The game is on!

It's official!

me and Kelly

We are going to have a deaf women's retreat in October 22-24 . . .

YAY!

And our guest speaker (per request of the deaf ladies themselves) Kelly Lynch~(who also happens to be a personal favorite of mine)

YAY!

And we have just booked the beach house from Lantern Hill ministries . . .

YAY!

And now for the rest of the work.  Could use your prayers and if you have any suggestions, or would like to volunteer to help . . . that would be AWESOME!

From the Pastor

CC Horizonte deaf ministry. The deaf congregation continues to grow with a faithful attendance of about 25 people, and that has been the amazing hand of God! Also, God is working in the hearts of the hearing congregation of CC Horizonte and they to are starting to join with us! I truly believe that God has used Virginia’s passing to capture the attention of our deaf. Before they believed that they had plenty of time, and now we see a change in their attitude, aware now that their life is a gift and they may be called to account for it at any time.

The deaf are learning so much, yet we come into the same difficulty that they get caught up in the difficulty they have to read and understand the bible. My heart really wants to make a Mexican Sign Language (LSM) bible on video. It’s very needed because the deaf culture doesn’t just pick up and use books like the hearing culture does. To pick up and read a bible to study it is a foreign idea. They are much more visual and pictures and videos are an easy means of obtaining information. But I find myself so overwhelmed and my energies spent. Plus, there are some signs in LSM I don’t know, so I don’t feel my vocabulary is up to par. I really need your prayers in this area.

Likewise, the deaf being so visually tuned, I have a great need for a laptop with a portable projector so that I can make my studies on the computer and then project them onto a screen, and make the lessons more accessible and comprehensible to the deaf.

Nevertheless it’s exciting; right now 4 hearing people from the church are learning about deaf culture, learning sign language and little by little are getting involved, hopeful to help with interpretation in the future! These 4 have been faithful to Tuesday night sign class which I teach. I teach this class at no cost, no profit to myself, it is a ministry for such a time as this.

I have a praise God for our group of about 40 people, both hearing and deaf, that went to Rancho Sordo Mudo two weeks ago. 40! That was an awesome show of support and it was a very pleasant time enjoyed by all. We hope that it touched them and inspired them with the need to GO! Praise God.

Family: with Virginia gone I’ve been grappling with the question “Now what.” Where we live the house is too big for me. Yet I don’t want to leave Ensenada, move to another place, no, instead me and my family will continue to live here. Because the deaf are here, and the ministry goes on. So please be praying for us, that God leads us to another house that we can afford and the right size. Meanwhile I am learning how to be a single parent, and what they say is true, it is not easy! With my attentions going towards the children and trying to continue with the ministry here, I’m finding I need to relearn my balance . . . like learning to walk again.

Leilani and Jerimias? Leilani continues at school, and now Jerimias has joined her. I have explained to both of them that their mother has gone to heaven. Still, they both will come to me to ask question about their mother. Leilani understand her mom is in heaven, although she misses her greatly. And she will go through highs and lows. But Jerimias will come to me again and again asking where mom is. So again and again I explain that she went to heaven, and then he comes back with the question “mom went to heaven” . . . ah yes, he is 3 and will be 4 in August, so the understanding will come, it’s just taking some time.

I can not thank you enough for the generous support you have shown towards me and my family. It has been a struggle and your generous giving has been lifesaving. Please continue to pray for this support to continue, I am tempted to get a job, but I just don’t know how I would be able to fit it in. I would appreciate, if you feel that God is sharing something with you to share with me, please feel free to tell me. And again thank you all, and do not stop praying now! We have only just begun.

So . . . what is going on?

We are so excited to have our first group come down!

They are expected this last week in June.

With them we are busy planning a surprise baby shower for Rita (deaf) who is due with her third baby in August and her husband (also deaf) is out of work.

Also we are going to have a deaf BBQ social open to all the deaf around . . . I'm really hoping that we see some new faces then!
It is just so exciting -


Oh, and one more thing before we go - I just relayed a call for Rita's husband to inquire about a job and they said that he should come down, fill out an application and they have interpreters there standing by !!!!


So he is on his way now.


Go ahead, cover him in prayer. He needs the job.


*UPDATE*
I am so excited about this; Mario (Rita's husband) just got back, and he said that he got the job! And those other interpreters? A hard of hearing young man who is a close friend of ours! How cool is that?!
God be praised.

For I know the plans I have for you.

As most of you know, Lonnie is on peritoneal dialysis. His kidney's failed about 3 years ago. We have praised our Lord for peritoneal dialysis because it allowed us to continue to serve here in Mexico.

