When the dental hygenist comes to you!

When living in the states we were always very religious about visiting the dentist. As the saying goes, only brush the teeth you want to keep and seeing the dentist is a good thing! Since arriving in Jamaica nearly two years ago, one of the things we miss the most, dare I say, are our dental visits. We have been looking forward to the day when we could go home to the states and fit in a dental visit. Needless to say, when you don't have a dentist, you are more careful to brush longer and floss more!

Last week we received a call from a fellow missionary telling us that the medical team arrived safely at New Vision, the children's home near us, and along with Dr. Rich and his assistants, a dental hygenist was here! Wow, were we excited! Denny made our "appointments" and for two days, that is all he talked about! He was as excited for this appointment as he is for Ryan to come in August!!

Of course we knew it was going to be a little different of an experience,no receptionist to give us paperwork to fill out for this first time visit, no magazines to read while waiting, no xrays, no water spritzing down the chin onto your clothes, no suction tubes in your mouth, no bright lights, no whirling sounds, let's see what else, no carnations for when you leave the office! My dentist in Springfield gives out carnation when you leave, like the children get a pencil or a sticker! His office was the coolest place around. I really liked the whole experience there, if liking a dentist office is possible!

But when we arrived at our new place we were greeted by great Jamaican kids and a wonderful couple! John and Jennifer Elliott. They started a missions organization as a matter of fact, and this was their first official trip! Big Smiles Big Hearts, Inc. (www.bigsmilesbighearts.org) Great name for them, they have huge smiles and very large hearts! We were friends upon the first meeting, um..... dental visit!




John works for Sprint actually but he and their son Trevor came along with Jennifer, our wonderful hygenist! I was convinced of something right away. She is passionate about Jesus, missions, and teeth! I have never sat "in the dentist chair" with a big smile! Everything she told me made me smile. How God confirmed this organization, how this trip came together, how she was able to get ahold of a machine to sterilize her tools, how God met every need. It was amazing!



Now speaking of the dentist chair, it wasn't exactly that! Jennifer had a child size cot from New Vision in the corner of the room, her patient laid flat, and she worked! After 2 years of no dental visits, she really worked on us! When the plaque let loose, we grabbed the pieces that felt like huge boulders and wiped it on a cloth! I felt so bad for her neck and back. It wasn't like she could move the cot up and down to get comfortable. She was working on us even when the sun was starting to set, she really needed a high intensity light. Den got out his phone to try to help!I am sure the first person she saw after a week here was her chiropracter! She cleaned lots of teeth in a weeks time! Ministers and their family members, all the New Vision children, missionaries, people that came for the medical clinic, all the houseparents at New Vision, everyone she could get her hands on came away with clean teeth!





After the scrapping and scapping and scrapping and scrapping, well you get the point, Jennifer had kiddie packs with toothbrush, floss, timer and paste for each patient! She brushed our teeth with the same paste as she would at home, just without the polisher machine, you know that real gritty stuff. Thankfully I had a bottle of water in my purse to use to swish!! And then spit over the second floor veranda! WATCH OUT BELOW!!!








Junior and Travisa were staying real close, trying to figure out if they really wanted to be the next victims......um... "patients on the cot"!!




Since Dr. Rich was handy, he gave Renee a once over, and checked her heart and lungs, etc. We are so grateful for that as she hasn't seen a doctor for 2 years and it was just so wonderful of him to take the time for her. Dr. Rich has been coming to New Vision for 18 years, he sets up a medical clinic and when you go to New Vision you will see people lined up real early to get in. They go strong till dinner time and then do fun things with the New Vision children at night. What a wonderful ministry and calling upon his life. I had heard so much about him and when we met, I knew everything I had heard was true.



It was a highlight of our week to meet these precious people from the medical field.
Servants.....they come in all colors, sizes, and occupations. I have met so many, loved so many, ministered with so many. Servants.....they are everything they are cracked up to be! Just make me more like these servants Lord, that is my desire.....