Monthly Archives: February 2013

60 Minutes

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A message about the report on Mercy Ships on 60 Minutes and CBS Evening News – please read below from Don Stephens:

Last Sunday evening (February 17, 2013), Mercy Ships was featured in a wonderful segment produced by the CBS television news broadcast 60 Minutes. I hope you had the chance to watch! We are grateful for the opportunity to reach millions with the message of hope and healing for the world’s forgotten poor. If you didn’t have a chance to watch the program, please take a few minutes to view it online!

As a follow-up to this story, please help us continue to spread information about Mercy Ships and its mission. Here are a few ideas that take only a few minutes:

Communicate your passion for Mercy Ships by introducing us to those in your circle of influence. Tell them how you personally support Mercy Ships and ask them to get involved. There are several other things that you can do as well – each that takes as little as 60 seconds;

• Tweet or email a link (http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=50141230n ) to the 60 Minutes segment online.

• Post a link to the segment on your Facebook page.

• Send an email – to people you think might be interested in learning more about Mercy Ships.

Transform lives by giving regularly and encouraging your friends and colleagues to do the same. You can donate online at www.mercyships.org/give.

Pray for those we serve around the world – for our staff, crew and volunteers; and for the mission of bringing hope and healing to the world’s poor.

Continue to pray that the millions of people who watched this important story – and those who will watch online – will learn about the work of Mercy Ships and decide to let their mercy make a difference, just as you have.

Thank you, again, for your commitment to Mercy Ships and to serving others.

Your Mercy Makes a Difference!

Don Stephens

President/Founder

KRB Update – Dental

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KRB Update #2184 – Dental

Keith R. Brinkman    26 January 2013



Serving as Dr. Denny’s Translator in El Salvador



Greetings from the nation of Guinea, West Africa. While serving as a bookkeeper at the International Office in Texas back in 1991, I had the great opportunity to meet up with the Good Samaritan ship in Guyana in South America. I worked as a dental assistant with the dental team (with Dr. Bud and Dr. Denny) in Alboystown – it was an amazing experience. In later years with the Caribbean Mercy in Central America, I assisted with screenings – please see the photo with Dr. Denny in the nation of El Salvador, where I was serving as his translator.
I would like to take this opportunity to share with you about the Dental Team with the Africa Mercy. Dental is an extension of the hospital department and part of Programs overall. They set up their clinic in a location ashore in town and provide screenings twice a week for up to 450 waiting patients. We have equipped our clinic with 8 dental chairs based on having 4 dentists and each dentist having two chairs – as one patient is being prepped the dentist is taking care of the other patients. Currently, we have three long term dentists which has been great for the team. We also have a dental chair for the dental hygienist.
Most of the people have not been to a dentist in their life, including one of my patients, Mamadou, that I visit regularly. He ended up needing five extractions and five fillings performed over two appointments by my Aussie friend, Dr. Toni.
Our Guinea Smiles Dental Team with their 4,000th Patient
To date since late August, over 5,300 patient encounters with those receiving over 20,500 procedures – over 400 to the dental hygienist and 500 dentures have been provided. All are provided with basic oral health education (to date over 4,000 patients) and the teams have gone into local schools to teach the children and their teachers. One of the chaplains shares with them about Mercy Ships and why we are here and are available to pray with anyone as they await to receive their treatment.
Sometimes the team head out for extreme dentistry as in the recent case to the Men and Women’s Prison here in Conakry – these are the same prisons that our Mercy Ministries teams visit on Saturday mornings. Our Dental Team treated all those with dental needs, 325 men, women and young people. Next month, the team will be going to the village of Ouéndé-Kénéma, outside of Guéckédou, a day and half drive from here. In addition to dental services for four days, we will be screening for facial tumors, cleft lip, cleft palate, and lipomas.
Please pray for our Guinea Smiles Dental Team for the rest of this field service as they care for the people of Guinea.