Haiti 2012: Brett

The men in Haiti taking notes during the discipleship training led by Andy, Steven and Caleb.

       Today was the first day of working in the dental clinic, which is really what I've been looking forward to since we got here.  This morning we faced a lot of obstacles before we could get things running smoothly. To be brief, our day began as a chaotic cluster of too many people in a very small space, but by the grace of God, we managed to eventually overcome the majority of those obstacles and work the kinks out of the system.  Later in the day and with the coaching of Caleb, I was able to perform my first extraction! The tooth was already pretty loose, but I can't tell you how relieved I was when it finally came out with the root tips intact.  Most of the cases, however, were not quite as simple as that one, so it was good to be in the presence of people much more skilled than myself.

       C.S. Lewis is one of my favorite authors, and in The Weight of Glory he writes, “There are no ordinary people. You have never talked to a mere mortal. Nations, cultures, arts, civilizations - these are mortal, and their life is to ours as the life of a gnat. But it is immortals whom we joke with, work with, marry, snub and exploit - immortal horrors or everlasting splendors." Today we provided dental care to many people in need. But we all realize that this, in itself, is not an "everlasting splendor".  Our group was blessed to have an evangelistic team that used the work of the dental clinic and optometry clinic to spread the gospel and reach several souls for Jesus today. It's so exciting to see different parts of the body of Christ working as one for the glory of God! 

Brett
UTHSC College of Dentistry