Drop-in American Visitors?

A couple of weeks ago, during a bit of downtime between groups, we were surprised to look up and notice a group of caucasians unloading from a van with Texas license plates. Now lots of cars down here have Texas plates, but the white faces and English-speaking voices that arrived out of nowhere were a big surprise! We quickly assumed our role as greeters for visitors to the campus and learned that they were a group of Baptists from Indiana and Texas who were on an exploratory trip considering different models for bible schools. Their collective churches want to build a bible school in the area and wanted to see what had been accomplished at Alfa y Omega.

During our discussions, I shared about our plans for building the medical clinic to serve indigenous people here and the medical mission trips that we've been having for the past few years.

One gentleman mentioned, "Well, we've got a lady dentist in our church who could help, but she said 'to really make a difference, I'd really need some sort of mobile dental unit to take into the community." We discussed the experiences of other dentists who have participated in medical missions and the services that they are able to provide. Primarily, because of time, numbers of dental patients and available resources, dentists on medical mission trips end up pulling 2-5 teeth for most patients. No mobile dental unit required.

Now, before you squalk to yourself about pulling versus repairing, consider this: most patients come in hoping to find someone who can pull their teeth and grant them the pain relief they crave! That is their culture, and it's what they come wanting. The patients leave satisfied, and 3 times as many patients have been served than if we "drilled & filled," simply because of the time it takes to complete those procedures. And if we used a mobile dental unit, we would not be able to reach those with the most pressing needs since the roads to Tzeltal villages are a challenge to regular vehicles and would NEVER accommodate an RV or similar vehicle.

This temptation to want to provide our best to those who need it the most is very common. In fact, it is part of what drives the changes in mental health services across NC and many other states in the country. In both cases, we have somehow ended up letting the desire for the perfect to be the enemy of the good. I heard that mantra from my friend and mentor, Bert Wood, for the past 2 years, and it's true! Here in Mexico, the needs are great, and yet, even if we can't provide the ideal, we can provide what people are asking for in many cases without having all the perfect resources. So, mobile dental units are not required in order to make a HUGE difference!

As basic human needs are met, trust begins to develop. As trust develops, relationships are formed. As relationships are formed, doors of opportunity to share God's word and the Good News are opened. Thanks be to God that we don't have to have the perfect to do good works in the Lord's name. And if any other gringos want to drop by unexpectedly, we'll welcome you with open arms too!