Durnins find mission trip very rewarding

Mike and Debbie Durnin went on a mission of a lifetime, Jan. 21-30.

They closed their dental practices in Priest River and Sandpoint, got on plane and a boat and ended up on a tiny speck of an island off the northern coast of Honduras.

They went from 10-degree weather to 80 degrees in less than a day, while swapping winter coats for loud, floral prints.

The Durnins wanted to help the 900 or so inhabitants of Helene with their dental needs.

Helene is an island just east of Routan, one of the Bay Islands. It's about four square miles where breathtaking beauty is punctuated by abject poverty, lack of a sewer system and piles of garbage strewn throughout the populated portions of the islands.

The non-profit, nondenominational Helene Mission was founded in 1997 by a group called Alternative Missions. The island is racked with AIDS. The Durnins can't imagine what the island would be like if it wasn't for the help of the mission and the hundreds of volunteers who have trekked to this island for the past eight years.

The community library and education building are the results of volunteers. The school houses a pre-kindergarten and kindergarten with plans to complete classrooms for first and second graders this summer. There are plans to develop a K-12 curriculum with a GED program, Mike said.

"The residents are incredibly grateful," Mike said. "They are keenly aware of what the mission has meant to them and anyone who visits there is struck by these special people."

While the first few days were relatively slow, the Durnins joked that the "coconut line" soon got rolling and people were soon lining up for hours for treatment.

"It drove me a bit crazy at first," Mike said. "In my practice we try to keep a steady pace up to make sure nobody waits too long." At Helene, some patients would arrive several hours before the clinic opened while others were bring chairs and wait. On some days the clinic would close for the night and the patients who didn't get in would cheerfully go home and get there a little earlier the next morning.

The Durnins didn't go to the clinic empty-handed. They sent out a message to area dentists asking them to donate supplies. Drs. Anderson, Cox, Forsberg, Gervais, Helvey, Johnson, Reuer, Davidson, Cool, Natoni, Lewis, Miller and House all dug deep to help out.

The task of stuffing more than 300 pounds of instruments and supplies into suitcases fell to Debbie.

"It came to the point that we put our clothes in our backpacks and the dental supplies in the suitcases," she said.

With the help of professionals like the Durnins, the mission has purchased a desalinization system to provide clean water in an attempt to control some of the disease and infection. The mission is also installing an incinerator to help clean up the 50 years of trash accumulation.

The Durnins were so touched by the time they spent on the islands, they are planning to go back in June with their four girls who range in age from three to 14. They would also like to have most of their office personnel go with them.

On an island that lacks roads and where the villages are connected by pathways through swampland, it is very easy to see what needs to be done. The Durnins are honored they could make a small difference and are challenging themselves to continue to make an impact half a world away.

Supt. of Schools Mark Berryhill is recovering nicely from heart surgery and has even popped into the office a few times, we are told.

His improved heart beat a little faster last week when he and his wife, Mary, became grandparents for the first time.

Addelyn Helen Johnson entered the world Thursday night in Boise to parents Greg and Julie Johnson. She tipped the scales at seven pounds, eight ounces and was 21.5 inches long at birth.

Grandma Mary caught the first plane to Boise to see the future all-state setter, but Grandad's heart wasn't cleared to fly.

Congrats.

The Festival At Sandpoint's schedule is filling up fast and the talent level looks to be the best in years. I'm sworn to secrecy but I can tell you the country artist will knock your socks off and the Spokane Symphony will play to a sold out house.

The Festival Street's selection of food is second to none. Big Joe's is always my first stop. I also try to support the schools or non profit groups that are trying to earn some money.

Applications to be a food vendor at the Festival are now available at the Festival Office, suite 207 in the Old Powerhouse. Deadline for applications is Friday, March 4. For questions and information, call 265-4554.

Stay tuned to learn more about what could be the best lineup in years.

Best letter received this week:

"I just wanted to take a little time out to thank you, Sandpoint, for all of your support.

"We all miss home so much. But the Iraqi people need us now more than ever. So we are staying till the can go home. The rain season has just started so everything is soaked. The mud sticks to everything (save me some lake water." Signed, Mark Hepinstall, Iraq.

Best e-mail received:

Only in America … do drugstores make the sick walk all the way to the back of the store to get their prescriptions while healthy people can buy cigarettes at the front.

Only in America … do people order double cheeseburgers, large fries, and a diet Coke.

Only in America … do banks leave both doors open and then chain the pens to the counters.

Only in America … do we leave cars worth thousands of dollars in the driveway and put our useless junk in the garage.

Only in America … do we buy hot dogs in packages of ten and buns in packages of eight.

Only in America … do we use the word "politics" to describe the process so well: "Poli" in Latin meaning "many" and "tics" meaning "bloodsucking creatures."

Only in America … do they have drive-up ATM machines with Braille lettering.

Why don't you ever see the headline, "Psychic Wins Lottery"?

Why is "abbreviated" such a long word?

Why is it that doctors call what they do "practice"?

Why is lemon juice made with artificial flavor, and dishwashing liquid made with real lemons?

Why is the man who invests all your money called a broker?

Why is the time of day with the slowest traffic called rush hour?

Why isn't there mouse-flavored cat food?

Why didn't Noah swat those two mosquitoes?

Why do they sterilize the needle for lethal injections?

You know that indestructible black box that is used on airplanes? Why don't they make the whole plane out of that stuff?

Why don't sheep shrink when it rains?

Why are they called apartments when they are all stuck together?

If con is the opposite of pro, is Congress the opposite of progress?

Online poll results for last week:

Do you feel downtown Sandpoint should have building height restrictions? 191 votes. 71.7 percent yes. 28.3 percent no.

This week's question: Did you participate in the local Mardi Gras festivities?

David Keyes is publisher of the Daily Bee.