Engagements

What do the villagers in the Kaffrine region do when they have a toothache? Most opt to tough it out. When it gets absolutely too painful to stand, most choose to go to the witchdoctor seeking relief. He may heat a knife blade on hot coals and apply the side of the knife to the patient's wrist to cure their tooth pain! A few will decide to travel over the dirt roads into the town of Kaffrine if they have enough money to buy a ticket at the regional hospital. There is one dentist at this hospital which serves the population of 544,000 people! After hours waiting in line, the patient will usually receive a prescription for medicine and be told to return in a week. You can understand why, when we have had short-term dental teams come to work in villages, people have been so grateful!

The spiritual needs in the region of Kaffrine are just as great. Most people here have never read any of the Bible and don't know who Jesus is. Yet through the work of the handful of Christians who have worked in this area over the last 30 years, these Muslim villages are open to us.

We are looking for a Dentist/Evangelist who will offer much needed basic dental care and also share the Word of God in these villages. The dental work will provide an opportunity for ongoing relationships and a platform for holistic ministry as the Dentist/Evangelist also shares the stories of the Bible with those who are interested.

This ministry fits in perfectly with all three aspects of our team's vision because it would involve 1) ministering to human need, 2) sharing the Gospel with unreached Wolof, 3) partnering with local believers.

other ministry opportunities:

It would not be difficult to do dental outreach in other villages in the area as well since this is a great need in this region. The dentist/evangelist could also join in other evangelistic ministries with the rest of the SIM Kaffrine team (helping with the Disaster Relief Project, showing the Jesus/Mary Magdalene film, etc).

job description:

At first, the Dentist/Evangelist would accompany the Senegalese Christian children's ministry partner once a week to each of the three villages to get to know the people in each village. Then, he or she would begin to offer dental consultations in each village health clinic. Each of the clinics serve people living in five villages. The Dentist/Evangelist would look to integrate teaching the chronological Bible stories into their interactions with their patients and with others who are interested.