Adios 2009

Yesterday we finished up the 2009 part of our school year.  You may notice that it is rather early yet. The construction workers that are renovating the site asked us to give them some extra time, extending the break somewhat, so that they can finish by mid-January.  It's been difficult for them having to watch out for kids on their construction site, and difficult for us as well.  The director agreed to an extra week.

School days required by the education department will not be a problem, since we will be returning to all day classes, rather than just the state required morning or afternoon session.

We ended the week with the traditional party. There were crackers, salami, cheese, and candies for all, and the children played party games. Everyone enjoyed the free time together with friends.

Assuming that the construction is finished on time--and we have no guarantees-- the students will be going back mid-January. We would appreciate your prayers that there will be no delays in getting started again.

¡Feliz Navidad!

More construction and reminiscing; thankfulness

Having school in the middle of a construction site isn't easy.  We are so looking forward to January. We've been assured by mid-january we will be in our renovated classrooms. We sure hope so!

School is almost finished for 2009, and we have much to be thankful to God for. We are very thankful for children who have come to know Jesus. We also are thankful that we are able to play a part in the lives of children who come to us with little or no language. It is a blessing to be able to participate in the wonder of their first language.

I'm reminded of Meriluz. A few weeks ago I ran across a video from a couple of years ago, when she was just beginning school. Each child at the table would look at the video and spell their name. When it came to Meriluz, she just "spelled" about ten random letters. She knew it was something to do with letters that everyone was doing, but didnt quite understand just what it was.

I showed her the video.  "I didn't know!" she signed, laughing uproariously. She has come so far in such a short time.

Then there is Bryan. He is not only deaf, he is autistic, and cannot walk unaided. When he first came to us a few years back, his response to just about everything was violence. Whatever you handed him he would throw. He completely avoided looking directly at anyone. He wanted nothing but to roll around on the floor. Now he puts puzzles together, participates in many class activities, and is even using a little sign language. His communication has improved tremendously.  He spends a lot more time upright, walking while hanging on to whatever is at hand. Today he will look you in the eyes, for increasingly longer times, give you a big smile or a hug or stroke your arm affectionately. What a difference!

We are thankful for Vision Trust who has stood with us, contributing to the support base needed to run a school, and standing with us in prayer, and many other ways.

We are thankful for teachers. God has sent us quite an amazing group. Just the fact that they have stuck with us through the tremendous inconveniences of construction--like over 80 people sharing a single bathroom (with no running water), and their classroom space being condensed more and more almost weekly--shows they have a real heart for these students.

And we are thankful for you too, for your prayers, your encouragement, and your participation.

We will be finishing up school one week early for the Christmas break, at the request of the construction crew. Making up the time will not be difficult as post-construction we will return to a full school day, while most schools have only a half a day. From now till then, we will be in increasingly worse conditions due to the construction, so keep us in your prayers.

Not crazy

We remind you all that we very much need your prayers. Satan always attacks when he sees God at work, and the school has definitely been under attack.

One specific that we need prayer for is that we are able to get our permanent code. This code is something that is needed for many things. We have a temporary code, but our permanent one keeps getting held up for no good reason.  Until the permanent code comes through, there are certain things that we cannot do.

We also would like prayer for our neighborhood. One neighbor actually wrote a letter to the Secretary of Education saying that he doesn't want our school in his area, because it is a bunch of crazy people. Not so many years ago deaf people were considered to be crazy here, and there are many of the older generation that still think that way.

We did not have phone service for a few days this month, because someone cut our phone lines.

The renovation is plodding along. Some days it stops completely, because money has not been disbursed as it should be (even though it is fully funded).

We have had various things stolen from the school as well.

Please do keep holding  up the school in prayer, so that Jesus will be glorified and Satan will not get any victories on our turf.

Fun in the park

We took the children to the park on Friday. Several parents came along as well. The kids had lots of fun. They got to see large iguanas, and of course the ducks and geese who came up begging for scraps.

There was swinging, sliding, jump-roping, bike riding, and one of the favorites, an egg race. The competitors had to carry a raw egg on a spoon in their mouth, to the end and back. The little ones played with the parachute and beach balls. Baseball was another activity.

It is seldom that these kids get to have a day like Friday was. Even when their families go to the  beach or the country during the holidays, these children are only on the periphery, because most cannot communicate well with their families.  Sharing activities with friends who understand is golden. We are blessed to be able to participate in one of their pleasant memories of childhood, that we are sure they will be looking back on for many years to come.

Engels' Story

Engels is a child with some real problems. It's very possible that he is somewhere on the autism spectrum. He has both communication and social issues, and is obsessive about certain things.

He loves to draw. He usually draws pictures of things like ghosts, graveyards, bats, and other things from the scary movies he watches. (Those are part of his obsessions.) He likes to explain what he draws. Last week he showed me one picture with a ghost in a graveyard. He pointed out carefully that there was a moon, showing it was night. "That's when the ghosts come out," he said, "at night."

I told him the story of Jesus walking on the water, and how his disciples were frightened, thinking it was a spirit. He was interested in that. I drew him a picture.

Engels was drawing again today. His picture is above. He beckoned me over and said, "This is me." He indicated the person on the right with a big smile, who was literally shining. He showed me the cross above the picture. He told me that he was happy, because he prayed to Jesus the Lord.

Michael's story

 When Michael's mom first brought him to us to see if he could attend the school, I didn't really have a lot of hope for him. He had never been to school. He was already past the age he could become fluent in a first language, at fifteen.

But his family had just lost everything; their house was one of the ones that was completely underwater during the floods of Noel a couple of years back. His mom pleaded for him; they were now in a bad neighborhood, and if he wasn't in school while she was working, he might begin to hang out with guys who would be a bad influence on him.

So we let him come, although we told her we could not guarantee how much he would learn.  He turned out to be a pretty calm young man, easy going, and friendly. But he would do things he shouldn't do, and then when he was caught, would show no remorse at all; in fact he would usually just continue to deny he had done anything wrong. He didn't seem to have a conscience.

Recently I began to notice a difference in him. He still does things he shouldn't do sometimes, as we all do,  but now he admits it when he is wrong. He seems to be truly repentant. His mom told me that he is behaving much better at home, and is much more helpful than before. I knew that this could mean one of two things; he is either a new Christian, or he is about to become one! One of the teachers informed me that yes, he recently became a believer.

Pray for his growth in grace. It is more difficult for Michael in some ways, because his language skills are still way below average, because of his late start. This means a good part of the Bible is not going to be accessible to him. The good news is, that the Spirit of God is 100% accessible to a believer, and he is obviously working in Michael.

Victory

Thanks for your prayers. They made a difference. Today the decision was reversed, and it was reconfirmed that the center will be for the deaf. PTL. We are rejoicing in the Lord for the quick and amiable resolution he gave us.