Teeth and bears and shoes OH MY

Hi everyone,
We took a group from Alto Quiel School to the dental clinic for treatment. Lots of black teeth but they are so wonderful and cooperative. They try to be brave and so we give them a prize. 2 Girls chose bears and hugged them and laughed all the way home! Some got new shoes too. Linda said as we dropped off one of the little girls, "I hope she doesn't live in the chicken coop house (looks like a run down chicken coop). Yep she did but skipped and waved and smile all the way to her house! We love what we do and are blessed to have the priviledge of ministering the these precious souls God has given us to help.
Bad news....we got home and found the house ransacked...we were robbed. We have a well secure house with bars but they ripped off the tiles on the roof and jumped through the ceiling in a spare bedroom! Who would have thought that ! So we must invest in a 7 foot iron fence to keep thieves out. Ticks me off. Praise the Lord they didn't get much since they had to go out through the roof too. 2 old tvs and 2 laptops (OUCH) and a watch and my wedding ring. I'm installing cameras in the house too. Too bad one must spend money on such things.

Here is the picture link for the teeth and shoes and bears:

https://picasaweb.google.com/mariommendoza48/TeethAndBearsAndShoesOHMY?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCIvF69PWuP34Tg&feat=directlink

 

Hair day at Alto Quiel School

Hi everyone,
We went to Alto Quiel school one morning to do lice shampoo treatments for the girls and haircuts for the boys. The teachers asked if we could do lice shampoos because lice were falling onto their desks and papers! Linda by now is very good at doing the girl's hair and she had lots of help from a team from Indiana. Alan and I and one of the Indiana girls cut the boys hair. Mine all got a buzz! I'm getting better though!
Then in the afternoon we took a group for dental work.

See pics on the picassa link:

https://picasaweb.google.com/mariommendoza48/HairDayAndAltoQuielSchool?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCJuUuafbn_-L2wE&feat=directlink

I'm still waiting for Lori Bock to come down. We'll keep you busy the whole time!!

Comarca Bridge Project

Hi everyone,
A team from Indiana visited the Mission and Alan took us to the comarca to give out shoes to a school there. He took us down to the river far below where he plans to build a cable bridge across the river so kids won't have to walk way downstream to cross. Many already have to walk miles to school. This will shorten their trek quite a bit.
Any takers to help. We need some macho guys who can hike a mile down a steep muddy trail with steel cables, cement, tools and use river rocks to build a cable bridge. I barely made it down without carrying anything!
I fell and hurt my back and then got lost! I finally ran into a Ngobe man who felt sorry for me and cut a tree to make me a walking stick for the steep trail. I took a picture of myself in case I didn't make it out! LOL. Well I did but the kids ran past me up the trail laughing at my walking stick! Stinks getting old!
Any takers to help build a bridge? Let me know.
Linda and the girls passed out new shoes. We ran out and so sad that some went away without new shoes. Thanks again to all who have given shoes for the Ngobe people.

See pics on the following Picassa link:

https://picasaweb.google.com/mariommendoza48/ComarcaProjectJuly11?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCJ_n7fKHor3xwwE&feat=directlink

To All the Pointers I Have Loved

I wrote this song and did this video to remember all the pointers I have loved. I was insprired by PRO Rescue and Sandra Smith and dedicate it to my Dexter who I dearly miss.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1iiMmZ-QERA

If interested here are the words.

To all the pointers I’ve loved before

Who gracefully walked through my door

I glad they came along

I dedicate this song

To all the pointers I’ve loved before

Of all the dogs I once caressed

My pointers were the very best

Of all the breeds I’ve had

My pointers made me glad

I chose them above all the rest

The winds of time are always blowing

And even though I pray and pray

The winds of change keep blowing

And they just carry them away

To all the pointers who cared for me

Who filled my life with ecstasy

They live within my heart

They’ll always be a part

Of all that makes me whole and free

To all the pointers we took in

And rescued from a world of sin

We're glad we helped them see

Some humans can always be

The ones who give them hope again.

The winds of time are always blowing

And even though I pray and pray

The winds of change keep blowing

And they just carry them away

To all the pointers who shared their love

Who look down from the rainbow bridge above

I'm glad they came along

I dedicate this song

To all the pointers I have loved

Of all the pointers I’ve lost before

The many tears that fell to the floor

I’d cry and then I’d say

I’ll wipe those tears away

And find my new pointer love once more

To all the pointers I’ve loved before

Who gracefully walked through my door

I glad they came along

I dedicate this song

To all the pointers I’ve loved before

Some may say, “why would you spend so much time putting this video together for a dog”.  I reply, ”you obviously don’t understand how I have loved my pointers and how much joy they brought into my life”.  I would spend 100 times the time spent just to hold each one again.”

