Vocation—a common journey for the common good (and Re-Visiting Gracias, Honduras)

It's sad to see that 2015 only has one weblog post to offer, but I hope that this new year will offer more time and content on which to publish posts. The lack of posts may suggest that I've been busily enjoying my senior year of dental school; photos might offer a glimpse, in addition to my reflections on vocation.

Richmond, sweet home...for the past 4 years, several more months, and forever in my memory. As Pico Iyer eloquently says, "Their  whole life will be spent taking pieces of many different places and putting them together into a stained glass whole. Home for them is really a work in progress, it’s like a project on which they’re constantly adding upgrades, improvements, and corrections.”

Attending the Emerging Leaders in Dentistry Symposium for the second time (last time after my first year of dental school), I was prompted to reconsider what kind of key my training is in the realm of my ability to offer it up as a service to others.

Sharing lunch in town with my sister made me appreciate that we'd share graduation from professional schools (she from Nurse Midwife training and I from dental school).

Welcoming new executive board members into the Mennonite Women of Virginia. It's been a pleasure to work with this organization alongside women in various stages of their lives.

My Mandela Washington Fellowship Program for Young African Leaders peer collaborator from Ghana and I toured the Tompkins McCaw Library historic collections of which dental equipment is a majority.

Arriving at the Global Youth Summit that kicked off the Mennonite World Conference Assembly events, I was delighted to see a familiar face, Dr. Simon, with whom I've participated in other faith-based healthcare meetings. I enjoyed facilitating two workshop sessions with the youth on sustainable transportation as a way of expressing stewardship of creation and relationship and another on vocation.

The Susquehanna River from our Appalachian Trail outing during the Mennonite World Conference Assembly. A German through-hiker took a picture of the international group that went on short day trip.

I enjoyed meeting many new friends at the Mennonite World Conference Assembly, including these two sisters who traced their ancestry back to the former Soviet Union states. It was an honor to be present for the gathering and facilitate a workshop on the effects of climate change on human health.

My first visit in Los Angeles warranted a trip to the Santa Monica beach.

It was an honor to share a poster presentation with a mentor and preceptor for my May 2015 Clerkship in IDD in Chattanooga, TN.

Staying in a nearby neighborhood allowed time and reason to explore the more common corners of Los Angeles. This neighborhood had a strong Latino presence and made me comfortably feel as if visiting in Latin America.

Collaboratively presenting a poster with colleagues from University of Pittsburgh.

Launching the fall semester with a school supplies drive for a local tutoring center. It was great to partner with the D1 class who will hopefully take on our class tradition as we graduate in the spring.

Our extended family tends to gather at a designated spot in the church parking lot after the service. With a church of over 1,000, it's nice to see friends and family when visiting.

A Ferry (historic and antique-looking but still functioning!) along the Susquehanna River, encountered during the 3-day biennial MCC East Coast Bike Ride on the planning committee of which I enjoyed serving. I enjoyed participating in the ride as well (though I was also studying for the National Board of Dentistry Exam, part II).

My hosts in Harrisburg, PA while I took the two-day National Board of Dentistry Exam, part II (brother of my most prominent dental and church mentor and friend, Bob, Eshleman). 

I enjoyed experiencing "Seminary for a Day" at the local Presbyterian Seminary with several members of First Mennonite Church.

A celebratory dinner with a research team that completed a presentation at an international conference on the Inter Health Professionals Alliance, a student-led initiative on the MCV campus.

With eyes still fresh from shedding a few tears, my nephew celebrates being able to bite into carrots and apples again without the bother of loos teeth (as well as looking forward to what the tooth fairy might bring). I suppose being an aunt who happens to be a dental student has its perks :)

Common: this funny English homonym describes the nature of a thing as well as to whom it belongs or with whom it associates. These definitions have been formative to my understanding of the way in which my career or livelihood is, may, and ought to take form. Common parallel adjectives include ordinary, unrefined, prevalent, and familiar. In its relation to surrounding people and activities, common describes belonging to and affecting the whole. Defining vocation with these descriptors is helpful in both demonstrating its end state as well as envisioning the process by which it is attained.

