November 2011

It's been a month since our last post and things have been very busy.  Robin and Micaela spend lots of time in their classrooms and Ruben is working from sunup and often way past sundown, six days a week.  On his one free day, he often tries to repair things around the house; this week a leaky shower.  Christopher, Danielle, and Kelli are keeping up with their own school work and whenever they have time they are helping with different activities with the kids.

The next few weeks are busy with preparations for a Christmas program.  Many of the parents will visit on the 17 of December for a special day of holiday activities.  The kids really look forward to this day because many of their family members do not have a relationship with Jesus Christ and they know that while here, they will hear a clear gospel message. It is so wonderful to see the heartfelt prayers of children who have given their lives to Jesus and want their loved ones to spend eternity with them in heaven. 

We have been blessed with several visitors this month.  Bridges Bible Church brought their church to Mexico, and by church we mean 730 people!  A small group came here for two days and were an incredible blessing.  Among the people assigned to this location were the Simpson family, our friends from Hume Lake.  Julie now works in a classroom for the deaf in Bakersfield and she was able to spend some time in Robin's classroom advising.  She was a wealth of wisdom and because of her advice, things have changed for the better in room 6.  Erik was put to work on a remodeling job and the five younger Simpsons entertained the kids and provided some much needed indoor entertainment on a rainy day.

Just two days later, Bob and LeeAnn Mull came to RSM with the Joshua Wilderness Institute from Hume.  Our busiest week yet, but so much fun.  Bob and LeeAnn were able to stay with us so evenings were spent together after long days of work and nightly tacos in Guadalupe!  LeeAnn was able to talk her local Starbucks into letting her buy Christmas blend a few days before its annual release because she knows that it is Robin's favorite.

One of the Joshua students blessed these parents more than he will ever know.  One morning in the chow hall a young man pulled Christopher aside and told him he wanted to speak to him.  He told him that he had been watching him and that he was moved by Christopher's work with the kids.  He told him that he could see his sacrifice for this place and it had inspired him to try and do the same.  It is always encouraging to hear that others see the good in your children.

Rich Ferreria and Jen Manlief are running an amazing program.  We are so excited that Micaela will be applying to attend next year.  If you do not know about the program and have a young person in your life who would benefit from a year of Biblical study, hard work, and service, look them up at joshuawilderness.org.



And the blessings did not stop there.  The day after Joshua left, Dan and Kristi Rodriguez and Dan's brother and his family came to visit.  With his creative eye, Dan is trying to help us figure out how to make our house comfortable for a family of six.  There is a lot of work to be done and so little time, but Dan was very encouraging.  We have heard so much about Dan's brother and his wife and children and have prayed for this military family but had never met them.  We were so grateful for their visit and very happy to finally meet the people we already felt like we knew!

It is always a joy to introduce people to this ministry because the work that is done here is so meaningful.  But introducing our beloved friends was a highlight for us.  Oh, and did we mention that Kristi brought us amazing gifts: lots of diet coke and Harry Potter!  The diet coke in Mexico is not the same as in the United States and we have not been able to find the movie.  You cannot imagine how excited the kids are about the movie and how happy Robin is about the diet coke.  We have started a list of things that are not available here:  cornbread mix, taco seasoning, chocolate chips, and diet coke.  We really can't figure out why no one sells chocolate chips here, not even the Costco in Ensenada.

On Ruben's most recent trip to the States he purchased diet coke only to have it confiscated by the federalies who stop people on the road to search for drugs.  They asked if they could have the soda and since they have machine guns, Ruben thought it wise to comply.  Robin thought he should have gone down fighting!

We have a few prayer requests.  On Saturday, one of our students, Isaac, fell off of the swing and hit his head.  When he started throwing up, Ruben and Luke got him to a hospital in Ensenada.  This was Saturday night and come Monday morning, he still had not been seen by a doctor.  Please pray for his healing and quick return to school.  Isaac is one of Robin's favorites.  This is his first year at the Ranch and he was initially placed in her class.  He could sign very little but had major amounts of historical information memorized.  One day he used sidewalk chalk on the playground to write a detailed story in Mexican history, including all the dates.  He had been in a public school in Tijuana where he was able to absorb information despite having no translator.  He learned to read and write simply by watching what the teacher wrote on the board and from books!

Please continue to pray for Milagro.  Her parents visited recently and continue to be amazed at her progress.  Among many "thank yous", her father wispered "she used to be like an animal, but now she's a little girl."  We can't begin to count the number of times we cry in a day.  Milagro most recently brought Robin to tears when she signed her name.  She has been signing Ruben's name for quite a while, but not Robin's.   She looks for Ruben in the chow hall, asks Robin where he is and then when he comes by her table, she hides and giggles.  We really haven't figured this one out but it makes us laugh every time.

Please pray for our Christmas program; for the family who will be attending and for the children whose families will not attend.  We are hosting a separate party for these students and plan to make it a memorable time, but it is not the same as being with your own family on Christmas.  A few of the children are orphans and the rest have families who simply cannot afford the trip.

As we spend our first thanskgiving with our new family at Rancho Sordo Mudo, we pray that your holidays are blessed and Christ filled!

