Celebrating the holidays with our staff!

Dr. Gradwell celebrating the holidays with the staff at Dr. Freedman’s office where he practices monthly for years! 

This is Wellington Chikuni, my Malawian son!  We met 10 years ago on my very first medical mission trip to Malawi, Africa and we became instant friends.  I helped put him through dental school in Uganda, Africa and today he is a dental surgeon in Malawi.  I secured a US Visa for him and he is now in America visiting, his very first time out of Africa!  Wellington has been in my office observing and has also had the opportunity to observe a general dentist and orthodontic office.  He got a chance to see the ocean and feel the sand for the first time.  He is getting the opportunity to sightsee and get a feel for America, he is really enjoying the food as well!

There are also 5 other Malawians who got a chance to visit America through Villages In Partnership, they received dental check-ups and had their teeth cleaned at the office this week.

This past Saturday, Wellington and I attended the 15th Anniversary Gala of Villages in Partnership, the non-profit organization where I have my dental clinic in Malawi.  Because Wellington is a dentist in Malawi we work alongside each other providing dental care and dental surgery to over 300 villagers each time we have our clinic.  It’s been a blessing to spend this time together.

It was with great excitement that Cydney Chikalema made it to the US from Malawi Africa.  When VIP found Cydney at age 10, both his parents and his sister had already passed away.  Villages In Partnership took him under their wing and he was able to attend secondary school and college in the capital of Malawai, Lilongwe.  Here we are celebrating a dinner at my home and getting ready to send him to graduate school at Wheaton College in Illinois.  This is truly the work of the lord.  Help me in your prayers for Cydney to have a wonderful experience in America and in school.

Dr. Gradwell celebrating the holidays with the staff at Dr. Freedman’s office where he practices monthly for years!

Back in September we helped raise funds for Villages in Partnership to complete the construction of a full medical and dental clinic (opening June 2023). This clinic is in the most remote village, furthest from any other government or VIP sponsored clinic. Remember, this is in a place where the primary mode of transportation is walking. People walk for miles to get to school, the market, and even to access water. Our biggest challenge now is providing transportation for our Dental Technicians to this new clinic. They can’t walk there and still see 100 patients! Their biggest need was to supply them with a motorcycle that can be used to travel to and from our existing clinic to this new facility.  VIP was able to raise enough funds to provide them with that motorcycle.  Below is a picture of Wellington and Titus using the new motorcycle.  

Celebrating Rachel’s 10th work anniversary!