My last couple of weeks here…

So I am in my last couple of weeks here in Michigan. I’m working a backyard Bible club at the house I stay at. We’ve had 9-10 kids each day. Really pray for these kids…we know of at least 3 or 4 who aren’t Christians and today was the day where we share the plan of salvation through the ABC’s (Admit, Believe, and Commit). Pray that God will begin growing the seeds that have been sown this week.

The pastor at the church I’m at had a stint put in during Sunday School this past Sunday. He had a heart attack a few years ago and went to the hospital with chest pains. He’s doing very well and is spending some time at home getting some good quality rest. Keep him in your prayers as he continues to recover.

Over the past 2 weeks, I’ve spent a couple hours a day for about 5 days with a Deaf-Blind lady from church. My mission with her was to teach her how to operate PowerPoint to help with Deaf worship services. Praise God for His provision of clear communication! We had our rough moments that were frustrating for both of us, but I can definitely say that she can successfully create a PowerPoint presentation now! I think it was a great feeling of accomplishment for both of us when we saw the finished product! It was awesome…a challenge, no doubt…but totally worth it to see how proud and excited she was about her work.

The church VBS will begin Sunday night and continue through Thursday night. They’re expecting quite a few people. This is a VBS for the whole family…not just the kids. The theme is “Outrigger Island” with all the Hawaiian tropical stuff. I’m very excited! I’m working with a great team in the preschool department with 3′s, 4′s, and 5′s. We have some very cool stuff planned for these kids! Pray for all the leaders as they prepare to share the love of Christ with these kids through VBS. Pray for my boyfriend as he flies tomorrow. He’s coming up from Kentucky to help teach the youth group during VBS. God can do amazing things through VBS! Pray that God will really speak to all the hearts of the people involved in a very special way.

That’s the update for now…as I get more information for you, I’ll definitely keep you posted! : ) Thanks for your prayers!

SBCD and the happenings since…

I know it’s been a little while since I updated…sorry…things have been a little too busy for blogging. As you know, I went to St. Louis last week for the Southern Baptist Conference for the Deaf. It was awesome! I made a lot of connections with people and resources that I, otherwise, would not have made. During the week, we attended several workshops. The first day, the deaf minister I went with asked if I wanted her to voice what was being signed since most of the workshops were deaf-led. I told her that I thought I’d just try to see how well I could do on my own. I was so excited at the end of the first day when I had gone to all the workshops without someone voicing for me. I could understand!!! I was super pumped. It may not seem like a big deal, but for me, it totally was. While I was there, I met another summer missionary from NAMB serving in a Deaf ministry in North Carolina along with a girl that attends WKU…it’s a small world. : ) Overall, the week was amazing and I really feel like I learned a lot from the interpreters and Deaf people who were attending. I praise God that I was given the opportunity to go to this event!

You may remember a previous post where I talked about having breakfast with a Deaf-Blind woman from MBC. I spent some more time with her in St. Louis and we made some plans for my last couple of weeks here. She has Usher’s Syndrome which is where the person is born deaf and their vision gets progressively worse…a sort of tunnel vision…like looking through a straw. Right now, she still has enough vision to operate a computer. She loves to email! The Deaf minister at the church wants to get her more involved with the ministry so I started with lessons on PowerPoint this morning. I’m going to work with her 3 days a week until she learns how to run the program. She’ll be putting together announcement PowerPoints for the monthly Deaf Fellowship. The first lesson went really well…we had our moments of miscommunication, but we cleared it up and went on. We worked for 2 hours today and we’ll do that for the rest of the week. She’s learning very quickly and I think she’ll be ready to do things on her own by the end of the week…beginning of next week at the latest. Pray for both of us to have patience while working through these lessons. I will say this, it’s not an easy task to teach a Deaf-Blind person how to run PowerPoint : ) I’ve been blessed with a student who learns quickly! Praise God!

This week is also being spent in preparation for Backyard Bible Club here at the house I’m living in for the neighborhood kids. I’ll be leading crafts for that. The theme is “Cactus Canyon”…a cowboy theme. The following week will be VBS at the church…the theme there is “Outrigger Island.” I’m working with the preschoolers there. Things are coming along well for both sessions. Please keep both weeks in your prayers. Keep the leaders in your prayers as we share God’s Word with these children who will attend each night. Pray that the children will have open hearts to hear what God wants to teach them. Pray for safe travel for those helping and those transporting children to and from the church.

Thanks so much for your prayers! Prayer is a powerful thing and God is doing amazing things! : )