I improved my reading skills when I was young by reading selections from the Readers Digest Condensed Books. Two books that had a lasting effect were A Ship Called Hope by William B. Walsh and Kon-Tiki by Thor Heyerdahl. The first told the story of a refitted military hospital ship that provided humanitarian medical aid to various countries around the world, particularly Latin America. The second recapped an epic adventure of floating across the Pacific on a balsa wood raft from Ecuador to Polynesia to prove the viability of a migration route. After reading both books, I wanted to do something similar but had no concrete plans how to do that. Decades later, I found my solution in St Anthony of Padua’s Medical/Dental Mission to Honduras.
I walked into the informational meeting for the 2018 Mission Trip uncertain that I brought enough knowledge or skill to be useful. After listening to a summary of how the Mission was organized, I told the presenter that I probably was only 60% to 70% qualified for any specific job. I’d worked as an EMT in college, but hadn’t refreshed those skills since. I knew enough Spanish to order food and beer, but couldn’t carry a conversation. I can drive with a manual transmission, but I’ve never driven a four wheel drive vehicle in off-road conditions. I wanted to go on Mission but only if I was productively useful. My test was whether my presence on mission was more beneficial than donating the equivalent money to the mission. They told me confidently that they would provide training for any job I volunteered for.
So after two missions, where am I? I’ve passed the Registered Dental Assistant test for certification in Texas, so I enhance the productivity of the dentists on Mission. I’ve trained in ultrasound cleaning of teeth. I’m not certified in Texas to clean teeth but Honduras doesn’t require it so I have improved the oral health of several dozen folks in Honduras. My granddaughter, my training guinea pig, says I did a decent job on her teeth. My Spanish is a bit more polished thanks to internet learning apps. I feel competently useful on Mission in Honduras. The Mission Team can definitely take a new missionary and train them to be useful.
The Honduras Mission provides the opportunity to fulfill my childhood goal of helping others in an adventuresome location. Granted, traveling across Honduras isn’t crossing the open Pacific on a raft, but traveling six hours on two lane blacktops with numerous tumelos (“speed bumps”) isn’t a Sunday drive in the country. There’s plenty of adventure on the trip!
The personal takeaways are significant as well. When you are on mission, the demands of the work and the challenges of local conditions often obscure the positive impacts we make. On reflection afterwards, I am impressed with the resourcefulness and dedication of the team to accomplish our goals. I have memories of small victories in our dental clinic. The restored glow of a young mother no longer afraid to smile and expose her teeth. The humor of an older gentleman who exclaimed that women might look at him again after I had cleaned his heavily stained teeth. The giggles and excitement of a class of kids as we applied fluoride treatment to their teeth.
But despite the emphasis on treatment, my favorite memory doesn’t involve that. At the close of one day while waiting for the trucks to return to base, I sat on the stairs to the school and folded an origami flapping bird for two young girls about six years old. They seemed enthralled with the process and were silently attentive. When I finished the bird, I flapped its wings and offered it to the girls. One girl reached for it, but went past the bird and touched the noticeable hair on my knuckles and asked, “Que es esto”? When I told her “pelo”, they both laughed loudly and ran off.
God works in mysterious ways sometimes. I can’t always know what or why, but I can know we have an impact. Sometimes it’s only your presence & not what you’re doing that’s important.
~ Bendiciones Steve
A LEGACY OF SMILES
Steve Rafferty joined our mission in 2018 & quickly became an intergal team member despite not knowing exactly where he could fit in! Steve has graciously stepped up to lead the dental charge as we get ready for our return in June. We are ever so blessed to be able to share in Steve’s enthusiasm & knowledge! Get ready for those “tumelos” Steve!