Rich Trebelhorn is a commercial airline pilot who, before his first trip to Kosovo in 2006, had no dental or medical experience whatsoever. But he fell in love with Kosovo and its people and this spring marked his fourth trip to Kosovo as a Service International volunteer. Here's what he has to say about his most recent experience.

What impresses me is how happy the Kosovars are to have us come. Each team seems to fit together, whether equipped with medical training or not. This year we had Dr. Ortinau (our SI dentist who is affectionately known as "Dr. O"); Dr Marius Geldenhuys (dentist) from South Africa; Alice Durbin (dental hygienist); Deb Cook (a retired Army Colonel with some hygienist background); Deb Jeffers (a former dental assistant); and Maria Flora and I (non-medicals).

        
I admit to being totally unsure of what I would be doing, and the first time I went to Kosovo I wondered if I'd just be in the way. However, the team leaders are gifted by God to make sure each person is able to contribute in some way. This year was no exception.

Other than the unplanned power outages (still a problem in Kosovo), the week flowed well. Memli and Fatush, SI's Kosovar staff leaders, have implemented a scheduling system to minimize the patients' waiting time and the hallway crowding, and it worked just fine.

The clinic has been completely remodeled and updated since the last time I was there. Most afternoons all four dental chairs were staffed by Kosovar dentists, and Dr. O was able to do what he seemed to really enjoy — teach. I was impressed to see how receptive the Kosovar dentists were to his instruction, demonstrations, and suggestions. It's exciting to see them want to learn and help their fellow countrymen.

      
Memli and Indrit (another faithful Kosovar SI staff member) had transformed a storage room into a dental lab, and that's where Dr. Marius worked with Deb Jeffers to make partials, fillings, extractions, etc. I believe he even did some cleaning — something dentists don't normally do.

Working and talking with the local staff and volunteers is always a real pleasure. Their friendliness and humor make it easy to be around them. Many of the Kosovar workers, volunteers, and patients have had very hard lives and, although the war is now ten years past, it's obvious some have a hard time smiling. Our group went out of their way to encourage a smile or coax a laugh. Deb and Maria helped to keep the kids entertained and relaxed with hand and face painting — after learning the Albanian words for "wash off" to calm hesitant parents.

      
The team treated 211 patients and provided $146,225 in services. We also delivered 11 partials to patients to improve their ability to chew and eat. Services included fillings, root canals, pulpotomies, extractions, periodontal treatment, cleanings, x-rays and fluoride treatments. Amazing!

  

CLICK HERE to view a complete list of Service International's upcoming mission trips to Kosovo and other parts of the world.