Isaiah 55 Deaf Ministries

Deaf Students Sign at Inauguration

As usual this blog comes after its time!  On July 9th the Reynosa DIF (System for the Integral Development of the Family), which is the social service arm of Mexican government, inaugurated their new facility.  Instituto Isaias 55 was invited to participate by having the deaf students "sing" the DIF song with signs. It is not an easy song to pull together (go to www.difreynosa.gob.mx to hear the song but be careful, it tends to stick in your head!) Corry and the teachers work tirelessly getting all the students ready for the big day.  The government had also invited the MECED band and chorus to participate (MECED is a school here in Reynosa for children in especially difficult circumstances).

Since we had the Briarwood team here, we decided to take the volunteers, the mission staff, the deaf students and their families.  We had quite a showing at the event!  It was very special to be present, as we have worked closely with DIF in identifying needs here in Reynosa.  They have been a great help to us as well in getting a start with our program for the Deaf among other things.  I think Isaiah 55 has had a special opportunity to give many in government a chance to see "mission" work up close and personal.  So many people come to Reynosa or Mexico to work but many don't understand why they come.  Anyway, back to the inauguration...

The kids looked great in their uniforms.  They did very well signing the song and we applauded by a bunch of hands waving in the air.  Even the mayor and his wife knew how to do the visual deaf applause.  The families were really proud of the kids and it was a neat moment for them to showcase THEIR language through their own form of expression.  It is so great to see Reynosa becoming aware of the Deaf, their culture, their language, and the incredible talents they have to offer if we can give them the tools to unlock all that God has created them to be and do.

A Glimpse at this weeks team work

These first two pictures are of the English Camp that the team has been doing every morning.  They are doing it for at risk kids (kids whose home life is not the best). 

Pray that these kids would see, feel, and hear the love of Jesus through the team.

These next three pictures are of the dorm rooms that are being built for the hospital. It will serve as a Ronald McDonald type facility. The team has been working on inside walls that will make up dorm rooms, a kitchen, and bathrooms. 
Across the street from this site is a church who had need of a roof. So some of the team members are crossing the street to help the pastor out.

Today was a RAINY day!  In fact tonight, the courtyard at La Casa Verde was almost ankle deep for a little while until the water started draining away.  The young kids on the team had a BLAST (along with the Clow kids) playing in the rain and getting SOAKED!  We have rain in the forecast for the rest of the week.  But, the team is great at keeping a smile on their faces and going with the flow -- They continue to work hard - rain and all!!! 

I55 Welcomes Volunteeres

This week we are hosting 61 volunteers from 4 different places:  Greenwood Presbyterian in South Carolina, New Hope Presbyterian in North Carolina, Fort Worth Presbyterian in Texas, and 4 girls from New York.  The team will be continuing the work on the second story of our school as well as working on the hospital dorm facility site and more painting at the orphanage.   We are especially excited about the English camp that they will be providing instead of a VBS program.  Within the program they will be using the Bible as reading material, so not only will they be teaching English, but also the Bible!
Thank you for praying for the teams!

Promised Pictures

Erwin sharing the Sunday Service message with the team

Sunday afternoon was spent loving on the kids at the local government orphanage

Playing soccer with the orphanage boys

There is always a hug to give

"And why am I digging this hole?"

It's for a big water tank

The concrete was sent up by the bucket full.  These are part of the second story walls that will form the classrooms

Block, block, and more block

Guess who is up top welding the roof. No worries, it's not a volunteer!

Briarwood's Weekend

Monday is usually the first workday of the week.  However, Briarwood has already hit the ground running!  Saturday they worked long and hard in the hot sun at the school.  They are continuing the work of adding the second story to Instituto Isaias 55.  Sunday they had a relaxing day at La Casa Verde.  Sunday services were held with Erwin preaching.  The afternoon was filled with a great lunch prepared by our kitchen staff and then an afternoon playing at the orphanage. It's only 8:45 on Monday morning and already they are back at work at the school!  It's going to be a hot day, so please continue to keep them in your prayers.

The team will be cutting off a few hours early this afternoon as today is a very special day for our deaf students. The government has invited our students to be apart of the inauguration of a new government building.  This a BIG deal in the Mexican culture and a huge honor for our students.  They will participate in the ceremony by signing a song. 

No More Homework, No More Books...

This blog comes a little after the fact, but late is better than never!  We had our end of the year party on Friday, June 29th.  God often commanded His children to celebrate the good gifts that He had provided for them, and really that is what our end of the year party was, a celebration of Him and His provision. 

To start the party the staff, students, and their families were invited to share in the slideshow Corry had put together with pictures from throughout the year.  It was so amazing to watch the progress of the past year...our first official school year.  There are a lot of good memories to reflect upon.  To think that the physical school building used to be a shell of a structure full of grafitti, trash, and burros and now is a great looking three room school with a second story being built.  To think that our initial contact with the deaf students was meeting with a handful of children, if that, one or two hours a week at a loaned government building.  A year ago Corry was assisted by only one Mexican teacher and now she has three very committed Mexican Christian teachers with two more in training. 

In many ways it felt like a dream back then when we thought of having a school up and running, but thanks to God it is now a reality. Here are some highlights from the this past year:  We started the school year last year on September 4th with around 10 students and closed out this year with 24.  We were officially inaugurated by the government in November and also participated in the Revolutionary Day Parade that same month.  At Christmas we celebrated by having the moms bring in special Mexican dishes and the students signed a couple Christmas songs.  We celebrated Day of the Child with games and a piñata in April.  In June we took the kids to the "Kite" Kid's Museum in Reynosa for a their first fieldtrip.  Corry also hosted two parent sign language classes a week, and we began our monthly sign language seminars (hosted by Corry's friends from Monterrey, a deaf man and his wife) which had very good attendence not only by the students, but also by their families and even the community. 

Finally we arrive at June 29th, the last day of classes for the school year.  It was a celebration of the incredible growth God granted each deaf student in his language and all of us in our relationships and abilities to carry out the work here.  It is amazing to watch the children expressing themselves and knowing how to sign their names as they introduce themselves to new friends.  Sometimes it feels like growth is so slow, but looking back through the slideshow pictures everyone was impacted by just how far God has brought us.

After the slideshow the kids changed into their swim gear for the first annual water fight.  The summer staff had filled two huge coolers with water balloons.  We also had a hose, cups, and sprinklers so no one had hopes of escaping dry.  We first attempted to play some games with the water balloons, but the kids caught on quickly that it is a lot more fun to throw them at people.  After everyone got thoroughly soaked, we gathered      everyone together for a potluck meal provided by each of the student's families.       

I55 Welcomes Briarwood

A team of 21 from Briarwood Pres in AL arrived yesterday.  This week will run a little different than other teams since it is a Friday to Friday instead of a Saturday to Saturday.  The team settled in yesterday afternoon, had their orientation for the week, and now they are working full day at Instituto Isaias 55 (our deaf school).  Tomorrow they will have church at La Casa Verde with Erwin preaching and then go to the orphanage in the afternoon.  They will work full days Monday through Thursday.  On Friday morning they will have a few hours shopping before heading home to AL on Friday afternoon.  Please keep the team in your  prayers.  Pray for safety as they work constructing the second level to our existing school.  Pray that none would get dehydrated as temperatures are HOT this week.  Don't forget to check back later to see pictures of the team!

THANKS FOR YOUR PRAYERS