The Desires of Our Hearts!

Second day of VBS= Success! Just like yesterday, today went wonderfully--if anything--it actually exceeded yesterday! I thoroughly enjoyed myself, and although I did not have my Home Ec. Class, I still taught crafts and helped with others things. I am amazed at how much the students are learning and am very impressed at what all the staff are doing with this VBS program. You guys rock!

Mizael (aka the Flying Squirrel) jumping from a rope swing!

     So anyway, today was slightly different than yesterday. Because first of all, every student arrived (Yay!) and then secondly, after our VBS, we took them on an excursion to the rainforest where we hiked and swam in the stream. It was simply lovely. There also happened to be a rope-swing tied to a large tree above the water--which they instantly took advantage of. And while it took me a few minutes to decide, I went ahead and jumped from the rocks, plummeting into the water below. There is a first for everything, right? But I had a blast and I know the students had a great time as well!
     When we returned to ESD at the conclusion of our school day, all except our two dorm students went home for the day. At which point, Rosa and I took Juan and Francis to the beach. It's no fun to sit in your room with nothing to do--so we swam again, got some more exercise and had an altogether splendid time! Before returning home for dinner and chilling.

Hamming it up for the camera. My Roomie's so much fun! <3

     This also brings me to the part of the story where I want to re-introduce to you, Francis, my new, Deaf roommate. (I had mentioned before, her arrival on Sunday afternoon, but had not really said anything apart from that--mostly because that was all I knew about her.) So let me share with you, this crazy-cool story: Weeks ago, when Betsy had first suggested I might be getting a Deaf roommate, I was absolutely shocked and completely uncertain of how to responded. So as I stood there, wracking my brain for an intelligible response, I heard God say, "This is preparation for RIT. This will get you accustomed to having a Deaf roommate and being around the Deaf. Trust Me, I have worked this all out. This is all part of My plan!" (It was funny because when Francis arrived on Sunday, her mother met me and said, "Oh I am so glad she will have someone to hangout with--and a roommate no less!. She never wanted to be in a room by herself--so we have been praying for a roommate! Confirmation--I think, YES!) But things were a "little" different than I had anticipated. All of Sunday evening, Francis and I really had not "talked" much. She had just arrived and we all had things that needed organizing, not to mention both Francis and I were rather shy and uncertain about rooming with a complete stranger. But we quickly got over ourselves. I realized immediately that she was such a sweet, polite and innocent young lady. (And through the course of the past two days--I have found this to be especially correct.) But there was only one "minor" problem. We have been having trouble communicating. This could be an issue as we will be living together in the same dorm room for a month. You see, she knows only (some) Spanish and ASL (a certain variant of Sign Language.) Whereas, I know only English and PSE (another certain variant of Sign Language. It is all the same language, but the grammar and the sentence structures are different.) So she has struggled greatly to understand me. When I asked her questions, she would laugh and give me a thumbs up or just respond with "ok". I was hoping for more interaction than simply saying, "I am going to bed," and receiving a thumbs-up. But I guess I could work with it. And when she would tell me something, I wouldn't understand. And I couldn't very well ask her to fingerspell it, because she knows no English! She also told Tess last night that she was very confused by my PSE and had trouble understanding me. So for the past two days, we really haven't talked much. Now, I know that sounds terrible and I felt awful, but what can you do when you just can't understand each other?! And here Betsy wanted me to help teach her English....Right.
     So I sought out Tess, seeking her wisdom on the matter. She graciously answered my questions and suggested that I work on simplifying my sentences and changing some of the word order--making it more ASL-ish. If you don't know--That just does not happen overnight! So feeling discouraged and guilty, I lay in bed and explained everything to God (ha-ha, as if He didn't already know.) It would all be so simple if I could only Sign in a way she could understand--that would be great...but then again, I couldn't understand her either! "Lord!" I cried, "You told me weeks before I met her, that You had planned this and that this was preparation for RIT. What is happening? Why can't we communicate? You have 'given' me a Deaf roommate, which is something I have been praying for, but never thought I'd get until college (assuming that would even happen.) But I know that if You can move mountains and raise the dead, surely You can ease our communication and help us understand each other!"
     So this morning, during the short time we chatted, I found I still couldn't understand her, and I still received the thumbs-up. Okeydokey then. So after school was the rainforest, and then the beach. So forgetting my frustration of the night before, we arrived at the beach and she jumped out of car, exclaiming how beautiful the water was. Curious, I asked what the water looked like at her home and was surprised when she said that it was dirty and nasty and that the sand was black. Huh, dirty water and the sand was black...Wait, a second! I understood her answer perfectly! And she understood my question too! I'm sure my jaw dropped and my hands fell limply to my sides. For the first time since I met her, I understood a sentence of what she was saying! Still believing it was too good to be true, I asked her another question, completely unrelated to the previous one. She laughed and responded with a lengthy explanation. All of which I comprehended! What on earth happened? How could we suddenly understand each other?!
     So we swam and "talked" for a long while--making up for lost time! We eventually got out of the water and sat together on the beach. I noticed her watching me as she played in the sand, but I didn't think much of it. Suddenly, she wrote the English word, "water" in the sand and Signed, "English word. Sign meaning." I showed her the sign for water. She repeated it several times before scratching it out and writing the word "work" in the sand. Again, I showed her the meaning of the word "work" in Sign. She asked me a word in Spanish and signed it (which thankfully I knew) and I showed her  the correct way to spell it in English. We continued this for quite a while, before we had to leave. Then a little while later, I asked her a random question and she responded by finger-spelling one of the English words I had taught her at the beach--she then proceeded to recall from memory, all of the word we had previously discussed. She remembered them all and got them all right! So not only can I suddenly understand her, but I am teaching her English now, too! Crazy-awesome stuff!
     So still on a high from the beach and my newfound signing-buddy, I came home to Skype my parents. She walked into the room and introduced herself to them and while they talked to me and asked her questions, I interpreted between them and her! How cool is that?! Just two hours before, I couldn't understand more than two words she said--and then I was teaching her English and now I'm interpreting for her?! No way, that's too cool! So before her bedtime, we chatted and chatted and when I told her that my dream was to become a Sign Language Interpreter and that I wanted to attend RIT/NTID, she got so excited and told me she also dreamed of attending RIT/NTID!
     That was so awesome, it was all I could do not to cry! God has given me so many special blessings today, that I honestly don't think I could handle another one! Oh, He is so good and never fails to blow my mind with His faithfulness! He reminds me daily that when our heart's desire is to honor and live for Him, He will always bless us and give us the desires of our heart!