LIFE IN THE D.R. GOES ON

I HAVE BEEN BACK HERE IN THE D.R. SINCE THE END OF AUGUST. SCHOOL OPENED WITHOUT INCIDENT AND THE KIDS WERE SO HAPPY TO BE BACK IN SCHOOL. ONE OF OUR BOYS, BLADIMIR WHOM I HAVE MENTIONED MANY TIMES, THOUGHT THAT LAST YEAR WAS THE END OF IT ALL AND USED HIS SCHOOL SHIRT TO MAKE KITE TAILS! WOW! WAS HE EMBARRASED WHEN I ASKED HIM WHERE HIS SHIRT WAS!

THE KIDS ARE LEARNING SO FAST THAT I CANNOT HARDLY KEEP UP WITH THEM! LAST YEAR WAS MOSTLY LEARNING SIGNS AND GETTING USED TO "SCHOOL LIFE". THIS YEAR THEY ARE JUST CONSUMING INFORMATION. IT THRILLS ME EACH TIME THEY LEARN THE SMALLEST CONCEPT. WE STILL HAVE OUR DISCIPLINE PROBLEMS BUT NOTHING LIKE LAST YEAR. I HAVE ONLY GIVEN TWO SPANKING AND THAT WAS AT THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR. OUR FOUR YEAR OLD, ONDARY, IS ABOUT TO PASS UP EVERYONE ELSE IN HIS CLASS! HE IS AT THE PERFECT AGE FOR LEARNING. WE GOT HIM LAST YEAR AT THREE YEARS OLD. HE KNOWS ALL OF HIS LETTER AND NUMBERS TO TEN, AND MANY MANY SIGNS. I TOLD VIVIAN ONE DAY TO START ALBER, FIVE YEARS OLD, WRITING. SHE INSTRUCTED HIM TO COPY A VOCABULARY WORD UNDER A PICTURE AND BEFORE SHE GOT BACK TO HIM HE HAD DONE HALF THE BOOK! I NOW HAVE TWO ADULTS IN THE SCHOOL, ONE 24 AND THE OTHER 25. I TOOK THEM TO KEEP THE JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES FROM GETTING THEM. ANOTHER FAMILY RECENTLY MOVED THEIR DAUGHTER, 13, HERE AND TOOK HER OUT OF THE JW'S. TO SAY THE LEAST, THE JW'S ARE MAD AT ME! I DIDN'T DO ANYTHING BUT PRAY!!! HALLELUJAH!