The task of uncovering what one might do with a good part of one’s waking hours is a task in which all are engaged, though you might argue that some do not have as much longitude from which to choose. Lest the ability to choose makes the task any more glorified than it ought to be, it’s good to keep in mind that this is a very basic and ordinary endeavor. In an individualistic consumer culture, we might want to deny that the way in which we pursue our vocation both belongs to and affects the whole of our context; that is, where we come from, where we are currently, and where we are going. As I trek en route towards this thing called vocation, refusing to settle for merely building a career, I am faced with the juxtaposition of my lofty ideals with the unrefined familiarity and practical grittiness of pursuing this aim in a real and imperfect context. Just as Cat Stevens describes in his song “Dying to Live,” I recognize the “beauty in distortion” and “humor in misfortune” that comes with becoming authentically implicated in one’s work and daily surroundings. Since meaning emerges from relating to the task and those that it affects, I recognize that my upbringing, current network, and the future sphere in which I envision operating all have an influence on me and I, in turn, influence them back. As Octavia E. Butler puts it, “All that you touch, you change. All that you change, changes you. The only lasting truth is change. God is change.” I’m not sure that I fully understand the last two phrases, but agree with her understanding of obligatory mutual influence. That is, I recognize the loss that my parents and childhood community perceives as I have ventured beyond those secure confines, even as that context continues to serve so much as my foundation. I also acknowledge the suspicion with which my desire to have a well-rounded dental training experience was taken by well-meaning mentors who would have preferred that I focus singly on my dental training; trying to make my intentions clear and having some positive outcomes to show for it has thankfully allowed for mutual learning and growth. Looking ahead during opportunities of interaction with those who are in various stages of their careers, I can’t naively hope that society and my future colleagues will always understand and support the intentions behind my vocational impulses. But I’m convinced that this communal journey will continue to be worth the effort.

 

Playing flute at the Friends of Dentistry dinner for the 4th year, I appreciate the many pillars who have supported my development as an oral healthcare professional.

This year's Mennonite Women of Virginia annual Fall Retreat was themed, "Our Stories, God's Story," around the story of Hagar who claimed, "You are the God who sees me!" Helping to plan the retreat was a fun part of being involved with the organization and women across the state.

Visiting for only several hours, my mom still convened a festive birthday lunch with my grandparents and niece/nephew.

Turning 23 snuck up on me, but I'm content with the tick-mark.

Though I've passed through Chicago many times en route to other cities, I had the opportunity to experience the city while presenting two posters and an oral presentation at this year's American Public Health Association Meeting. The 13,000 participants and expertise each brings continues to feel like a professional family.

Taking the metro to my place of lodging gave me opportunity to experience a taste of life in Chicago.

The moon lingers into mid-day on the last day of the conference.

On my way to the airport, I had to stop to see "the Bean" in Millennium Park.

Leading a carpool to Louisville, KY to attend the Global Missions Health Conference, I recognized that there are many people's voices that speak into my development as an oral healthcare professional and that I ought not brush these nuances away as often as I have the urge to.

A panel of clinicians discuss their experience with incorporating faith into practice at the Christian Medical and Dental Association weekly fellowship meal.

Celebrating an 80th birthday with a small group fellowship.

Though I don't regularly drink coffee as had been a daily ritual my D1-D3 year, my trek to school as the sun rose on the morning of my Treatment Planning Case Defense included a cup of coffee. I am glad to have this milestone successfully completed and am surprised at the speed with which this chapter of my life is approaching its end.

My friend and mentor received a scholarship fund solicitation from VCU with a familiar face on it. Though my education is funded by HRSA through the NHSC Scholarship, I was glad to share my positive experience at VCU.

It was wonderful to host the Norther Virginia Training Center Dental Clinic Staff for a workshop on Special Needs Dentistry. I appreciated my one week externship with the clinic that will be transitioning out of the facility that is closing by state mandate and into the community.

Our silly but chummy General Practice Group 1.

Both General Practice Groups 1 and 2 convened for a Christmas potluck that quickly turns into an international dinner that is lots of fun for all (especially at the end of a semester!).

Not only is vocation as a journey a common (ordinary) and common (shared) experience, the concrete and stable position that I envision as a milepost to reach someday—that which we more typically define as vocation—also demonstrates its ideals as a common (unrefined in the sense of being organic, not forced, and filling its proper niche) and common outcome (belonging to, being integrated, contributing, and affecting the whole in positive ways). One of the most famous descriptions of vocation in a Christian perspective comes from Frederick Buechner, who claimed that “the place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet.” Though the instinct is to think that this is a sort of nirvanic state that only a few elite of the world may have the opportunity to pursue, I argue that the practicality of Buechner’s statement is not as blissful as we might imagine, the reality of which results in most people choosing not to venture towards such an intersection. One’s deep gladness represents one’s dearest values. The world’s deep hunger does not sound like a very hospitable place for such precious possessions. It is much easier to adorn one’s deep gladness into an even more fragile delicacy that has to be kept in the comfortable confines of secure venues like hobbies, vacations, or well-earned sabbatical terms. To define and develop one’s deep gladness into a functional, resilient, and life-giving skill that one may commit to the messy hungers and raw needs of the world may require some sweat and even blood, neither of which are popular components of any job description. Though often wounded and in need of healing, this kind of serviceable—or you might say dispensable—deep gladness offers the greatest opportunity for authentically relating to one’s work as well as those that it affects, exactly wherein significant meaning is found in this thing we call vocation, treating it as a glorified myth perhaps because we lack the sacrificial perseverance and deliberate commitment to expressing our most true self and recognizing our world’s and neighbors’ most pressing needs. But lest we strive to be heroic in a journey that suggests requiring heroic energy, let’s recall that both the trek and destination are common, requiring a more humble but faithful approach.

