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!

Back to School!

Today is our first day back to school!! Yahoo!! I have been anticipating this day for the past 13 months. God is so good and brought all but one of the students to school this morning. (The other little boy will arrive tomorrow.)
     All of the students seem excited for the new school year (some more than others) and I believe they are enjoying themselves. It is almost the end of the day and their parents are beginning to arrive. I am currently sitting in the classroom surrounded by the best group of kids, who are diligently putting their English writing skills to the test. And while they are all working independently, the older ones are willing to assist the younger ones while Betsy attempts to figure out passwords, so we are all working together-so nice. I don’t think I could be more content!  I am sitting here writing this and answering questions regarding the spelling of English words and grammar. And I find it difficult to focus as signing is going on all around me; and I am completely beside myself  with excitement that I am actually here with these amazing kids! Gosh, have I missed these people!
     So I think today’s Vacation Bible School was a success! They told me they "much liked it" so I am greatly encouraged to know that the program wasn’t a flop! I was amazed at how everyone (the staff) took their "duties" and ran with them, making them so much more interesting and exciting. Betsy’s Bible lesson was amazing! She is so creative and had me laughing so hard. Nate dressed up and portrayed Gideon as she told the story, making the kids rock with laughter. Rosa certainly impressed me with her creativity in playing games with the memory verses and I greatly enjoyed that. Brendan and Rebekah also did a wonderful job on planning and completing today’s scientific discovery time, so neat. Tess did a great job teaching some new songs and I know they really enjoyed it (I especially, as there were several of my favorites/songs I remember singing in Sunday school.) I did however, feel rather unprepared for craft time and entered the room, praying

Kevin & Mizael sporting the "clouds." (Photobombed by Tess.

everything would go smoothly. We created a mural of the ocean using a huge box that I had spray painted blue. We added sand and glitter and made clouds from shaving cream, paint and glue. Such a great idea and the kids really liked it. Kevin and Mizael became too ambitious and made a sun from the shaving cream/glue mixture, although it melted almost immediately into a big, slimy blob that landed in our ocean--wow, that was the shortest sunset I have ever seen! Things also became interesting when they began smearing us with the mixture...om my nose I had a blue dollop and I still have it in my hair to prove it! Cantankerous kids! Meanwhile, the others were enjoying themselves a little too much and got "slightly" carried away with the glitter. I have never seen so much glitter in my life. But alas, they had a blast.
     Then, for my Home Ec. class. This, I was especially hesitant about. You see, first of all, I have never taught something like this before and secondly, I have been so preoccupied with other things that lunches really were not a huge priority. I knew it would get done somehow, but with whom and  when could I get it all done? Betsy said to show them the process of how to make their lunch since most do not cook...but she never specified how exactly to teach that. So with a prayer that sounded much like this: Lord, give me your words and show me how to explain this easily and allow them to understand, I snuck out of the chapel during the songs. So with Nate and Amanda’s help, we

My Home Ec. Class with the students making Taco-Salad. :)

cleaned the kitchen and were able to get things somewhat organized before the students came in. Still having no idea where to even begin, I made a split-second decision and asked the students to line up. They did so immediately and when I looked around at the dozens of shining dark eyes fixated on me, I knew it was too late to bow out--I was s-t-u-c-k.
     I took a deep breath and backed toward the stove, explaining the menu. I scurried around the kitchen, feeling as if I was not accurately explaining the process of cooking the burger first, adding the sauce, chopping the vegetables and then mixing it together. But they seemed to understand perfectly; asking no questions, watching intently and doing everything I asked. I taught a little bit of safely, which they all knew, before diving into my lesson and demonstration. It was almost like having my own cooking show--only it was all in Sign.
     It honestly doesn’t get any better than that! They all obeyed the instructions and did a wonderful job of making their meal. But I had been concerned that they would hate the food or be bored to tears, but they seemed to genuinely enjoy it. This was confirmed when they later told me they loved it and wanted to do it again on Wednesday--which is good, because that was the plan anyway. What a great relief! But as I cooked and signed, explained and gave instruction, I soon found that within minutes, my unease and my feelings of awkwardness seemed to disappear. The more I signed, the more they smiled and nodded, which in turn gave me the confidence I needed and urged me to continue. Soon all anxiety completely vanished, and it was just me and the students, working together, doing something I love--all in Sign no less! I cannot wait to do it again!

