Day 14 – 11 July 2016

Today was the first day of the dental clinic, so it was an early morning and off to Musima! For our clinic we have partnered with another organization called Hope Smiles, headed by Dr. Ryan working together with Ugandan dentists.

We arrived just as the team from Hope Smiles was getting set up and the first patients were lined up and ready to go. 

We had four stations set up…dental check in….an art project….clothing station where they got a new outfit and updated photos for my kids who are still waiting on sponsors.

The kids were amazing, even the ones who were fearing sat and waited patently to be seen. Some kids had 3 or 4 teeth extracted and never shed a tear. They were excited to get a new toothbrush, toothpaste and of course a sticker…because I mean who doesn’t want a sticker.

We had 3 dentists…Dr. Ryan and Dr. Grace from Hope Smiles and Dr. Kristy, one of our sponsors. Each dentist was amazing with the kids…taking their time, easing their fears, talking with them. I watched Dr. Ryan and one of the dental students sitting with sweet Gimbo for at least 45 min, showing her each tool they were going to use, making sure she knew exactly what was going on and why they were doing each thing.  Goretti and Sandra worked alongside the dentists and I loved seeing members of the community volunteering and helping.

The best part was when one of the Ugandan dentists decided he wanted to sponsor one of my girls to make sure she got an education…it made me so happy! Our first Ugandan sponsor! His sweet girl was so excited to have him as her sponsor, and her Mama was so thankful.

By the end of the day the team saw 80 patients.

The kids were so excited to get their new outfits, and in each package was a small stuffed animal. I loved watching some of the little ones wrap their babies and wear them on their back like they see their mamas do. And my favorite part will be seeing the kids wearing their new outfits tomorrow.

While all this was going on the guys were hard at work finishing up our new pit latrine..Josh and my brothers, David and Pande, worked hard finishing up and painting the trim. I think the three of them had fun working together, they were joking around, picking on each other and laughing together.

We ended the day sharing a meal all together, both teams. Praying over our meal, our programs and all the kids in our program. It was an amazing start to our clinic and I can’t wait to see what tomorrow brings.

So now off to bed…Sula bulungi everyone! (Sleep well!)