Another Tooth Update (by Thom)

After I mentioned my broken tooth problems last week many people emailed to say they were praying. Thanks to all for your prayers! Having tooth pain is disconcerting enough, but to have it in Africa adds a whole new level of uncertainty.
I went back to the dentist this morning (my 3rd visit). He looked at the tooth, removed the cement he put in there last time, and started drilling. Please note I didn't leave any steps out there - there was no anesthesia! Believe me, when he got pretty deep in the tooth I knew it, and that wasn't any fun. Afterwards he put some medicine in the hole, re-patched the cement, and told me to come back again on Friday. The good news - no, the GREAT news - is that the pain is mostly gone. I'm not sure why, but I'm not living on pain killers anymore and I can think more clearly again. Today I could smile again pain-free for the first time in almost 3 weeks. It was during those 3 weeks that Miriam and Hannah began developing their own laughter, so this was about the worst time to not be able to smile.
Praise the Lord I'm feeling a lot better. Please keep me in your prayers this week, especially Friday when I make my next visit to the dentist.