Prayer Update!

Hello everyone, here is the letter that I sent out to my church--asking for their prayerful support.                                                                            

     I am so excited to be returning to Puerto Rico in a few short weeks (29 days)! I will once again be on my way to support the work of the Evangelical School for the Deaf (ESD) located in Luquillo, Puerto Rico. I will be leaving on July 23rd and will be returning the 31st of August, so I’ll be gone about six weeks. The deaf community is one of the most unreached people groups in the world, due to the communication barrier. Many individuals who are deaf and live on the island of Puerto Rico face even more difficult circumstances due to both the economic poverty as well as the extremely limited opportunities for education. ESD has been providing both educational and spiritual support to students who are deaf for more than fifty years.
     My mother will be flying down with me and staying at ESD for four days, helping to get things ready for the students, before heading back home. During my time in Puerto Rico I will be helping Betsy and a few teachers host a VBS for the students as they return to ESD for another school year! After our VBS, I will stay for an addition four weeks to help in any capacity I can around the school. I will assist in organizing classrooms in preparation of the students’ arrival, helping in the kitchen to prepare meals for the students and staff, join the students in their classes, and help with any maintenance projects that might need doing around the school. I will also be keeping this blog which I plan to update daily with stories and lots of pictures! So be sure to check it out and stay in touch!  
     I would like to ask if you would be willing to pray for us. We would appreciate the prayers as we prepare to go and, most especially, while we are there. We so desperately want to be a blessing to these children and to share with them the love of God. Please pray that the students do well in their studies and that they are receptive to the word of God. As for me personally, would you please pray that I will be able to hear God’s voice clearly and that I will have the courage to step out of my ‘comfort zone’ and be willing to do and say the things God asks of me? Pray for ‘Holy Spirit boldness’ to overcome my fear of man. I have never been away from my family longer than nine days—much less for thirty-nine days! (The reality of it is finally beginning to occur to me. Six weeks is suddenly beginning to seem like a long time!) I will also be the youngest member of the ESD staff and I am concerned about how much help I will actually be; fearing I will be more of a hindrance than a benefit. In addition, I am rather anxious about my signing…I neither am an Interpreter nor am I completely fluent in ASL, thus I feel rather inadequate and worry about confusing the students. Moreover, I will be flying home alone—which will obviously be a new and unnerving experience. Thank you for your faithfulness and your prayerful support. It is a blessing to know that I have a church family and many friends who have my back. Via my blog, I will be sending periodic prayer updates from Puerto Rico. 

Love and God bless,

Rachel Mellott

One Year Ago....

Exactly one year ago, today, God brought these amazing people into my life!
     And the nine days I spent with them, completely changed my life. I boarded that plane in Baltimore, a nervous and confused teenager, having no idea what God was calling me to do--But thankfully, He knows what His plans are! Then, we landed in Puerto Rico and I met this fantastic group of people who showed me how to be confident in the person God created me to be, to step out of my comfort-zone, and how much fun signing could be!
     The students were instrumental in showing me that, despite the fact I was not fluent in ASL, they still accepted me for who I was! If I struggled to understand something they signed, they would repeat it as often as they had to until I understood what they had to say. And if I made a mistake they would not mock me or ignore me, instead they would smile encouragingly and patiently show me the correct way to sign it. They encouraged me--no, shoved me out of my comfort-zone. They convinced me to act in several signed skits and interpret many of the songs! They showed me that ASL is not just a means of communication or just another language. It is instead a beautiful way of expressing oneself and is the only form of visual communication.
     There is also nothing that brings me more satisfaction then interacting with the Deaf. Everywhere I go, I am on the lookout for Deaf. I don't think there is much else that makes my heart race or excites me like seeing/meeting a deaf individual.
     God used those amazing students to show me what His plan for my life is. And after meeting them, my thoughts about becoming an ASL Interpreter have gone from a job that pays well, to a God-inspired passion! I cannot imagine where I'd be right now if God had not brought these awesome people into my life to help reveal His plan for me. I thank each one of the students for accepting/supporting me, giving me the time of my life and showing me the love of Christ while I was there. I am indebted also to my team, who helped and supported me all the way. They had the confidence in me that I lacked in myself; and they encouraged me to do things that I thought was crazy, like interpret for one of our team members and act/sign in several of the skits when I could barely sign as it was...but they had faith in me and were nonetheless right beside me all the while, ready to help if I needed. I also owe everything to Betsy, the neatest principal ever--she has been a wonderful encouragement to me, been there when I needed to talk, has had my back in prayer, has forced me to be bold and has been a great example of a woman of faith who is souled out to God!
     I still think about them daily and miss them all so very much! But, God has worked everything out so that in only 35 days, I'll be returning to spend the summer with them! I'm so pumped!!

Yes--We Did It!

As it were, being without internet for the past couple weeks has made updating this very difficult.  But I seized the first opportunity I got and am writing now. 
     With only six weeks and two days left until our departing flight, suffice it to say, things are getting a little crazy.  I have finally decided on a specific VBS program and I'm beginning to collect school items for the students and look into crafts and supplies.
     And I have fantastic news: I am thrilled to announce that I have raised all of my financial support for Puerto Rico!  I was aiming high and setting my monetary goal at $1,900, which would give me enough money to cover my initial expenses and take care of an emergency.
     As I have already pointed out, I had been very anxious about the whole support thing.  I had already done several fundraisers and even with sending support letters, I was still trying not to worry.  I did not expect/plan for my support letters to bring in a whole lot of funds, so I began planning other fundraisers to do...fearing that I would not have enough time to plan a VBS, buy all of the supplies, get miscellaneous things together, and pack everything in time--all in addition to doing more fundraisers.  So much to do and so little time to do it!
     I had made a list of family/friends who I thought may be supportive of my trip and I prayed over the list, adding names and scratching out names as I felt led.  There were several families whom I felt prompted to add to my list, and though I felt rather odd in doing so...I sent them a support letter, nonetheless.  I once again put it all in His hands and decided not to worry about it.  He would work it out all in His timing. 
     So this past week, I got my monthly financial report.  Not only did I reach my goal but I also surpassed it!  Praise the Lord!  Now I can buy anything extra for the VBS that I might need and still have extra incase of any unforeseen circumstances.
     I was completely astounded by the number of people who contributed financially and how many were willing to prayerfully support me!  I was pleasantly surprised when I received support from those I least expected.  I even received monetary gifts from people I had never met before; people who had only heard about my trip from a mutual friend!
     I also just wanted to take a minute to thank everyone who agreed to support me--both monetarily and through prayer!  I appreciate your thoughtfulness and your generosity more than you will ever know!  As I received check after check and saw the x's marked next to the 'I will pray for Rachel,' the tears started and I could not stop thanking God for the blessings you all are to me.  And just knowing that as I work around the school and sign with those students and help the teachers, you all will be back here, holding me up and supporting me in prayer, is the greatest comfort.
      So in six weeks and two days, I will be aboard a jet, flying over the ocean on my way to Puerto Rico.  And just remember, I will be on that jet because you made it possible.  And while I may be there by myself, I really am not going alone.  You have my back in prayer and you sent me out--we are a team--you helped me to go and be the physical 'hands of Jesus,' while you all were the 'behind the scenes' helpers.  Your love, prayers and encouragement mean more to me than you know, and it will offer me strength and comfort while I'm there, doing what God has called me to do.
     I cannot wait to embark on this incredible journey!  Thank you for investing in me!