As of this writing, June 12, 2023, we have NO (zero, none, nothing, zippo) students lined up for full-time classes in August.
#1 GOD KNEW THIS WAS COMING – Our God knows the past and the future.
How does a ministry called a SCHOOL run without students in the classrooms? Well, we are looking at this as a sabbatical year for our director who has her last sabbatical in 1990 and who is beginning her 39th year of fulltime ministry at CSCD. Our director has brought her mother to live with her as her mother is not able to live independently and that is adding to Betsy’s responsibilities.
We have two little Deaf girls who are in mainstreamed educational settings all day. We are working with them in tutoring situations for ASL as well as educational support. We are working with the schools and holding ASL clubs there to increase the chances of the students using ASL. We are working with the families to encourage their use of ASL at home.
#2 THE NEED for WORKERS IS STILL CLEAR – Pray with us for workers – who are fluent in ASL (and Spanish), able to teach, seeking to live for Christ alone, and desire to see the Deaf reached for Christ
We have started to teach ONLINE with some mothers from around the island – the driving distance from them to us is greater than 2 hours. ZOOM sessions are helping us to reach into homes of Deaf babies and young people. We are working on HOW to get together – or where to gather – so that the Deaf children can socialize and the parents can also hang out. Maybe we will host an overnighter. Pray for this please.
We are also continuing to teach ASL in the community and by ZOOM, working with our Adult Deaf Literacy program and recruiting new Handbell Ringers for our handbell choir – we have two members from last year who desire to continue – now we need 4 or 6 more to give us a complete ringing choir.
#3 GOD IS WORKING HERE
Our buildings are being used by a variety of churches and visitors – some local groups come for a weekend retreat, some work teams from the States come for an overnight on their way to a more distant destination in PR, other work teams stay here and work at CSCD doing maintenance, still others go out into the community to help churches, families, our Deaf community in whatever ways they need help.
Thank you for your prayers and please know that as our ministry changes with the times, we still hold to the power of God and His Word and our desire is for Him to be glorified!