EACH DAY GOD SUPPLIES OUR NEEDS IN SUCH A WONDERFUL WAY. OUR COOK MAKES SUCH DELICIOUS MEALS AND SO MUCH OF IT THAT ONE DAY I JUST KEPT THINKING ABOUT TWO OF OUR STREET BOYS WHO SOMETIMES DON'T GET MUCH FOOD AND DECIDED TO HAVE THEM STAY AND EAT WITH US EVERY DAY. THEY LOVE IT! THEY ARE SO EXCITED TO BE WITH US AND HAVE ALL THEY WANT TO EAT. I LET THEM SHOWER AND WASH SOME OF THEIR CLOTHES. HOPEFULLY THEY WILL GAIN WEIGHT AS THEY ARE BOTH IN SIZE 6 PANTS AND THEY ARE NINE YEARS OLD. EDUARDO WHO IS MY "HYPER" KID IS MY TEST AND TRIAL EACH DAY BUT I LOVE HIM SO MUCH WITH GOD'S BEAUTIFUL LOVE AND GRACE. ONLY THROUGH GOD IS THIS POSSIBLE AS EDUARDO CAN STRAIN ONE'S PATIENCE TO THE LIMIT. I HUG AND KISS HIM OFTEN AS HE HAS HAD LITTLE LOVE IN HIS SHORT LIFE. BLADIMIR ALSO HAS BEEN SO REJECTED AND LEFT TO HIMSELF. HE IS LAUGHING ALL THE TIME AND A DIFFERENT BOY THAN THE SAD LITTLE WAIFE THAT CATI BROUGHT TO ME LAST YEAR. THEY BOTH HAVE LITTLE WATER AT THEIR HOMES, SHACKS. WHEN THEY SHOWER THEY JUST LOVE IT AND PLAY AND SHOUT AND JUST HAVE SO MUCH FUN THAT I DON'T HAVE THE HEART TO STOP IT AND LET THEM PLAY LONGER THAN I SHOULD.
FOR ME, MY HEALTH IS HOLDING STRONG. THERE ARE THOSE PRAYING FOR ME AND I CAN FEEL IT. EACH TIME SOMETHING TRIES TO TAKE HOLD OF ME, I CAN FEEL THE STRENGTH INSIDE OF ME TAKING CONTROL AND PUSHING IT AWAY. IT IS AWESOME! I DO HAVE TO REST ALOT THOUGH DURING THOSE TIMES AND TAKE CARE OF MYSELF.
NOW HAVING EIGHTEEN KIDS IS A DAILY CHALLENGE BUT ONE THAT GOD THROUGH ME MEETS EACH DAY! HE IS SUCH A GOOD GOD AND BECAUSE HE HAS CALLED ME TO THIS WORK......IT IS HIS! YESHUA, JESUS, IS MY CONSTANT COMPANION AND SHEPHERD.
IN OCTOBER, WE HAD VISITORS. DORENE CARDOZO AND KELLY MILLER FROM ILLINOIS AND OHIO. WHAT A BLESSING! DORENE TAUGHT BIBLE CLASS EACH DAY AND KELLY ASSISTED HER WHEN NEEDED. THEY ALSO HELPED WITH THE EDUCATIONAL PART. WE GOT TO GO TO SAN PEDRO FOR A SERVICE WITH THE DEAF CHURCH THERE. WE TOOK FIVE OF OUR OLDER KIDS AND THEY LOVED IT! THEN WE WENT TO THE BEACH! I WANTED TO TAKE OUR EDUARDO, BLADIMIR AND LUIS. I WANTED TO ENJOY THEIR REACTION AND JOY AT SEEING THE OCEAN FOR THE FIRST TIME. THEY WERE SO EXCITED THAT THEY ALMOST JUMPED OUT OF THEIR SKIN! THEY JUST RAN AND DOVE IN! WHEN THEY CAME UP THEY WERE SHOCKED THAT THE WATER WAS SALTY! WE LAUGHED SO MUCH! VIVIAN BROUGHT FIVE BEAUTIFUL CLOTH KITES AND THE KIDS GOT THEM ALL UP. WHAT A BEAUTIFUL SIGHT IT WAS! THE DAY ENDED WITH US EATING PASTELES AND DRINKING NATURAL JUICE. THIS WAS AN EXPERIENCE THAT THESE POOR CHILDREN WOULD NEVER HAVE HAD IN THEIR LIVES. IT BLESSED MY SOCKS OFF!
HOW MANY MORE DEAF KIDS ARE THERE HERE IN THE D.R. WAITING FOR SOMEONE TO COME? HOW MUCH MORE TIME WILL THE LORD GIVE ME TO PERHAPS DO THIS AGAIN IN ANOTHER TOWN ONE DAY? HOW MANY POTENTIAL MISSIONARIES TO THE DEAF ARE OUT THERE AND HAVE NOT OBEYED GOD? THESE ARE QUESTIONS ONLY THE LORD CAN ANSWER.
THOSE WHO READ THIS BLOG......PLEASE PRAY FOR THE DEAF OF THE D.R. AND US.

HOME

Here's a picture of Vivian and I before we returned home. God made us truly sisters!

"There is no place like home". There has never been a more true statement! Home....that place where there is: love, family, familiarity, comfort....rejuvenation.

I returned home in May, had a few weeks of getting rested up, enjoying my kitchen and cooking again, fellowship with my dear husband, seeing family, and being blessed to be back in my Deaf church before I had to have a much needed and postponed surgery. I have not had any surgical procedures since I was saved in 1970! It all went well with lots of prayer and I am "up and running" again and feeling great!

Jet and I celebrated our 40th Wedding Anniversary on June 21st! God is so good! Eleven of those years were spent apart but we still count them. Those were years of testing but we remained faithful to each other as well as God. God definitely uses marriage to teach us the "fruits of the Spirit". If people would just "hang in there" and get over the rough spots they would find true love. True love is when we arrive at the place of being best friends. My husband and I have weathered it all and can truly say we enjoy each other's company more than any other. I wouldn't trade him for anyone in the world. I pray that we live together until we are very old and keep on working for the Lord until He takes us home to heaven.

