Chapter 49 - A Tribute to Our Dentist

“A man that hath friends must shew himself

friendly:…”

—Proverbs 18:24

The first time we met Dr. Dixon—I always

called him Doc—and his wife, Jane, was at a
church in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. A tall man like
me, he was new to the church, and so were we. Doc
and his wife were a very wonderful couple with
children, and we became friends. They were ordinary
Christians who loved the Lord, and though he
was a dentist, he treated us missionaries as equals.
They were always good to us and often invited us to
their home for food and great fellowship. His wife,
was a great cook and put quite a spread on the table.
    We went soul winning as often as possible; I
remember the first soul that he won to the Lord. As
we visited a home, Doc presented the gospel, and
the person responded by accepting Christ. What a
glorious night that was for us!
    He also took me to his favorite fishing spots, and
we usually caught some fish. At one pond something
hit my line and pulled us and the boat all around
until we finally cut the line. Doc thought it was a
turtle, but I still think it was the biggest fish that
ever hit my line. If I had been a good swimmer, I
would have dived in and pulled out “the big one that
got away.”
    Like most people, I dreaded going to the dentist,
but when you have a toothache, a dentist is a godsend.
I had a tooth that was hurting, I called Doc,
and he told me to come right over. I entered his
office as nervous as a rat with a cat bearing down on
it. He looked at the tooth and rendered the verdict;
it had to come out. I gave my permission for the
procedure, and Doc procured a needle that looked
as thick as a cigar and seemed to be a yard long. He
assured me it would not hurt a bit, but I thought,
“He’s not the one that he’s poking that needle into.”
To my surprise, it did not hurt.
    Doc said, “Let’s give it a little time to numb, and
I’ll be right back.” Then he waited on other patients.
In a few minutes (which seemed like an hour), He
returned and picked up a pair of big pliers. In a few
seconds, the tooth was out. I felt nothing and was
very thankful that the dreaded ordeal was over. Now
it was time for the painful part, the bill.
    I walked up to the cashier with Doc behind me.
I almost fainted when he said, “There is no charge,
since this is mission work.” What a blessing! I had
feared this expense would break my bank account. I
thanked Doc profusely, and from that point in 1990
until now, Doc has never charged us for his services.
Praise the Lord for this family and the blessing of
their friendship all these years!

(Copyright by Jay B Ayers)