Prisila's Front Teeth

In 2008, Anne visited Mama Tara’s for the first time while on a mission trip with Roswell United Methoodist Church. She met and felt a connection with Prisila, who she describes as “a sweet, shy, half-little girl, half-young lady”.. Prisilawas 16 years old at the time with a pretty face, but she was missing her two front teeth. She is typically a very quiet girl and doesn’t seek out attention like many of the children do, so she doesn’t usually get as much individual attention from visitors. Anne spent a lot of time with her though, and Prisila enjoyed reading Bible stories to her.

Anne noted that she was reading below grade level but seemed to thrive on the one-on-one attention and tutoring. She gave Prisila some tips on sounding out and pronouncing words and felt like Prisila benefited from that time and practice. Anne said, “She seemed to be the classic quiet child who had sort of survived on her own, but in her quiet way, thrived on attention. I hated to leave Honduras and not continue working with her! When we got home, there was little I could do for her at such a distance, but I thought providing front teeth for her could give her a boost of self-confidence and help her later in life.”

Anne contacted Dr. Brian, a dentist who visits Puerto Lempira often, and on one of his trips down there this year, he made a mold of Prisila’s mouth. Anne was afraid that the political unrest would prevent him from being able to deliver the final product to Prisila, but as the picture shows, he was able to get back down there and fit a very happy Prisila with her new front teeth! She now just has to get used to smiling with her mouth open!