Elderly Residents Receive Christmas Comfort and Cheer

Twelve elderly women, residents of the Dorcas Home in Dowleswaram, received a special gift this Christmas season.

On December 20, eight missionaries from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints along with the head of the LDS congregation in Dowleswaram gathered to share Christmas cheer. The group sang songs, danced and shared a biryani lunch.  Each resident received a sari.

The celebration was the culmination of several projects undertaken by LDS Charities and missionaries from the Church in 2018 to improve living conditions here. 

In February, volunteers cleaned the grounds and sleeping quarters of this home run by the Andhra Evangelical Lutheran Church. They returned in May and again in October to whitewash the women’s sleeping quarters. 

“I was happy to see how the ladies’ faces lit up as they saw the new paint,” Said David Gray, one of the volunteers.

Although the stories of the residents are varied, there is one common thread—this is home and they love it. 

Sagar, orphaned at birth and stricken with polio, was raised by a hospital staff for ten years before coming to the Dorcas home as a twelve-year-old girl. She has lived here for the last forty-four years. It is the only real home she has known. 

Others, like Santhamma, also an oprhan, came here as young women and are happy to stay. “I don’t want to leave here,” she says as she sits in the shade of a large tree outside her tiny room. 

Many of the women have mental and physical disabilities which have made independent living impossible. They are grateful for this refuge.

Janene Jolley, one of the volunteers, expressed her feelings about the project: “It was good to spend time with the women, to let them know someone cares and has not forgotten them. We felt a sweet spirit here.”

With the help of LDS Charities and volunteers, the women of the Dorcas Home will have a comfortable place to stay for many years to come.