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!!