School of Dentistry sends missionaries around the globe by Christy K. Robinson From students to alumni to professors, the School of Dentistry has sent teams of dental missionaries around the world during the spring and summer of 1999. Teams braved mosquitoes, flood waters, steamy weather, travel delays, and government regulations to meet health care needs in Central and South America, Africa, Europe, and Pacific islands. Fred Kasischke, DMin, assistant dean for service learning and admissions, says, "Spring and summer breaks provide wonderful opportunities for our students to reach out in service internationally. We are delighted that 37 students took advantage of these opportunities in seven different sites."   Calvin Kim, SD'00, performs restorative dentistry on a patient in Guarjila, El Salvador.   Forty hours of service learning are now integrated into the dental and hygiene curriculum, but according to the returned student missionaries, requirements had nothing to do with their commitment to help people. The students considered themselves the beneficiaries in terms of broadened education, service to God and humanity, and even recreation -- seeing a new part of the world. In addition to treating and educating patients, students enjoyed recreational pursuits such as reef snorkeling, mountain climbing, trekking through rain forest, paddling canoes, swimming amongst piranhas, and partaking of exotic foods. Some slept in hammocks with mosquito netting. They also shopped in foreign markets.   Aaron Rondon, SD'99, injects a patient in El Salvador.   Students were financially aided on their mission trips by Dental Alumni Association grants (over $18,000 this year), familial sponsorship, the National Association of Seventh-day Adventist Dentists (NASDAD), and Seventh-day Adventist congregations. SIMS (Students in International Mission Service) and the LLU Student Affairs office coordinated travel arrangements for the Brazil and Fiji teams. Eight students and one alumnus visited the Amazon region of Brazil during the last two weeks of June, educating and treating hundreds of patients from a boat plying the river. They were Brian P. Black, Michael Costa, Kip Hampton, Shelton Hsu, Todd Young, all SD'01, Jennifer Park, SD'02, and Donald Young, SD'62. Their translator was Lucinda Unruh, office aide in Educational Support Services. The team visited a Seventh-day Adventist church, and sang Christian songs with young patients.   Aaron Rondon, SD'99, Thomas Lee, MD, physician from UCLA (standing far right), and Calvin Kim, SD'00 (foreground), taught El Salvadoran lay people to do amalgam and composite restorations and extractions.   Another team, sponsored by the Oceanside SDA Church, NASDAD, and the Dental Alumni Association, flew and boated their way to Sapwaufic Island, Micronesia. They treated approximately 300 patients, about half the island population, restoring or extracting teeth, and performing prophylaxes. The team members were Glen Abbott, Ravi Busi, Trent Listello, Tae Oh, Ken Pierson, and Elena Sanz, all SD'00, Jack Kavanagh, SD'01, and Doyle Nick, SD'78, PG'94, assistant professor of restorative dentistry. The team who ministered to Lakeba Vite, Levu Island,Fiji, in March were Adrian Dumitrescu, Chris Ehrbright, Eric Park, and Matthew Wallace, all SD'01. Polly Sprague, SD'96, supervised the students. Another team visited Fiji in June: Joseph Abrew, Jonathan Gibbs, Kenneth Khoo, Calvin Kim, Mike Lee, Periza Zaninovic, all SD'00; Ronald Abaro, SD'01, and Chiara Chia, DH'00. Supervising dentists were John and Melissa Nelsen, both SD'99, George Clark, SD'73, Darrell Rich, SD'70, and William Coffman, SD'83. Brett Wonenberg and Kerisa Elloway, SD'00, ministered to patients in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, supervised by George Wonenberg, SD'69, and Ron Forde, SD'83. In Guarjila, El Salvador, Calvin Kim, SD'00, was supervised by Aaron Rondon, SD'99. Senior dental students Jang Won Choi and Young Lee treated patients in Seoul, Republic of Korea, supervised by Dr. Kwang Sun Park. And most recently, in August of 1999, ministering to patients in Moscow, Russia: Ken Pierson, Juan C. Ramirez, and Jerome Lee, all SD'00. Toby Turon, SD'97, supervised the students. Zoe goes to Africa by Zoe Lucille Elloway-Wright, SD2025 and Brett Wonenberg, SD'00   Kerisa Elloway and Brett Wonenberg, both SD'00, treat a patient at the Adventist Dental Clinic in Bulawayo, capital city of Zimbabwe.   I spent three weeks last summer becoming a world traveler and missionary at the tender age of six months. I got this opportunity because Mommy (Kerisa Elloway, SD'00) took me with her on a mission trip to Zimbabwe, Africa. We took one of Mommy's classmates, Brett Wonenberg, SD'00, along so that he could visit his parents and friends, as well as help missionaries in the city of Bulawayo.     Mater Dei Hospital is where oral surgery patients are treated. Kerisa Elloway observes as Bill Taylor, SD'74, and George Wonenberg, SD'69, participate in the surgery. It was really fun. We saw some beautiful country and interesting people. My mommy and Brett worked at the ADRA-Adventist Dental Clinic in Bulawayo, while I toured the city with guides Becky Wonenberg and Jeanie Sparrow. Then we toured the country a bit. We visited Victoria Falls and Matopis Game Reserve, where we saw giraffe, rhinos, elephants, and other large animals. Africa is very exciting and interesting. Even though Mommy says Africa is a continent of many third-world countries, the natives are beautiful inside and out, and the land is definitely blessed. I highly recommend world travel and missionary work to anyone who enjoys adventure, fun, making new friends, and enjoying God's creation. Brett Wonenberg, SD'00, holds Zoe up, in the mist of Victoria Falls. University | Medical_Center | LLU&MC_home | Search | Employment | News_&_events | Academics | Our_mission | Admissions | Registration | Research | Alumni | Student_resources All contents copyright © 2001 Loma Linda University. 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