Peru Dental Mission Trip June 2018

For those of you who know me well you know that mission work has been a passion of mine for some time.  In particular, mission work in South America has been influential in the development of who am I today.  I first began participating in mission work during the summer before entering high school.  I was fortunate to be able to take part in a trip to Ecuador which cultivated a love service and the people of this great country.  I returned to Ecuador the following 3 summers on one or two trips a year for a total of 5 mission trips, several with my church and two with my family in a medical capacity.  On the trips with my family, my father, an ophthalmologist,  performed a variety of surgical procedures on cataracts and pterygiums.  My interest was peaked seeing the service that my father could provide to radically improve these peoples' lives.  I wanted to be able to help in a greater capacity, I wanted to be able to improve lives.  I also realized I could not do what my father was doing for his patients.  Upon returning back home I began shadowing my dentist in Greenville, Dr. John White.  I immediately loved the profession and could visualize myself providing this service for others.   Fast forward 7 or 8 stressful years of studying.... In the summer after my first year of dental school I returned to Ecuador for my first dental mission trip.  Everything had finally come full circle and I was overwhelmed with a sense of peace and joy.  Peace: because as stressful as the last 8 years had been and specifically the last year of dental school, I was put at ease to the doubt and fear that I had picked the wrong career path.  Joy: because I finally was seeing the reality of all the hard work and God's providence come to light in the original place that inspired my journey.  While this trip was wonderful and I was able to serve the people of Ecuador in a new capacity, that capacity was very limited with only one year of schooling under my belt (I pulled two teeth and got people numb).  I mostly served as a dental assistant on this trip.  But here I am now, on the back half of dental school and now legally allowed to treat patients (under the proper supervision).  I have a much greater ability to serve and can provide greater treatment for those with needs.  So this upcoming summer, June 2018, I'm heading to Peru, not Ecuador. A change of scenery but still at the heart of my passion for dental missions, and South America nonetheless.  

I hope after reading this you understand a little bit about my purpose for this trip and the desire I have to provide for those with greater needs.  I have a great opportunity to partake in this great trip made possible by Dental Community Fellowship (DCF), a nonprofit organization at the Medical University of South Carolina which desires to impact healthcare by following Biblical principles.  We will be providing for a wide variety of dental needs including extractions, fillings, cleanings and oral hygiene instructions.  We will also be providing eyeglasses and sunglasses in our eye clinic.  I am extremely excited about this opportunity to serve and hope that you will consider supporting me in this endeavor.  

The cost for travel, lodging, meals etc excluding the cost of airline tickets is $750.  I'm currently watching airline prices all of which are above $1,000 which is why I'm estimating a total of around $2,000.  To be completely transparent, there is an optional trip to Machu Picchu during this trip for an additional $250 which I will be covering myself and will not subtract from this platform.  

If you would like to provide financial support for this trip, please feel free to use this platform, however, it does keep 2.9% of the donations as well as $0.30 for each individual donation. 

Other options: you can send a check to me at 4 Parkwood Avenue Charleston, SC 29403.   

OR 

Make check payable to: Dental Community Fellowship
Mail to: DCF P.O. Box 81135 Charleston, SC 29416
Don't write my name in memo line
Attach with note including: 
Team Member Name: Peter Heitman
Donor Name: your name
Donor Address: your address

Regardless of if you can provide financial support or not, please keep my classmates and I in your prayers as we prepare for this trip. Pray for safe travels, pray for steady hands, and pray for the good news of our Lord to be shared and received on this trip.  Thank you for your support!