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Honduras - August 2009  When we took off from Seattle on Aug 14th, only 3 of us knew each other – but when we came back home a week later, all 10 of us were friends for life!!Our team included two dentists, an oral surgeon, a lab technician, and two dental assistants, along with five lay people to assist and sterilize. Four of us spoke pretty good Spanish, and others learned a few words while there. It was hard work and the weather threatened to kill us with 100% humidity, but we persevered. We served 67 of the Children’s Village under WorldWide Heart 2 Heart Ministries. We were able to clean, seal, and fill all the kids' teeth, and several of the children even got perfect check ups! This is our third year helping these children both with their medical and dental needs, so most are used to us by now. It was very rewarding to know that they take good care of the teeth between our yearly visits! We then opened the clinic up to the little town of Tagucigalpita and served 100 children and adults with various dental and medical problems.  The poverty is stifling and as we toured the local hospital we realized what a horrible situation the country of Honduras is in. Corruption continues and the money needed to help their own people usually does not make it to the recipients. We were told that Americans are no longer coming as often to help them, most likely due to our economic situation. They begged us to come back – they cannot make it without our help. Many had suffered pain in their mouths for quite a while, and our visit was a welcomed relief. |