Isaiah 55 Deaf Ministries

August and Into September

Isaiah 55 had the privilege of hosting two incredible teams the first two weeks of August.  The teams were gracious to us and stepped in and did all that was asked of them.  Not only were they dealing with our tired brains and bodies, but also with the fact that we hosted them with no summer staff!  So, they were on double duty -- thanks to Iowa team and Austin team for all you did while you were here.   You were an incredible end to a great summer!!!

SCHOOL NEWS:
Wednesday Instituto Isaias 55 had a parent meeting.  Many parents and students attended.  Monday will be the first day of the 2007-2008 school year.  We can't wait to see all those precious faces, dressed in their uniforms, sitting in their desks, and ready to learn THEIR language!

CONSTRUCTION NEWS: 
The last two teams of the summer worked hard on the second story of the school, and got a lot finished.  However, there is still some work before it is completed and ready to be used as classrooms.  Nono and John with the help of our Mexican employees will be working to get the school finished.  When the school is completed then they will move over to the Hospital site and continue working until that is completed.  As of right now we have no teams scheduled until March, but we are trusting that God will send us who we need, when we need them!

LAND NEWS:  The search continues for property to purchase so that we can build our own dorm facilities.  Our lease at La Casa Verde is over in the fall of 2008.  In our eyes we need the property yesterday in order to get the facilities built and ready to move by next year.  Of course, we continue to remind ourselves of verse 8 and 9 in Isaiah 55:
"My thoughts are completely different from yours," says the Lord.  "And my ways are far beyond anything that you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts." NLT

Catching Up with Apologies

This blog comes with apologies and no pictures.  Deepest apologies to all the volunteers from week July 21-28 that we still have not posted about your week nor pictures.  Pictures will be coming soon!  Soooo on to playing catch up:

• July 21st through 28th we hosted a team of 4 churches from New Jersey, Texas, Alabama, and Georgia.  They primarily worked at the hospital site with some specialty work at the school and orphanage.  This team consisted of little ones (age 4) all the way up to a Grandpa.  This was also the last team of the summer with the help of our summer staff - whom we are GREATLY missing!
• July 28th - July 31st we had some special staff time together.  Also a chance to say thank you and goodbye to our summer staff for all of their hard work. Sarah June, Courtney, Amy, Casie, Nick, Robert, and George - we cannot say THANK YOU enough for all your hard work.  We are ready for you to come back. (Amy and Robert - thanks for hanging with us for the next two weeks!!!)
• August 1and 2: Cleaned and got ready to receive our last two teams of the summer

YEAH...that catches us up! 

This week (August 3-10) we are hosting a team of 18 from Iowa.  They are primarily working at the school.  They are also building some tables for a site where we worked back in the Spring - La Llorona - about an hour outside of Reynosa.  If the tables get completed then the team may take a trip down to that job site.  Please keep this team in your prayers.  It is still hot here and we have two cases of dehydration that started last night.  They are doing a lot better as they have stayed here at La Casa Verde today and we have been pumping them with LOTS of Gatorade and water.  They should be back to work tomorrow!

PRAISE GOD - DONATION OF SCHOOL LAND!!

In May we petitioned the local government for a lease on the land where we have our school.  They are lending us the land (and although a shell of the building was there when we arrived, most has been built up by volunteer hands).  Since the government will switch out at the end of the year we wanted to get something in writing a little more official than word of mouth, which would give us some authority on using land that belongs to the government.

Last Tuesday, the city council called a meeting and decided to address the issue of the school land.  The teachers and many of the students and their parents went to the meeting to show support for the petition.  The contact we had in city council had said he would like to see a donation but that would not be possible.  In a very unexpected move, the mayor requested a vote by the council, not for a lease of the land, but for a DONATION.  He said that he didn't want the school to always have to be fighting to have a place for classes.  Although some were opposed, the proposition passed with a lot of support and we were gifted the piece of city park property (roughly 350 square meters) where our school is located. 

We were thrilled to receive the news, recognizing that it was God's hand moving and not our own.  We didn't have to beg, fight, or convince anybody.  He has done more than we could have asked or imagined.  We are so thankful that the work that has been done by teams will be enjoyed by the students for years and years to come.  The students all thanked the mayor and the council using signs, which of course the TV cameras caught.

Take a look at the second story going up!  We have 26 students enrolled for the Fall and will appreciate the added space!