Haiti 2012: Ashley

       Having been on several other mission trips before, I thought I had it all figured out. However, God had something totally new in store for me. The clinic here in Haiti is completely different. Imagine 8 Americans, 2 Haitian dentists, and 3 Haitian nurses all trying to work in two small rooms without any form of air conditioning and one extremely large language barrier. But through all of that, God had a plan.

        We are blessed to have an oral surgeon traveling with us. Thus, I had the opportunity to see some amazing surgeries that I may not otherwise have the opportunity to see. One little girl had a a mandibular tumor removed, and another woman had sebaceous cyst removed from her cheek that she has had for over 10 years. I cannot even begin to explain the hospital conditions here in Haiti. We were told by a local that the yearly budget for the entire hospital is $50,000. At times, there is not even enough oxygen for all the patients. In the operating room that we used today for our surgeries, we were in constant search of simple supplies such as syringes and local. However, in the end, God provided!

       On top of all that, this was a day of many firsts for me. Not only did I get to perform my first filling on a real patient, but I was able to practice cutting a flap and placing a suture. But again, God was only getting started. Every night we have been going to minister to our partnering church here in Haiti. For some reason, God laid it on my heart that I was much more need with the older youth and not with much more desirable younger children. Little did I know that God was using me to help inspire and teach the youth of Haiti about sexual purity. When I was first told that this was what the team wanted me to speak about, I was petrified. Not only is that age such a hard one to reach, but with a subject such as that one, it made it even that much tougher. However, God gave me a little extra Jesus juice tonight. Hopefully, as scared as I was, at least one Haitian teen was able to be reached.

        God is moving in miraculous ways here in Haiti. I thank God everyday that I have this opportunity to witness here in Haiti. I am blessed to be here with this team. Praise be to God!!!

 

Ashley

UTHSC College of Dentistry

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

Haiti 2012: Photos 2

Haitian children posing for their picture after the church service on Sunday.

 

In 1791 this structure became known as the Haitian House of Voodoo. However, after the devastating earthquakes that hit Haiti, the Lord has begun to move through the Haitian people and it has recently been converted back into a house of worship.

 

Fourth year dental student Steven and third year dental student Brett placing an amalgam filling.  

The dental team on their way for their first day of clinic.  

 

Forth year dental student Andy passing encouraging bookmarks at the partnering Haitian church.

Haiti 2012: Kaylee

A Day of Worship Haiti Style!- kaylee

       Today was the first time we visited Berean Bible Baptist Church. The service began around 9:45 and ended around 12:30. Although the language barrier has been one of the greatest challenges since we arrived, during the church service language didn't matter. It was beautiful to hear the Haitians singing as loudly as the could in their own language, French. It didn't matter that we couldn't understand them because we knew they were worshiping the same God we do! Many members of our team shared their stories and even preached a sermon during the service. We are all looking forward to a week of dentistry, the eyeglass clinic, children, youth, women ministry and sharing the gospel in our own ways.

Kaylee

Sophomore in College

Haiti 2012: Amanda

       For the first time in my life, I rode on a plane smaller than a charter bus! This plane (deceitfully large in the photo) only held 30 passengers- our luggage had to come in a separate "cargo" plane! Nevertheless, we arrived in Haiti today! This evening we went to the "square" in Cap Hatien where all of the Hatiens hang out. All of the boys played with the children throwing a tennis ball back and forth. The children LOVED this! We also passed out book marks with bible verses and cross necklaces to the people! We are blessed to be here and excited about the opportunity to share God's love this week! Please continue to pray that we have hearts of service and that all the glory be given to the Lord!

Amanda 

UTHSC College of Dentistry

Haiti 2012: Photos Day 1

Hanging out in the airport in Miami.

Our group nearly filled this thirty-passenger plane!

Dental students Andy, Brett, Caleb, Brent, Steven and Dr. Miller with the children. They threw that tennis ball back and forth for an hour!

Visiting with some residents in the city square. 

Ecuador 2012- Nazanin

Nazanin pictured in the center

       After an amazing week in clinic, we spent our last day zip lining and eating delicious organic food at Tucanopy. On the ride back from zip lining, as I was trying to fight sleep, to avoid getting popped with pop rocks by Dr. Wilson and Darren, I started thinking about how I got here. It was just a typical 'walking around/slacking off/pretending to do work' kind of day in operative lab when I walked up to Cayce's station, and she asked me if I wanted to go on a mission trip to Ecuador. Without any hesitation, my answer was YES!! Couple of days later, I emailed Bryan for the first time, and a week later, I attended my first lunch at BCM. Although at the time I didn't know it, slacking off in the lab and habit of automatically saying yes to trips was going to have a great impact, not only on those in need in Ecuador, but also on myself. I'm not exactly sure when, but I think it was during first couple of gross anatomy lectures when I lost 'it'. And by 'it' I mean the purpose, the bright light at the end of the tunnel, the reasons why I was doing what I was doing everyday. This trip to Ecuador helped me find 'it' again. In his inspirational devotional, Dr. Wilson mentioned outliving our lives, and that was the greatest reminder, that we are all blessed with great talents and with that comes great responsibility. 'Reaching out to less privileged' is no longer just words on my personal statement to get me in dental school. I know that on July 5th, not only I will start school with more knowledge and experience in dentistry that I expected to gain, but also with confidence that this is what I am meant to do, and dentistry is my way of making a difference. I hope to continue this journey under leadership of the greatest mentors I could have asked for. I am so thankful for the opportunity to serve and grow.