Prem Dan

I started volunteering yesterday. It was pretty overwhelming at first to be honest. I arrived and was thrown right into the fray so to speak. There were very few people around to tell me what to do so I kinda made it up with lots of help from the patients.

I will be volunteering at a house called Prem Dan. It houses about 100 men and 150 women who are either sick or disabled and would be on the streets otherwise. I will be working in the men's ward. Many of the men are quite sick with TB, diabetes or any variety of mental and physical disabilities. The Sisters with some volunteer help provide 3 meals a day and clean and maintain the ward type room where they live.

On the first day a patient who spoke a little English informed me that I should start wiping down each mattress and putting a new sheet and pillow case on each. I thought I could handle this but it still was quite an adventure with a handful of smirking men trying to teach me the correct "Bengali" way to do it. The job also involved lifting a number of the men who could not stand to other beds while I changed their sheets. I eventually succeeded in completing my section of the room. I spent the rest of the morning with some other volunteers washing dishes and serving lunch.

Today one of the Sisters found out that I had some medical training and asked me to help change the patients dressings. It took me a few patients to get over the lack of any sterile technique. Unfortunately the home has fewer resources than any clinic I've worked in in either Nigeria or Angola. Any bugs in one patient's wound will soon be spread to all the others. A French volunteer who has been working at the home for over a year told me that there is a sterilizer but for unknown reasons they use it only once a week.

So far it has been super challenging and humbling to care for patients who really rely on others for everything. I've had to take men to the bathroom and feed others lunch. Never-the-less I do see joy in the Sisters and volunteers faces.

Prayer Before Leaving the Apostolate

Dear Lord, the Great Healer,
I kneel before You since every perfect gift must come from You.
I pray, give skill to my hands, clear vision to my mind, kindness and meekness to my heart.
Give me singleness of purpose, strength to lift up a part of the burden of my suffering fellow men, and a true realization of the privilege that is mine.
Take from my heart all guile and worldliness that with the simple faith of a child, I may rely on You.
Amen.
-Fr. Benedict J. Groeschel - Prayed by the volunteers before leaving the Mother House (the main convent) for the various other sites each morning.

Later...