From Dentistry to Evangelism

For months we had been preparing for a training trip to Southeast Africa. All five of the ITEC disciplines were going to be represented: I-MED, I-SEE, I-FIX, I-FILM, and I-DENT. As a dentist, I was going to be leading the I-DENT training in dental extractions.

Unfortunately, a few days before leaving for Africa, we received the bad news from our partner that the government was not going to allow us to do dental training. This was certainly discouraging, but it reminded me of the old motto to be "flexible, flexible, flexible, and have a sense of humor."

If I was still to go on this trip, what was I to do? One reason for me to go was to talk with the healthcare authorities about doing dental training in the future. But that would only take part of one day. What would I do with the rest of my time?

We then received an email from our partner explaining that the Christians whom we would be working with could really benefit from a deeper understanding of the Gospel. He explained while this country is a predominantly Christian, many of the believers there are not evangelistic. He concluded that many of them do not know how to present the gospel clearly. Evangelism is a passion of mine, so this seemed like a good opportunity. We decided to conduct a Bible/Evangelism training. Instead of focusing on addressing the physical problem of dental pain, I would get to spend the week addressing the underlying spiritual problem.

Where are the Students?

The Monday morning of our training week there were only three students present for the Bible/Evangelism training. I was discouraged and contemplated canceling the training in order to help out with I-FIX. However, Pastor Ronald (our local ministry host) reassured me that several more trainees would be arriving that afternoon for the Bible/Evangelism training.

We decided to take the opportunity that Monday morning to visit with the Medical Council. Overall, the meeting was positive. After seeing the quality of our curriculum and the level of infection control that we provide, the secretary for the organization encouraged us to submit a formal application for permission to do dental training there in the future.

Training from Cover to Cover

That afternoon, more students had arrived for the Bible/Evangelism training. We gathered underneath a tent and opened up to Genesis chapter 1. A local pastor named Joseph served as my translator for the entire week. He often interjected many stories that helped explain the things I was trying to convey. I was very fortunate to have him. They read the passages from their local language Bible and then we discussed what we read.

We started the week talking about the Creation/Fall account in Genesis 1-3, and then at the end of the week talked about the reversal of the curse in Revelation 21-22. We discussed the contrast between the first Adam and the second Adam (1 Corinthians 15). We compared the difference in the responses between Moses (reluctant), Isaiah (obedient), and Jonah (rebellious) when God called them. We also studied the parable of the four soil types in Mark 4.

Sadly, the prosperity "gospel", Jehovah's Witnesses, and Islam are all on the rise in Southeast Africa. We talked through the errors of these belief systems and how to best respond to them.

Students Sharing their Faith

Toward the end of the week, the trainees went out in groups to talk with people who lived near the training location. It was encouraging to see the trainees unafraid to share their faith and talk freely about the Bible with people in the community.

Each student was very excited to receive a Bible at the end of the week. At the graduation ceremony, Pastor Ronald requested that ITEC add Bible/Evangelism training to its future trips. I am certainly thankful that I went, even though it was not for my original purposes. There are no accidents with a sovereign God!