August 15 Pictures and Update on Smile House

Last Tuesday, our friends Ted and Virginia, took us out to the Smile House project so we could take pictures. The builders are really going to town. They are doing an excellent job and have the front section almost built. They are raising the roof a little more than a meter. You can see this in the pictures. It is always great to see the progress.

We just found out that we have to buy a transformer for electricity and it is needed ASAP. It will cost almost $11,000. The funds for the building hopefully will pay for a roof. If you have any ideas of how we can get funding or if you feel inspired to help, please write to me at smilealliance@yahoo.com or Smile Alliance International at P. O. Box 240 Cle Elum, WA 98922. Donations to SAI are tax-deductible.

YWAM Dental Ministry Update

Today we had a very interesting and productive meeting with Jeff Colker who is going to head the dental ministry for YWAM in Ukraine. Both Richard and I feel that Jeff's organizational skills and business sense are God ordained. We also feel that God has orchestrated this long ago. The ministry will be run efficently and effectively so more underserved people can be helped and God's love can be spread in this land. Praise God!

SAI Dental Projects in Ukriane as of August 2006

Here's an update on our dental projects in Ukriane at this time. Smile House is being renovated. The final architect plans are done and a new addition and a new roof are being put on it. (See the last post.) Then we will see what happens as the funds are running low. In the meantime, God has been putting a lot of things together. YWAM (Youth With a Mission) was given a dental van. When our June team came from Loma Linda and Pennsylvania, we used it in three villages in the Zhytomer area. (See http://smilealliance.blogspot.com ). We spent yesterday getting it ready and organized. This van really needs some basic dental instruments and handpieces as well as supplies. All the dental work at Smile House will be free of charge and will be only on orphans and underserved children when our clinic is done. For now it will still be free but YWAM includes adults who cannot otherwise have treatment done. We’d like to do that at Smile House but we will be swamped just with kids. The needs are so HUGE. But we serve a very big God and He is doing phenomenal things to put this all together so He may have other plans.

Last week, God brought a wonderful lady dentist, Dr. Ina, who is a committed Christian. We heard about her through another organization who heard about her from a friend of a friend. This is the way God works. She worked in a children’s clinic and then quit to go for nine months of Bible training at the Hillsong Church in Kyiv. Her heart is to serve the children of Ukraine and although she is a young, single mother, she is willing to work for very little. She says that God has been providing for her and will continue to. She speaks some English and loves children. There has been $220 committed each month for a dental assistant. She is going to work with Richard assisting and also doing dentistry on the van a day or two a week as the funds permit. Legally, he has to work with a Ukrainian dentist until we can get him licensed here—that is being worked on as well.

Also, Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN) has been given a building for medical outreach and they have offered to let us use one or two rooms in it for a clinic if all the details can be worked out. We can use the equipment we sent over on the container. Also, they partner with a church which sends out a medical van and twenty or more physicians, two or three weekends a month all over Ukraine. The YWAM van may accompany them if we can help schedule dentists to go along. We would like to help them organize this.

So Richard can work on the kids even now until Smile House comes together. We have talked to many organizations and people are eagerly waiting for us to have a regular schedule. There are a number of dentists from the US ready to come on a short term basis when we have places for them, and we have met a number of Ukrainian dentists who may volunteer a day or two a year. We do have portable equipment we can work with as well. We still need supplies and instruments although we have some—our main instruments either disappeared in shipment or didn’t get shipped. We will look for them when we visit the US. We will be in Oregon and Washington during the first three weeks of September. If anyone is interested in having us talk to a club, church or just individuals about Ukraine, we would be happy to if we can schedule it. Please let us know ASAP if you are interested.

Final Plans for Smile House

We picked up the final plans from the architect last week. The top picture is the drawing from the front of the building and the next two pictures view the building from the south side. The roof will be pointed. The original idea was to have dormers on the building so we could put a dormitory under the roof. Instead, the roof has been raised over a meter in height and an addition is being added to the front. This arrangement has resulted in eight dorm rooms, each with its own bathroom including a shower. The architect came up with an unique arrangement for the staircase so each room will have its own entrance. I have included that drawing here. You can see the original plans on www.SmileAlliance.org which desperately needs to be updated.

This is the drawing for the basement. There will be utility rooms, a computer lab at the front, storage and recreational rooms.

This drawing is for the dental clinic. Because of governmental codes, we had to put in a surgery room for extractions--this includes both waiting and recovery rooms. It is on the right side at the back of the building. There are a couple of extra rooms on the right which may eventually be used for more dental operatories. The Office and reception areas are in the new addition on the front.

Included on the second floor are two kitchens (one for preparation and one for clean-up as defined by codes), a prayer room, an apartment for visitors staying for a period of time, a cafeteria, and a large meeting room.

The top floor includes 8 dorm rooms with bathrooms, a meeting/common room, and a balcony.

We were impressed with the way the architect designed the little bridges at the top to get our guests to the outside rooms. Remember, this is an unfinished house but the staircases and inside walls were already in place.

We are very excited about the possibilities for Smile House. But we also want it to be God's plan and design. We feel that He brought the architect to us and although he was not our first choice, his designs turned out to be even better than we imagined.

This final view is looking down on the SAI property in the future. It shows Smile House, proposed outbuildings and landscaping.

Planning and The Beginning of Renovation for Smile House

Mr. Suzdaltsev, Galyna and Vicki discussing the plans for Smile House. Richard is standing in the excavation and also Richard and Mr. S dicussing the basement floor with Yura our main builder. We are very excited about the quality of work these men do. They are honest and very well qualified.

The builders moved into Smile House a week ago and began the renovations. We are amazed at all they have done in a weeks's time. The roof has been removed, a fence built with the old roofing materials, the excavation for the new section at the front of the building has been completed and they are digging the basement floor deeper so the ceilings will be high enough to meet codes. We are waiting for funds from America to arrive so the work can continue and we are praying for more funds to be donated so the project can be at least secured with roof, windows and doors by the end of summer. God has a plan and if it's for Smile House to become a reality, He will bring it to pass.

Smile House--Gorbovieche, Ukraine

In January 2006, Smile Alliance International and its Ukrainian Humanitarian Organization, SAI Soniachne Svitlo, purchased a shell of a building in a village, Gorboveiche, about 15 kilometers west of Kyiv. It was a miracle that the money to buy the building came just in time for the purchase. Now, the project has started with a limited amount of available funds. A Ukrainian architect has been expanding plans drawn up by Al Montgomery and Craig Sil at StoneRiver Engineering in Cle Elum, Washington.

Plans include a large dental clinic on the first floor. This clinic will provide free dentistry to orphans and underserved children. Dr. Richard Nelson has moved to Ukraine to volunteer his time and skills to provide this care along with students from a dental university in Kyiv and possibly a hired dentist or two in the future as funds are received. Volunteer dentists from other countries will be encouraged to volunteer on short and long terms as they are able. Smile House plans include a dormitory, kitchen and cafeteria, prayer room, meeting rooms, a computer lab, an apartment for short term volunteers and numerous other facilities. It will be used for seminars, as a retreat center, and for short term team living. There are many possibilities for other uses in the future. We feel this is God's project and we want to be open and flexible to future ideas.We appreciate the prayers and support of our many friends and family members.