A passage from the Gospel of Luke reinforces these thoughts. The disciples are instructed to forgive their repenting brother who sins against them seven times a day, to which they genuinely respond, “Increase our faith.” Promising to multiply the little faith they can bring to the task, Jesus points out the customary way in which a slave’s duty is fulfilled without pomp and circumstance, and suggests, “So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.’”(NIV, Luke 17:10). If it is our duty to apply the unique facet of God’s image in which we are created towards the betterment of a niche wherein we find ourselves, let us joyfully embrace this common journey for the common good!

It was such a joy to visit La Clinica San Lucas in Gracias-Lempira, Honduras a week before Christmas. The clinic staff continue communal devotionals each morning. Hermana Betty led this session from 1 Cor 16:18 "For they refreshed my spirit and yours also," encouraging us to write notes of encouragement to one another as the year concludes. I felt that my visit was a mutual gift of encouragement as we each continue our work in our contexts.

Visiting a village for two days afforded us the opportunity to visit a coffee/banana field.

This lady (the one leading with a heavy set of freshly-picked bananas) has established her farm through a micro-loan from the community program that has been established over 10 years ago withe help of the Clinica San Lucas social worker (the lady confidently carrying a machete).

Ity-bity pineapples!

A backyard kitten (not as common as the many skinny dogs that roam both rural and urban areas).

Sparklers in the corner shop (Pulperia) to pass the time during Christmas break.

La Santa Cruz, the community we bumped around up a mountain for 2 hours to reach. Spending two days in the village made me appreciate the blessings and challenges of living in such a context.

Asking which children have experienced tooth pain elicits more responses than we'd like to see! The villages are far enough away from the city that even if the actual dental treatment could be prioritized and financed, the ability to travel (cost of driving, lodging, food) is prohibitive to most families' ability to maintain healthy dentition. Ever-present soda and processed carbohydrates as a cheap alternative to unsafe drinking water an less-popular staple foods (rice, beans, fruits/vegetables) matched with lack of oral hygiene supplies and knowledge are the perfect storm for generalized oral disease. 

We practice brushing with newly-gifted oral hygiene supplies before applying fluoride varnish and examining for the need for urgent extractions...and some need a bit more help with brushing (but are no less eager for the endeavor!).

The girls diligently brush away sugary foods and bacterial plaque from the magnetic display board.

Brining along a stuffed animal oral hygiene model was a big hit for practicing brushing techniques.

Our jovial dental team (Dr. Denis as the lead dentist)

Offering our time to a local prison was a new dental outreach experience for me. Though security protocols aren't as strict in Honduran prisons, it is clear that oral and mental health are disparities just as in US prisons.

Popsicles of many flavors with the chef herself!

One of the students from my cohort of flute choir students from four years ago faithfully continues to play with a small group of other teens.

The main Catholic church on the plaza shows some nativity decorations.

Enjoyed reading William Wordsworth's "Lines Composed a Few Miles above Tintern Abbey" on the second floor of the octagonal cafe on the plaza (below photo shows a portion of it).

The statue of the native Lempira stands faithfully overlooking the plaza.

The recorder choir teacher was absent, so the visiting recorder teacher is tasked with rehearsing Christmas carols :)

Doris and her mom, Cita, prepared a dinner so I could fellowship with their family as I had lived with them during my 2 month stay 4 years ago.

The family is as cheerfully hospitable as every! Doris has completed her first year of medical school and Jonathan is much taller than me than he was 4 years ago and is interested in technology.

Carmen, the social worker at La Clinica San Lucas, lends her desk to the janitor lady who washes and dries lempira bills.

The dusty but pleasant street leading to the clinic.

The pastoral family (and family that established the clinic over 20 years ago, continuing to direct it)

Precious holiday time with family.

Returning from Christmas celebrations in the Shenandoah Valley to Richmond, I made sure to stop at a scenic overlook to enjoy a sunset over the Appalachian mountain range, acknowledging that my move to pursue Dental Public Health Residency and Geriatric & Special Needs Fellowship at the University of Iowa may not offer such views.

Settling into another year and my last semester of dental school, I also consider summer transitions to Iowa City in the Mid-West for a 3 year residency program. I hope that my next weblog post will come more promptly than the last.