Its Beginning to Look alot like Christmas..

Ester (Left), Teresita (Right-Standing) and Leonor 
(Righ-Sitting) Sort through the Damien House 
Christmas Decorations 

The past two weeks have been a busy time here at Damien House as we enter Advent and prepare for the Christmas season. The last two weeks were spent decorating our hospital home for Christmas. Patients, staff, and volunteers all worked together to transform Damien into a winter wonderland! Almost every door has some sort of wreath, stocking, or other decoration on it. Both the men and women´s section also have a Christmas tree, complete with lights, ornaments, and of course a star on top! Of course we have also decorated the office with our own Small tree and Santa Claus figurine!

Left to Right: Alcedes, UEES Volunteer Alex, and Leon
decorate the Christmas Tree out in the mens patio

Many of the women have also been working for months on various Christmas crafts and cards to give to our visitors and benefactors during this holiday season. The first of the cards and gifts were delivered to our printer here in Guayaquil yesterday and the patients will continue to hand them out to the visitors that come to the foundation this month.  Sonia, one of the patients, has also been working hard to sew Christmas pillows for the staff here at Damien House while The Rostro and UEES volunteers have been busy helping stuff the pillows. Decemeber will be a busy month but a very enjoyable one as we welcome many various groups into our hospital home!

Left to Right: UEES Volunteer Karolina, Jacinto, and UEES Volunteer
Sara hang the garland in the men´s patio

Life´s Little Surprises

           Last Wednesday started out as a pretty normal day of work. I walked around greeting all of the patients in the morning stopping and talking to those who seemed like they wantd to talk or just wanted someone to listen. Then I walked over to greet Manuel (also known as Abuleo as I think he is the oldest resident here). I have a very hard time understanding his Spanish at times and have struggled to understand more than a word or two of what he is saying. This has made it difficult for me to get to know him or feel like I could be good company for him.
            But last week I decided I would just sit with him for awhile and listen to his radio together. Soon one of the nurses came over and asked if I knew how to play Dominoes and I said yes of course (I think knowing how to play Dominoes is almost an required skill for being a Damien House Volunteer since all the men love dominoes so much). But anyways so then we decided to play some Dominoes! So Manuel got out his Dominoes and the three of us started to play. I did not even know that he owned Dominoes, let alone that he could play. Usually he is just sitting in his chair listening to his radio. Honestly I had underestimated him. We ended up playing Dominoes together for probably close to an hour and it was a great experience!
            We might not always be able to share conversations toegther but playing Dominoes is something we can do together and a way we can get to know eachother a little bit. I have found because of the language barrier here, I have had to change the way I form realtionships with the people here in Ecaudor at times. This has been challenging and frustrating at times but has also opened up doors to have many new and different experiences and to chgallenge myslef to find creative ways to relate to people.

Abuleo 

New Video

Check out the New you Tube Video of John F Kennedy Catholic School´s Visit to Damien House

Video was produced by Carrie Leonard.

Enjoy!

Also checkout other Damien House Videos on Our YouTuibe Channel Here

Bingo

Last Thursday was an exciting day at Damien House. We decided to have a Bingo! The new volunteers (Sarah, Alex, and Jimmy) who are study abroad students at the local university in Guayaquil coordinated and set up everything. They sorted through various donations to find prizes for the patients and made sure everything was ready for our Thursday morning Bingo. Everyone gathered in the men´s patio area at 10am and the fun began! Nearly all of the patients participated and it was a huge success. Segundo was the first one to win and he chose a blanket as his prize! All of the patients won at some point and were able to pick from various prizes. Some of them even won twice! The most coveted prizes were Dr. Seuss T-shirts and sweatshirts that the last medical team donated. Blankets and stuffed animals were also popular prizes. All of the patients were delighted with their prizes and enjoyed showing them off to the camera. Everyone also received some Nestea to enjoy while they played and a bag of cereal to enjoy later. The day was a great success and a nice change from the normal routine of the day.

Mercedes and her prize!

Segundo wins the first prize!

UEES Volunteers (Jimmy, Sara, and Alex) and Rostro de Cristo Volunteer Chris pose with Bingo Prizes

New Mural

Lots of changes have been happening at Damien House these days. The women´s kitchen renovation project is complete but unfortunately some old murals got erased in the process.  These new blank walls created a wonderful canvas for Sister Annie´s friend, Lucia, to create a work of art here at Damien. She spent about a week here at Damien house painting a beautiful landscape scene, as well as some flowers, butterflies, and hummingbirds on the various walls in front of the women´s section. Thank you Lucia for your wonderful artwork. We loved having you here and many of the patients loved watching you paint, especially Blanca!

Blana (Left) watches Lucia (Right) Paint

Shout out to Santa Clara University

Last week we had our first group of Rostro de Cristo Retreatents for the year. Twelve undergrad students and one graduate student came to visit from Santa Clara University. Their trip was led by Mike Nettle who was a former volunteer with Rostro de Cristo at Damien House.

On Monday, we talked to the group about Hansen´s disease and then game them a tour and were able to talk with the patients and staff briefly. On Wednesday the group returned and were free to wander around and talk to whoever they wanted to visit with. Luckily their were lots of Spanish Speakers in the group so they were able to divide up and visit lots of different patients! The group got to know many of the people here and heard all kinds of stories ranging from how people came to Damien House, to how patients spend their days, and what holidays are like here at Damien House.  Patients and staff were all happy to see that Mike was back to visit (although some of the older female patients were disappointed to find out that he was no longer single!). The visitors also got a chance to support the patients by buying various crafts that the patients had made so the visitors walked away with beautiful peace birds, bracelets, necklaces, crosses, paintings, and even a new hammock. Before the group left, Mercedes and husband Italo also played the accordion and sang for the group.  It was a beautiful song and got everyone dancing and many of the other patients came over to listen! I am sure the visitors will remember their visit for many years!

Despiderse and Saludarse (Goodbyes and Hellos)

Peace and Greetings from Guayaquil!

This is Katy, one of the new Rostro Volunteers. The month of July and August were a little crazy here at Damien house with the transitions of the Rostro de Cristo Volunteers. Linda and Liz finished up their volunteer year and had to say goodbye to all of the wonderful friends they had met at Damien House throughout the year. As we watched them say their goodbyes, it was clear that this year and the people here had a a wonderful impact on their lives! Damien House welcomed two new volunteers from the Rostro de Cristo Foundation, Cristobal and myself (Katy). I am from the Chicago suburbs and recently graduated from the University of Dayton with a degree in Operations Management. Cristobal is from Wisconsin and just graduated from Creighton University where he studied biology. Chris is planning to attend medical school after his year in Ecuador so he has been helping out in wound care and with sensory nerve testing for the patients. Meanwhile, I am using my business skills to help manage emails, group schedules, work on grants and help keep the Facebook and Blog pages up to date! Both Chris and I also enjoy hanging out with the patients and getting to know them and playing an occasional game of Dominoes.

-Katy

Old and New Damien House Volunteers Together
From Left to Right: Liz, Cristobal, Katy, Linda

Happy New Year!

As we look forward to a new year, we are reminded of all the blessings and joys that have touched us here at Damien House this year. We remember a wonderful year spent celebrating the lives of our patients; we remember those who have gone to God in 2011; and we remember a year full of miracles including all the hard work and love brought to Ecuador by visiting medical groups, retreatants, and visitors. In a year full of joy and progress, we look forward to what 2012 has in store for us. We plan for major and exciting developments here at the foundation and for the lives and well being of our patients. As we eagerly start in on all these new projects, know that we send you and your our best wishes and happiness in the new year!