When I was 19, I served as a student missionary in Peru. It was the most life-changing year of my life. I met my future husband, Brent, another student missionary, and we both experienced how amazing it was to serve others through dental and medical mission. Every two months, our group spent a week providing free medical and dental care in jungle villages. Those clinics were my favorite. Brent and I worked in the dental area each day, helping the many patients who lined up for care. Because dental services were limited in the region, many people came from far away to receive treatment. As I assisted each person, I began to realize the potential impact dental care could have on someone’s life. Beyond relieving physical pain, it gave me opportunities to share a glimpse of Christ’s love and compassion with each patient. This was my first real exposure to combining mission and dental care. To me, it was the gospel in real-life practice: sharing Jesus’ love through action. Rather than just preaching about it, I was experiencing what it meant to live it out. During those nine months, God planted a seed in my heart. I wanted to learn more about dentistry so that one day I could return to a mission setting and serve people in need. Fast forward 13 years. After getting married and completing many more years of education and training, Brent and I, along with our son, moved to Malamulo Adventist Hospital in Malawi. It was a surreal moment— our prayers and goals to become dental/medical missionaries were finally coming to fruition.

After helping to establish a dental clinic at the hospital, I wanted to get back to where my passion for dentistry started: the local village. So last year, after prayer and discussion with hospital and community leaders, we launched a monthly dental outreach. Once a month, our dental team visits a village to provide free extractions and oral health education. In my time at Malamulo, I’ve realized that one of the greatest challenges many people face, besides the daily struggle for survival, is a lack of education. Good education can transform lives! Providing dental extractions fixes a specific problem for a short time, but oral health education can equip people to prevent problems from starting in the first place. This year, Brent joined the outreach, too. Trained as a general surgeon, Brent works hard to provide surgical care for those suffering. He also serves as the Malamulo Program Director for PAACS (Pan-African Academy of Christian Surgeons), a training program for African doctors who want to share the love of Christ with their patients. Each month, Brent brings two surgical residents to the outreach. They present practical information about common health issues facing Malawians and address many of the misunderstandings that surround disease.

The surgical team also offers free health screenings for anyone interested. As we drove home along the bumpy, muddy roads after a recent outreach, I reflected on how God had once again led us to minister together. Even the setting of our outreach reminded me of Peru, with its rundown buildings, dim lighting, leaking roofs, and crowds of curious children peering through the windows. Yet there are stark differences, too. Today, we are far better trained and prepared to provide dental and surgical care. Our work reflects years of education, experience, and confidence. Most of all, God is the constant in our mission journey. This hasn’t been an easy road to follow. Challenges and discouragements have often threatened to smother the seed He planted in our hearts so many years ago. Yet God has faithfully carried us through every difficulty, performing miracles and arranging divine appointments that have led us to this point. I love that God provides opportunities for reflection, giving us flashbacks of yesteryear to remind us how far we have come and to encourage us to trust Him in the future. It’s a reminder that God loves us and that He is faithful.