Log for Sunirse UMC dental mission February of 2008

Hello,

Well, it is about 6 weeks to go until we are in Honduras. The time will fly by. For the new guys, I ran across a log from my first mission trip to Honduras. Norm Fryberger kept a very good tally of what went on with that trip and what we did. After we got back, he typed it up and sent it out as an e-mail. For the new guys on the team, I thought they might like a preview of what is coming up.

Here is Norms log for the Sunrise UMC Honduras mission from 23 Feb 2008 to01 March 2008.
I have had to edit the format some to so that this would fit into the blog would let me post it. If you have problems reading this, let me know please. Otherwise, this is a copy and paste from Norm's e-mail.

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SunRise UNITED METHODIST HONDURAS SECOND DENTAL MISSION TRIP-TALANGA HONDURAS - 23 FEBRUARY—1 MARCH 2008

DR. JAMES FETSCH—MISSION TRIP COORDINATOR MATT 5: 14-16 “YOU ARE THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD—LIKE A CITY ON A MOUNTAIN, GLOWING IN THE NIGHT FOR ALL TO SEE. DON’T HIDE YOUR LIGHT UNDER A BASKET! INDEED, PUT IT ON A STAND AND LET IT SHINE FOR ALL. IN THE SAME WAY, LET YOUR GOOD DEEDS SHINE OUT FOR ALL TO SEE, SO THAT EVERYONE WILL PRAISE YOUR HEAVENLY FATHER.” DAY 1 - 23 FEBRUARY 2008 The day started at 4:00, AM rising to catch AA Flight 2415 to Miami, FL leaving at 6:50 AM. Temp. 25 degrees

We arrived in Miami at 10:45 AM EST with our flight to Tegucigalpa leaving at 11:15 AM EST. Our flight was delayed, finally departing at 11:45 AM EST. We arrived in Teguc at 12:35 PM CST. Ron/Loretta Davidson, coordinators for UM mission teams met us at the airport.

After clearing customs with 23 bags of dental supplies and personal stuff plus getting money exchanged on the street into limperas….(rate of exchange is 1 US dollar for 18.25 limpera)….We proceed by Ron’s Toyota van to Talanga.

The Methodist Hdqts. has a pick-up truck that follows us with our luggage. The distance to Talanga from Teguc is only 50 kilometers, but it takes approx. one and one-half hours traveling over mountainous roads to our destination. This year we were pleasantly surprised to learn that a new hotel had been built Hotel Fuentes B & B. The rooms were modern with TV and cold showers….Brrrrrrrrrr….. You are lucky to get cold showers because in most compounds/houses where mission people stay, they have no running water and have water brought in every Monday and Friday for bucket baths. We were very fortunate this year.

Another plus was the fact that the hotel was on the outskirts of Talanga and we didn’t have to listen to the crowing of chickens and the barking of dogs all during the sleeping hours. The climate of Talanga is similar to southern CA. Located in the middle of Honduras, the temperatures range from 80-85 degrees during the day to 40-45 degrees at night. Telanga is approx. 400 miles from the equator.

After a brief rest, we made our way to the compound/church….Iglesia Methodista…where the clinic was to be set-up for four days. We were met by the pastor Luis Alberto, his wife Norma and their children.. Loguardo, Michelle, and Alberto. The cooks were Tonya Gonzales and her teenage daughter Zenia…and Silvia….lovely people who were glad to see us again. Dinner was made available at approx. 6:00 pm with sausages, banana bread, platanos, beans and cheese with the tortillas.

Ron/Loretta Davidson always give a history of the Honduras country and the do’.s and don’ts of activity during our stay in Talanga. There are twelve (12) mission churches supported by the United Methodist Church in Honduras. This was old hat for veterans, but the rookies needed this valuable information. The biggest caution was safety in numbers—especially at night. The evening closed with devotional around 8:00 PM.

The next day was set-up day in the church compd. with church service to follow in the afternoon around 4:00 PM. Rigo (one of the translators) was to give the message. We had two Hondurian translators and two translators who accompanied us from SunRise on this Mission trip.