But now we need prayers for clear vision, since Lonnie's numbers are not so hot (to put it mildly), the doctors threatens that he may need to go back to hemodialysis. That would be 3 times a week and a full days worth of recovery, since it wipes him out. Also, it's painful for my needle-phobe hubby.

Admittedly, Lonnie could do a whole lot better if he just took all his meds and ate right, so now he is really really trying, but it is his weak spot-that's for sure- and all my loving nagging wouldn't help one bit.

As it is, the doctors want to see him twice a week to give him shots to boost his red blood cells, since they are particularily low. This makes him animic, which makes him easily tired.

This has the potential to change things

a lot of things

So the prayer request is this: ". . . asking God to fill [us] with the knowledge of his will. . ." Col 1:9

For I know the plans I have for you.

As most of you know, Lonnie is on peritoneal dialysis. His kidney's failed about 3 years ago. We have praised our Lord for peritoneal dialysis because it allowed us to continue to serve here in Mexico.

But now we need prayers for clear vision, since Lonnie's numbers are not so hot (to put it mildly), the doctors threatens that he may need to go back to hemodialysis. That would be 3 times a week and a full days worth of recovery, since it wipes him out. Also, it's painful for my needle-phobe hubby.

Admittedly, Lonnie could do a whole lot better if he just took all his meds and ate right, so now he is really really trying, but it is his weak spot-that's for sure- and all my loving nagging wouldn't help one bit.

As it is, the doctors want to see him twice a week to give him shots to boost his red blood cells, since they are particularily low. This makes him animic, which makes him easily tired.

This has the potential to change things

a lot of things

So the prayer request is this: ". . . asking God to fill [us] with the knowledge of his will. . ." Col 1:9

Here we are . .

It's been an active time. Lonnie continues to work on several drafting projects and construction in Porvenir for several people.

And jobs keep lining up.

So much so that we are considering finding land to build our own home somewhere a little closer to where all his projects are.

I would continue to work with the deaf here in Ensenada, interpret on Sundays and other situations, but what I do isn't a day to day commute like what Lonnie does, and if the deaf need me to make phone calls they usually can text message me or instant message.

No matter what, though we would like to purchase land for ourselves.
Also, since Lonnie's work projects are lining up, he is looking for either a volunteer or a student to teach his drafting and construction skills that could help him out.

And so we ask your prayer for guidance and God's leading to a "promised land" :-)

We are blessed to be working for the family of God.

From the Pastor

Our deaf congregation continues studying in the four gospels. I do believe that the deaf are starting to really understand.

And Praise God we had a deaf man, Manuel, come to accept Jesus as his savior, where previously he had been with the Jehovah Witnesses. A true victory in Jesus to be sure! He understands the Good News and is beginning to really grow spiritually, although still a ‘baby’ in Christ.

I mentioned to our hearing congregation pastor of Calvary Chapel of Ensenada, Juan Domingo, about the two who were recently saved (including Antonia from the deaf woman’s retreat). And we spoke of their desire to be baptized. I asked if Juan would be willing to baptize them and he thought I should do it!

It would be an honor.

Our deaf congregation is motivated; they pay rapt attention and are asking questions . . . but once they leave the church and go home it is so hard for them to study the bible on their own. The words are big and difficult; the semantics of grammar are sometimes incomprehensible. A few have an easy version of the bible that they are able to understand, but most do not. It is a different culture they are trying to figure out and it is a challenge.

One woman whose soul is hungry for Jesus asked my wife if she could borrow her bible devotions that were done in ASL. But there is nothing for those that only know Mexican Sign Language. Now this woman knows a bit of ASL, but even then she doesn’t understand ‘full’ ASL and so the bible devotional helped, but was still difficult to follow.

It is on my heart, my hope and prayer to make some bible devotions in Mexican Sign Language. It is a request that I’ve set before the Lord and a much needed thing.

To make this happen I would need a video recorder, someone who is skilled at doing these types of things and, personally, to study more Mexican Sign Language so that I am careful not to make any mistakes in ‘translation’. I know it is possible with the help of the Holy Spirit and on him I will depend.

I could do this on my own (with God’s help), but if I could get the assistance of someone better skilled at video recordings, then I know it would be quicker and faster that we could make and spread this resource. Please continue praying for this video ministry that God has put on my heart.

Help Wanted

It has been needed for a long time . . . an assistant for Carlos.

He is looking for someone who is willing, and able to learn Mexican Sign Language if they don't already know it, that would study and mentor under him to help with the ministry.

From inside the fold or someone with a heart for missions . . . if you could bring this up in prayer . . .

Know someone who wants to volunteer some time? E-mail us!