Their way lit only by the starlight remaining before dawn, a small group of locals approached the Reaching Africa’s Unreached RAU) ministry property. Even at 4:00 a.m., the beginnings of a small crowd were rapidly forming at the gate. By 7:00 a.m., over 110 patients had assembled—the capacity for the fifth and final day of RAU’s dental clinic.
Inside the lecture hall, normally used as a biblical training center, dental professionals from Ugandan partner organization Hope Smiles treated the steady stream of patients at four mobile dental stations, providing cleanings, fillings, root canals, veneers, and extractions.
“A remarkable 558 individuals received the invaluable gift of dental care that week,” reported ABWE missionaries Jacob and Carol Lee. “This situation underscores a huge need for dental care in our region.”
The Lees established RAU in the remote, northwestern tip of Uganda precisely because of the needs they observed in the region, geographically isolated by the Nile River from economic and educational resources available in the rest of the nation.
The spiritual needs first drew Jacob’s attention. “Due to the lack of development, few pastors or church leaders have access to Bible schools or seminaries, and so, at a foundational level, theological soundness is lacking,” he explained.
Although over 83 percent of the population claims Christian adherence, animistic syncretism and prosperity-based teachings are making headway. “Prosperity gospel preachers act much like the local witchdoctor who asks for money in exchange for special prayers of health, wealth, and fertility,” Carol continued.
Through RAU teaching modules, Jacob and Carol educate church leaders in biblical theology and distribute Christian literature. They also engage unreached Islamic people groups with
the gospel—including refugees from nearby South Sudan—by meeting practical needs.
An ABWE medical team identified dental care as a prime ministry focus. “Dentistry was only available in the rudimentary
form of tooth-pulling—sometimes without anesthetic,” said Carol. RAU held its first dental clinic in November
2023, and, after experiencing widespread success, a second in November 2024 he clinics drew patients from not
only surrounding villages but unreached mountain tribes and even neighboring countries—including two South Sudanese
generals, who arrived for dental care accompanied by bodyguards.
As patients sat under tents awaiting treatment, they received Bibles and gospel tracts, which many read with interest.
“We are strategizing how we can effectively use the long wait times to reach people with the gospel,” Carol said while sharing plans for future clinics. “I had more than one person say with enthusiasm that we have identified a real area of need.”
By: Katelyn Hawkins| Originally posted at: https://abwe.org/blog/where-there-are-no-dentists/
