In 2007 a dental hygienist saw a huge need for dentistry in Kenya while serving on a church mission trip. Being moved by this need, Kim Sanchez organized a dental team the following year to serve the orphaned children and poor in Nakuru town.

The first dental team in 2008 had 7 members. We set up our clinic with 3 dental chairs in a school without much space, using a lot of drop cords, a shop vac, pressure cooker sterilizing pot and a portable generator. There were many blessings and difficulties and it truly was a learning curve. However, it captured the heart and passion of those who went and there was a determination to continue coming back to help.

After our 5th church mission trip in 2016, focused on dentistry, several team members felt a strong leading from God to start a dental non-profit organization. We recognized that many members of this unique team did not come from just one local church, but various places. Our small group of 4, Bret, Kris, Mussie & Teresa prayed and worked together to establish Hands of Loving Dentistry-US Foundation, aka HOLD US Foundation. We also added two valuable dental team members, Amy and Barry, to be on our founding Board.

The first HOLD US team in 2017 was 16 members… 4 dentists, 5 dental assistants, 2 hygienists, and 5 people who did a host of other critical tasks such as equipment sterilization, management of student patients, clinic assistants, and logistical coordinator for the team.

Dentistry is our primary service but our mission also continues to be to carry a message of love and hope in Jesus Christ. We strive to be the model of Christ’s love in action, and pray that we can achieve this on every trip.

We welcome anyone with a willing heart and open mind to join our dental team!

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