140202 Hogar Ancianos

This week we were asked to go to visit an old folks home here in Santo Domingo run by nuns.  Maria Romero, the head nun has been there for 25 years dedicating her life to provide dignity of life for hundreds of people who would otherwise suffer at the end of their life.  The building they are located in was constructed originally by Trujillo and was used as a school for nurses.  Somehow this order of nuns was able to acquire the building, which has capacity for 300 elderly people.  Like most every other non-profit organizations helping the poor we have met with on our mission, they really have no clue how next month’s expenses are going to be covered.  Maria really has no concern about it, being content to depend on what the good Lord sends her.  God has taken care of them for 25 years of selfless service!

They would like us to consider helping them by purchasing mattresses to replace many of the worn ones and to replace or repair two large cookers in their kitchen.

We attended an event put on by the Ministry of Health and MChip/USAID to review progress made last year in their Helping Babies Breath program and other health programs.

We were present for the presentation of the last orthopedics recipient this week to a man named Julio.  Julio was driving his motorcycle without lights when he collided with a car coming at him in reverse also without lights.  Rather than repair his fractured leg, the national medical health system cut his leg off.  They even did that poorly leaving him a very short stump that made it difficult to make a workable prosthetics.  He was so very happy to receive the help the church gave him to receive a new leg.  He even climbed some stairs as demonstration of his new found ability to walk.

This is Andres who has been our faithful guard every night for the last 2 years.  He worked from 7:30 pm to 7:30 am.  He never missed a night except 3 days when he was mourning the loss of his father.  He earns about $250/month.

We had the opportunity to go to a closing ceremony in Constanza for equipment that we purchased for ADR.  They blocked off a public street with an awning, chairs, podium and speakers.  We were asked to sit at the head table and Wallace to give a speech.  He was interviewed by the local TV station after the ceremony concluded.  Many of the people in these pictures are dear friends of ours.

Cruz Rivera and his wife always serve us dinner whenever we are in Constanza.  He is peeling a fruit we had never eaten called “caci”.  It was really good.

The above picture was taken with President Vargas of the Bonao district at the highest point in the road on the way to Constanza.

 

This is Reid Cornish, Elder Cornish’s son that helps in Spanish Class.

 

The climax of the week was that we drove to Azua where we reviewed the status of the water project and showed a video Wallace made of all the pictures we had relating to the many visits we had in the community about their project.  Their water project is not a reality yet, but they are definitely much closer to having water than when we first became involved 2 years ago.