A group photo--Nate is so much fun! ;)

     Then after the kitchen was restored to some semblance of order, we had games. Yay! Which was certainly a winner for sure. Laurie did a fantastic job and again, the kids said they absolutely loved it and I had a total blast! I’m sure there must be a law somewhere, stating it’s illegal to have so much fun. We lined up chairs and split the group of staff and students into two equal teams, both of which were given a different color to wear, and we played "Human-Tic-Tac-Toe." Definitely the favorite activity. And I laughed so hard I couldn’t breathe.
     Oh God is so good! And I cannot stop praising Him for all He's done for me. I simply cannot get over it.
     I am anticipating another fun-filled month with these amazing people and am so looking forward to another fun-filled day tomorrow! Love these people!

The First Student Arrives!

Being Sunday morning, I was already tired and hot, and decided to give in to my procrastination; leaving the organizing until later. So we all piled into a fifteen-passenger van and set out in the direction of Betsy's Spanish-speaking church. Kevin was unable to attend, so we drove straight to church. Once there, we sang several worship songs and I absolutely loved how the entire Spanish-speaking congregation sang in their native tongue and our little pew joined in with our English version. So neat! Then Betsy's church took a special offering for ESD, and we all got up front and preformed a mini-choir, singing "How Great is Our God."

Rosa sang with her amazing voice, Betsy beautifully played her cello, a friend of Betsy's played his guitar and sang, and I interpreted the song into Sign. It was amazing and so powerful! Then, when the service began, Betsy, being the kind soul she is, interpreted the Spanish sermon into Sign so we could understand at least some of it. Again, I was surprised at how much I understood and was able to retain. Amanda (our new staff member,) Rosa and I realized that Nate, Amanda's boyfriend, knew very little Sign and was not understanding anything. So we decided to interpret Betsy's Sign into voiced English so that Nate could understand. So Betsy was interpreting the Spanish sermon into Sign which we were taking turns interpreting into English. Gosh, that was awesome! Out of the hour-long sermon, there were only a few things I did not quite catch, but apart from those, I understood virtually everything else and was able to interpret it into English--the first time in my life I have ever attempted such a feat! So awesome!
     Then when we came home, I bit the bullet and "de-homefied" my room as Betsy had so nicely suggested. After I had sorted through my conglomeration of things, I then moved on to the chapel to finish my last-minute decorating. With Nate's assistance, I hung the streamers and finished my "ocean." A big sigh of relief. I then spray-painted props and things for a craft activity; during which time I believe I got more paint on myself than I did on the actual materials, making me resemble a smurf--but oh well, it could serve as another conversation starter.
     Then, our first student arrived! Francis is about my age and is the sweetest thing. I am beyond thrilled to have a deaf roommate! The rules are, "Everything that is said, must also be signed. Signing only, as no talking is permitted while a student is on the premises." Wow, talk about signing 24/7. This will certainly help with improving my signing and receptive skills...So pumped. I cannot wait to hang out with her and have some serious conversations! I have only been signing here for the past week and already, I have learned so much and have gained a crazy amount of confidence! God is beyond amazing and continues to blow my mind!
     But the remaining students will be arriving in about eight short hours, and we have a staff meeting at 7am, so I best be getting to bed. I will let you all know how the first day back to school/VBS goes and how my first Home Ec. lesson works out. Stay tuned!

Room Inspection And Decorating.

Today marks the end of our "summer break" and now the real work/responsibility begins anew. It was also our last day to get fully prepared for the students' return to school and our opening week of VBS.
     Thinking about getting prepared reminds me of my dorm. Remember how it had taken us an entire day to rearrange our rooms? Well, I am beginning to think I should dedicate another day strictly to reorganizing my room. Yeah right; I scarcely have time to accomplish the daily and necessary tasks that I have been assigned to, much less cleaning my room. But you see, here is what happens: Lately I have been so busy, rushing around trying to do things before I have to leave or meet someone, and I change clothes often throughout the course of a day (because it's so hot and it also depends on whether I'm organizing classrooms or painting. So inevitably, my room seems to accumulate "stuff.") But you get the point. So when I am called away, I tend to toss whatever it was I was doing, on my bed before running out to help. Then at mid-night when I finally go to bed, I fumble around in the dark and when I am unable to find where it belongs, I simply set it on my dresser or chair....and so the vicious cycle continues. And in all seriousness, I can never seem to find time to really rectify this situation. It's quite embarrassing to be completely honest. But I know it must be dealt with...at least, if I correctly understood Betsy and got the hint.
     So last week, she had asked if my room was "homey." I explained that I had brought a few small things from my room at home; a journal, a book (which I haven't even had time to read a page of,) a photo album made for me by my Bestie, etc. So yes, I said that I thought it had a rather homey feel. Seemingly satisfied with my answer, she moved on to another topic of discussion.


