A Short Video of the School

Yalcoba

Yalcoba is one of the villages we visited. I have been there before and enjoy it very much. Most of these villages have something special one way or another, good or bad. The Mayan population is very sweet, they are very warm, welcoming and loving people. 

When we got to Yalcoba, we were greeted by many people. One of those people, is a gentleman from the US who has made Yalcoba his home. After he retired, he moved there with his parents because he fell in love with the people there and I am sure his money goes a long way there.

He has worked with us before and he was wanting to show us what he had been working on...a school to teach kids English. Why? so they can get better jobs at resorts or as waiters in restaurants. So, we went to see the school and oh my! we were so impressed by the kids and their eagerness to learn! There are no chalkboards, they write everything on the walls, when they are done learning what is written on the walls, they paint over them and start over! He charges them $1 a month and they have class twice a week for one hour.

Kids are different ages 

Check out the hammock for the teacher!

We were there with the "C" boys and I think they were a bit surprised! I know I was! 

On this trip, I played more with the kids and did less dentistry. I was actually looking forward to that! I love making the kiddos happy and giving them something to look forward to.

 We did not have enough soccer balls to give to all the kids so, we organized a soccer tournament, we had 3 teams of 10 children, boys and girls. The winners took the soccer ball and promised they would each have them one week. This picture below shows the children playing, you can't quite see their feet but some of them were playing without shoes, running on hot rocks!

No gatorade, smart water or even plain water for these kids! No soccer moms with tents, fruit and ice chests full of drinks!

After the game, the kids that did not get the ball got presents anyway, we gave away toys, flip flops, necklaces and lots and lots of Love!

To say that doing dentistry in these circumstances is challenging is an understatement, after you are done you feel like someone used your back as a punching bag! We get better at it every time, soon enough we will be able to do some fillings as well.

We always have an audience, everyone wants to watch!

If you have never done a mission trip, consider it and consider taking your family, it will change the way you see many things and it will make your family bond stronger.
More to come!

Our First Day

Patients waiting....and waiting...and waiting. SO patiently!

Waiting inside and outside!

Challenging, Fun, Tiring, Blessed, Inspiring, Scary, Frustrating. These are a few things I have felt this trip.

These trips are always challenging because you are very limited as far as what you can do. We take things for granted in the US and the reality is that, the rest of the world is definitely different. It is hard to imagine how hard it is to obtain a panoramic x-ray when I do at least 5 of them a day in my office! It is hard to imagine people travel 2-4 hours to come see the Oral Surgeon because they are scared to have their teeth pulled here because last time it took 4 hours!

One of our patients said yesterday "This is pure luxury....Thank You!"after getting 2 wisdom teeth out!! Hard to imagine someone being so grateful after a procedure such as this!

It has been a joy for me to have the 3 "C" boys with us in this trip! I must admit I was a little nervous because I did not know how they would react to different situations but they are just wonderful boys and their mamma....has done and continues to do an amazing job raising them to be good men! 

We did not see many patients today but many of the ones we saw were challenging, please keep our patients in your prayers as they go through procedures as simple as a dental extraction to cataract surgery to gall bladder surgery. 

One of the highlights of my day was seeing Juanita, a baby we met last year for cleft lip repair and she was here for follow up! She is beautiful and soooo smart! I spoke to the plastic surgeon who saw her last year and we are hoping to be able to work on her palate next February. God is good!

Our First Day in Hospital This Year, Gorgeous!!

Pre-op February Last Year

I can't wait to share what we did today, I am so tired though that I HAVE to go to bed if I plan to finish this trip strong. Pics are not loading, will post them tomorrow!

All I can say is God is good and His mercies endure forever... I love you Lord!

Beautiful Sunset

Mission Trip Valladolid 2012

We arrived late last night. After spending 2 hours in customs trying to get all our equipment through. Ten (10) checked suitcases, 3 car seats, 2 strollers, 1 diaper bag, 2 backpacks AND 3 children (4 and younger). That in itself was a challenge!

Does this look fun or what?

We arrived at the hospital to dropped off the equipment at 9 pm, to my surprise there were already about 10 people waiting for consultations for the next day.

Greg unloading equipment..bad picture...too tired!

 They would spend the night sitting on plastic chairs outside the hospital for the chance to be seen first.

Arrived at the hotel, cleaned up a bit or a lot, bathed kids, killed about 15 mosquitoes in the room and attempted to sleep. Needless to say, I could not...

This morning, we woke up... No...Bennett woke up at 6 am, whispering to his dad "daddy, I am soooo hungry" needless to say, soon after that, we were all up!

We assembled the equipment with minor set backs and we are almost ready to go. The other part of the team arrived late and finished initial patient consultations around 10 pm.

The kiddos were out of sorts today but did soo well, they are amazed by the bugs and animals, they are taking it all in and being as good as they can be for their age.  I am always humbled to see how God provides for all our needs and how His hand is in everything.

Today, my children had gummy life savers, m&m's, lots of cookies and Bennett even managed to "steal" a drink or 2 of coke that was on the table. Oh.. well! The worst part of it is that I did not brush their teeth tonight! I feel so awful! I am awful!

This is a special trip for me as a family from our church decided to join us! They are also my patients and I am thrilled to have them here, the boys are so sweet and Amy is wonderful! I can't wait to see how God will touch their hearts as they serve those that have very little.

I will keep posting as much as possible. Please pray for God's hand to be over the doctors and the patients and that we may transmit the love of God and make a difference in their lives!
Until tomorrow!

XO, Dr.L