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Dr. Bill and Mr. Will Griffin in Marvis Bank, Jamaica

Jill, Zack, Jennifer, Christine, Bill and Grant
A mural at the City of Refuge orphanage
Marvin, and Donnette, married just a year ago, with Norman, one of their foster sons

My son William and I flew into Kingston, Jamaica this evening. It took four flights to get us from Omaha, Nebraska, where we had been attending the Christian Dental Society’s annual conference, to Kingston, but we knew it would be worth it. This was Will’s third trip to Jamaica (second to Mavis Bank), and my fourth (third to Mavis Bank). We expected a grueling, exhausting week of caring for some very needy Jamaicans, and we wouldn’t have missed it for the world.

We were met at the airport by Jennifer MacDonald, who has done much over the years to facilitate these missions trips. She has a real servant’s heart, and she delights in doing whatever she can to see to it that her fellow Jamaicans receive the dental care they so desperately need. We left the airport for our annual trip to Devon House for ice cream, which has the most delicious ice cream in the civilized world, then we headed up into the blue mountains for the 75-minute trip to the community of Mavis Bank.

Our lodging for the week was at the City of Refuge orphanage about 20 minutes from the dental clinic. It was opened about a year and a half previously by a couple from Michigan who wanted to honor the Lord by caring for the homeless and unwanted children of the Kingston area. They had 27 children with them, ranging in age from infancy to 12 or so. They were assisted by six other people - a couple from America there for twelve months, two college students from Michigan there for two months, and a local couple who had gotten married the previous year and promptly became foster parents for the nine boys at the orphanage. We arrived at the orphanage late

Saturday night and were shown to our modest but functional home for the week. Having only gotten three hours’ sleep in Omaha the night before, it didn’t take long for Will and I to drift off to sleep.

Our 2003 Team: Front Row - Denise, Kelly, Austin, Katie, Grant
Second Row- Josh., Lori, Julia, Liz, Tyler Third Row - Dr. Bill, Christina, Courtney, Ang, Lona, Heather, Jessica, Kevin, Jennifer, Dr. Jim
Back Row - Will, Zack, Dr. John, Jill, Tony, Lena Not Pictured - Doug, Dr. Jim Chung

The City of Refuge temporary residents: Dr. Jim, Heather, Lori, Tyler, Kevin, Christine, Ang, Will, Dr. Bill.
Will holding the biggest "lemon" the world has ever seen