After college, I researched joining the Peace Corps because I wanted to help people and love to see the world, but I was sad when they told me I could not leave my post to interview for my other passion...going to dental school. My first year of dental school I went on a dental mission trip to Mexico and loved that I was getting to help those in desperate need. I treated kids in a very poor orphanage in Matamoros, Mexico. I wanted to continue trips like this to use my dental skills but with finishing school, getting married, joining the USAF, buying a practice and having a kiddo I lost track of that dream. This year my Church was looking for dentists to help establish and treat patients in El Crucero, Nicaragua. (http://www.projectelcrucero.org/) Two families from our church in Highlands Ranch started the Suzy Sykes clinic and have put lots of work into a medical clinic but need help developing the dental clinic. It was the calling I had been waiting to hear for a long time. Heath and I have begun planning ways to help the Suzy Sykes clinic and the outlying villages. Right now they use a worn out barber chair and don't have proper dental instruments. The instruments they do have oxidize very quickly due to their proximity to a volcano. With poor drinking water conditions the residents of this area consume juice and soda since it costs the same or less than water. The rate at which they get cavities is very high. Their dentist explained she needs helping cleaning their teeth and doing fillings. Our plan is to send me this year in hopes to learn about the clinic and help set up a little more infrastructure. I will be bringing and donating many used items from our own practice. I drug our good friend and hygienist Steph to our church mission fair and twisted her arm so she is going on the trip, too. God works in mysterious ways because Steph and I started going to Cherry Hills Community Church together a couple of years ago and I think of this as our anniversary celebration. In the future we hope Project El Crucero is a Copeland family outreach that even Channing can play a part of in the future. I ask for your prayers and also your support to help the residents of one of the poorest countries in the western hemisphere. Thank you for helping me live out my dreams...I hope you are living out your dreams as well. Blessings!
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