Brightening Smiles, Winning Hearts

Brightening SmilesRural Cambodians have little to no access to dental services, making oral hygiene an issue for many. Through Fellowship International missionaries Oeut and Nhep Pech, Cambodians can have access to free dental care, courtesy of FAIR’s mobile dental clinic.

While this ministry has focused on providing Cambodians the dental care they so desperately need, it has also taken every opportunity to effectively share the love of Christ with patients and their families. Since arriving in Cambodia in 2007 and launching the mobile dental clinic ministry, the Pechs have helped 8,638 patients — 414 of whom have placed their faith in Jesus.  Of the students who serve as a part of the dental staff, 54 have come to know Christ. Without the clinic, these people would never have heard the Gospel!

Vong Doeun and his wife Los Horn were among the first patients treated by FAIR’s mobile dental clinic when the ministry started in Bosknor, Cambodia. They came to the clinic for dental treatment and while waiting the prescribed 30 minutes after the procedure, they heard the Gospel for the first time. They invited Oeut and Nhep back to their home and introduced them to the rest of their family. After only two visits, both Vong Doeun and his wife, as well as two of their children, accepted Christ! Vong Doeun, who had been severely disabled from injuries he sustained during the reign of dictator Pol Pot, became instrumental in the spread of the Gospel in the area of Bosknor. A home-church gathering was held at their home each week until the number of believers exceeded the space available and a church building was purchased. God used Vong Doeun and his family to expand His Kingdom, displaying His strength through weakness.

Not only has this ministry led many people to Christ, it has also facilitated the planting of three churches across Cambodia, each of which has a Cambodian national serving as pastor.  In this country that has been so ravaged by war, churches are few and far-between. The goal is to plant two new churches in the next few years, a goal which cannot be met unless the Pechs are able to continue ministering through the mobile dental clinic. In order to do this, they need outside support. Unlike Canada, the clinic won't receive any financial support from the government, which is why FAIR is instrumental in helping to sustain this important ministry.

The Goal: $80,000

Funding collected through FAIR will go towards purchasing more of the supplies needed to carry out dental procedures — gauze, sterilization solutions, forceps, and gloves — allowing rural Cambodians to receive the dental treatments they desperately need while being introduced to the Gospel.

Something so seemingly simple as receiving much-needed dental care is having an unbelievable impact on Cambodians, who are responding to the Gospel and spreading His Word to a nation starved of His presence. Please help to keep this ministry alive by donating today.

 

Norman Nielsen is Associate Director of FAIR (Fellowship Aid and International Relief).