An article from the Herald and Review about TBC Missions

Dentist, Tabernacle Baptist Church members serve those in need of surgery, shelter

By JIM VOREL - H&R Staff Writer Posted: Friday, May 27, 2011 8:00 pm

DECATUR - When dentist and former soldier Dr. Kelly Clark last visited Juarez, Mexico, in 2010 as part of Tabernacle Baptist Church's mission trip program, he decided to offer a little free dental work, unsure of what kind of response he would have. Two days later, Clark and his aching back had served more than 70 patients, who came to have painful, infected teeth pulled after hearing of the American missionary performing dentistry at no charge. Now, Clark and the Tabernacle Baptist group are going back again, and he's bringing his dental tools with him.

"My back will feel better, I'm just happy to help," said Clark, a father of two and owner of Decatur Dental Care. "There is a great need in some of these impoverished towns for assistance of all kind, especially in housing, which is the real reason for the trip."

This will actually be Clark's third time making the trip with Tabernacle Baptist, which has spent five days each year in a small town outside the city of Juarez, each time constructing small, simple homes for needy families. Although the size of these completed dwellings are only "what people here would think of as a garage," in Clark's words, the important thing is to offer any shelter to those who have none.

"We go into areas where a home consists of just some wooden pallets on the ground," he said. "In one place, we met a family of six that was living out of their van. With the building we create, we're able to put a roof over their heads and give them electricity."

The dentistry Clark also offers was simply a natural addition; a way to spend his evenings in Juarez helping people after construction work has halted for the night. The sophistication of his setup in the small town is extremely simple: a tiny room with a single folding chair for the patient, a table to hold dental instruments, and a head-mounted light for Clark to see by. But still, the residents are thankful for any dental attention.

"We numb up three people at a time to pull teeth, so we can do as many as possible in one night," Clark said. "All we're able to offer is extractions of teeth, but most of the time when the tooth goes, the infection goes with it. These people are thankful because some of them are living every day in pain."

This isn't Clark's first time performing dental work far from home. He also did the same duties in Iraq, during his service in the military from 2000-03. The army paid for his final two years of dental school, in exchange for Clark's service in the field, performing basic dental work for soldiers on the front lines, operating out of a small tent.

"I was assigned to a field unit far from base, using portable dental equipment," he said. "I had access to things like X-ray, pretty much everything I needed, except air conditioning."

That tent, however, looks like a fully stocked dental office compared to the scarcity of equipment and services available in the outskirts of Juarez. In his time there, Clark said he's never seen another practicing dentist, and that he believes most tooth problems are never addressed due to a lack of professionals or lack of funds. Couple that with the plethora of challenges facing those without a structure to call home in the area, and you have a community in desperate need of help.

"Anyone who feels the need to help should make this trip," Clark said. "You don't need to have any construction experience at all to help build a home for these people. You just need to be there and be ready to help and listen to instructions."

The number of members attending Tabernacle Baptist's trip to Juarez has slowly increased, from 11 in Clark's first year, to 14 the second, and 17 this year. The dentist has even brought along his two children, ages 8 and 10, in an experience he believes has helped open their eyes and broaden their worldview to the struggles experienced by the less fortunate around the globe.

"They were humbled by it, I think," he said. "They didn't speak the language at all, but by the end of our time there, they had befriended all the other children and we're hanging out, playing soccer. I think it's been a really valuable experience for all of us."