I will return to the D.R. August 27th. to start up the new school year. I am so excited to see the kids again and see what God has in store for us! The kids will be going to the Annual Deaf Camp in the D.R. in August. They are so excited to meet Deaf from all over the island and make many new friends. There are usually around 2oo Deaf who attend each year.

Vivian will be able to return in September! Praise the Lord! It looked like she would have to wait until November. She has been a wonderful help in the school and has become a great teacher. She loves the kids so much and frequently done the home visits. It would be very difficult to do this without her.

PRAY FOR US!

REFLECTIONS ON GOD'S GOODNESS

In 2003 God led me and a young Deaf woman, Marina Garcia, to travel to Neyba, D.R. to start a school for the Deaf. We rented a house and started with 12 students. It was a time of learning for me as well. I had a dream of starting a school for the Deaf for many years and because of my years of working as an Interpreter and teacher's assitant in special education in the public school system, I had gleaned much from working with some great teachers. This was a fulfillment of my heart's desire but also this first attempt showed me how much more I needed to learn about educating the Deaf. In 2008 God called me once again to start a Deaf school, this time in Hato Mayor. I lean heavily upon the power and ability of my Great God who understands the Deaf completely. He is guiding me and giving me understanding step by step. I am still operating on "the fringe of my knowledge" but I also know that All-Mighty God has called me and He is in control! I also know that if I don't reach out to these neglected and forgotten Deaf children...who will? Because God called me to "GO" they now have hope, life and a future. Through the love and sacrifice of our Lord Jesus...HOPE & LIFE. Through education....A FUTURE.

I had the opportunity to revisit Neyba recently. I was absolutely thrilled to see all of the Deaf who had attended the school as well as the older Deaf we had ministered to still coming and now attending the Church. God was merciful to all of us involved! The Deaf seem to be growing and learning more and more about their wonderful Savior, Jesus Christ. I was so happy to see them and they showered me with gifts. As I spent the day with them I felt so thankful to God for His love for them and that He gave Marina and I the opportunity to be involved in their lives, even for those few months.

As I reflect on this past school year in Hato Mayor, I am amazed that I survived! People ask me, "How was it?" I reply, " It was one of the most difficult times of my life and one of the most wonderful times." I struggled with my health but finally overcame by the power of my God. I struggled with faith to hang on to what God had spoke to my heart but He showed His power and fullfilled each promise to me and I struggled with feelings of inadequacy but again He came through with His power to give me the needed wisdom and ability. I give Him all the praise and honor..... for this work truly is His work and not mine.

I am now home in Spokane for the summer. The last day of school was May 8th. The kids had been looking forward to a swimming party for several weeks. It was a blast! They had so much fun as they laughed and played. It blessed my heart to see some who have such a hard life to just enjoy themselves. Most of these kids would never have been able to go to such a beautiful swimming pool as we were able to take them. It was like a paradise for just a few hours. Afterward, we returned to the school and had a spagetti lunch for all. They left full, happy, and with gifts and school materials for the summer.

I am looking forward to next year with much anticipation. I saw most of these kids go from not even knowing that they had a name.....to knowing not only their own names but all of the names of the kids in the school. They learned sign language, writing, numbers, counting and some simple reading and math. Each new step they took blessed and amazed me. I feel like each one is my own child and God has put so much love in my heart for each one....even the difficult ones too!

It is good to be home and with my husband again. Jet is so patient and supportive of me! He keeps the "home fires burning" while I am away. He is planning on joining me for a few months this next school year. Praise the Lord! I am feeling weird though....like I am two people. One is the homemaker/wife here in Spokane and the other the pioneer/teacher in Dominican Republic.
Here at home life is so easy, abundant, convenient, and comfortable. In D.R. life is complicated, difficult, inconvenient and sometimes very uncomfortable but.......it is also great joy, fulfillment, and blessing. I am thankful for my time to "take a break" but already looking forward to returning.

I thank God each day for His "call" upon my life and the grace He gave me to say "yes".

Blessings to you all who read this bearing of my soul. Pray for me please!

Dana

GOD IS AWESOME!

As I reflect upon the recent "waiting time" it really wasn't all that long but it sure felt like it! God has given me my heart's desire....a new place for the school!

