Chile -- Majestic snowcapped peaks looked down into the valleys where cold rain spattered and wind whipped in. Even though it was the end of summer in the Northern Hemisphere, Chile was nearing it's end of winter. In late July a group of forty-eight volunteers brought a warm breeze into two Chilean cities. See how Operation Blessing was able to assist in Hope 4 Kids International's first medical mission!

Set up and tear down. This is what Operation Blessing representative Mickey Salvant did while on a recent medical and dental mission July 27 - August 6th. Hope 4 Kids International asked Operation Blessing to come alongside in their Chile mission by bringing three sets of dental equipment and chairs. In addition to maintaining the dental area, Mickey managed multiple clinic locations.

The team began in Chile's capital city of Santiago, made their way to Chillan and then back to Santiago for the last three days. Four dentists and three doctors freely treated children and their families. Many had never seen a dentist. A dentist asked a female patient as to when her teeth had been pulled out. She responded by saying they had just fallen out! Other team members, many of them youth, assisted in various work projects in local orphanages. The last two days were especially busy. Clinics were held in five locations with the last being forty-five minutes away from the others, creating interesting logistical challenges.

However, seeing the faces of their grateful patients made all of the challenges disappear. Patients like a dear elderly man threading a needle in the optical area. He was a tailor by trade and hadn't been able to see for a period of time. This man's life was positively altered by just one of one thousand pairs of reading glasses provided by Operation Blessing! Debbie Salvant and another volunteer fitted 860 patients in two weeks time. The remaining were given to a local organization for their distribution.

"God kept everything going and the equipment working," commented Mickey, an OBI mission veteran. "Everyone was so thankful for whatever we could do."

Hundreds of men, women, and children will never be the same after receiving acts of kindness from this dedicated team. Not a stranger to sacrificial volunteers, Mickey and Debbie have been on over twenty missions in fifteen different countries with Operation Blessing. Mickey shares, "Debbie and I have been so blessed to be a part of what Operation Blessing is doing around the world. Medical doctors and dentist have a God given ability to treat the body and we all have been given the ability to treat the soul. When you put the two together the people are truly blessed now and for eternity."

You can share an act of kindness with the many around the world who need your help!

HOW YOU CAN HELP
Be a part of OBI's ongoing medical relief efforts by making an online contribution to help those suffering from extreme poverty and sickness.

 

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