Nicola, or Nickey, is in her early twenties. A part of the Upper Mattaponi tribe, she came to Saturday’s clinic with her father and one of her three brothers. The determined young woman has been cutting down trees for a living for several years. Nickey hasn’t seen a dentist for two years and does not have dental insurance. She was happy to find out that all she needed was a cleaning. “It’s a good thing that you came out and volunteered,” she commented.

Patients like Captain had never been to a dentist. The 54-year-old man not only saw the dentist, but got a new prescription for his glasses. Kirk was in the dental chair to Captain’s left. He was so grateful that dentists like Dr. Davila had volunteered. Kirk had not been to a dentist’s office since the early 1990’s, and now he was experiencing some pain in a couple of front teeth. Soon, his mouth was packed with gauze and he had a thankful smile on his face. He also had an optical exam.

Late afternoon even found Chief Ann in one of the 11 dentist’s chairs. Her family has tirelessly given the Rappahannock Tribe a voice for more than four generations. After five years of praying for a dental clinic to come in and help the people, she made contact with Operation Blessing. She shared, “We’ve been in a society that has generally not wanted to associate with us. To be able to show love and caring [to these people], you can’t even begin to put into words the positive impact that you are making. This year was the time; this has just been great. All of the dentists have been a god send.”

Forty-five men and women from tribes including the Rappahannock, Upper Mattaponi, Chickhomimy, Mattaponi, Pamunkey and Nansemond received dental care during Saturday’s clinic. Patients also took the opportunity to get their eyes examined by Dr. Harrell’s team. Everyone who needed new glasses picked out new frames. After grinding the lenses, optician Ray Guin’s team will ship the finished glasses to each patient’s home!

Join the Team
Our national medical mission program 2005 has already helped hundreds of families and individuals this year! Every month our volunteer team brings medical services including dental care to the working poor, immigrants and those without dental insurance. Do you know a dental professional, or are you one? If so, you can volunteer to be a part of our team by looking at the 2005 mission schedule. You can also be a part of our team by making a generous gift of $40 or more today!

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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