While we do not have any full-time traditional K-12 students, we do have a lot going on around here. Call before you come or text to make sure someone will be here to meet you. Our “office hours” are by appointment only.
Two things you can depend on are the second and fourth Saturdays of each month – we have fellowship days. Stop by and join us in games, chat, crafts, a movie, food, a Bible study, a literacy class… all kinds of options to challenge your brain!
Check out our Bible Memory Verse page also! We are working to improve our minds and literacy skills by memorizing Bible verses.
So many years, people have commented -IT’S NOT REALLY CHRISTMAS UNTIL I HEAR THE BELLS. We are well into our Christmas music practices and looking forward to presenting our bell choir offerings beginning December 2! To me (Betsy) Christmas has already begun!
If you have opportunity, go to see this movie – I HEARD THE BELLS ON CHRISTMAS DAY – it sounds like an awesome movie about a favorite carol of mine.
During the month of November, we have been writing our THANKFULNESS on leaves and hanging them in the school chapel. The challenge was to NOT REPEAT but to write something new everyday. Today, Monday November 22, the leaves are being removed by a work team from Arrowhead Bible Camp and replaced with Christmas lights and decorations because SCHOOL IS CLOSED for the week of American Thanksgiving and we have a work team to do this job for us.
We celebrated THANKSGIVING on Thursday November 18 when friends from the Palmas Community Church brought us turkey and the WORKS! We are still respecting Covid19 restrictions but allowed those who felt comfortable to sit together indoors. Some of our Deaf ladies have found the stash of perler beads and are enjoying making crafts with them – they took time to eat but then returned to the craft table in a classroom.
Our workteam visitors are WORKING – and we are THANKFUL for the sound of pressure washers and trimmers and mowers and the scent of paint on the gate and the laughter coming from the ladies. Jack, the team leader, is working solo and so far, not laughing.
I pray that YOUR weeks are always filled with giving thanks and that as you take time this week (for our USA friends) to Give Thanks with your families, you will remember to THANK GOD for everything – because even pandemics, natural disasters and unplanned events can be used by God to bring about blessings above and beyond all that we could dream of.
Roxy is no longer with us. She lost her vision in July and was suffering loss of mobility, weakening due to internal issues, and was taken to the vet for a peaceful euthanisation on 21 September.
Flowers continue to bloom and bring us peace.
We got an air fryer and the students made french fries from real potatoes. We need to practice and try again to get the setting just right but ketchup was a good cover for our attempt.
During our Lockdown, termites moved into our book cupboards in the science and math classroom. Our handyman, Valie, took on the challenge of repairing the classroom. A summer work team painted it and now we have new shelves (made in PVC board) and are preparing to set up the classroom for use again!
A close up of the wood from the door frame shows how horrible the situation was. New we have a new aluminum door frame, new door and less concern about the termites. Also we can SEE them coming now – we hope.
The grounds are looking good also thanks to our handyman who is enjoying a new lawn tractor. So much grass and so few hands to work at keeping it trimmed led us to purchase a new lawn tractor in June. As one who has been responsible for the grass work, Betsy is SO thankful for the men who come to help out and the new lawn mower.
THANK YOU for your prayers and if you want to come to work on any of our projects – get in touch!
We have completed three weeks of classes and are happy to say that our students have been attending IN PERSON consistently!
This year, we have only THREE students – the two boys pictured above are 17 and 18 years old and attend full time (8 a.m. to 2 and 3:30 respectively) and our little girl comes Tuesday and Thursdays from 2:30 to 4:30 for ASL/language development instruction.
From these photos, you can see we are working to maintain safe distances while still being able to talk easily without masks. For our students, it is SO important that they SEE our facial expressions and read lips. While working with them, we are maintaining air flow and safe distance protocols, using clear face shields and desk shields are necessary. We are thankful for our outside spaces and the free flow of air through the classrooms plus an amazing supply of alcohol to spray the desks and floors and keep things as Covid-Free as possible.
We continue to have our Deaf Fellowship time on the Second Saturday of each month. (third photo above). Our next event is scheduled for Sept 11. Pray that our deaf friends will be able to come – many are aging and find it difficult to drive at night so we have changed our meeting time to afternoon. We are so glad that our friends in the area have been coming and we are glad to be able to sit and talk with them.
Thank you for praying for our students, our staff and our ministry here in Luquillo. Times are weird but God is FAITHFUL. Praise Him!
In February, a random person stopped by the school and said he wanted to make our school the recipient of the proceeds of a local 5K run. As long as I was not expected to run 5K, SURE why not!?
