Go Beyond

In the summer of 2023, the children who attended Kingsland’s Vacation Bible School raised funds for the purchase and outfitting of a mobile dental clinic to care for children who live in remote villages on the Indonesian island of Papua — formerly Irian Jaya.

Every year, we remind our kids that they do not have to wait until they are all grown up to change the world — God can use them right now. Once again, our kids embraced the challenge and brought in their nickels, dimes, quarters, and dollars to fund a special project to specifically bless kids who live in hard places. They set up popsicle and lemonade stands and did all sorts of other creative entrepreneurial initiatives to raise the money for the mobile dental clinic.

That year, as in previous years, I wrote a book to explain the need in Papua to our kids. Learning to love and serve others is an indispensable part of spiritual formation. That’s why we want for our kids to grow up with an understanding of what life is like for kids in other parts of the world while giving them an opportunity to bless those children.

The dream of funding a mobile dental clinic for the children and families of Papua is now a reality. Dr. Miguel Lopez, our partner serving in Papua, shepherded the project through to completion.

The mobile unit was constructed over several months in Jakarta, Indonesia to Dr. Lopez’s specifications. The unit is self-contained and capable of serving in locations on and off the grid. Once completed, the unit traveled by ship to Papua.

My friend Andrew Probstfeld and I arrived in Papua on Saturday for the official dedication of the dental clinic. Andrew serves on our media team as director of Kingsland Films and has completed a beautiful documentary on the life and ministry of Dr. Lopez and his wife Laura. After we premier the film at Kingsland it will be available on our Kingsland Films YouTube channel.

The dedication was a beautiful event. More than one-hundred nationals and ex-pats who serve in Papua attended the dedication service. We began with worship and then Dr. Lopez told the story about his dream to have a mobile resource to provide greater care for those who live in very remote villages. When he had shared that dream with me in early 2023, I told him that God would use Kingsland’s kids to make that dream a reality.

And now, that dream has become a reality.

The mobile dental clinic is ready to hit the road. Given Dr. Lopez’s extensive ministry to small villages around the island, this clinic will be on the go every week. Children and families who have lived a lifetime with no access to dental care will now be the beneficiaries of this beautiful clinic.

The best part is that every person served in the mobile clinic will have the opportunity to know the love of God and how valued they are in His eyes. Both the dental care they receive and the good news they hear will go a long way toward restoring their smiles.