Written By Gerika Soria, Volunteer Writer / Photographer, Operation Blessing Philippines
Torrential rains and a rejection from a village officer did not deter Yoly Dasig, 56, from seeking the dental help she needed. Once she got home, she put her ingenuity and courage into action.
“After all, God says, ‘Seek and you will find. Knock and the door will be opened,’” she said.
Yoly was suffering from gingivitis. Her gums were in immense pain, and just a few days prior her left cheek was swollen after the pus in her gums ruptured. She could not eat well and she suffered from headaches. She gargled water from boiled guava leaves and bought antibiotic medicines that only lasted for 2 days.
“I owe the drugstore for the last 2 medicines I took,” she shared. Yoly and her husband are unemployed and do not have enough money to pay for the medicines she needed. Her husband is also partially disabled due to diabetes.
“My life is under crisis,” Yoly tearfully shared. They only rely on the sporadic earnings of their youngest daughter for their daily needs.
On July 17, Operation Blessing, in partnership with Logos Hope, held a dental mission in Brgy. Poro, San Fernando City, La Union. Yoly was one of the patients who hoped to receive dental treatment and medicines for her condition.
However, a village official who thought that tooth extraction was the only service attended to in the dental mission turned her away.
“When I returned home, I felt unsettled. I decided to find ways to seek the help I need while leaving everything in God’s hands.” She also found out from a local newspaper that people from Logos Hope were in their village. With renewed faith and optimism she made a sign that says: God is my hope. Logos can help me. She went back to the dental mission site and hoped her sign would work.
A volunteer from Operation Blessing saw Yoly sitting in front of the village hall with her sign drawn up. Struck with sympathy and compassion, the volunteer assisted her until Operation Blessing’s volunteer dentists attended to her needs. Yoly’s gums were checked and she received, for free, the medicines prescribed to her.
She also received food packages for her and her husband, which was timely because she and her husband did not have anything to eat for dinner that night.
But more than just the medicines and food packages, Yoly received something that made her face brighten despite the pain she felt in her gums – an overwhelming proof of God’s provision. Part of that was the compassion of the people she met, which impacted her the most.
“The help I received today has made me so happy,” she said. “My heart is overwhelmed because a person like me was tended to by people who fear the Lord.” Yoly was also prayed for and encouraged by Operation Blessing’s volunteers.
“It is not an accident that I am here,” she declared. “God showed me that He would not disappoint anyone who asks Him for help. I can share to others what God has allowed me to experience here.”
