Visit to Casa Hogar de Ancianos in Ensenada

Joy Peck

Activated Ministries volunteers had been hoping to make a visit to a local home for the elderly here in Ensenada. After making a few calls and inquiries, we got in touch with the director of Casa Hogar del Ancianos. We made a preliminary visit to the retirement home to assess their needs, see what we could do to help, and to plan a small event for a later date.

The event was a simple one, but having several volunteers participating in different ways made it a fun time for all ages! Eva Hack and her two children, ages 8 and 6, contributed to the occasion by baking cookies for the residents. Isaac Lopez, his wife Irene (their 8 year old daughter), and her sister Laura sang songs of encouragement to uplift their spirits and provide something fun that is out of their usual routine. The performance was received with happy faces and some of the audience even joined in singing along to some of the local tunes. At the end of the performance, the children eagerly passed out the homemade cookies to each “abuelo” and “abuela” (grandpa and grandma), which they were delighted to receive!

Dr. Chris Mlot of Gerinet Medical Services coordinated donations of walking aids from Mary Walker, of Veterans’ Home of California to Activated Ministries in Baja, California. Activated Ministries was excited to deliver these aids, as well as clothes, and other needed items to the home. Also, a big, thank you, to Activated Ministries who sponsored 60 “En el Atardecer de la Vida” booklets and 100 Activated Magazines which were distributed to all the residents of the home.

The 50-60 residents, caretakers, and sisters were very happy to receive the much needed assistance. We could tell by the smile on each one’s face that they were uplifted by our visit and thankful, not only for the donated items, but for the time that we spent with them, as visitors are few and far between.

As the event drew to a close several residents with tears in their eyes wholeheartedly thanked us as they followed us to the exit. “Thank you so so much, God bless you, we look forward to your next visit!” they exclaimed as we were getting into our vehicles. We hope to visit again in the near future, getting friends and the community involved.