     Then, a few days ago, while she was making a personal delivery to our dorm, she wanted to have a peek at one of the student's rooms. No one lives there and she's the principle so sure, why not. I led her toward the room, not even considering a detour nor a surprise room inspection. But alas; as she followed me down the hall, she paused at my door. I opened my mouth to scream a warning, claiming a gas leak or the presence of an explosive substance--anything to prevent her from entering! But she will not be deterred. So before I could distract her or make a scene, she stepped on in. Oh, this would be good. What could I do now? I had no choice but to follow, and feeling much like a child being asked about a stolen cookie, I followed her with my head bowed, into what looked like a disaster site. I stood quietly in the doorway and patiently awaited a scolding. But Betsy merely paused and took in her surroundings, giving one slight nod before muttering, "Hmm, definitely homey...." I raised an eyebrow and eyed her suspiciously as she moved on to examine Rosa's room. Although, I think what she really meant to say was "homely." But wow, that not at all what I had anticipated, and I was left to determine whether that was really good...or really bad. And if I would hazard a guess, I would assume the latter. But considering that my room is "homey," has certainly encouraged me to improve my organizational skills and solve that problem. Especially considering the new student who will be sharing a room with me will be arriving tomorrow afternoon. And, in its current state, my room is anything but accommodating. So yeah, I'll get right on that, as it is my project tomorrow afternoon after church...both that and finishing last-minute VBS decorations in the chapel. And although we got a surprising amount of decorating finished today, I still need to touch-up a few things.

"Surfing the Bible" chapel décor!

So since our VBS theme is "Surfing The Scripture", we decided to transform the chapel into an "ocean." Buckets and shovels are scattered about, surfboards with scriptures are hung from the ceilings, a blue "wave" with fish, is splashed across the stage, and for the grand finale: we hung "waves" from the ceiling using blue cloth-type-stuff flowing the width of the chapel around the lights, and threw seashells, starfish and cute aquatic animals into the waves.
I am genuinely surprised at how nice it turned out and how real it appears! Gosh, I am so pumped for this VBS! This will be so exciting!

Never A Dull Moment!

