THE DENTAL MSSIONARY

This week on October 7th my sister Helen Krueger, who spent 52 years in Ivory Coast, Africa as a dental missionary celebrated her ninety second birthday. The event was celebrated with friends and family where she now lives in Kamloops, British Columbia. For more information on Helen's life, roll back to my post dated May 14, 2013. One of the most interesting things about Helen is that she never asked for financial help from friends and family or anyone else. One of her main supporters was the Keyes family (they helped her with board and room through high school.) Our small school near Orion, Alberta, a one room country school taught only through grade 8, and Helen and myself were helped through high school in Medicine Hat, Alberta. I also did housework and child sitting for another family for board and room in order to attend city school. Both families were nice to be with.

Helen went to Toronto to take a course in dentistry after realizing that most people in that African area had no access to dental work because they did not have money for the 65 mile bus ride to get to the nearest dentist and no money to pay for dental services. An Alberta dentist bought a new set of dental tools for Helen and she traveled back to Ivory Coast and when home there she walked to the villages or pedaled a bicycle or rode the French official's horse some days. The last few years she was given a car on loan that may still be in use in Ivory Coast. She reminded me that the $30.00 a month I sent was used for gasoline, for in those days everything was all paid for with cash.

Our nieces, the Harper girls are in Salmon Arm and Helen and I had helped to save them paying the interest needed for borrowing the money. I was unable to get to Kamloops for her birthday celebration because of a previous medical appointment made sometime before but family and friends were there and Chinese food was brought to the care home where she now lives. By the way, the medical doctor that day gave me a clean bill of health. She agrees with Dr. Weill that the vitamin D3 should be taken every day. There is too much sugar and salt in modern processed foods.