Vivian and I had walked many miles through this town looking for "For Rent" signs and found none! We asked people to keep their eyes open and we prayed and prayed. One day our teacher Cati came early to the school to let us know that she had heard about a house and we could go look at it the next day. We liked it alot and told the owner that we needed to pray that we would let him know in a few days. When we went to tell him that we definately wanted the house, God shut the door! The current renter had refused to move out! Vivan and I looked at each other a began to laugh, but I felt peace. I continue to pray for God to show us another house but every time that same house came into my mind. Okay God, I prayed, you can work a miracle. Well, within one month, the owner showed up and said, "The house is empty. Are you still interested?" Absolutely! Within a week we had signed the lease and are now completely moved in and the school is up and running as usual!!! God is good! This is His work and His ministry. He just let me come and enjoy it with Him! Hallelujah!!

Some of the Deaf children who didn't even know their name this last October are now signing and doing some math and some simple reading. I am amazed and so proud of them! I have two more older kids and one 24 year old Deaf woman in the school. They are so open and hungry to know about God. All of the kids have memorized, "I am The Way, The Truth, and The Life..." John 14:6. When I showed them where it was in the bible they were all amazed and fascinated!

Vivian Spencer has been such a joy to this work and to me personally. She will be leaving for Canada tomorrow and won't be able to come back until the end of October. I thank God for sending her here to work with me and for God's ministry among these Deaf children. She has learned lots of signs and Spanish. I now have a young woman, Kim Warner, from Georgia here for one month. Her Mom is Judy Nielsen from Spokane. Kim jumped or was thrust (LOL) immediately into teaching and she has done great! She is an intercessor in prayer which is mightily needed here! She attends the International House of Prayer in Georgia. I appreciate her kind and loving spirit. Perhaps God will call her to Deaf Missions.

I love you Jesus (Yeshua).....Mighty God! Everlasting Peace! Those of you who read this and don't know Him yet, are missing out on experiencing the "kindest, most loving Person that you will ever know."

Thank you if you have been praying for me. I love you!

"Waiting" is my middle name!

It seems like most of my christian life the Lord seems to have me "waiting" for one thing or another. I used to fight it so badly until a brother in Christ said to me many years ago, "Dana, the word "wait" is a verb and a verb is an action word." I realized that the "waiting time" is the preparation time...the learning time....the time when we concentrate on the "still small voice" of our wonderful Lord and He leads and guides us into His perfect will.

Well, I am once again in that "waiting time". This time it is for the perfect place to have this school for the Deaf. I had prayed for six months before I came here that God would provide the house for the school. What He did provide was a disaster in the beginning but now has become "home" and the school for the Deaf. We are crowded and really need more space. The church who rents to me needs this house for their Preschool and at first wanted me to move but now they are asking us to share the house with their preschool. This to us, will not work but.........there doesn't seem to be another house available to us so....... I am waiting! Waiting for a miracle! Waiting for my Commander and Chief, Jesus Christ, to say. "This is the way, walk in it."

On another note: the mice seem to have left my house! I have been wooing a stray cat. He comes and eats and leaves. Perhaps the mice sensed his presence and decided it was a good time to leave.....I don't know but I am happy to find little evidence of them. I had been praying about this as the mice here have a dangerous disease. I still find those giant cockroaches once in a while but not as many as before. They seem to "hang out" with the mice so maybe they left along with them.

The children seemed to have turned a corner in their education. This past week has been awesome! I see the "lights coming on" and as if a door has been opened. I have six children reading sight words and doing simple math. These are kids who six months ago didn't even know their names. The middle group is writing well and on their way to reading and the younger kids are signing and learning their letters and numbers. They are all learning their signs and communicating with each other. The most important aspect of it all is that little by little they are understanding the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I started with just introducing vocabulary and signs and now they are understanding where Sin came from and what God has provided to cleanse that Sin.

I have two new students from Mamon. These children lost their hearing when they were little but had already learned to speak and they have maintained it pretty good. It's a challenge for me to teach them as they are much higher than all the other kids. God is helping me and they are adjusting very well. I did a full review of the Gospel message for them and they were just fascinated. They prayed with me to receive God's gift of salvation. Time will tell if it was with understanding or just copying.

I only have around six weeks left of this school year and then I will fly home on May 13th. I am anxious to be back home with my husband and family and friends but sad that the kids won't have anything for the three months of vacation. I am working on getting some people interested in helping take them to Deaf Camp in August. It will take some fund-raising as Camp is pretty expensive and they all come from poor families.