I’ve never meet a pointer I didn’t like

A visit to a Ngobe Kindergarten in the mountains of Boquete

Hi everybody,

Today Linda and I visited a kindergarten one room school. The elementary school is about 2-3 miles down a rough gravel/rock road. They will attend there next year. As you can see from the pictures the “classroom” is a one room small wooden structure without chairs and limited supplies.  About half the kids were without shoes and walk on rocky paths to get to the gravel/dirt road. All the kids got toothbrushes thanks to Janine Easton and Bree Shafer (Dr Fresh donations). Next visit they will get shoes thanks to Mandy and COD. Some kids had such bad decay you could see it from across the room. Some of them were hard to examine because they ate the playdoe! LOL. I did exams on the doorsteps and will come back to take the ones who need care to our clinic. On the road back down you can see the paved road below by an arrow. Beautiful place but difficult life! The teacher goes to the Mission church and her Ngobe helpers brought other younger kids.

Holly Ameduri with Western Christian School and COD are collecting shoes for the Ngobe kids. Some school supplies would help too (hint hint Marisa!! ). We are bringing chairs the mission has next time too.
Click on the following link to see the pictures.

https://picasaweb.google.com/mariommendoza48/KindergartenDentalVisit?authkey=Gv1sRgCNHR7tLZ486uzgE&feat=directlink

I love what we do and we are blessed to have the honor of serving the Lord here in Boquete.

Mario and Linda

Little Anna

Hi Everyone,
Today was another tearjerker at the dental clinic. A little 9 year old girl was standing outside the clinic with her head down. I asked her what she wanted. She was holding her face and said her tooth hurt. Her parents weren't with her!! Only her brother. I soon understood her problem. They had burned her face with hot nails because she had a toothache. All her permanent molars were bombed out and one hurt just to touch it. She cried for her mommy and said they burned her face but her tooth still hurt. She cried for her mommy again so I said Linda would be her mommy today. She was so brave. She opened wide and let me numb her up. Then I lost it because she whimpered that she hadn't been able to sleep it hurt so much. I had to turn away so she wouldn't she me cry. No 9 year should have to bear such pain. She let me do a root canal and left happy she didn't hurt anymore. She will return next week for the other teeth. I know God enables me to help calm these poor kids down so I can do my thing. I pray she'll will come back for the other teeth. I am blessed to have the privilege to minister to their dental needs.
Click on the following links to see her pictures.
https://picasaweb.google.com/mariommendoza48/LittleAnna?feat=directlink

Blessed beyond words,
Mario and Linda

Poor Sweet Delfia

Poor Sweet Delfia,

I lost it today. Seldom if ever have I been so distraught doing dentistry that I had to turn away to wipe away my tears.

Delfia is a beautiful petite 8 year old Ngobe Indigenous Indian girl from a semi-wilderness area we call the comarca (reservation). Sweet smile and sweet spirit. Then she opened her mouth.  Almost every tooth in her mouth was rotten to the gums. All 4 of her permanent molars were cesspools of rotting decay. She had never been to a dentist and was scared to death. She was my little valiant princess who tried so hard to be brave and open wide while big crocodile tears fell from her eyes like huge drops of water slipping off a water lily. All her teeth were covered with hard calculus even on the chewing surfaces!! Neither Pam, my hygienist nor I have ever seen such a sight on a small child. Slowly I removed layer after layer of decay all the way to the pulp chamber with nerves exposed. I couldn’t stand the thought of pulling all her permanent molars so I desperately did all I could to restore her teeth in the few days I had to see her. I’ll have to leave many of the baby teeth untreated. After finishing the lower teeth I asked her if she could be strong and let me do her upper teeth. She smiled and nodded. I cried. I’ll she her again for the other side. No child should have to endure such pain and misery. I am overwhelmed.

I’ll send pictures of sweet Delfia in a few days when I see her again. Friday she goes back to her life in the comarca and I’ll see her sweet face and horrible teeth in my dreams.

Little Delfia was wearing the headband we gave her at the first appointment because she was so good.  Click on the link below.

http://picasaweb.google.com/mariommendoza48/Delfia?feat=directlink

Thanks