Aside from VBS planning, I had volunteered to be one of the "school's cooks" and I have been approved. So beginning on Monday, I will be teaching a Home Ec. class three days next week. And I have learned that my job entails much more than simply explaining the process of cooking one's chicken before mixing it in a sauce or measuring the ingredients before adding them to a casserole. I was to come up with several different, "easy" recipes and buy the specific ingredients required. I soon realized that "teaching Home Ec." was not quite as simple as it had sounded. First of all, I had to organize everything and make a list of each item needed--such as, for two separate recipes, I needed sour cream. How much did I need for each? Could I only buy one or did I need two? Would it be cheaper to buy one large one or two smaller ones? I made similar decisions with each ingredient--not to mention I am planning to cook for sixteen people everyday; so the recipes must be doubled or tripled. I had to determine how many pounds of chicken would feed sixteen people for three meals, all depending upon what we made. Have I ever mentioned how much I dislike math?! But only for the students and because Betsy asked, do I subject myself to such things. But little did I know, that the planning and list-making was just the beginning.
     You see, after lunch, I was to meet Tess at the car with a well-written list of supplies and a check. No problem. And this time, I arrived on time. We first stopped at the bank to cash our check for the necessary school supplies. And already feeling exhausted since we did not get much sleep the night prior, we decided to stop along the way for some much-needed caffeine. We each asked for a large Pepsi, not realizing that the cup they gave us was nearly a half gallon. (But later we would be very grateful for this new development as we were up long past mid-night, driving to San Juan to pick-up a new staff member.) Then we drove on into town to the store. We compared lists and agreed to begin with dorm and VBS supplies: craft items, indoor decorations for VBS, sheets for the students' beds, etc. It was a disastrous three hours that we wandered through the store in search of adhesive foam letters and bed-sheets. At one point, we were searching through a shelf, haphazardly stacked with things, only to have everything come crashing down. Honestly, only us, right? It was a struggle as we shoved things back on the shelf, other objects would fall. It was utterly futile. Finally, after our third and final attempt, Tess whispered, "Okay, on the count of three, we're going to flee the scene. Go!" Laughing like a couple of goofballs, we high-tailed it out of there. (And note also that we were pumped on caffeine, so everything appeared exceptionally hilarious.) Although we soon found bed-sheets and added them to our full shopping-cart. At one point, we were forced to abandon our cart along a dark aisle and investigate a shelf full of craft supplies...only to return and discover our cart missing! Tess and I simply stood there in stunned silence. For real?! We had spent three hours searching for that stuff and had gone to great lengths to get it. I was genuinely surprised at the amount of panic one over-stuffed cart could evoke. But after running around like a pair of lost little kids in search of their mother, we finally found it neglected at the back of the store, our merchandise apparently rendered boring and useless. I am not sure if I have ever laughed so hard.
     When we had the last item crossed off our VBS/dorm list, we joined the others already waiting in the long line to check-out. Becoming bored, we decided to have a conversation only in Sign. I wished myself luck. We chatted, told amusing stories and discussed different sign variations until it was finally our turn. We unloaded the cart and while the cashier slowly rung things up, we continued our conversation in Sign. When we were finished, we decided against purchasing one of the VBS supplies and when Tess motioned that she didn't want it, the cashier responded in Sign! Who knew?! We simply stood there in stunned silence, staring at her and trying frantically to recollect what we had been discussing for the past half hour, fearing she had understood something personal. But oh well, it is what it is. That will teach me to be more discrete. But it's not everyday you meet someone who randomly knows Sign.
     Half an hour later, this time in Sam's Club, Tess dared me to go the entire way through the store without talking, communicating only via Sign. Okay, I could do this. But I was not completely prepared for ordering my food without talking. She texted and showed the lady what she wanted and she got by swimmingly....And then, there was me. I pointed to the pizza and she said they were not done so I must wait. And although I didn't completely understand her Spanish, I got the general idea. She must have realized I did not know much Spanish because she quickly switched to English. Then, to Tess and I's surprise, the lady's coworker stopped mid-motion and asked, "Wait, you know English?" That as absolutely hilarious and made me wonder how long they had been working together and never knew that.
     Tess and I estimated the approximate cost of our purchases, fearing we had exceeded Betsy's pre-determined budget. But soon realized to our great delight, that after splurging on dorm and VBS things, and buying a ton of food, we had only used about half the money she had given us! Score! God is so good! Now we can use the remaining money to purchase school lunches for next week.
     But, needless to say, I endured the remainder of our silent shopping trip and greatly enjoyed it. After signing for five hours, I returned feeling more confident in my Signing abilities and more sure of myself. Tess is a wonderful teacher and answered so many of the questions that had been swirling around in my head. (What a relief!) For months, I have been praying for boldness. And God has been showing me lately that as I step out of my comfort-zone, He is always there, giving me the courage to press on. When I agree to step out of the boat, He is right there to catch me. I have begun to see that I have done and said things here, that I would not have normally said; but because He is there with me, encouraging me and giving me the strength to do it, I have been stepping out! So cool.

Spanish/Signed Church Service!