Devotion was from Nehemiah 1:11

2ND DAY - 24 FEBRUARY 2008
Arose at 6:00 AM after a good night’s rest; beautiful landscape outside our second floor hotel room with the mountains to the north. My room partner during our stay was our leader, Dr. Jim Fetsch. He was an early riser and I found him every morning on the balcony reading from one of his religious books. I believe it was about the twelve disciples.

We had keen conversation every morning while the others were sleeping. He is a high energy lad who has a sharp mind. He is capable in so many ways. I found him to be an inspiration and thought at times I was like him when I was much younger…..He has a passion for Jesus Christ and the role of being a servant to the people of Talanga.

Others joined us during the early morning…namely Blair Milster (translator) and Dr. E. Paul Moore one of the three dentists on the mission trip.

Ron/Loretta took us all by van to the church/compound at 8:30 AM where we had breakfast of pancakes, bananas (delicious) and OJ. The morning was focused on setting up the three chair clinic.

We arranged this year to purchase two mobile dental units from ADEC company out of Newburg, Ore. through the (3) Rotary clubs of St. Charles Co. This meant that we would be providing additional services of restoring teeth and cleaning teeth, not just the removal of badly infected teeth.

Education of the children in the parish and the school children was also on the docket this year. Dr. Jim was able to present his demonstration about the use and care of the teeth to the church and public school children. He was also able to tape a presentation at the local TV station to explain our visit and the care that was being provided during the four days.

We had shipped a dental chair, compressor and two autoclaves to Pimenita, Honduras in November, 2007. Ron and Alexandro had picked up the equipment in early December ’07; it was stored at the compound at the church It was necessary to get the compressor up and running along with the autoclaves for sterilization.

We were set-up by noon and lunch followed with a pot of soup made-up of meat, (Alexandro said it was vulture)…. yucca, squash, potatoes, carrots….and Lord knows what else. It looked like dirty dish water, but it was quite good. He was quite the kidder. He was the husband of Melissa, one of our translator’s last year.

After lunch we visited the new parsonage which is due to be completed sometime in late summer/early fall. It will be quite nice with two floors, large bedrooms and two (2) bathrooms. There is an arch way foyer. It will not lend itself to having future dental/medical missions when it is completed. It had just been wired recently by three (3) electricians who came on a construction mission team from MN.

We returned to our hotel for a brief rest. At 3:00 PM Ron/Loretta transported us to the church where S.S. began at 3:00 PM. During that time Dr. Jim gave his demonstration to the children (approx. 40) on proper brushing of the teeth. They were very receptive. He was able to hold their attention for over 15-20 minutes.

Adult church service began at 4:00 PM with Pastor Rigo delivering the message using Luke 8: 40-53. He described the character Jarius who had a sick daughter. As the scripture was read, I immediately drew from the passage that it was faith that made the little girl well. Rigo gave it a different twist. He suggested that when you are down and possibly out, it’s your strength and courage with God’s help that allow you to go on.

That was certainly evident during the week because we had compressor problems in the beginning and were shut down for approx. one and one-half days. We worked two 10 hour days to make-up for lost time. Over the dais in front of the congregation are the espanol words….”Mi Presencia IRA Contiga y te dare descansa” Translation: “ My presence will go with you, I will give you rest”. Ex: 33: 14

The evening meal was tacos with coleslaw, mangoes juice and chocolate cake. After the evening meal while the group went to the internet café to send e-mails and to call home for 3 limpera, I went over needed supplies the next day. We were scheduled to begin seeing patients the next day at 8:30 AM. The evening devotion ended at 8:35 PM with Paul Moore reading the devotional from Nehemiah 4: 1-18

Three (3) questions were posed: As you prepared to leave the comforts of your home, was there anything that frightened you? Did you feel incapable of doing the duties you are going to perform? Did you almost let something get in your way of saying yes to God’s plan for you in Honduras? My answers were yes…yes….yes.

DAY 3 - 25 FEBRUARY 2008 TEMP 45 Degrees
The next day started at 5:45 AM after a good night’s rest far away enough from the crowing of chickens (cacophony) of sounds echoing off the mountain walls into the valley below. Again, the early rising of our leader on the balcony produced good conversation as to the task ahead that week as well as the outlook of things to come.

We were joined shortly afterwards by Blair Milster (my assistant/translator during the four days) and Dr. Paul Moore. The quote of the day came from Blair Milster. “This is the only place you will see recycled US school buses passing oxen drawn ox carts,” as they traveled from the main highway into the dirt road of Talanga, a village of 16,000-17,000 people.

