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"You make a living by what you get, but you make a life by what you give."
Winston Churchill
October Newsletter
Teethsavers International Newsletter for
February
Teach a Few to Teach Many
A Word from Our President...
I am so excited and humbled to be the President of Teethsavers. 2010
promises to be an important year for Teethsavers in the lives of
children around the world. Not only will Teethsavers be caring for
children in Zambia, Malawi, Nicaragua and Sierra Leone, but people
trained by Teethsavers will also be caring for children in the
Gambia, in Belize, and in Morocco.
Requests are coming in for training and/or treatment in other areas
such as Guatemala and Angola, but we can only move as God directs and
as our funding permits. God enabled so much to be accomplished
last year for the children around the world and we are thankful for and
blessed by all who gave.
Our Field Director, Dr. Jack Rudd, is amazing with his energy, his
caring nature and his ability to multi-task all over the world. It is
truly a gift from God. Our Board of Directors has been solidly tuned to
God's will and believes that He has been the sustaining arm that has
kept everything going. Ultimately, all the praise and glory goes to God
for all He has accomplished and all that will be accomplished in
the upcoming year. We invite you to join with Him in this great work.
Blessings,
Beth Lee, President
What's going on in the world
of Teethsavers?
Tales From
The Road— Rather than
just giving updates we wanted you to be blessed by
Nicaragua...
THE BOTANICAL GARDEN OF THE JINOTEGA
AREA
We left Jinotega about 8:15 AM for a ride of one hour and fifteen
minutes, split between uneven pavement and rural roads. The paved
road was a beauty to the left and to the right. Then we turned on to
the winding, climbing, up, around and up, and around and down, dirt
road, bringing us to higher elevations. That was the beginning of the
Botanical Garden of the Jinotega area that seemed to go on
forever. Looking left, right, straight ahead or crook-a-neck-straight
back, I saw beauty - way beyond beauty - and I have seen much - much of
God's beauty on all seven of His majestic continents.
Praise God for such nature that brings each Humancreature to a pause, a
prayer and a praise. Finally after our vehicle could no longer make the
climb, it was everybody out, carrying packs and walking for about 20
minutes. "Walk" is the wrong word for the steep climbing "road" that
not only a 4 X 4 could not make to the top, but today an 8 X 8 vehicle.
I led the way with eight or nine in our party: the younger mission
folks from Searcy, Arkansas, Cathy Latta, from Colorado and
Teethsavers' only volunteer, working side by side with me. The possible
"road" when dry was many shapes of slippery rocks, mud, puddles of
water and the churning and trudging feet of the newcomers from the
distant North American Continent. I made the top first and saw two
small blue colored school houses side by side. Slowly the others
followed me up the treacherous climb, huffing and puffing twice as much
as this old tooth adventurer man.
The gate was closed and soon a teacher welcomed us and let us in the
school grounds. Today 61 students were present in the first six grades
and in three classes. There were two certified teachers and one
teaching assistant age 16 for the less than 10 preschool children. The
teacher opening the gate for us is one of the best Oral Health
Educators in my nine years of teaching, and Allen, our interpreter, is
the most enthusiastic advocate for saving teeth I have worked with. I
talked to Allen about being a student in our future Central America
Six-Year Molar Focus School wherever it is located. It should start in
a few months at low cost to Teethsavers' donors.
Now the sad part in this most elegant surrounding was teaching,
screening and collecting data. Ages 6, 7, 8 and 9, our focus, included
25 pupils and 53 six-year molars needing a sealant or restoration.
There were 92 decayed primary molars in this age group. 92% needed
treatment on six-year molars. The 28% in Africa and the 15% needing
treatment on six-year molars is a RECORD that tells me - if this keeps
up how can Teethsavers or anyone but God deal with these numbers? The
children age 10 or above were slightly better with 43 six-year molars
needing treatment. With the young children ages 6, 7 and a few 8
needing a supervisor to properly clean their molars, all but one
had an older responsible sibling in school to be a supervisor.
Oral hygiene starting at three months of age was accepted and our oral
health educator school teacher was positive of results. A year ago she
went through great pain and infection before having her lower left
six-year molar extracted. People with previous tooth pain always make
better teachers. The 16-year-old girl with the preschool had had a bad
toothache for eight days. We were going to take her with us and find a
dentist to pull it. She was all ready to go and I was going to pay all
costs. Her father would not let her go even with explanation. A New
Tradition (saving teeth) for a New Generation has another steep
mountain to climb in the Botanical Garden of the Jinotega area of
Nicaragua.
Driving back, Allen, the interpreter, said that he and our teacher/oral
health educator at the school back up the steep mountain decided that
they had never had so much fun and such good feelings serving God.
Jack Rudd
Zambia...
It was 5:45 AM in Mongue, Zambia.
For the past three days I had taught the two dental therapists (3-year
diploma) at the district hospital, both Teethsavers - Six-Year Molar
Focus Prevention and Atraumatic Restorative Treatment (ART) painless
fillings (powder 28% fluoride) without electricity or anesthetic
injection; the filling material chemically bonds to the tooth.
The ancient reception room with a single small desk and three wooden
chairs in the small five-room (very small rooms) guest house was in
complete darkness. I knew that the night watchman, waiting to see me
off for the early bus, was in a chair across from me, facing the front
door. Ever so gradually a wee bit of light began to filter through the
window to the left of the door.
Looking to my right at the blur of the silhouette of the watchman, who
seemed to be about my size, I became fixated watching the blur becoming
less and less as a bit more light passed through the single pane window
and the blur started becoming a human being just like me. The next
instant the dramatic and ever to be respected thought shot through me
and was branded in my brain for ever and for ever that skin—be it
black or be it white—is the same to God.
I could have been the watchman - the watchman could have been me. What
a thought, I thought; what a striking discovery, I thought; what a
revelation, I thought, and next came racing through my confused mind an
image of the chewing surface of a six-year molar with the "W" formation
of groves so necessary.
 W's
of life:
When were you born? Where were you born?
Who were your parents? Why were you so lucky?
Why were you so unlucky? What can you do about it?
Malawi...
The Teethsavers team in Malawi is preparing for a busy 2010. The
ongoing relationship with The Ministry of Hope continues to grow and
expand. The team is beginning preparations to spend the month of April
with Dr. Ken Root and his team of volunteers with the Mobile Medical
Clinic to offer holistic care for the orphans of Malawi.
The newly elected Malawian Board of Directors of Teethsavers continues
work to establish the Malawi Six Year
Molar Focus School. Please pray for them and the team of Fredson
Sam-bani, Laita Kaone, Doranah Muloongo, Isaac Mumba, Mutale, and
Edward Phiri as they continue their work in God's Kingdom.
Our teams are still working in both Malawi and Zambia. We are very
close to realizing our goal of gaining NGO status which will allow the
Zambians to join the Malawians in Lilongwe, Malawi. Our monthly
operating expenses are $5,000 a month and we are in need of partners to
help specifically with this ministry in Africa.
Thank you and
God Bless,
Gene
Day
The needs are greater than ever as we look to the exciting future of
Teethsavers and Oral Health for children. If you would like to make a
donation to Teethsavers, please mail to Teethsavers International, c/o
Westminster Presbyterian Church, 3321 33rd St., Lubbock, Tx. 79410. You
may call for information at 806-799-3621. Teethsavers is a 501c3,
non-profit organization and all donations are tax deductible.
teethsavers@yahoo.com
www.teethsavers.org
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