Our work day begins at 8am yet patients had already started lining up outside the gate as early as 5am because it is a first come-first served basis. I am told many walk several miles in hope they will be seen. They will wait hours in the sun and heat with no guarantee of being treated. This is true for the medical clinic as well. Even mothers with babies and young sick children must wait. Hmmm… when I think about how some American patients can become so upset waiting 10-30 minutes if a provider is running behind!!!
Our day is extremely busy as we are trying to see as many patients as possible. Almost every patient has never had any dental work in their entire life! Prioritizing/ triage is necessary since we can not possibly treat all the needs each person presents.
Dr. Scott (as we call him since VanSlambrouck is a mouthful 😬, pardon the pun) spends most of his day doing extractions.
I get the patients with periodontal disease with tartar that is hard as cement! I do not have a Cavitron (an ultrasonic scaling device) usually used as the first step to disengage the tartar from the tooth so I can only hand scale with dull old instruments left behind by previous dental teams. It’s literally going to be a bloody mess (…TMI??)
We work until 7pm, try to stay hydrated and since we sweat out profusely we do not even take bathroom breaks except during our short lunch break.
Some of the nurses also help us with interpreting and cleaning dental instruments so we can move along quicker. They are so encouraging and we are blessed to have them do whatever they are able.
By the end of the day, I am in tears. I feel so inadequate and a failure. Without the proper dental tools, it’s like trying to dig a hole with a teaspoon instead of a shovel. Dr. Scott reminds me we are here to do the best we can with what is available and we now know what to bring from the States for our next trip.
We take some time after dinner to walk to the nearby village of Chambrun. There are hut homes with tin roofs , mud walls and dirt floors. A communal shower in the middle of the village and an orphanage nearby. The women and children carry bucket after bucket of water down the road to cook, bathe and hand wash clothes. Life is very difficult yet they are always smiling.
Visiting the village was a very humbling experience. The Haitians can find happiness in the midst of their circumstances. It is not the latest gadget or technology, not name brand clothing, not a vehicle or nice home. It is community and a strong faith that brings them joy.
*** next week I will finish my blog about this mission trip. Please pray for the safe release of 17 missionaries (some children) who were kidnapped by Haitian gang members.
Traveling Rose in St. John 