What an exciting November!
On November 14th, Place of Hope became an official Ecuadorian Foundation. Congratulations were held at the government office of MIES. Many months of paperwork were required to achieve this. Place of Hope should receive benefits from the Ecuadorian government toward helping the people we serve.
Our five Board members in the photo are in the second row from right to left: Vice President, Fred Hosea, Secretary, Salome Alvear Vaca, Coordinator, Ana Guevera, Treasurer, Fernando Correa Monge, President Martha(Micky) Enright, Director of MIES, Elena Larrea. Not present was Ing. Edgar Torres, responsible for submitting our paperwork to the MIES.
Our Team of Gardeners
Our breakfast people who are able to work planted our garden with corn and vegetables. Two cows and a plow prepared the land. Our people enjoy having a garden and the fresh vegetables in their scrambled eggs. It’s very hard work, but they showed great teamwork, and are very proud of their accomplishment.
Generous Jet Blue
Another truckload of donated items came from JetBlue Airlines. Medical supplies went to our medical building. Car seats, strollers, and miscellaneous items went to our thrift store to help Place of Hope expenses. We are very appreciative of JetBlue Airlines. They donated two airline tickets to be raffled in February. Tickets will cover four people to travel. Information for the raffle will follow in January. This is a great fundraiser for Place of Hope.
Shamanic Cleansing
A local Yachak (Shaman) Mama Juana did a spiritual cleansing on my granddaughter, husband, and friend who were visiting from Texas. Make a request in advance to her, asking her blessing on your individual needs. She prepares the ceremony accordingly to your individual request.
Christmas Party Update
Come enjoy the party on December 14th from 11:00 am until 1:30pm.
Our two cooks and our volunteers will prepare a hot lunch on December 14th for approximately 140 people. Chicken, rice, potatoes, and salad will be served. Our volunteers will make desserts as an extra treat. This is an enormous festival and takes much time to prepare. Food is prepped the day before by volunteers and cooked the day of the party. It is a real labor of love working together to serve a hot meal to so many people in need.
We hope to get a donation of traditional cookies (they resemble US animal crackers) and a few pieces of chocolate candy to put in each bag. The cookies come in 50-pound sacks and it takes a team of volunteers to pack and tie these small gifts for distribution. Dedication is a priority, and we have that with our team.
Open House Celebrations
An Open House will be held the day of the Christmas Party for our expat community. Yachak Mama Juana and her assistant nephew, Apak Perugachi, will present a special Indigenous ceremony honoring the elderly. They will lead the elderly in joyous dance and storytelling in the tradition of Kapak Raymi. This is the Kichwa December holiday that honors the elders. Apak can skillfully lead the dance in the Kichwa language in a way that invites English speakers to comfortably participate as well.
We look forward to your visiting and enjoying this special ceremony. Please take time to view our buildings and mingle with the people we serve and our volunteers. Coffee and desserts will be served during your visit. Transportation will be provided by Milton Andramunio Izurieta in his tour van starting at 10:30am the morning of December 14 from San Francisco Park and will provide return transportation after the event back to the park.
We look forward to being with our expat visitors for our Christmas celebration on December 14 from 11:00am to 1:30 pm.
Gratitude and Thanks
We appreciate your continued support for Place of Hope and wish to say thank you for your generosity. At this time of year, we always need additional funds for food and paperware that is needed to keep it festive. Of course, photos will be taken and shared. Everyone is a volunteer and no one receives any type of financial income. Please be generous, as extra expenses have a way to surface. Just this week our refrigerator quit working and was expensive to repair.
Wishing you a Merry Christmas, wonderful holidays and a Happy New year filled with health and blessings.
As always
The Place of Hope team
and
Micky
Founder of Ecuador Project Hope