October 5, 2020
It's been a long time since our last post. Our mission has continued albit at a strange pace and somewhat different assignment.
No longer providing dental treatment at the Tio Juan clinic in Guatemala, we try to fulfil our calling as 'Dental Health Advisor to the Central America Area at home via technology. We share this calling with Elder and Sister Fisher. The Central America Area consists of these countries: Guatemala, Belize, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, San Salvador, and Panama. There are about 22 missions in these countries and the Fishers and Spendlove have divided up the missions between us. Each of us provides Dental counsel to the respective mission presidents, presidents wives, the mission nurses, and missionaries.
Once a month we video conference with each mission president in their Consejo de Salud de Mision. (Mission Health Conference). The counsel members are: the Mission president, mission president's wife, the mission nurse, mission medical advisor, AMA, (Elder & sister Davis, Area Mental health Advisor, AMHA, Elder and sister Kinghorn, and the area dental Health advisor, ADA, Anita and me. Even though there are plenty of dental problems, they are few when compared to the mental health and medical problems. Being a missionary is not easy! We hope to be able to lift some of the health care responsibilities from the shoulders of the mission presidents so they can focus on the missionary work.
All of the missionaries we have been working with are from central America since all foreign missionaries were called home due to COVID-19. Ordinarily approximately one 1/4 or less of the missionaries were from USA.
These are the missions to which we have been assigned:
Although not experts, we have learned our way around ZOOM, and TEAMS video conferencing programs are we participate in the Consejo de Salud meetings. We also have a Senior missionary Zone devotional each Monday morning where we video conference and do Come Follow Me weekly lessons. The zone consists of the above mentioned medical, dental, mental health advisors but also a missionary lawyer assigned to the area. Occasionally one of the area presidency also joins with us.
Here we are huddled around the computer as we receive emails and WhatsApp communications from the mission presidents, nurses, and missionaries. Sometimes I am amazed at the amount of care to which the missionaries have access. It is amazing that within sometimes minutes, an Elder or sister with a broken tooth can at least get some professional advise and directions and for sure, a mountain of sympathy and comforting words. We'll electronically, stand right by their side and follow their treatment. Having had a wisdom tooth extracted in Uruguay in 1970 going solo, I know what a little bit of professional advise would have meant.