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.