We were to be picked-up and taken to the church/compoundd. by Ron/Loretta Davidson around 7:20 AM. Breakfast was at 8:00 AM with clinic to commence at 8:30 AM. Menu was eggs over easy, with tortillas, avocado wedges and OJ. First patients were seen at 8:45 AM. There were many logistical problems the first day.

The compressor started throwing oil which meant that the cmi pressure at the compressor was not sufficient to sustain the psi pressure at the dental units….must be 80-90 psi. One of the hydraulic chairs didn’t work, which meant that working efficiently around the chair was difficult. We were also short one chair that had been left in the church office in Teguc. That meant a trip back to Teguc to have it available for Tuesday.

We also had problems regulating the water that came out of the high speed handpieces. The poor patients were almost victims of waterboarding. By switching handpieces and regulating the correct air/water system, this problem was soon resolved. The supplies weren’t centrally located either which made it difficult for one operator to gain easy access to the work area. In reality, we had only one trained dental assistant which didn’t allow for the complete operation of both chairs.

There were other logistic problems the first day which in the end caused us to shut down around 4:00 PM temporarily until another compressor could be brought in. A generator was also brought in. It, too had oil leaking from it. It was a day of difficulty and we ended up the first day seeing only 27 patients. Blair Milster came prepared to do more than be a translator. He was familiar with compressors and how/what to do in case of emergency.

Clinic closed at 5:45 PM the first day. Dinner followed at 6:00 PM with the menu being roasted chicken with carrots, rice, garden salad, tortillas, birthday cake. It was Norma’s (preacher’s wife) B.D.

It was a long evening. I learned that you could call home, so I went with the group to the internet café and tried to call home. No answer, so I decided to leave a message via of e-mail to the church and have the church alert Mona that I would be calling home the next evening around 7:00-7:30 PM.

Dr. Jim appeared on local TV station that evening to advertise the clinic; it served as a PSA (public service announcement) to the community. Ron/Loretta drove us back to the hotel at 9:15 PM and we held our devotional in the lobby of the hotel. The devotion was a series of scriptures having to do with gifts. I’ll choose one that spoke to me….”You did not choose me said the master to his twelve disciples, But I have chosen you, and I have set you apart.” John 15:16

In doing mission work, it is truly God leading us to think outside our own comfort zone; sometimes he kicks us in the seat of the pants…or as someone mentioned over the 7 days…out the door. Being a disciple is more than being a servant, it is wanting to serve/share the love of Jesus Christ. Matt: 20: 25,28

I was a tired puppy…showered and fell into bed at 10:00 PM

DAY 4 - 26 FEBRUARY 2008 Again, with my built in alarm clock, I arose at 5:45 AM to the cacophonic sound/discord of barking dogs and crowing chickens off the mountain walls into the valley below. Soon the US recycled school buses bringing in workers from the surrounding areas had turned off the main highway into the dirt road leading into Talanga….of course passing again the oxen drawn ox carts with the owner walking slowly behind.

Ron/Loretta escorted us to the church/clinic around 7:00 AM. Breakfast was pancakes, bananas, OJ. Clinic was to commence at 8:15 AM with one gentlemen arriving early to be anesthetized for the removal of multiple teeth. We were still having compressor problems at this juncture and the 3rd chair had not arrived from Teguc.

The treatment regimen had pretty much be separated between the three (3) doc’s. Dr. Jim did exams/extractions, Dr. Paul did the operative and Dr. Norm did the prophies (cleanings). It was difficult for me to work out of the 3rd chair which did not raise or lower for easy access. There is no ergonomics on a mission trip except to grin and bare it. Total # of patients seen the 2nd day were fifty (50).

We stopped at 4:00 PM for the installation of the 2nd compressor. Dr. Jim left at 3:00 PM to make a oral hygiene presentation to Michelle’s (Pastor Luis’s daughter) at her school. The school day is split-up into two sessions…. morning and afternoon …with the actual school day only four hours long.