As anticipated, today was certainly a very sultry and busy day. But I was rather impressed with the amount things we were able to get accomplished; and I hope Betsy is equally satisfied.
     We rearranged things in the chapel, ridding it of the irksome projector-screen that no ones ever uses and it took me most of the morning and afternoon to paint/touch-up the walls of the chapel while Rosa de-knobbed our bedroom doors and took the knobs (not the doors) into town to have new keys fitted. And due primarily to our busy day, I made little progress on my VBS craft/snack plans. *sad face* My bad. But I know tomorrow is set aside as a "catch-up day," so I promise to take advantage of the break and focus on my crafts and snacks. Although I did manage to begin a list of supplies that I will need, so I am somewhat prepared for our grocery run tomorrow afternoon...that is at least a small consolation.
     After skipping dinner, Rosa and I were at least able to shower and dress before rushing back outside to meet Tess, our lovely chaperone for the evening, before she left for church without us. I hurriedly tucked my hair into a messy-looking bun as I walked...no, ran through the kitchen. Only to return seconds later to retrieve my Bible like a good Christian girl. But by the time we reached Tess, we realized we were already three minutes late. Honestly!? I always seem to be late, no matter where I go. And I am rather serious when I say I should move to Puerto Rico. Because when a Puerto Rican say, "I'll be there in an hour," it usually means, "I'll be there in two or three hours." So I am already partially Puerto Rican--and I'm finding that for the most part, I fit in just fine. The other day, when someone commented about being early, I turned around and said, "I have heard it's nice. But I wouldn't know what it's like to be early; or on time for that matter. I have never been early in my life--in fact, I was born a week late!" My point made. But still, being new staff members and arriving at church late is not necessarily conducive for making a good first-impression. Although, our three minute delay was soon forgotten when we drove into town and were forced to take a detour. Okay, that serves as an honest excuse. But there went our hope of making up for lost time on the highway. And Kevin was not ready when we came to pick him up anyway, so that helped slightly to ease my guilty conscience.
     As Kevin and I talked on the ride to church (well, he was eating his dinner and I was signing,) I realized that it's a very good thing I do not get carsick. Because that could have been a recipe for disaster. I also learned that it is easier and less dangerous than walking and trying to sign to people. I don't know if it requires directional skills or what, but I seem to struggle greatly with that. So when we arrived at Betsy's church, we all filed into a row and took our seats just before they began the service. Betsy introduced Rosa and me and as she finished explaining that Rosa was staying to work at the school for a year, the preacher paused and said, "Wait, is this girl we were praying for?" Sure enough, he announced to the congregation that Rosa was indeed the young lady the church body had been praying would be able to come. "For months, we prayed God would make a way for her to come--and here she sits with us! Praise God! We prayed this girl here!" "Amens" echoed all around the sanctuary. That was too awesome.
     But it had not really occurred to me until then, that everyone was speaking Spanish, including the preacher and I was not sure what to think when I realized I was practically the only little white girl in the entire building. All I knew was that this would be very interesting. And while I was beyond thrilled to watch them interpret, I was also rather anxious. When I am comfortable, I can sign clearly and effectively, but when I am nervous, I tend to stumble over my signs and they seem to run together, meaning "I sign with a slur." And in the same way, when I am under pressure or focus too intently on the signer, I tend to misunderstand a few signs. Especially when something is signed in ASL, my mind immediately wants to add words to create sentences and add concepts that are lacking in the general context--this befuddles me because when my brain adds words that the signer did not, I get ahead of them or believe the conversation is going in a totally different direction. You have no idea how infuriating that is! (I am really working on not allowing myself to get nervous and only processing/understanding what I see, instead of adding things to make sense.)
     Alright, back to church. As the preacher stood and began delivering his sermon in Spanish, I sat tensely in my seat as Betsy and Tess began taking turns interpreting, praying that I would be able to comprehend at least some of what they were saying. And although they were technically interpreting the Spanish sermon into Sign for Kevin (Rosa and I were more dependent on it than he was!)
     But after the first fifteen minutes, I was amazed at how much I understood! And while I didn't quite catch every single word they signed (some words were new to me and others were Puerto Rican Signs,) I understood the concepts and in a nutshell, comprehended the sermon. I was so thrilled and happy with myself! I reckon sometimes I do know more than I think I do.
     Then after the service, the ladies of the church brought a cake they had made in honor of Betsy's birthday and we had a little party afterwards. All in all, that service had to have been one of the neatest experiences ever! And I am really looking forward to Sunday morning!
     When we came home after church, I gave Betsy a bag of snacks from home, Utz Potato Chips being one of the items (she loves Utz Chips and unfortunately Puerto Rico doesn't have any, so I attempted to rectify the situation.) Although, to my utter dismay, they appeared limp and nasty because the airport dudes were extremely rough with my bag and smashed them to pulverized pieces. I apologized for their crushed state and Betsy graciously waved it off, responding with, "Oh, I don't care! They are UTZ Chips--and besides, I just love mashed-potato chips!" Ha-ha, she never ceases to make me laugh! Anyway, I hope her birthday was a delightful one!

Betsy's Pre-birthday Celebration!

