It's amazing what a difference small and simple things can make in how we look, feel, work, play, sleep, eat, serve, etc. For the past two weeks we have felt extremely grateful for small and simple things . . . an extension cord to plug in a vacuum cleaner that only has a 6 ft. cord; a phone call from a friend; an office printer that prints the first job in the morning; an apartment neighbor that speaks English and tells us where our trash is really suppose to go; and most of all a tooth........a front tooth.
On Monday morning September 9th, Elder Lewis suddenly stopped eating breakfast and pulled a broken tooth from his mouth. When he said that he had broken a tooth I immediately assumed it was a chipped molar or crown. However, when he opened his mouth I could see that he had broken the top right lateral tooth off at the gum line leaving the root fully intact and a gapping hole in his beautiful smile. We were both stunned!
We sat for a few minutes processing what had just happened and how and where we were going to find a good dentist in Quito. We had both seen dentists before leaving the states and we certainly didn’t anticipate any dental issues while we were serving our 18 month mission; BUT, that assumption was quickly thrown out the window.
We finished breakfast and left for the mission office. President and Sister Barlow are generally n the mission office on Monday mornings and we hoped that they would be there and would have some recommendations for a good dentist.
Thankfully they were there and as soon as President Barlow had a break in his interviews, he took Elder Lewis across the street to a dentist that he had used before. He said that she was expensive by Ecuadoran standards, but he thought she was a good dentist. They made an appointment for Tuesday afternoon.
On Tuesday we took Elder Flake (translator) with us and went to the dentist appointment. The dentist had two recommendations:
1 - Extract the root and make a bridge to fill the gap. That procedure would require grinding down the two teeth on each side to attach the bridge.
2 - Extract the root, place an implant where the root was, put in a temporary tooth, let the implant heal for 4 months, and then attach a crown to the implant.
She told Elder Lewis that he would have to go to an imaging center to get a detailed panoramic X-ray of his mouth before meeting with the oral surgeon who would be at her office on Wednesday.
Tuesday evening, again with the help of Elder Flake, we went to the imaging center where the necessary X-rays were taken for Wednesday’s appointment.
On, Wednesday we saw the oral surgeon, again with Elder Flake’s help. The oral surgeon recommended an implant. He felt pretty certain that he could extract the tooth and place an implant at the same time. We made an appointment for Friday afternoon, again at the dentist office across the street from the mission office……convenient!
Throughout the week, Elder Lewis was a good sport and maintained his normal schedule. I can’t deny that he looked 20 years older without a front tooth. It was hard to conceal while he was talking or smiling. And wouldn’t you know, it was transfer week and missionaries were constantly coming and going in the office. We also had a training session for the new missionaries, so Elder Lewis’ gaping smile had a lot of visibility!
On Friday we went to the oral surgeon appointment by ourselves, no Elder Flake. We happened to ride the elevator up to the 6th floor where the dentist’s office was with the oral surgeon. Apparently he’s a ‘traveling’ oral surgeon. He was dressed in his scrubs and was pulling a black roller suitcase filled with dental instruments.
Elder Lewis was put in the dental chair and watched the surgeon unpack his dental instruments, scrub, and suit up for the procedure. The procedure began and lasted for 2.5 hours. When the doctor finished Elder Lewis looked like his normal self. The surgeon had extracted the root, inserted the implant without having to graph any bone, and then made and fitted a temporary tooth. All for $1150 which includes x-rays, consults, and the final crown work.
For anyone who has had an extraction, implant, and crown, you know that $1150 for the entire process is an amazing DEAL!
When the doctor was finished, he gave Elder Lewis a prescription for painkillers, anti-inflammatories, and antibiotic. We left the office and went to a nearby pharmacy to get the prescriptions filled and then we went back to the mission office to wrap up mission business before the weekend.
We honestly didn’t know what to expect over the weekend, but we were pleasantly surprised. Elder Lewis took one painkiller and one anti-inflammatory pill right after the surgery. That was it! There was no swelling, no bruising, and no pain. (This second picture was taken Friday afternoon after the surgery).