Dr. Jim’s presentation was filmed by the local TV station and we are to receive a copy for our viewing when we return home. The second day of clinic was long ending at 6:00 PM. Dinner followed at 6:30 PM with menu being fish fillets, corn on the cob (left in the husk) potatoes and chocolate cake for dessert. I left for the internet café shortly after the evening meal to call home. I managed to talk to Mona even though the reception was poor on her end. It was good to hear her voice and to touch base.

We returned to the church for evening devotional. It was a poem by Ruth Harms Czlkin….”Could You Hurry a Little?” Prayer followed renewing our spirits for the task yet to be completed. Cold shower and bed at 9:15 PM

DAY 5 27 FEBRUARY 2008

I arose again at 5:45 AM…same sounds every morning to the pathetic serenade of chickens crowing and dogs barking….left for the clinic at 7:10 AM…a long day ahead. Light breakfast at 7:30 AM with cold cereal, bananas, toast with peanut butter/honey sandwiches. We started clinic at 8:15 AM with Loretta my first patient for a routine cleaning. I was able to get Loretta on routine maintenance with proxy brushes which will help maintain her multiple crowns and healthy gums. I had one restorative patient and completed twenty-one cleanings before the day was over.

The clinic stopped at 5:20 PM. There were several of the rookies (first mission trip) that wanted to see the Ceiba tree……a huge tree probably 15-20’ in diameter. Returned to compd./church for dinner which consisted of pork chops, rice/beans, french fries, tortillas and corn on the cob...drink was frozen blackberry juice.

Two people had acquired GI disturbances during the previous night and immediately were placed on Xifan..a new drug recommended by Dr. Jim’s physician. One of our group stopped eating for the day… the other one didn’t miss a bite.

After dinner the entire group, except Tammy and me stayed at the church and rested. It was a long wait. We really wanted to go back to our rooms to rest. We returned around 9:00 PM for devotion which was held in the upstairs lobby. The devotion was an old Emmaus Walk theme…..”I can do anything through Him who gives me strength.” Philippians 4:13

Tally through three days of clinic: Totals: Exams 138 Fillings 138 Extractions 259 Cleanings 63
Total Procedures for Three Days 482

DAY 6 - 28 FEBRUARY 2008 I arose again at 5:45 AM…a nice gentle rain had fallen during the early morning hours. There were low soft clouds that gave the appearance of soft cotton lining the horizon. The last day began at 8:00 AM with breakfast and we were to see only 30 patients ending at 3:00 PM with breakdown of the equipment for our return tomorrow to Teguc where we would have a day of R and R.

Last minute clinical procedures were performed on our guests, the Pastor Luis family. Norma had (3) fillings done by Dr. Jim. Dr. Paul and I began the knock down of mobile dental units making sure that all water lines were cleaned and sterilized. The units were to be returned home. They will be stored in Dr. Paul’s basement until the next dental mission trip which will be the second or third week of Jan. 2009. The children will be out of school during January which would allow for treatment of more pediatric patients.

This year, the nature of the dental visits were primarily adult. The autoclaves will stay in storage at the church compound. The portable dental chair returned to the central office in Teguc where other mission trips may find use for it. The dental supplies, instruments and supplies were all placed back in suitcases….a formidable task with 23 suitcases accompanying us on our return visit back to the States.

After completing the knock down task and putting the church back in its religious order for Pastor Luis, the evening meal followed with tortillas, some type of beef cooked on open grill, avocado wedges, some type of chow chow relish to mix with the beans. The day was not ended for most.

Rigo and the rest of the gang went to the soccer stadium which was one block away and played soccer with the church school kids for one hour. Tammy and I returned to our hotel rooms where I packed, showered (cold) and rested until the rest of the team returned. It was approx. 9:00 PM,

DAY 7 29 FEBRUARY 2008 Tomorrow (manana) we will be taking a side trip to the “Valley of the Angels,” and old silver mining town which is approx. one hour from Teguc. It is a village of crafts, gift shops, restaurants and a good way to unload some US dollars to purchase souvenirs. We will be given evaluation sheets by Ron/Loretta to fill out before we leave.

We will also be taking home Honduran coffee which one of Central America’s byproducts. It is produced next to a rain forest where the mountain rains wash the coffee bean which makes the coffee naturally decaffeinated…low acidity. Incidentally, we had several coffee heads on this trip…Dr. Jim, Dr. Paul, Blair, Ron and Rochelle. They drank it all day long.

