Bruce and Debi Beckstrand, missionaries for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, provided free dental care to Tongan prison inmates recently.
Bruce Beckstrand, a dentist, and his wife, Debi Beckstrand, a dental hygienist, are service missionaries for the Church at the Liahona High School dental clinic.
The Beckstrands were recently given a tour through Tonga’s Hu’atolitoli Prison. They were impressed with the operation of the facility. Inmates grow all their own food, and what they don’t eat is sold to the public. The proceeds are given to the government to help cover the cost of their time in prison.
While visiting the prison, the Beckstrands saw a need for dental services. They offered to close their office doors to the public for two days to provide service for these inmates.
There were 30 inmates transported to the clinic. They were all given a new toothbrush, floss and toothpaste.
Debi Beckstrand said of the experience: “We worked very hard during the allotted time. We were grateful for this experience and we hope we touched their hearts with the service we provided.”