Days Three and Four of Dental Training

Hello from Taungyi, Burma.

Originally  our plan was to bring 12 barefoot doctors from the Class of 2012 to finish their dental training.  But one didn't make it.  However, the good news is that all 11 students will be graduated.  I wasn't able to update you about yesterday due to internet connection problem.  The total patients the barefoot doctors treated in the last two days were around 80 patients.  Most of them were poor and people special needs.

1st pic: A non-Christian Pa Oo woman smiling after the barefoot doctors extracted her bad tooth.  She said the barefoot doctors are different from the goverment trained dentists.  I can't say more than that here.

2nd pic: A young girl refused to let the barefoot doctor work on her teeth unless  we spell her name correctly.  She said spelling was not correct. :)  We corrected the spelling - she was happy and the barefoot doctor accomplished his mission!

3rd pic: Ken Saw, one of our barefoot doctors.

4th pic: A young boy praying with the barefoot doctor.  He is an orphan.

Thank you for reading our updates and praying for us.  Jung

Good Second Day Report from Jung

Hello from Taungyi, Burma.

A correction about the number of patients the barefoot doctors treated the first day.  It was 46, not 'about 20'. Today we had over 40 patients (I don't have exact numbers at hand) and we worked till 6:30 pm.

 

In the morning we worked at Abraham's church where the training is being held.  In the afternoon we moved to the handicapped and orphanage center where there are kids and adults with special needs.  Most of them are mentally challenged kids and adults.  

 

According to the managers this is the first time they have received dental/dentistry care.  These people are considered second class citizens and marginalized people.  I am so happy that we went there.   We plan to go back again tomorrow. It has been a long day but the dentists are happy and pleased with what we have accomplished today and what the barefoot doctors are doing in Thailand and Burma.

The way we run the barefoot doctors program is different from medical programs that some others NGOs run. They don't include the spiritual part.  What this program brings is more than I can describe.  It is a rewarding ministry!

About the pictures below:

1st pic - A young girl with wheelchair is from handicapped center.  She is an orphan.

2nd pic -  I took this picture because she looked sad.  She came to watch the barefoot docs extracting her friend's bad tooth.

3rd pic - She prayed after she received dental care.  Found out that she is a Catholic. I prayed with her.  What was she praying for?  I don't know.  I kept thinking about this on the way to the hotel.

4th pic - Dr. Richard and two barefoot docs working on a patient.

 We have a special prayer request to share for LeRoy, Richard and Beverley who all got sick with food poisoning.  Please pray for their quick recovery.

Thank you for your prayers and support.  Update you more soon.  Jung

Quick Update on Day One

Thanks for continuing to pray for the dental training that is going on this week in Myanmar.

David and Mary Tucker are there this week from the UK to teach Bible each morning.  The students love them so!  Then Beverley Kalnin and Jung Dangshing are there from FLC for Bible teaching in the evening.

Dental training is being carried on throughout the day by a dedicated group of dentists from the USA.  The instructors from mPower include: Linda Jo Webster - team leader, LeRoy Winston,Tara Lynn Baxter, Richard Turner Baxter, DDS, Annette Elena Merlino, DDS, and Daniel Raymond Klein, DDS.

There is a critical need for more patients for the students to work on.  The first day they had about 20 patients, but many more are needed. Due to the high standards set by mPower, getting enough patients for the students in order for them to graduate is challenging.  The hope is that most days they will have more than the 20 patients they had the first day.

 

At the same time, Jung reports that he can already see the students growing in confidence.  Thanks for your prayers!

Dental Training Finally Continues!

Dental Training Continues, This Time in Myanmar!

Today, February 25th, a Dental training started anew in Myanmar for the Barefoot Doctors who graduated in 2012.  Many of them had not completed their dental training due to extenuating circumstances, but today this training began again.  Praise God!

A team of dentists from mPower traveled with their dental equipment to Myanmar over the past couple of days.  Some of the FLC staff is coming up for the training, as well.  It is still unclear how many of the recent graduates were able to make it to Shan State for this training module.

This is the first time the Barefoot Doctor training will take place inside Myanmar, and we are very excited about that!  We originally planned to do this training in the northern part of the country in January.  The plan was to include medical training by way of a refresher course for the current Barefoot Doctors in that region. Many of them have been serving their area for many years, and they have never had an opportunity to update their knowledge and skills. 

Unfortunately, this larger training program had to be scrapped when fighting broke out in that region.  The government closed the doors to foreigners, and so we had to make up a new plan.  We are so grateful that dentists from mPower were willing to adjust their schedules and flights so the dental training could occur this quickly.

We will update you as updates become available to us.  Since there may be no access to the internet at times, we will report things when we can and hopefully include some pictures.  In the meantime, please pray TODAY and EVERY DAY for the dentists and their students as they learn skills that are desperately needed in the villages and areas they serve.