So as I had announced yesterday, we did indeed embark this morning on an adventure around the East side of the island. We drove for about two hours; during which time we laughed and blared Christian music, joked around and swerved to avoid collision with approaching vehicles. Betsy had previously informed me that if the beach was a flop, at least we would have fun on the drive. And although the beach was great, I did greatly enjoy the car ride--both our journey there and our journey home. Per Betsy's request, she wanted a demonstration of our signing capabilities; thus she decided that we would interpret songs. Sliding even lower into my seat, I'd had a faint glimmer of hope that she was referring only to the ladies sitting closest who knew what they were doing, but my hopes were rudely dashed when I was informed that the next song was mine. I had to shake my head and wonder why I always seemed to put myself in vulnerable situations.
     So for the next hour and a half, we sat watching each other interpret old hymns and discuss sign variations and proper grammar. The Old Rugged Cross was Rosa's first assigned song and in my opinion, I thought she did quite well. The next hymn began to play and I soon realized that I neither knew the song nor could I even understand the lyrics. How could I interpret a song I couldn't understand...and it was even in English too...So then I felt really dumb! Yeah, not a great start to my Interpreting career! But in my defense, it was sung quickly and the instruments seemed to drown out the voices, so it was difficult to distinguish words. Now I rest my case. So I simply sat there, throwing out words here and there as I heard them, and prayed that I would know the song that followed. But Tess was gracious to take the next one, and we all struggled to comprehend those lyrics as well. This slightly eased my mind and helped me not to feel quite so silly. We then decided that when there came a song no one knew, we would all signed simultaneously and work together to determine the meaning of the song and the proper signs that should be used. This worked well and we finished with a masterpiece...well, I like to think so anyway. As we chatted and compared non-manual markers, we each had different opinions on how things should be signed. Meanwhile, Betsy and Laurie sat in the front, talking and occasionally commenting on a misused classifier. Although, we did receive some praise when a few songs ended, so I assume we passed the test? I will probably never know, but I am eagerly anticipating the VBS and the beginning of school when I can interact with the Deaf daily and on a more personal level. But besides test scores, I had entirely too much fun and I learned a great deal during that short time period. (And believe it or not, I actually feel more confidant in my signing and feel better prepared to interact with the students when they arrive. Imagine that?!)

Puerto Rico: The most beautiful place on earth!

     There were also times along the way that we were interrupted from our demonstration to peer out the window at the gorgeous mountains we were driving over. Looking down into a bowl-like valley and seeing the villages below and the mountains jutting up on either side was enough to make ones jaw drop! Cattle grazed along the ridges and trees dotted the velvety-green landscape. Never in my life have I seen anything so beautiful as the grass covered mountains of Puerto Rico. I could only look down in wonder and awe of the Creator.

Caribbean beach in Guayama. Absolutely gorgeous!

     Sometime later, our silent choir in the back seat ceased when we arrived at our final destination; a quaint little beach-side restaurant in the town of Guayama (I could not remember the name of it, so I had to ask,) with the most wonderful food and the most gorgeous view of the Caribbean! Oh, it was absolutely wonderful!
     From there, we drove up another series of mountains...and drove...and drove. With each curve in the road, our concern deepened. Until finally, we asked Betsy if she truly had a destination in mind or if she had just gotten us lost. She assured that she had a plan and soon we were hiking through the mountain in search of a swimming hole, she had heard rumor of. That too, was absolutely gorgeous. But the water was frigid. And while I did not swim, I took a risk and waded in up to my knees...which was enough to satisfy me. I was surprised by the silly little fish that swarmed around my feet and nibbled at my toes. So weird!

Betsy and Tess enjoying the swimming hole!

     And you would never guess what we saw on our way back! We were following a car into town and it had its trunk up. As we drew nearer, we realized there was a boy sitting in the back, with a horse running along behind the car! Is it even legal to tow horses? That was quite interesting! I also happened to see several wild horses, a white heron, and even a mongoose! But nothing could top the horse being towed through town!
     So yes; it has altogether been yet another perfect day!
     Now, to think ahead to tomorrow. I believe the plans include the painting of the chapel, the removal of dorm-room doorknobs, and the pre-VBS decorating. Then, we have been invited to Betsy's church for their Wednesday night service where hopefully, we will watch her interpret--and get to see one of the students (one of my friends from last year.) So excited for tomorrow! And no doubt, it will be a full day so I guess I should turn it in and get some sleep before it begins.
     And Happy Birthday, Betsy! I hope it's a wonderful one!