Elder Lewis saw the surgeon again on Monday. When he told him that there had been no pain, swelling, or discoloration, the surgeon lifted Elder Lewis’ lip and said…..”Perfecto!” We don’t understand a lot of Spanish, but we understood that and felt grateful that the process had gone so well.
Now that this first phase is over, we realize that we don’t even know the name of the oral surgeon. So, we’ve decided to give him a name until we meet again in 4 months for a check-up—Dr. TOS for Traveling Oral Surgeon! It fits!
Last Sunday, the Guerrero Family invited us for lunch as a “thank you” for helping their daughter Erika prepare for her ACT exam. She has taken English classes beyond what is taught in high school and is now submitting her college applications to BYU-Idaho and BYU-Provo. She needs an ACT score for her applications and was particularly concerned about understanding the science part of the exam. Elder Lewis was a great help.
Missionary transfers occurred last week and they did affect the office staff. Elder Twitchell left to work in the field and Elder Henrichsen is now a member of the office staff along with Elders Flake and Burga. We are re-establishing our routine and assignments and the work continues to move ahead.
This week we found a new restaurant to eat our $2.50 almuerzo (lunch). We saw a place under construction when we first started walking to the mission office. We did not realize it was going to be a restaurant until this past week when we saw a new sign posted with a lunch menu outside of the building. We ate there twice this past week, and both times the food was delicious. It included - an appetizer, soup, main entree, light dessert, and beverage (jugo).
The second time we had lunch at the new location, a little boy came into the restaurant trying to sell candy. It’s not uncommon to see children peddling candy or gum on the streets — going in and out of restaurants looking for customers. We are frequently approached and we graciously decline. However, this past week the little boy peddling goods looked tired and hungry so I gave him part of my dessert — tangerine slices. He immediately ate it. Elder Lewis then gave him his dessert and the little boy looked at it, then looked at Elder Lewis, then looked at the tangerine slices again, glanced at Elder Lewis and pointed to his chest as if to say, “For me??” Elder Lewis nodded “yes” and then the little guy snatched up the tangerine slices, ate them, and was on his way. It was such a brief interchange, but our hearts were touched.
On Saturday we made a trip to Mitad Del Mundo - the middle of the world. According to belief, It is where you can straddle the northern and southern hemispheres. However, according to readings based on the World Geodetic System WGS84, used in modern GPS systems and GIS products, the equator actually lies about 240 meters north of the marked line.
Here is a photo of Elder Lewis’ enjoying his Mitad Del Mundo experience while straddling the northern and southern hemispheres.
We were hungry when we arrived Matid Del Mundo and planned to have lunch at the site. However, the menu item below (roasted guinea pig) curbed our appetite and we settled for a bowl of soup.
Over the weekend our hot water heater developed a leak. We contacted the apartment owner and he came this afternoon to see what the problem was. Of course he only speaks Spanish, but I felt like it was an opportunity to see if we could have the apartment painted and some of the furniture removed or changed out.
After checking the water heater we gave him a tour of the apartment and explained why it needed painted and why we were requesting furniture changes. I tried to give him my best Spanglish sales pitch. We’ll see what happens?!?! It doesn’t hurt to ask, all he can say is “No!” And if that’s the case, I’ll have to lean on Elder Lewis' pocketbook for some apartment upgrades:)!
The apartment owner did commit to getting a new water heater and said that it would take two days for it to be installed.. I’m not sure what that means for us - no water for 2 days or no HOT water for 2 days. I guess we’ll find out tomorrow when we enlist Elder Burga (native of Peru) from the office to clarify the plan.
Today in Church, I actually read a scripture in Spanish during the Relief Society lesson. I had to read it very slowly, and I’m sure that my pronunciation was questionable, but it felt good to participate. Elder Lewis and I have been reading the Book of Mormon Stories in Spanish, studying the Sunday School “Come Follow Me” manual in Spanish, and asking and answering questions in Spanish as part of our companionship study. We’re making progress!
We want you to know that your thoughts and prayers on our behalf may seem "small & simple," but we feel your love and support, and we are GRATEFUL! Thank you!