We left the “Valley of the Angels”around 4:00 PM and on our way home stopped at a small village in the mountains called Saint Lucia. A beautiful old Catholic church dating back to 1805 is one of the focal points of the city with beautiful homes built on the sides of the mountain terrain….climbing flowers and bushes adorn the surrounding homes.

There are two types of socio-economic levels in Teguc and the roads leading to and from St. Lucia…rich and poor…no middle class The evening was to be a dinner for our group at a local restaurant one block away from CASAl, the B & B where we were spending the night.

A mission trip from So. Carolina which consisted of three (3) busloads of people had taken over the restaurant. Rigo and his family, Alexandro and his family joined us with their wives and small children. Melissa, Alexandro’s wife was one of our translator’s last year and pregnant with Alexandro, Jr. who is a clone of Alexandro.

The restaurant next door was not prepared for our group. They had only one waiter and one cook. The last persons to be served didn’t get their food until 9:30 PM. In short, the restaurant was fair to poor. We left the restaurant shortly after 9:30 PM and prepared for our long journey back home.

Comment: For the veterans who had been at Casal last year, the accommodations at Hotel Fuentes in Talanga were better than Casal. The rooms were dirty at Casal and the continental breakfast fair.

First Impression: It’s an awful lot of work extending over eight months of preparation for these mission trips…also quite expensive for four days….rendering services to 180 people. Loretta is concerned about the place to hold the clinic next year. The newly constructed parsonage will not lend itself to a makeshift dental clinic. The church will not be ready. The public health center was a possibility until we visited it the last morning before we left for Teguc. The patients were standing outside the clinic door waiting to be seen. The level of air borne bacteria would be a problem along with patient control/noise level. Perhaps the property where the church is located now could be rented, if it isn’t sold by the landlord.

Second Thoughts: Dr. Jim Fetsch is passionate about establishing a permanent medical/dental clinic in Talanga. He and Craig Boring have formed a non for profit corporation hoping to seek donations toward purchase of land and the building of a clinic. I think this is the best situation that could be arranged…if it is viable/doable. The transporting of suitcases back and forth with each dental mission trip is a difficult task at best. Distance and logistics are the biggest obstacles. This type of situation that presents itself requires communication/coordination/prayer with all the elements of global ministries of the United Methodist Church. This year there will be a meeting all those involved in global ministries at SunRise United Methodist Church, O’Fallon, MO the 18,19,20 Sept. We will be the host church. Planning/communication/raising revenues will be the main topics of discussion.

DAY 8 - 1 MARCH 2008

Preparations began for our pick-up by Loretta/driver/rented van to take us to the airport for our AA flight #954 leaving at 1:45 PM.to Miami, FL. It was delayed one hour so we boarded at 2:45 PM CST arriving in Miami at 6:30 PM EST. Our luggage hadn’t been checked through all the way to St. Louis, so after deplaning we had to go through customs, select a cart (8 carts) and load our supplies and suitcases to be delivered to another part of the airport for loading on return AA flight #1078 to St. Louis. This required going through security again, of course.

The walk to our final departure gate was at least a mile…maybe more. Boarding took place around 8:45 PM EST and with the change in time zones, we arrived in St. Louis at 10:05 PM. Happy to be home …I think this trip made me appreciate my family and the comforts which we all enjoy. We have so much…and they have so little…by our standards. They are a proud people. They eat well and their children are beautiful. Matt: 28: 19,20

Final Tally: Exams Extractions Restorative Cleanings Fluoride Tr’s 180 342 200 77 170 Total Procedures: Over 1000 Estimated Value: $175,000.-$200,000.

Members who went on this trip:
Dr. Jim Fetsch---Leader/coordinator
Dr. E. Paul Moore—Dentist
Dr. Norm Freiberger—Dentist
Jennifer Fetsch—Surgical Ass’t
Tammy Stelling—Dental Ass’t
Rochelle Collette—Translator
Blair Milster—Translator/Handy Man
Emily Blue—Sterilizing/gofer Ass’t

Members in Teguc/Talanga:
Ron/Loretta Davidson—Coordinators, UMC
Pastor Luis Alberto—Igelsia Methodista
Rigo—Pastor/Translator
Alexandro--Translator