Go Beyond

Khondhamal Hills | Orissa, India | 19-20 October 2010

Late yesterday morning, we hauled our footlockers laden with dental supplies to the Moorshead Memorial Christian Hospital. British missionaries built this hospital in 1936 to provide medical care for the tribal peoples of the Khondhamal Hills. I first visited this hospital in 1998 with my late friend Calvin Fox, a Christian agriculturalist who loved the tribal peoples of Orissa. The hospital showed its age back then and shows it a bit more today. But, it’s the go-to place for folks in need of medical care. Despite the challenges of working in an old facility with limited resources, the medical staff here is dedicated to providing their patients with the best care possible.

The hospital administrators and staff welcomed us with open arms — presenting each of us with flowers and a beautiful welcome song. Following the greeting ceremony, we worked together to set up our dental clinic. We had to improvise and come up with some creative solutions in order to get some things done, but within an hour we were ready to see the first patient. Dr. Hall and Dr. Estes set up a dental triage system and then started receiving patients. Ironically, our first patient was the first boy that Mr. Naik enrolled in our boarding school several years ago. This young man was in quite a bit of pain and had three of his wisdom teeth extracted. Once the procedure was over he hopped off the table, nodded his head in appreciation, and went out to join the other boys — all eager to hear every detail about the procedure.

Doyle and I served as dental assistants, sterilized the dental instruments, and acted as gate-keepers. The rest of the day was non-stop. After addressing the needs of the boys, we welcomed the people of the surrounding villages. Our team worked until darkness prevented us from seeing another patient. The rolling blackouts in the area plus the absence of working light fixtures made it a challenge for our doctors to work. So, we called it a day and put things in order for an early start on Wednesday morning, satisfied that we had helped almost thirty people suffering discomfort from broken, infected, and diseased teeth.

Dr. Joey Hall

Wednesday morning came early. By the time we reached the hospital, word about the dental clinic had spread to the surrounding areas. People arrived early in the hope of seeing one of our dentists. Once again, Dr. Hall and Dr. Estes examined those waiting and proceeded to tackle the worst cases. These two men worked on their feet all day, seeing patient after patient. They never took a break. Our final patient was a woman who had walked more than thirty-miles to the clinic with her baby. She had an abscessed tooth that had formed a protruding pocket of pus in her jaw. As soon as the infected tooth was extracted the poison in her jaw seeped out, giving her immediate relief and very possibly saving her life. With no remaining light to continue working, we had to turn away almost eighty-people.

Dr. Joe Estes

Dr. Hall and Dr. Estes worked in less than ideal conditions and helped more than seventy people in a great deal of pain. The most difficult part of this kind of initiative is dealing with constraints of time. We had only so much time in which to care for the boys of our boarding school and the people of the area. But, even those who were turned away did not complain. Our doctors gave antibiotics to as many as needed medicine and also gave toothbrushes to all. We hope to return again to offer the people of the Khondhamal Hills dental care — a practical expression of God’s love. It was great to tell folks that we had come to help because we love God and love people. Over the past couple of days, we enjoyed seeing the smiles of those we helped, even if many of those smiles were missing a tooth or two and filled with gauze. No problem. Gratitude always has a way of shining through.