Mission Trip Report

DCMF Mission Trip June 2018

by Dr. Trent McCord, DDS

​In June of this year, my wife, Sara McCord, and I were blessed to be able to spend a week (and celebrate our 10 year anniversary!) in Guatemala City on a trip with Dustin's Dream.  We went to serve and provide medical and dental care.  We returned with more.  

While at the Heart of Love Clinic, we provided care to hundreds of people in and around the garbage dump of Guatemala City.  I'm just a dentist, not a real doctor, so I know little about the medical side of the trip and the services they provided, though I have no doubt that many lives were greatly improved, possibly even saved, by the services Sara, Dr. Duncan, Deondra, Carrie and team were able to provide.  On the dental side of things, we just had a blast.  We were able to bring along my rock star dental assistant, Eva Hicks, who served as assistant, translator, dance move teacher, and even dentist (She pulled 4 teeth!) during the trip!  Shoot, my new Gentry Bestie, Jodi, even ripped some teeth out!
The people of Guatemala City were amazing.  They helped me to learn Spanish, and sang and danced with us in the dental clinic.  Some have made appearances now with Eva on Facebook rocking the infamous "dab" dance move, though few could keep up with Da "whip" Nae Chamberlain's rug cutting skills.  We had one gentleman who came to see us on his birthday.   And do you know what he said?  He said his birthday present was that he was able to get his tooth pulled.  When's the last time you got excited on your birthday to see a dentist?  Don't lie.  It's never happened and never will.  I hear "No offense, doc, but I hate the dentist" multiple times a day.  And here's a guy telling me I'm his birthday present.  Wait, what?

We all work every day doing "normal" USA things.  But "normal" USA things aren't the norm.  To many, they are impossibilities.  And guess what?  Despite the differences in life and circumstances, we saw smiles.  We heard laughter.  Everyone got hugs.  I think what we saw were happy hearts and joyous people.  So, while Eva and I were able to provide dental services, and Sara and team were able to provide medical care... we were in return blessed with joy, smiles, laughter, and hugs.  And a dose of simple reality that says maybe its the little things that make for happy hearts.  And maybe those little things, like smiles and hugs, did more for our hearts than our tooth pulling and medicine giving did for the people of Guatemala.  
Thank you to everyone for supporting Dustin's Dream and this group of amazing people.  It is truly amazing to see the widespread joy and healing that has come through the life of Dustin.  

Dr. Trent McCord, DDS and wife Dr. Sara McCord

Dr. McCord's dental assistant, Eva Hicks, and grateful Guatemalan patient!

The team feeding the Periginos.