Wednesday – It’s not the heat; it’s the humidity

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We headed back to the rural deaf school for our second day of working on the playground and yards and having some time with the students. Somehow, even before we got to the manual labor, we were consumed with sweat; the humidity seemed higher than ever today, so it was a pretty quick meltdown. We started the day meeting with the younger students by singing for them as Mariah signed; then the team shared the story of Adam and Eve. The team dramatized the story as Catherine narrated. This involved three translations, English to Spanish, and Spanish to sign language, so it does take a bit more time, but the children were very attentive and seemed to “get it.” They answered questions and took part in the discussion afterwards, so it was a great time to interact with them. Catherine shared her testimony, and then we went into the classrooms to do a craft with them. They seemed to enjoy it all thoroughly. We continued thrashing through the overgrowth on the grounds until lunch time, which involves a short drive to a food court and a bit of cool down time (we’re thankful for the ice cream there!). After lunch, we had the same assembly with the older students. They were enthusiastic about commenting on the story, sharing their thoughts and asking questions. Alex shared her testimony with the students, and again, we had the opportunity to share the gospel message. Back to yard work, and with adding a heavier cording to the weedeater, we could see much greater progress in clearing the yard. It was neat to see the mothers, who come with their children and wait for them until they leave for home, join in the clean up campaign, working very hard to help in the effort. Great to work together as a team. As some of us worked with the students on their craft, I had the chance to “chat” with one of the most expressive young men, Luis. We remembered him well from being here last Oct. He is always eager to “talk,” and we so wish we could all sign! While in the classroom, Luis was showing me his craft and began writing questions down for me in Spanish. I know just enough to be able to respond to them, and that began a lengthy conversation between us discussing our families, ages, where we lived, etc. We then moved to spiritual matters and found that Luis has trusted in Jesus and attends a Baptist church nearby. He said the boy sitting next to him also went to his church. When I asked him about whether he had trusted in Jesus also, he indicated that he was unsure. I asked him if he would like to talk more about Jesus, he said “yes.” This was at the end of our time, and I didn’t have anyone to sign or help further with the discussion, but I plan to work on some Spanish materials tonight that I can share with him to further explain the gospel in hopes that he will choose to place his trust in Christ. Pray that we get that opportunity tomorrow and it will be his first day of new life!!

It has been a very good day! All the team is working hard, enjoying interacting with the students and finding all sorts of ways to communicate. Some things are universal; girls are interested in the boys, and the boys are interested in the girls. The older girls at the school think Jeremy is cute; the guys think Alex is pretty…..good taste J. They actually think all of the young people with us are pretty neat, and they are. We’re looking forward to spending two more days at this school. Pray for many more opportunities to demonstrate Jesus’ love, embrace these kids who often don’t get much affirmation, and that they will “hear,” understand, and come to know Jesus as their own personal Savior.