Clinicas en Dos de Diciembre, Santa Catalina, y Nuevo Tunuya

We even check our fellow SM's in dental for Cavities


The Boys after another great week of clinic


Getting into the building for clinic


Learning how to insert an IV on a platic tubing contraption richard invented


Victory after a long sweaty battle pulling a molar


Working on a patient


Doing blood pressures


The clinic that we had this past week was slightly different then what we were used to. For one, we only had to travel 4-10 kilometers to get to our clinics. Also, we had clinics at three different villages which meant that we stayed for only a couple of days at each one. One sunday we packed everything and everyone into the truck and headed off to clinic in the village of Dos de Diciembre. It was a small little village and we easily got through the patients by early afternoon. The second day was a little busier especially because we added glasses fitting to our list of patient care. About 20 people got glasses the second day and I got to help fit them because dental was a little on the slow side. The third day was one of the most interesting by far because when we got there their was around 40 people waiting to get glasses. We were busy all day and right before lunch a huge bull decided to charge the people waiting in line. Instantly people ran frantically into the clinic, tripping over each other, to try and get away from the bull. It was quite exciting to have 40 people outside the door and then have all of them run inside within a matter of seconds as the bull thundered past the door. Just another day in the life of clinic. The fourth day we went to the town of Santa Catalina. It was a small little village and when we got their the doors to the school were shut. So Richard had to prop me up so that I could stick my hands in the window and pop the door open. It was quite the sight! After getting the building ready we had quite a few patients in dental. One in particular that I remember was a teenage boy who needed his molar out. He has scared of getting his tooth out but after I gave him the lidocaine he seemed to be doing ok. Then he started getting sick to his stomach because he was so scared. So he went outside to get some air. After that he seemed to recover but before he came back into the clinic he went to the bathroom and got stung by twelve wasps in the trees. I felt really bad for him and afterwards he didn't come back to get his tooth out because he was feeling horrible from the stings. This is just an example of how not all dental experiences go as well as I would like them to. But God continues to work despite the problems I face. For example, I had a middle aged patient that was really difficult to get numb. I eventually got both teeth out but he still had a root left which took me a while to get. After that I decided that he needed a suture to close up the holes so that they would heal better. By the time I finished it had been over an hour. I was mentally and physically exhausted but I know that God guided my hands because I was having such a hard time getting the root out. It was only with His help that I was able to get it out! The next two days we spent in the village of Nuevo Tunuya. Dental was pretty busy as well as vision. Medical patients came in waves so it made for a "relatively" relaxing last two days. My last patient that I had for the week really made my all the work that I had put into the week worth it. She was a little six year old girl who had a twin sister. Like I said they were are last patients for the day and I was a little worried that they were going to be difficult because generally little kids are the hardest to give shots to. But this little patient shocked me. She bravely stood still and let me give her the shot. After I pulled her baby tooth and gave her a toothbrush and toothpaste she gave me the biggest smile and thanked me for pulling her tooth. When she and her sister left they both thanked me and Laura and shook our hands. I really think God sent me this patient to show me that what we are doing in dental is making a difference in people's lives even though sometimes they have pain! God is really amazing and I can't stop praising Him for all the things that he has done!