Coffee, Chili, and Cornbread
Blog #3: Day 4
Emily, Meghan, Kelly, and Lexy found themselves at the Omega House on this fine Houston morning (still cold). We were first provided with an update on patient statuses, and then were moved along to the living room where most of the patients had made there way over to the comfy couches and recliners and were ready to begin their day. Although Omega House is a hospice, it feels like anything but that. We were in complete awe of the family dynamic and the homey feel of the house. The four of us claimed our spaces on the couches and chairs and began to converse with the residents. Even though the morning was just starting, the residents were lively and ready to interact and entertain us; they definitely woke us up and made us even more excited for today's experience. After cleaning up the front of the house, Emily and Kelly were able to take a very lively fellow, Don, on a walk, while Lexy and Meghan stayed back and chatted with a few other residents who remained. Following the walk, Emily began a game of Yahtzee! with the four of us, Lester, and Don. Lester and Don had never played before, but you would've never guessed it based on the way they were racking up points. The highlight of that experience had to be when Don got a "Yahtzee!", and Emily screamed out and yelled "Yahtzee!" in surprise, and seeing Don completely light up and burst out laughing. Time flew by way too fast, and 4:00pm came before we knew it. We got hugs from Lester and Don, and departed to go meet up with the Dental Clinic group and the Day Treatment Center crew.
The Dental Clinic for Bering Omega is an amazing full functioning clinic run almost entirely by volunteer dentists and staff. We were amazed by the humility and service it takes to run a clinic that serves over 950 patients for almost nothing in return. Ryan, Erica, and Julia took on the Clinic today, and had the pleasure of shadowing Dr. Mark Nichols himself, founder and starter of the clinic back in 1987. We got to witness a unique oral surgery and interact with some of the patients' conditions. A favorite part was when (Erica) got to call and confirm appointments for patients in the following day, and was quickly challenged to whip out some old high-school Spanish. Interestingly enough, a huge demographic of patients are latino, and to have such high quality dental care provided is a service none of them take for granted. Of the 100 patients the clinic treats in one day alone, each of them come in with grateful smiles and attitudes towards Dr. Nichols and his staff which speaks volumes of the care and treatment they receive.
Katlyn, Dalton, John, Iesha and Nikola found themselves volunteering at the Day Treatment Center for the day. They began their day by first sneaking into the dental clinic and grabbing some coffee from the break room before going over to the center itself. Once at the center, the group was greeted by the activities coordinator, Antoinette, whose infectious levels of energy motivated them for a fun filled day with the clients. After a brief overview of the agenda for the day, the volunteers spent time conversing with some of the clients in the dining room while they ate their breakfasts. After breakfast, the group of volunteers attended the community meeting for the day where they discussed the upcoming events of importance. The community meeting was amazing to watch because it really illustrated how close and family like that the clients are. Afterwards, some of the volunteers learned how to play spades with the more experienced clients while others participated in arts and crafts. Once the activities were underway, the volunteer group took a break to help the community center staff with organizing the facility and making sure that the necessary materials were easily accessible. Once the cleaning was over and lunch was done, most of the clients left the facility and went home. The volunteers had the pleasure of speaking with a woman who shared with us her touching story of how she came to be in the situation that she was in, after which she shared the wonderful news that her blood tests came back with her HIV status as undetectable. We were so touched to be able to share in her joy and be inspired by her bravery and determination to never give up hope.
The Sturgis family graciously welcomed us into their home for a home cooked meal of chili and cornbread. The food was delicious and conversation was wonderful. The Sturgis's have gone above and beyond by connecting us with Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church for housing for the week. We are so thankful to their continuous generousity.
Our group has been blown away by the amount we have learned as well as the conversations had and relationships formed. We are incredibly humbled to have been welcomed into the Bering Omega community and to serve in any way we can. The trip is flying by far too quickly, but we are very eager to see what the following days will bring.
Houston Hotties, over and out.
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