Dora and Pastor Joseph look forward to seeing you soon!
Greeting from ServingHIM Team in Romania!
Dr. Mac and Lauren with gypsy orphansThe orphans in the picture above have known each other all their lives. All but one had never been out of their hometown of Braila. They each grew up in the orphanage and can tell of their hard lives...but they do not. Instead they focus on survival. These aging orphans are the result of the brutal regime of Romanian Dictator Nicolae Ceaucescu who encouraged population growth. Each has a different personality and a dream. The girl on the far left is a great soccer player. We all played soccer in front of the clinic and she juggled the ball for several minutes like a professional. The boy on the far left remembered me from last year and reminded me that I was wearing the same tennis shoes as last year. He said his shoes cost him $5 and almost fainted when I told him the price of mine. The young man second from the left works hard at his full-time job where he makes less than $150 US dollars a month. My interpreter told me that they all still live together at a state orphanage even though they are in their early twenties. They share a room that sleeps twenty-nine people. If they want clothes or food, they need to work for it. The problem is the lack of jobs in eastern Romania. I must have talked with over 150 people over the week. Each of them explained that the local economy was hopeless. Many are unemployed with little chance of finding any job. Young people are happy if they get any job at all.
As we talked with a few about the Good News of Jesus Christ, they began to gather around. You could see the hope in their eyes that only Jesus can bring. Two of the young men were captivated by the Evangecube. One of the church staff told me most of them are good young people and want to grow. They wanted to have their pictures taken with us. We must have taken twenty pictures with one of their cameras. The church and those at the clinic treat them with dignity and respect when most of their world is filled with discrimination. Each received great dental care. You could tell that the clinic was a highlight experience in their hard lives. Marianne Dryer, one of the hygienists, gave each of the girls some inexpensive jewelry which they treasured. They were so thankful that we had taken time to be with them. The joy of the Lord is evident in the small town of 150,000 in an economically challenged former communist stronghold. - Mike Redeker
The Reporting from Braila, Thursday, May 31 – Gloriae Domnilui!
As we wind up our 4th day in the clinic, we are happy to report that we have treated 242 patients (countless teeth). We have been exceptionally well cared for, and this reporter has gained some weight. Romanian food is remarkable. But that is not what we are here for. We have been fed with a spiritual food that is beyond description. Hopefully, some of our photos will tell part of the story.
Dr. Witt Wilkerson looked across the room from his dental station as Dr. Casey Williams talked with an elderly woman. It was her first trip to the dentist and multiple extractions were about to be done. Holding her hand was Grant, our 16-year-old volunteer from Dallas. She had lived through WWII, communist dictatorship, the cold war, and was experiencing the slow renewal of her city, her culture, and hopefully her life.
She seemed excited and very grateful to be seeing the American doctor but was fearful, as well. Grant held her hand and comforted her with translated words and transparent smiles for over an hour. Close to seventy years spread between their ages and they were from two different worlds but in this moment, they were bonded in a memorable gesture of love.
Dr. Eric Townsend evaluated 14-year-old girl with super-erupted cuspids. They bothered her. She wanted them removed. In the U.S.A., the lateral incisors likely would have been extracted and then these cuspids orthodontically pulled down into the vacated space. In Romania, this is not an option. If the incisors were removed, there was no likelihood of the cuspids (canines) moving down into place on their own. If the cuspid roots were large and incisor roots small, removing the cuspids might leave the incisors very vulnerable. We do not have radiography at the clinic. She would have to be sent home without having her wish granted this week. Then, her mother recalled that she had an x-ray at home and ran off to retrieve it. After lunch, Dr. Eric determined the cuspids could be removed. After the extractions, the patient was given extensive instructions on home care. Dr. Eric will be consulting with Dr. Mark Hall who is traveling from Alabama with a ServingHIM dental team in two weeks, and this patient will return to the clinic for followup.
Susan Moss, one of the hygienists from Dallas, received a patient Tuesday afternoon who was 60 years old and had never had her teeth cleaned. Susan and her new friend quickly bonded. Although the woman was nervous about the cleaning, she joked with Susan via the translator. Ï hope you have enough time to clean my teeth… ha, ha… you could be here a very long time.” For three hours, Susan removed calculus. Each time she paused or reached for a tool, the woman reached for Susan’s hand and kissed the back of it. Each time, Susan leaned forward and kissed the woman’s forehead in response. After her cleaning, the woman looked into the mirror and exclaimed, Ï’m so beautiful! Thank you, thank you.”
Yesterday, a 9-year-old boy was escorted to Dr. Mac McDonald’s chair. One of his teeth had a cavity, and another needed to be extracted. His mother, who is one of the clinic staff, stood at his feet, assuring him. At every tiny little step of the treatment process, he looked at her with tearful eyes and asked, “Gata?” The meaning was universally clear… “Done yet?” When the extraction site was irrigated, suctioned, and he was told to bite down on the gauze, his mouth was too full to ask one more time. Dr. Mac and I couldn’t help ourselves. We exclaimed, “Gata.” We were done!
Dr Casey William and Lauren work on Pastor Joseph's filling
Today, Dr. Witt, needed to remove decay from the front of a lower cuspid that went subgingival about 3mm and had tissue going into it. Having no other means, he trimmed the tissue away with a burr and expected a lot of bleeding. Absolutely none occurred. This is something no one had ever seen before. He proceeded without difficulty. Praise be to God!