In addition to the blessing of financial proceeds, he is recruiting volunteers to PAINT and help with our outdoor upkeep. WOW! Seriously, the SOUND of 4 power washers running for 2 days was unbearable (that is why they make noise-cancelling ear plugs – which my little student Diego thinks are super cool!)
we are feeling very BLUE as the painting continues
In this case feeling BLUE is a good thing…. it’s our color!
While all of that is happening OUTSIDE we are still learning INSIDE. The day I broke out the origami paper and started cutting it into fraction lessons was joyful for me and actually made one student cry. Not because I was destroying origami paper but because he really wanted to do anything but think about parts of a whole. I mean, who knew that turning that page in the math book would cause deep grief?
We are taking advantage of nice weather to sit outside when possible – reading class, art class, and we hung up some rings to begin to develop some gym class moments. Maybe CSCD will see a gymnast arise from the carport!
Thank you my praying friends for your prayers, your letters, your emails of encouragement. May you too have a lovely BLUE SKY and know the joy of God’s great blessings today.
Our 2021 year began with offering a community ASL class. We are excited to have several families and mothers attending the class and look forward to God working through this to reach more with His love. Mizael appears above – as our model for the activities we are planning for the class. You can play the game here! (only through Feb 192021)
We have left our First Friday evening activity time in 2020 and moved to a Second Saturday activity for our Deaf Adult Fellowship. As our population ages, we have to accommodate. Night vision problems were inhibiting some attendees. So now, on the Second Saturday of each month at 1 p.m., we hope to gather in small numbers for indoor or outdoor games – horseshoes? frisbee? dominos in the pergola? Come join us for an afternoon of fellowship in safe numbers and a safe setting.
While we all are under the Covid19Cloud, we are still working to get our students back into the school year schedule as soon as possible.
Our original plan had been to have full-time classes beginning TOMORROW, Tuesday 11 August. BUT we will be continuing our tutoring schedule for this semester. One student at a time. No mingling. Working from distance of 6 feet as often as possible.
Today, we are doing last minute preparations – locating the missing math book, trying to figure out phonics for our partially hearing children, making horizontal spaces empty so they are easier to clean between tutoring sessions. We are trusting God that all things will come together for His glory even as I feel like I am stumbling around in the clutter of the classroom today!
In an effort to help our students learn at home (they LOVE youtube!) we have been preparing videos as part of review and homework. Praying that parents will join them in watching and will learn the signs too. Pray with us for this school year. We are praying for the other schools on the island and the restrictions on numbers.
Personally, I am thanking God that our numbers are limited and our ability to serve the young students is excellent. We have three adult deaf learners waiting for their turn in the tutoring schedule so pray with me for willing signing Spanish-English speaking volunteers to help out with those desiring to improve their skill sets.
To be seriously honest, not much has changed in the past few weeks. Students come to school. They learn. They go home. They return. It’s the cycle of school days and learning experiences.
To be SERIOUSLY honest, I think I, Betsy, the director, am learning the most in recent days. I have been learning to listen to that quiet voice of God… sometimes I mistake MY INNER YELLING for His Voice so I am constantly trying to remain in prayer and discern WHAT is God doing, WHERE is He leading, WHAT would He have me to do or to say? Life with Christ is an amazing adventure and I am so thankful to be walking the journey of LIFE in His Way and Truth.
Yesterday (March 3) I, Betsy, had minor surgery to remove a not really small but not worth a skin transplant basal cell carcinoma on my cheek. I did not announce it much beforehand. I didn’t want to be asked “WHERE is it? Can I see it? Oooh Eeew” So I canceled our youngest student for the day and got a crew of others to handle the classroom. I drove myself to the office. Had the procedure and drove back to the school in time to enjoy Tacos on Tuesday ( a regular menu item so come any Tuesday and join us!)
Today, I had a full classroom (THREE students – ages 7,16 and 28) who each had their own glitches to handle. One could not remember the letter R. Another could not remember when or how to use a chair. The other was lost in wonder over a pendulum experiment. I spent much of the morning holding a cold pack on my bandage/incision as I felt rather pained.
But we learned together and eventually, the one remembered how to print an R and spell that word. The other found a chair and SAT on it. And the pendulum student? Well, there is much to be learned in physics and I am praying that happens!
Mostly, I am praying that my staff and I are able to show God’s constant LOVE and LIGHT in the lives of our children. Even when we are feeling pained by a surgical incision or the lack of memory for a word having the letter R, we can still be LOVING and sharing His light. With great JOY I hear my students say, “I MISSED YOU on the weekend”. With great sadness, I hear my students say, “I missed you on the weekend”. For our students, many times the only person listening, really listening to them, is one of the staff here. Families are busy places. Parents are wrapped up in their stuff. But for a few minutes daily, we are able to take time to say, “What are you concerned about? Let’s pray together.” Our students KNOW we are here for them.
In the light of eternity, THAT is what we are meant to be doing.
