Seeking to expose dental students to the joys and challenges of working with the underserved.

The Summer Dental Institute is an opportunity for dental students, dentists, and dental auxiliaries to experience the fun and challenge of working overseas with those in need, by providing dental service in Christ’s name.

We take a team most summers to serve in Indonesia. We will be taking a dental team of 4-6 to do clinics and training in prevention, in remote tribal areas of the highlands and coastal towns of Papua. Part of our time may be in villages on the island of Bali or elsewhere in the more needy areas of Indonesia. We will work alongside the local church to provide dental care to people in these places. We include Bible study, prayer, and times of worship. Dental workers with a heart to humbly serve and learn are welcome to apply. Information on upcoming SDI trips is announced in December of the year before the trip. Our next trip is tentatively scheduled for early September 2014.

Want more information?

For further information, please send us an email. Preference is given to applicants from the Pacific NW.

What a typical SDI trip to Indonesia is like, and how we serve the people there.

Our trips are oriented toward dental students and those who want to consider the possibility of future ministry outside their home culture. The team members learn basic Indonesian terms before the trip, with an emphasis on dental usage. On the trip, they are trained to be first line in caring for patients, using existing dental skills and learning additional skills from the team leaders and each other.

Other pre-trip preparations include learning about the culture of Papua, practicing our Indonesian together, information on what to pack and what to expect, a short course on Missiology, team building exercises, and going through a short-term missions daily devotional guide. Our desire is to give you the basics of what you will need and add to that as the trip progresses.

In the first week, we will fly into a Papuan village, set up our living quarters and get to know the villagers a bit. At some point we will train the people in basic oral health care, using graphics on flip charts and speaking through translators. Our translators will help us as we provide care for our patients, translating into Indonesian and tribal languages. We also are able to pray with patients for their healing.

In our time after clinics, we pray to Jesus, worship God, study His word, and share our faith stories with each other. A highlight for us is to have the local tribal church workers share stories of their forays into new unreached valleys where they share about Jesus to newly-found remote villages.

The team sleeps in simple buildings loaned to us by the tribal church. We eat our meals together as a team, taking turns cooking and cleaning up. We have to filter our own drinking water. We bathe and wash our clothes in mountain streams. You may have the chance to sleep in a honi, or tribal hut. We take hikes to local sites such as waterfalls, river valleys or scenic viewpoints.

The pace of life will vary between hectic times of catching flights and busy patient care to laid back experiences of a simpler, slower lifestyle. Be prepared to grow in your appreciation for how God works in the lives of people in a very different culture. Your views of your own culture and perspectives on Biblical truth may be significantly impacted, as the Holy Spirit uses SDI Indonesia in your life.

Contact the Dental Director, Dr Bob Bruechert to get on the email notification list or to get more information.