-Missionaries of Charity-

Missionaries of Charity is a Roman Catholic religious congregation established in 1950 by Mother Teresa of Calcutta.  It consists of 4,500 sisters and is active in 133 countries.  The sisters take 4 vows which are vows of chastity, poverty, obedience, and to give "Wholehearted and Free service to the poorest of the poor."


Within the past 4 weeks I've had the opportunity to experience 4 of Mother Teresa's establishments.  As you all know I have been volunteering at the Mother Teresa House for the Dying and Destitute every Monday -Wednesday.  In a previous blog I wrote about my experience in Calcutta at the Mother House on January 28.  I was able to share in mass with the sister's and experience where Mother herself worked.  I unfortunately wasn't allowed to see the patients or take part in their care but being at the Mother House was an emotionally draining/worthwhile experience in itself! 


Last Saturday I had the entire day off so I decided to venture to the Mother Teresa House for Handicap and Disabled Kids.  Alex, another volunteer here in India is currently working here for her placement.  The building is very similar to where I work.  There are 2 age groups that occupy most of the rooms.  I was able to feed some of the children, play with others, and attempt to "soothe" the ones crying.  A few of the kids had Down Syndrome, some Spina-Bifida, and many others forms of mental retardation.   There are 4 kids in the one room who were all "born" without eyes.. I didn't really think the odds could be possible given the fact that I've never seen it in the states or even really heard of it happening.  I did a little research and apparently it is a very rare genetic birth abnormality.. there is still a lot of suspicion however that these children may have had them "cut out" for other reasons.  What a terrible thing to do to a child yet alone any human being.  It was heartbreaking knowing these kids will never experience sight yet so amazing to see these kids play with a smile on their face, hug, and jump on you! The other room had more teenage children.  Some were non-verbal and very mentally handicapped while others were more active.  There is a 12 year old girl who has had numerous and I mean numerous surgeries to correct all of her 4 deformed limbs.  She had a external-fixator on her left arm which was on her right leg only a few weeks earlier, and her left leg before that, and then in a few weeks to months it will be on her right arm.. talk about exhausting!  Yet she still managed to light up when I walked in the room, introduce herself, and apologize for being a little under the weather! She was so sweet.. so positive.. so hopeful and she has no one! It was an amazing experience.  I give the sister's an abundance of credit for what they do!


Now, today I traveled an hour after my placement this morning at MTDD to Mother Teresa Leprosy House.  I was introduced to Sister Leela.  I did not get to take part in care but I did get to see the wonderful work of the sister's on the "poorest of the poor."  Sister explained that the house sits on 12 acres.  It is the home of currently 370 patients.  The area is called the Leprosy Colony.  It is a government run development containing 24 colonies.  All colonies contain Lepers who are pretty much banned from society.  Currently everyone is healed of Leprosy at the house but all are suffering from second hand diseases and infections.  Most have amputated limbs, infected ulcers, joint malformations, blindness, and many other current issues at hand requiring surgery.


There are 8 ward.  6 belong to men and 2 belong to women.  The mens wards are all named after Saints including St. George, St. Thomas, St. Anthony, and St. Joseph.  Within their area there are also 2 clinics.  The first clinic is a rehab facility.  One a day for 45 minutes the patients come for acupuncture therapy, wax therapy, physical therapy, and nerve and muscle stimulation therapy.  Each therapy is done to promote blood circulation and to promote sensory sensation and muscle strength.  The other clinic is a "wound care" clinic.  4 men who are trained in extensive wound care come daily to perform dressing changes and debriedment.  In the am the men perform the changes on the patients currently living at the House while in the afternoon they perform outpatient dressing changes for the people who live in the outside colonies.  All the care received is free of cost and the supplies are purchased by the sister's using funds from the Mother House in Calcutta or they are donated.  The final mens ward is considered a recovery room.  Yes, they perform surgeries on premises!  The operating room contains 3 beds (yes, in 1 room), on Mondays the room and the instruments are sterilized and on Wednesdays 2 or 3 doctors come and perform needed surgeries free of charge.  After the surgery is performed there is a holding area where the patients are monitored and then when able they return to the recovery room ward where they stay until the following Wednesday when the next surgeries take place.  


Some patients who are healthy enough to leave and have family who can help care for them leave the Mother House and live in the outside colonies.  But as I stated above, most are banned from society so they can not get jobs.  To fix this problems the Sister's hire them to work on the property and pay them monthly in return for their services.  Some jobs include, maintaining the garden, tending to the crops, maintaining the landscape, milking the cows, tending to the chickens, goats, geese, and rabbits.. I had to ask why they had geese and rabbits (just didn't make sense as all the others) and with a huge smile and laugh Sister Leela replied because they're cute! haha so sweet and she also said that it gives more job opportunities to the poor!


Next there were the 2 women's wards.  St Terese and St. Mother Teresa wards.  The first ward was massive!  There were 50 beds in the room.  Sister informed me that the room was actually being occupied by all mentally handicap women who's homes were demolished and are currently being rebuilt.  They had no where to go so the sisters gladly took them in and gave them a roof!  The other ward was for the women with leprosy.  To maintain privacy the men and women are separated and the surgeries are performed separate as well.  


370 people are taken care of by only 8 amazing sisters!  The place runs functionally with the help of many others but all in all the Sisters maintain their 4 vow..."Wholehearted and Free service to the poorest of the poor."


Each experience differed from the next but one thing did remain constant... UNCONDITIONAL LOVE!


I want to just share a quick story with you.  Today was my last day at MTDD :(  I have grown very fond of a few women in particular (don't judge I loved them all equally) but a few in particular have left a lasting imprint on my heart.  Fatima and Mary are both elderly women who have been residents at Mothers for years.  Side note- All the women were strangers upon arrival to MTDD.  I know I'm not a doctor but I diagnosed Fatima with late stages of Parkinson's disease and Mary with extreme osteoarthritis.  Today when I was sitting doing medical check-ups in the room I noticed Mary walking very quickly towards the bathroom.. a short distance behind was Fatima shuffling along in her "Parkinson's gait" holding up her curta.  I was curious of course so I observed from a distance.. Mary went first (because she's faster) and opened the bathroom door for Fatima.  She waited right outside the door for her until she was finished, helped her pull up her pants, and then arm in arm they walked out of the bathroom together. The most amazing sight.. UNCONDITIONAL LOVE 


Punja is another quick story that I have to share.  She is extremely old and frail.  She can't really walk on her own and she needs to be fed.  Every morning when I arrive she greets me with a huge smile, babbles in Hindi which I don't understand, and then laughs because she knows I have no clue! I've grown very fond of this women.. I've contemplated putting her in my luggage on more than one occasion!  I had one of the English/Hindi woman translate for me today.  I asked her to tell Punja that it was an honor meeting her, that I wished her the best health, and that I would never forget her.  As the tears rolled from the corner of her eyes she repeated to me in her broken English "I will miss you."  She then continued in Hindi stating that the work I have done has been uplifting and appreciated, that I will never be forgotten, that God is working in me, and that as a thank you God will send me a wonderful husband!  Haha she had me all emotional as she always does and then made me laugh in the midst of tears as she always does :)  


4 Mother House's, these 3 women and the other 60 some as well have changed my life forever.  They showed me what LOVE really is and how to share it with others around you who are strangers by blood and make them family by heart!