Life goes on here in D.R. One day at a time and sometimes one step at a time. And in every moment there is GOD! All-Powerful.....All-Knowing........and Ever-Present!

Blessings to you who pray for me and this ministry in the Dominican Republic!

The day of "The Dentist".

The "Day of The Dentist" will go down as one of the most traumatic days that Vivian and I have experienced so far in the school for the Deaf here in Hato Mayor. One of our teachers set it up for some dentists to come to the school and treat the children. I agreed that it would be wonderful. In my inexperience with this culture, I was thinking they would examine the kids, perhaps do a cleaning and set up for them to visit a dental clinic. Oh no, that was so wrong! They set up the dental clinic right here in our school. With the most archaic and unhygenic manner they began to pull teeth, fill teeth and what they called "clean" teeth. Several of our kids were so scared as we took them into this space with these dental couches and all the needles and equipment that with eyes filled with pure terror they began to scream and hold on to the walls and try to escape. I was so upset that I told the dentist to just leave them alone and not to force them. So, four of the kids didn't get any work done. They all needed it but there was no way I was going to allow the dentist to hold them down and force their mouths open. One girl had three terrible cavities down to the gums. I had to stand and watch as they put three injections of pain killer down into the roots as she writhered and screamed! AAAHHH! What a day! I cried with them. Afterward, we had to send three of the kids home to rest. I found out that each public school has a dental clinic in it and they do this with the kids on a regular basis. It was free so I was trying to be thankful because the parents are so poor that they wouldn't be able to do any of this for their children. One thing that I couldn't understand was why they didn't numb the gums before the injection of pain killer. When they left, they left behind all of their garbage of blood and gore. We bleached and cleaned for an hour! I keep telling myself, "Welcome to life in the D.R."
We have met some americans from Pennsylvania who are missionaries here. They have invited us to go visit their mission's compound tomorrow. The great surprise is that they have a Deaf son and have signed for years and have done some Deaf Ministry in the past in the U.S. Wow! instant connection!
Vivian and I and one of our teachers traveled to the Capital, Santo Domingo last Friday for a teacher workshop. I shared some at the workshop and learned some interesting things from Peggy Blevins, another missionary to the Deaf. Riding the bus there and trying to manipulate through the city in taxi's was very tiring but well worth it. It was good to return to Hato Mayor, which seems like "home" now.
The children are doing so well...learning...growing and understanding more about who Jesus is everyday. Today I had Bible Class and at the end I taught them a short bible verse, "Yo soy El Camino, La Verdad, y La Vida..." I am The Way, The Truth, and The Life..." They were a little confused about it but when I began to erase one word at a time and ask them to sign the missing words, then they got excited and most all of them learned the verse and could sign it when the blackboard had been completely erased.
I now have the two Deaf children from Maimon here. They are 12 and 13 years old. They cannot read much but have awesome Math skills. Already doing fractions and pre-Algebra, I will get two more Deaf kids next week. That will make it 18 students!
The church has given us two options about the house. At this point, neither option will fit what God has put in our hearts for the school. The church needs this house for their preschool but they don't want to lose us and want us to stay here. We are not sure what that means so we will have another "meeting". We are still praying for God to provide us with a bigger house. We want to grow and expand as there are so many Deaf children in this town that we have not reached yet. We also want a Deaf Church and we want to be able to host missionaries. The one new student that I will get next week comes from a town called El Seibo, which is about twenty miles form here. The mother is running for the governor of the province. She said, that if I would come and start another Deaf school in El Seibo and if she wins her race, that she would give me a building and provide everything that I would need!! I told her, if God wills it, then I will do it after this school is strong and standing on it's own feet.
Those of you who pray for this Ministry, please pray for me personally as I have come under a great attach from the Enemy. I know that God is in control and "Greater is He that is in me" but I also need my brothers and sisters to "rally around" me for awhile!
God bless you!

One step at a time!

Life in the D.R. can be very challenging at times.

I have so much sympathy for the people who are so poor that they have to go looking for their "daily bread" each and every day. We in the States, at least most of us, have our refrigerators, cupboards, and freezers full of food. If we don't have money then we use our credit cards, and for the poor there are free food cards, food banks, and many churches and organizations that provide a meal. No one need go hungry in America. I am always impressed by the prayer that most Dominicans pray at meals, "God please provide even a piece of bread for those who have nothing today." Most of our kids come from poor families and when 10:00 a.m. comes around each day (surprising that they watch the clock) they are ready to eat. We provide bread and milk and sometimes fruit each day. It breaks my heart to see the ribs showing on some of the kids and how appreciative they are for this food.

