Well, we made it! I tried to get pictures of our Peru Dental trip up on Facebook, but the internet was too slow and/or I was too tired to make it work!
So, here goes- a short recap of our recent trip to Peru…
We left Thursday morning, bright and early. We had a 15-passenger van and a pick-up with all of our luggage take 11 of us from my home to the airport. We met two more there, to bring our dental team up to 13 people. We flew from Denver to Houston, then on to Lima, Peru, landing at approximately midnight. We waited in the Lima airport for the medical team coming from California, then took probably close to 100 bags through customs!
We checked the bags on to Trujillo, in northern Peru. Then, we had almost two hours to pretend to sleep in the airport. So, an hour’s flight got us to Trujillo, then the usual adventure of getting all those bags loaded onto a chartered bus up into the mountains to our final destination, Cascas. It was about a two-and-a-half-hour trip: far better than eight years ago when we first did the trip and it took four hours! They have really improved the roads over the years.
We had a police escort the last part of the way, and as we neared town, were greeted with several excited motorcycle escorts as well. Arriving in town, we were welcomed with fireworks and a marching band! Then, we had a welcome reception from the mayor and town and county officials, with speeches, music and children’s dance performances.
We dropped off our luggage in the hotel in town, and then took the bus down to the church where the clinic would be set up. Or I should say we took the bus most of the way… the driver had great difficulty getting that big bus down the narrow dirt road, and finally gave up a quarter-mile from the clinic. So, we walked down to lunch provided by the local church folks, and got a truck to ferry the clinic bags the rest of the way down.
After lunch, we set up the clinic, turning the big empty room into a 10-chair dental clinic! Amazing how much stuff it takes! Then, the mile hike up to town and our hotel… a light dinner and crashed.
Saturday morning was church, where I had the privilege of speaking! The rest of the day was spent celebrating our Sabbath, and getting steam up for the following week.
Sunday started our “normal” routine: hike down to the clinic, breakfast at 7am, a short worship talk and orientation, and then to work. We would work until about 6pm, with lunch staggered in as we could around noon. Then, hike back up to the town, or if we were lucky, catch a ride in the old Chevy Suburban we had available. So, that was the pattern for each day.
We would have someone triaging out front, to decide what each person’s primary concern was. Then, they head into the clinic for cleaning, extractions or restorations. We had three dentists and two hygienists on our team, as well as many others doing much needed support. We even had guest appearances by some Peruvian dentists who helped us out. One morning, our two hygienists went to the local school, and did over a hundred fluoride applications, and sent some of the kids who needed further treatment down to our clinic. So, over the week, we saw over 600 patients. Exhausting work, but rewarding.
I was asked to evaluate a person who had a dental condition severe enough that we could not treat it there. I was trying to explain that to him through a translator, who told me the patient said “I cannot understand a word that foreign doctor is saying, but I see love in his face!” If that sort of thing doesn’t touch you, you may need a heart transplant!
On Wednesday night, we had our supper on top of a hill about a mile behind the clinic. Many of the local folk joined us, and we had a big bonfire and a singing competition! Watching the sun slide behind the mountains and the lights of the town blink on is a sight not to forget! But far more wonderful is the warm welcoming spirit and boundless energy of the great people celebrating with us!
On Friday, we closed the clinic down around noon, and after lunch packed up the equipment we would take home. We left a lot of unused supplies for local dentists to use.
We spent Friday night near the Trujillo airport, in a little town called Huanchaco. It is right near the beach, so we could spend a little time resting up before our trip home. Saturday night, we flew back to Lima, then a little after midnight, on to Houston and back home, roughly 24 hours after leaving Huanchaco! A long day to finish a long week!
So once again, I thank all of the team, and all of our wonderful patients who contributed to making this trip a success! THANK YOU!!!
