and maintain dental tools and more....
all without electricity, no medications or numbing medicines of any kinds
and all pain free...yes, pain free!
and all pain free...yes, pain free!
There were about 15 people who took the Dental Training and they were partnered together. David was paired with our friend Dawn who is from Canada. They first went through classroom instruction and teaching taught by the dentist.
Then they practiced their dental work on mannequins and then they worked on each other! After practice and hands-on experience, they headed into Mexico.....
They went to "Village S" which is a village To Every Tribe sends a team to each month but this was a new village for David and a new area for him to get to see and experience. Of course, anytime you are in Mexico you never know what you will see or what you will encounter.....
Seeing police vehicles like this is not uncommon but they can be a little alarming the first time you run into them. Then there was a tractor broke down in the middle of the road blocking the roadway and the dental team had to all get out of their vehicles and literally push this tractor off the road so they could continue on to their destination. Let's just say, moving a tractor takes a lot more work than moving a broken down car!
They set up the dental clinic inside a building that is similar to what we would call a community center in "Village S". The town had also spread the word about the dental clinic to 2 other neighboring towns as well. By hosting a dental clinic, we are able to show the love of Christ to people in a real and tangible way by meeting their health needs as well as their spiritual needs. They had the opportunity to share the Gospel with each and every patient who came to the clinic as well. It also opened doors of opportunity for them to meet new people and make new contacts in that area of Mexico as well.
Here is what David had to say about the Dental Training and the Dental Clinic: "This knowledge of dental training will open up doors of opportunity for evangelism and we are able to show the love of Christ by meeting "felt needs" (physical needs) of those we come in contact with. I am thankful that we had the opportunity to learn a skill that will allow me to benefit others while we are on the field."
The dental clinic was a huge success and over 100 patients were treated in just 3 days by the team while they were in Mexico. And if you are still skeptical that dentistry can be pain-free without any medication or gases, well I can personally testify that it can. David & the dentist who did the training fixed some of my teeth that had cavities and all the drilling and work did not hurt at all. It was incredible and the best dentist experience I've ever had...not to mention my husband was the one doing most of it!
David will be returning to Mexico to serve in our "Village M" on Feb. 11-14th. Thank you for continuing to pray for us and partner with us as we continue our mission training and work in Mexico.