As for me, I am totally recovered from this second bout of "flu". My appetite has recovered and I am blessed to have enough food and a wonderful Dominican sister in the Lord to cook it for me.
For us just the daily chores of life here can be challenging but then become habit and almost normal. Like heating up water to take a "pour over the head bath" or the day after day rain that has been falling. Just pouring at night and leaking through the ceiling. But still blessed to know that I have a nice warm bed and my room doesn't leak. The lady who cooks for us has been so upset with this rain and says that she is so cold every night and her house leaks alot. Several of our children have missed school this week because of this "unseasonal" rain. They live in such muddy places that it floods and the streets are unpassable. Our little street boy, Eduardo, has missed lots of school this past two weeks. We are concerned about him but cannot visit him because of the rain. I shudder to think what could be happening if he is cooped up in the house with his step-father who abuses him. Eduardo is so hyper that he can be very "challenging" and it is very hard for him to sit still or concentrate. We pray for him and love on him but feel so helpless as how to help him out of this abusive living situation.

We are still "searching" for a new house to have the school. We met a local Pastor who wants to help us. He has teams who come to work and minister in the D.R. and has offered us a team to help us. We know that whatever house we get will need lots of work so we believe God will show us soon. We need prayer for this!

My sign language class is growing! I am so excited as more and more people from the hearing church are getting interested in Deaf Ministry. A group of teens from the church came a couple of weeks ago and asked me to teach them a song in Sign Language that they planned to perform in church. They learned so fast and did it so beautifully! I was very impressed as feel hopeful that perhaps one or two of these girls will become Interpreters for the Deaf one day.

I sit here on the front patio of the school and there are dogs barking, motorcycles buzzing past, neighbors yelling at each othere and loud latin music blasting. The sky is dark with rain clouds, it is humid and around 70 degrees. The air smells fresh because of all the rain and there is a slight breeze. It is February 10. My home is thousands of miles away over much water and land and there is still snow on the ground and the temperature is around 32 degrees. My precious husband is there and I am here. I have to pinch myself sometimes to see if it is all real. Thank you Jesus for sending me here! Thank you Jesus that you love little Deaf kids that have no hope or future! Thank you Jesus that you came and died for each one of them! Thank you Jesus that these Deaf children are so valuable in your sight that You sent this old grandma here to tell them of your love! God is good! Never doubt it even when the times are challenging and you are not sure what is going on in your life! I trust Him for each and every day here!

God bless you who read this Blog and pray for me and the Deaf children of Hato Mayor, D.R.

THE BATTLE WITH THE SECOND "GRIPE"

I found out that the word "gripe" means THE FLU. I had it for six weeks and then went home to recup for a month and got a second strain one week after getting back in January! I thought it was going to be a mild case but it fooled me. This last week I just got progessively worse until I could not teach for two days and was burning up with fever. Finally on Sat. Vivian decided to go get the doctor who goes to our church here. After she examines me she went and got two IV bottles. tubes, needles, vials of three different medicines, and Antibiotics. I was completly full of congestion and had a throat infection. Well....she "hooked me up" and .twelve hours later she removed the bottle and I was higher than a kite on sugar water and "whatever" was in the meds. Praise God I feel much better today. She came again this morning and gave me two shots in the backside and I am due for an two this evening. Needless to say this was nasty stuff!
I do question God about "why" but I still trust in His faithfulness and guidance. I KNOW THAT I AM IN HIS PERFECT WILL! I was reminded about a long ago Healing Preacher, John G. Lake who when a missionary in Africa ministered to people who had a plague (I think Colorea) and he told his team that they would NOT become sick that when the germs came in contact with their bodies, "the temple of the Holy Spirit" that the germs would automatically die! Guess what? Not one of them became ill or had any adverse effects and went back home later healthy!
I said to the Lord, "Okay Lord if John G. Lake can have that happen why not me? Increase my faith oh Lord!!!!!

