The following entry was written by Alicia Strutton, Dr. Lonnie’s daughter and taken from her blog with permission. Alicia, Dr. Lonnie’s son-in-law Juan, and four of his grandchildren live in Tijuana, Mexico and as missionaries, help manage an orphanage. You can read their blogs at http://www.struttons.blogspot.com. You may also visit the Grace Baby Home Blog at https://www.mogiv.com/gch/babies. (left, Cesiah looking at Dr. Lonnie’s teeth)
My Dad, The Dentist
I have always been proud of my dad. Not only do I know from personal experience that he is a good dentist, but also from the countless testimonies I’ve heard throughout the last 30 years of my life. He treats children that other dentists have not been successful with their treatment. He treats physically disabled children, mentally disabled children, severely autistic children, and the simply difficult children. Often times the children are easy, it’s the difficult parents he treats with grace, tact and respect.
Except for a few summers of pulling and filing charts in his front office, I have never had the opportunity to sit and watch my dad work for a full day. Yesterday he came down to GCH with two of his staff, Vicki and Melissa (who are like family to me). Their goal was to take x-rays, do exams and make treatment plans for all our GCH kids and staff kids. The majority of the kids were terrified. All day long the kids asked Juan if the dentist was going to take out their teeth. They calmed just slightly when he explained that the dentist was not going to take out teeth, but that he was going to fix the ones they have.
Within the first few minutes of the day it was obvious that my dad had his work cut out for him. Many balked when stepping into the panoramic x-ray machine. Some held up their hands to block the instruments from going into their mouths. A few fearful tears were shed during the x-ray process. Our four-year-old flat-out refused any access to her mouth at all. In all this I watched my dad “go on stage” for each difficult challenge. It was amazing to watch the kids move from nervous and scared to calm and trusting. In the end, we had x-rays and treatment plans for over 30 children (even our four-year-old). Praise the Lord!
My dad has always viewed his job as ministry. Whether he is working in the comforts and excess of Orange County or in a tiny, crowded room in the midst of poverty stricken Mexico; he serves all children as if he was serving Jesus.
Two weeks they returned and began treatment on the kids. After five more trips down to Mexico, the South OC dental team had completed the comprehensive treatment of about 40 children. This included some special gum surgery to improve the smile of one of our teenagers.
Thank you, Dad, and the South OC staff.
Love Alicia
