Yes. I'm grateful for you!
(TL:DR - just read the Bold highlights) 😉
I'm grateful for the support you've given (financially, experientially, emotionally) over the last 10 years that I've been on this journey of working with and for Cru among the Deaf community.
Back in May, Jesus Film, which is a ministry of Cru, hosted a 24 hour prayer live stream. I had less than 10 days to get 24 interpreters lined up to cover the 12 - 2 hour blocks needed for interpreting the whole 24 hours. God graciously provided all the time slots to be covered in 3 days! While I didn't have time to get the word out amid the furry of plans, the event was supposed to be recorded. I planned to share the link post event so you could see me (and other interpreters) in action! Unfortunately, due to some overlooked YouTube setting, the event was not able to be recorded, and all footage was lost. 😭
I was awake and working with the team for the full 24 hours that day. It felt crushing to not have any recording to show for it. I started an update a few times, but I was at a loss for what to say. Thus I didn't post anything.
This past summer, we had the FIRST ever Virtual Deaf Summer Mission. Seven Deaf and hard-of-hearing students attended via Zoom. Five students were from RIT (Rochester Institute of Technology) and two were from Gallaudet. Myself and two other's from the Hands of Fire Staff lead the team. It was a great experience.
One student shared: "I learned that some of the problems in my life aren’t my fault and that I shouldn’t be harsh to myself - [I need to accept God's] GRACE TO MYSELF!"
Another student said: "Also I found that I don't have boundaries between myself, people and God and this is the reason I keep falling as I let everything get inside my home and things got messed up. So I planned that my next study topic is to explore more about boundaries."
While there was much good that happened this summer - TIME (especially my time, with 3 young kids at home) was quite limited, and I did not get an update sent out about all the good things that were happening. The groundbreaking FIRST Deaf Summer Mission to happen via video chat slid by without much fanfare, but the Hands of Fire ministry at RIT is still reaping the rewards of that event. I'm grateful that your continued support of me allowed us to offer the option to students. :)
My last bit of news might seem a bit redundant since just 2 or 3 updates ago I mentioned that I was finally 'landing in my new role' officially after waiting for the dust of the organizational restructure from two years prior to settle. It turns out that there were misunderstanding on both sides of my placement, and my 'new role' actually meant I would have to stop interpreting with Cru. 😣 During Covid quarantine, there were many conversations about whether Cru was the right place to continue in ministry with the Deaf community. Which is one of the main reasons I've not been able to pen an update until now - feeling as though there was a very real possibility that this communication with you might be me saying "I have appreciated your support thus far, and am now going in a different direction." HOWEVER, I am happy to report that a better fit for the Interpreting ministry within Cru was found, and I am able to continue doing the work I feel the Lord has commissioned me to do under the ministry of Cru. 😁
I am attempting to establish a schedule to better manage my time - I'm getting better at the curve ball's kids throw into the rhythms and routines of the day. I always want to end these updates on a positive note, and I really do have plans to update this newsletter to a better format, but realistically, I need to just say I'm trying to be faithful to the call that God has given me to make information about Him accessible to the Deaf community in their heart language of ASL. I hope to update you more frequently going forward, but if you don't hear from me, just know I'm still taking the next step towards making access to God's Word more readily available for the Deaf community!
Soli Deo Gloria
