The day of "The Dentist".

The "Day of The Dentist" will go down as one of the most traumatic days that Vivian and I have experienced so far in the school for the Deaf here in Hato Mayor. One of our teachers set it up for some dentists to come to the school and treat the children. I agreed that it would be wonderful. In my inexperience with this culture, I was thinking they would examine the kids, perhaps do a cleaning and set up for them to visit a dental clinic. Oh no, that was so wrong! They set up the dental clinic right here in our school. With the most archaic and unhygenic manner they began to pull teeth, fill teeth and what they called "clean" teeth. Several of our kids were so scared as we took them into this space with these dental couches and all the needles and equipment that with eyes filled with pure terror they began to scream and hold on to the walls and try to escape. I was so upset that I told the dentist to just leave them alone and not to force them. So, four of the kids didn't get any work done. They all needed it but there was no way I was going to allow the dentist to hold them down and force their mouths open. One girl had three terrible cavities down to the gums. I had to stand and watch as they put three injections of pain killer down into the roots as she writhered and screamed! AAAHHH! What a day! I cried with them. Afterward, we had to send three of the kids home to rest. I found out that each public school has a dental clinic in it and they do this with the kids on a regular basis. It was free so I was trying to be thankful because the parents are so poor that they wouldn't be able to do any of this for their children. One thing that I couldn't understand was why they didn't numb the gums before the injection of pain killer. When they left, they left behind all of their garbage of blood and gore. We bleached and cleaned for an hour! I keep telling myself, "Welcome to life in the D.R."
We have met some americans from Pennsylvania who are missionaries here. They have invited us to go visit their mission's compound tomorrow. The great surprise is that they have a Deaf son and have signed for years and have done some Deaf Ministry in the past in the U.S. Wow! instant connection!
Vivian and I and one of our teachers traveled to the Capital, Santo Domingo last Friday for a teacher workshop. I shared some at the workshop and learned some interesting things from Peggy Blevins, another missionary to the Deaf. Riding the bus there and trying to manipulate through the city in taxi's was very tiring but well worth it. It was good to return to Hato Mayor, which seems like "home" now.
The children are doing so well...learning...growing and understanding more about who Jesus is everyday. Today I had Bible Class and at the end I taught them a short bible verse, "Yo soy El Camino, La Verdad, y La Vida..." I am The Way, The Truth, and The Life..." They were a little confused about it but when I began to erase one word at a time and ask them to sign the missing words, then they got excited and most all of them learned the verse and could sign it when the blackboard had been completely erased.
I now have the two Deaf children from Maimon here. They are 12 and 13 years old. They cannot read much but have awesome Math skills. Already doing fractions and pre-Algebra, I will get two more Deaf kids next week. That will make it 18 students!
The church has given us two options about the house. At this point, neither option will fit what God has put in our hearts for the school. The church needs this house for their preschool but they don't want to lose us and want us to stay here. We are not sure what that means so we will have another "meeting". We are still praying for God to provide us with a bigger house. We want to grow and expand as there are so many Deaf children in this town that we have not reached yet. We also want a Deaf Church and we want to be able to host missionaries. The one new student that I will get next week comes from a town called El Seibo, which is about twenty miles form here. The mother is running for the governor of the province. She said, that if I would come and start another Deaf school in El Seibo and if she wins her race, that she would give me a building and provide everything that I would need!! I told her, if God wills it, then I will do it after this school is strong and standing on it's own feet.
Those of you who pray for this Ministry, please pray for me personally as I have come under a great attach from the Enemy. I know that God is in control and "Greater is He that is in me" but I also need my brothers and sisters to "rally around" me for awhile!
God bless you!