Aby, Rosie, & Aida Delacruz

          What an amazing trio of ladies with matching hearts.  They are young, eager, and full of energy and love; especially love for the elderly.  The Delacruz ladies came on board with Desert Ministries in November 2008. 

          After completing DM training, they started volunteering at Hillcrest Health and Rehab in Bellevue, Nebraska.  The girls’ Mom, Aida, is a hair stylist and nail tech, so she served the residents by volunteering her expertise in these areas.  Rosie helped another DM volunteer, Bob Ireland, on Saturdays, with a hymn sing and prayer service.  Aby also did manicures while visiting residents and helping with activities.  Needless to say, Hillcrest staff and residents fell in love with this family. 

            Recently Rosie and Aby have moved into their own apartment in midtown Omaha.  They decided to change their nursing home visits to a closer location to their new home.  After visiting The Lutheran Home and the Activities Director, Chris Merrill, they made the switch. 

           Chris called Desert Ministries and said, “I don’t know where you got those girls but I want ten more of them!”  

            They are just getting started at The Lutheran Home.  They plan to do art projects, manicures and one on one visits, along with playing games with the residents two evenings a week.  Rosie and Aby are young but have no problem at all relating to the elderly. 

          They seem to have permanent smiles engraved on their faces displaying an energy and confidence that emanates from within them and permeates the facility as they walk down the hallways.   

            Their patience is evident from their speech and the way they listen to each resident.  We tell our volunteers that the elderly sometimes take a while to speak because they have so many files filled with a lifetime of experiences to sort through!  Aby and Rosie understand this. 

            They also speak with a voice loud enough to be heard yet you never sense that they are yelling at the older person.  What is so astounding is that they both have these gifts.  Their Mom did an amazing job of instilling this in these young ladies.

            Aby has also been volunteering in our office this summer, helping us with all of those back burner projects.  She has updated files and lists, done mailings, updated information on the computer.  You name it and she can do it!  We can’t tell you how much she is appreciated!

             Aida and Aby also enjoy photography.  Of course, we had work to do in that area too.  They have accompanied me on several visits to nursing homes and have taken some fantastic pictures and videos.  As if that isn’t enough they scrap booked the pictures!  In just days!  Talk about a back burner project, and it is finished, creatively and beautifully.

            It started with Mom, Aida, instilling these values in her daughters and it keeps on going.  They just keep giving and giving.  We are very blessed to have these young women on board at Desert Ministries! 

Aby, Aida, & Rosie Delacruz