Dental Hygiene in Papua New Guinea!

I have recently started working one half day per week at the dental clinic here in Ukarumpa. Jon stays home with Macy and is able to get some work done from our home computer while she naps. Clara visits the daycare and is loving making lots of new friends.

There are two Dentists from South Korea that work in the clinic as well. We see clients from Wycliffe but also from other organizations. I work Friday mornings but when the girls get older I hope to work more often. I would love to work on Tuesdays. Tuesdays are called Valley Days because Papua New Guineans come from the valley nearby to get dental work done.

Obviously I am cleaning teeth, but I am also training a Papua New Guinean lady to learn how to be a dental assistant. We have made a deal. I will teach her how to be an assistant and she will help me with my Tok Pisin. We also have another assistant/ lab technician who has been working in the clinic for many years. He also did not go to school to receive any professional training but was trained at our clinic. He and one of the dentists just made a full set of dentures for a Papua New Guinean. That was the first time we have done that in our clinic. The only way it was done before was to get it made in the States which would cost a lot of money and so most Papua New Guineans and ex-pats could not afford them.

Our dental receptionist is also a Papua New Guinean women. I asked her the other day how long it takes her to get to work. She walks for 45 min to an hour to get to Ukarumpa! Then at the end of the day another hour to get home. By the time she gets home it is almost dark.

There are many differences working in a PNG dental clinic. The best difference is that all of my clients are Christ followers and I get to hear their stories of how they came to serve in PNG!

 (Cheesy picture of me in the clinic! Oh and I am the only one in the dental/medical clinic that wears scrubs. Most people laugh at me but I don't want what's in people's mouths to go on my other clothes! )

(Front entrance into the clinic)

"Praise the Lord! I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart, 

in the company of the upright, in the congregation." 

Psalm 111:1

POC and TTC

We have heard that we will be attending the Pacific Orientation Course (POC) starting in August. Praise God! We are looking forward to this chance to grow in our knowledge of PNG's unique culture as well as language. Over the next couple months we will be working toward going to this course. There is a lot of equipment that we need to get together since this course includes a 5 week stay in a remote village. :)

Jon is continuing to work in the software development department here in Ukarumpa and is helping to release a new system that will run inventory and point of sale for many of the departments here. It will be great to see this out because it represents a leap forward in technology, useability and reliability.

A couple of days ago, we said farewell to Nafian and Roman and the team of Bible translators from the Madi language group. This is part of the group that we have become involved with in a facilitator type role. They were all involved in the Translators Training Course (TTC) held over the past 6 weeks here in Ukarumpa. Nafian and Roman were involved in teaching and mentoring and the Madi team was attending as students TTC2 (the second course in the TTC curriculum). It was sad to see them go but we know their work and families await them in their home villages and they were all eager to see them again and get back to the task God has called them to in Bible translation. It was truly an honor to have them over for dinner several times, help with computer problems and other supply needs and be able to help them in various ways over the past 6 weeks.

The Madi team receiving their certificate's for completing TTC2 (Translator's Training Course)

Roman helping Clara with a puzzle

Roman and the Madi Bible translation team