Mission letter #4 Dear family and friends, I am beginning to get the big picture of this mission. It is all about helping children with special needs. We saw our most difficult cases this morning. They were all autistic. I dont think that any of them have ever been to a dentist. They were wild. I was able to work with a more difficult one and get his teeth cleaned. At first he wouldnt even let me give him a toothbrush and paste in the waiting area. Their teachers are amazing and the children trust them so much. We needed their help to treat many of the other children. I ate lunch at the clinic and then rested for the afternoon. Good thing too because we were very busy with more children. Mostly little ones ages 3-5 and teachers with difficult cleanings. I did a lot of crowd control in the morning so I tried to do more hygiene in the afternoon. I got to do dental sealants on a 16 year old. I did 8 of them and then cleaned her teeth. The treatment plans have definitely gotten more comprehensive since previous missions. We are doing more and more things like we do at home. A big change from scaling teeth on a school desk next to a dental chair in the clinic. The dental student helped me a lot today. Yesterday, he made me a cup of artichoke tea and then gave me a pack of tea bags to take home. He has been applying the fluoride varnish and even polished for me. I wish I had more time to let him scale also. I think we are up to 150 plus patients. Who knows what tomorrow will bring but the team is really working well together. We have doctors from the US, Peru and Dominican Republic. Some are instructors at dental schools. We can all be proud of our work. I dont think I mentioned this before, but sometimes the equipment leaks or breaks down. I dont know why because it is so new. I guess the heavy use. Anyway, there must be a full time person on staff to fix it because he comes right away every time something breaks. How lucky for us. Tonight a friend of Les came with her husband and 2 children and took me to dinner. Huong lived with Le in NH when they were working in the work abroad program about 5 years ago. Another friend from a previous mission joined us there. The little boy (age 4) loves Spider man and the little girl (age 2) is very cute with her long black hair. I will post a picture of them on facebook. Le just called to check on me and confirmed that her husband will pick up Carmen and I tomorrow night at 6:30. Now off the shower and charge my iPhone. I havent mentioned before how much the short notes back to me on e-mail and facebook are enjoyed. I wish I could answer them all but time wont let me. I hear it got colder in Delaware. I like the unlimited texting I have this mission. Helps me keep in touch. Love to all, Linda
Posted on: Thu, 20 Nov 2014 20:48:03 +0000
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