Part of the reason I think I got so bad was last Sunday Vivian and I decided to try to find two teenager Deaf kids who are on my waiting list. The only address I had was, "I live in Maimon." so we went out on the street and hailed a motorcyle taxi and asked him to take us to Maimon. Well he thought we were nuts because Maimon is nini kilometers over bumpy dirt roads. He took us downtown and after much haggling with him and his friend about price I decided that this wasn't feeling right so I told him we would go another way and we walk off. I immediately cried out to the Lord, please send us a Christian! About ten seconds later another motorcyle taxi pulled up and said, " I heard you want to go to Maimon." I said, "Yes, are you a Christian?" He responded, "Yes, I am." Praise the Lord! He took us and didn't even want to be paid....but we did anyway. What a ride!!! Picture this: both of us on one motorcyle, no helmets, hair flying in the wind, backsides numb and bruised, laughing and waving at all the people over nine kilometer of bumps!!! What a sight to behold. Two old grandmas acting like kids! Well, we found the kids and they are registered for school now. I paid the price though because all of the wind and dirt just made this Flu worse. But.......I'd do it again! LOL\

A couple of days ago a guy showed up at our school just as the kids were leaving. He is a pastor/missionary from Puerto Rico. He said he was picking up his daughter from the Christian school next door and he just feel so strong for a long to stop and talk to us. He offered us help with some of the teams he has come every year and materials and......he is going to keep his eye out for a house for us as I feel strongly we will have to leave here in May. I have peace if this is God's will. I have learned to love this house which is a miracle but do see the great need for more space as the school has grown to 17 children. The church needs this house to expand their school next door and were so kind to let us rent it this year. Pray for all of this work out perfectly in His will. I had a dream before I left in Sept. about a two story house with a screened in porch in the back. I will know it when I see it!

Vivian has been such a blessing to me and this ministry. She was only here one week when I had to have here completely take up the school for two days this week. Cati was such a help and they worked together great! Shows me that I certainly not irreplacable. Thank God!

My husband is surviving without me but we miss each othere more than ever. I am still praying for him to come back with me as we need him so much. I tried playing kickball with the kids two times. Some of them are running all over the field and missing every base. Meanwhile I am screaming and waving my hands to no avail as they cannot hear me. One boy, Luis, got it immediately and did an awesome job. I know how much Jet likes sports and he could be our PE teacher and all-around painter/handiman too. Pray! It's so hard sometimes to make that first step in faith.....but afterward pure joy!!!

God has been sustaining me in His Word! I do not know how christians can survive with the basking, studying, and meditating upon His precious Word. The Word and Prayer are the two most basic foundations of a Believer's life and must be disciplined every day of our lives with ceasing!

I love you all!

Hello to those who read this Blog,

It has been two weeks since I returned to the D.R. Worked hard to get the school ready and cleaned the house good as mice and huge cockroaches had moved in! Yuck! I chased them furiously and managed to kill a few roaches and trying to poison the mice. It was so hard to leave Jet, my husband, this time. I watched him walk away at the airport and my heart just broke. I want him to come out here with me so bad and have been praying much about it. It seems everything is always about "money"! It should not be that way as God tells us over and over again in His Word to trust Him and He will provide.
I have been working hard in the school as I now have two sessions. Four hours with the younger kids in the morning and two hours with the older kids in the afternoon. I was hit with another "gripe" on this last Tuesday but it hasn't been able to get such a strong hold on me this time. I am already feeling better and on the mend. It has been a little lonely as Vivian hasn't returned yet but she will be back finally tomorrow. Jesus did say that we should go out to do His work "two by two". I have been having some precious times in God's Word and prayer since returning. That is one good thing about being alone.....we turn to Him more and not depend on this earthly fellowship.
It was a little hard the first week to be here alone as I had a thief break into my house while I was gone. He didn't get anything as the friend who was staying here chased him away. But.....the mind wants to play tricks during those long nights alone. I have finally gotten the victory over it and I am sleeping well and totally safe in His care!
The kids received a blessing through Samaritan's Purse Shoebox gifts. They were so happy with the things they received and shocked that they could keep it all.
Spokane Deaf Church Women 's group provided funds to buy each one of the kids their uniform shirts. They all look so cute in their royal blue polo shirts with the name of the school on it.
I am sitting here in the open carport typing this looking out into my yard. This yard was so dirty and full of garbage when I first moved here but has been drastically cleaned up. Not perfect yet but we were able to play kick ball in it the other day.
I am teaching the Word of God to the children every Friday and they are responding in a wonderful way. I believe they will all be saved and ready to meet Jesus!
I am here for one reason only. That the Deaf may know their Savior!!!