Ruben, Robin, Micaela, Christopher, Danielle and Kelli

October at Rancho Sordo Mudo

Robin's Class:  Adrian, Alexis, Gerardo, Axel, Karen and Robin,
Angel and Ana Lidia (Eduardo was out sick)

Another week of school is behind us.  One of our teachers, Olivia Salazar, received a message from her mother to return home immediately.  She was told that doctors had determined that her father only had a week to live.  Olivia is just about the sweetest young woman we have ever met.  Being deaf, she has converted her ASL to LSM quickly and the kids just love her as a teacher.  We all miss her terribly but know that it is important that she have these last few days with her Daddy.  Please pray for her and her family that this would be a sweet time together. 

We had a great science lesson this weekend.  Dorm Dad Ray found a young rattlesnake on campus and promptly cut off its head with a shovel and brought it to our house.   We know that young rattlesnakes are generally more dangerous than grown ones so we would always be cautious.  What we didn’t know is that they don’t look quite like a grown rattlesnake and had we come across it, we may have not recognized it.  It  was good to get a first-hand look.  Ray then took it back to the dorm where it was dissected and cooked.  Ray and Mark share the responsibility of caring for 21 boys.  Words cannot describe the respect and love we have for these two men.  Their commitment to serving the Lord by loving these boys is simply breathtaking.

Katie and Serafina are the dorm moms to eleven girls ranging from age 8 to 17.  Even as we are writing,  Katie is putting on a tea party for the younger girls.  They are both so proactive in their role as dorm mom; they are always teaching the girls either through planned instruction or simply in their beautiful example of Godly womanhood.  Teaching in the classroom for five hours a day is just a small part of the instruction the students receive.  Please pray for our dorm parents.  Parenting is not an easy job, but parenting so many who come from very different backgrounds seems overwhelming to us.

We had observers in our classrooms:  a group of students from La Paz, Mexico who are training to be teachers for the deaf.  It is very encouraging to see the Mexican government taking steps to provide for it’s citizens.  For thirty minutes each day, we have silent reading time.  Robin could see that one of her students, Angel, was desperately trying to share with the guests, what he was attempting to read.  He was given permission to sit with the guests and talk with them.  Robin watched as he signed the gospel message and offered each an opportunity to accept Christ!  17 years old, deaf, and can’t read and he makes no excuses for not sharing the life-saving message of salvation.  We have to wonder how many excuses we have made over the years for not stepping out in faith and sharing the gift we have been given.  Please pray for Angel, he has a desperate desire to read God’s Word, but it does not come easy for him.  While other boys choose to watch a movie or play games in the evenings, he is studying.  Robin would also appreciate prayer for herself, that she would be equipped to teach him and her other students.

Brown Bear, Brown Bear What Do You See

Micaela and Morriah (the other aid in the youngest class), taught their students without Amber.  A very exciting and stressful day for both!  They directed the children in a dramatic version of Brown Bear, Brown Bear.  The entire school and a few guests crowded into their classroom for the best Kindergarten play we have ever seen.  We have included a picture, but it does not do it justice.  Milagro is the white dog.  She has been here for three weeks and is making incredible progress.  She came with no language, very little fine motor skills, and absolutely no understanding of why her parents were leaving her with these strangers.  Robin and Micaela get to sit with her for many meals and are so excited to see her blossoming into a joy-filled little girl.  We have also been happy to see less and less of her food on her and us!  Please pray for her continued development.  One of the reasons she struggles with sign language is because she cannot control her fingers.  The sign for sí is the bending of an extended pinkie finger and she just can’t do that.  We don’t know if there is a problem or if she was just never encouraged to use the muscles so we will wait and see if exercise helps.

Since we started writing this particular blog, Olivia has returned.  Her father is still alive and the family decided that everyone should return to their normal activities.  We understand that doctors can make educated guesses on how long a person may live but we know our God has life and death in His hands and only He is the controller of time.  It is comforting to know that not a one of us has a moment more on this earth than He has already determined.  Our goal is to live each of those moments glorifying the One who gave them to us.

Bendiciones de Rancho Sordo Mudo

Ruben, Robin, Micaela, Christopher, Danielle, and Kelli

¡Día de Independencia!

School Begins!

 

Monday Morning Prayer and Flag Salute

Today was Micaela's first day as a teacher's aid in the youngest class.  She discovered that at this level there are only a few signs that she needs immediately:  yes, no, no fighting, be nice, and pay attention.  What a wonderful opportunity for her to learn from a gifted teacher and to be a blessing to the children of the largest class here.

Robin does not have an aid, but she does have Karen.  She is the youngest person in her class, but she seems to understand her teacher better than the others and she acts as an interpreter.  On the first day of school she made the connection between addition and subtraction; opposites of each other.  She was so excited that she immediately wanted to show Johnny, the school principal and her teacher last year.  What an incredible feeling it is when a student is excited about their discoveries.

The oldest student in Robin's class is 16 and he has some serious vision issues so she stands right in front of him when she teaches.  He was fitted for glasses last year and promptly lost them.  We are definitely in need of eye exams and glasses for many of the children.  Speaking of needs, if you are so inclined, visit the Rancho Sordo Mudo website (ranchosordomudo.org) to view a needs list.  Supplies are especially low at the beginning of the year.  Ruben attempted to change the batteries in the smoke detectors and discovered that the 9-volts were all expired!

Sirviendo a los sordos de México!