As i sit here and think....

Greetings in the name of Jesus Christ (is what my dad always likes to say).

Hola en el nombre de Jesus Cristo :) I changed it into Spanish since i am in Puerto Rico!

* It has been quite a busy 2 weeks for Puerto Rico Deaf Ministries. I have been prepping for all the events for this summer. I come to realize that planning something is harder than it looks. I have been overcoming my "i hate making decisions" phase in life and realize I NEED to make decisions. Of course, i make these decisions by seeking after God first then all falls into place. Here are the events so far for the summer that i have planned!

May 28-30 : Girls Only Retreat for CODAs.

* We are focusing on how we are each a princess of THE KING!! Also we will be diving into learning how to make ourselves beautiful not only on the outside (which we already are) but digging deeper into our inner being. How can we be beautiful inside, why is that so important. Also we will be talking about peer/family pressure, life goals, learning how to grow closer to God, and ETC! This weekend is going to be an absolute BLAST!!! Please Pray for us!

June 5: CODA Family Day at the Zoo

* This Day trip is for the little children and their families. It will be a GREAT time of families around the island to gather together and fellowship. So many people are so excited about this event. Also, all the CODAs can get together, play and fellowship. Also, through this the name of Jesus Christ will be shared!

June 9: MY BIRTHDDDDDAAAYYYYYY

* (that is an event in my book haha) Birthday cards are welcome.

Po Box 7423

Ponce, PR 00732

June 11-13: CODA Youth Retreat

* One friend of PRDM owns a beach house in Cabo Rojo and he allowed us to use this place for free for the retreat. Our theme is "Real Love" o en espanol " Verdadero Amor". We are going to be looking at 1 John 4:7-12. I'm still praying about what verses to use and etc. If you have any ideas just let me know. I really want us to focus on how to love our family, friends but for us to realize who our ULTIMATE LOVE IS.. GOD! Also, how us as CODAS are special and how God can use us. Keep praying for us.

As i was praying today and planning specifically for this weekend i found this about CODAs :) Just a reminder a CODA is Child of Deaf Adult.

While CODA has come to be known simply as an acronym, it was a term chosen because of its meaning in music and has much more meaning than "child of deaf adults." Wiki's own definition of the musical term - "Coda (Italian for "tail", plural code) is a term used in music in a number of different senses, primarily to designate a passage which brings a piece (or one movement thereof) to a conclusion". Yet, as a piece of music, it can stand apart from the composition, becoming its own music. The beauty of the term is seen when it is understood that the coda carries on the culture and language of the Deaf community, but the coda is not Deaf himself/herself and cannot propagate the culture. Thus, the coda is a part of the masterpiece, but not the masterpiece itself. As mentioned above, the coda has two cultures - Deaf and hearing - and can therefore fit within the masterpiece but also stand alone as his/her own composition.

Now isn't that so awesome! I never realized how much influence us CODAs can have on our world and especially for Jesus Christ. It's neat how we can be a part of two cultures. We can fit within the "masterpiece but also stand alone in our own composition"- something to think about.

Beside preparing for the summer, i got to go visit in Abonito for a couple of days. I stayed with a Deaf couple who are so sweet and loving. We visited a few Deaf and their children on Thursday and then on Friday (no lie) we were out for 10 hours visiting Deaf, their kids, and some Deaf schools. It was amazing- i met so many people and so many young CODAs. There was one house that we stopped by which really tugged on my heart!

* In the mountains - there are two Deaf older ladies who are sisters. The youngest sister is taking care of her older sister. The older sister had her legs removed and is bed-ridden. I went into the room with the older sister and she looked really sickly. She was so skinny and all she could do was lift up her hand. I signed to her and her youngest sister said, "she doesn't know sign language and she never went to school." It broke my heart just to see her there with no communication skills. I thought to myself- what is she thinking right now? does she really know who Jesus is? Her sister try to give us money to give to the church so her sister could be healed and walk again. Just seeing this really humbled me, so many Deaf here have little or no language skills, have little or no education, and are protected their whole lives by their families. Pray for these sisters. Pray that God will SHOW them His face and no other. To understand who HE is regardless of language and education. *

- Again coming from family with two Deaf parents who are very educated and who have perfect language then seeing these Deaf and Deaf parents who hardly have any language and education just breaks me. There is SO much need. So many children of Deaf parents here have to teach their parents things- it's reversed roles A LOT OF THE TIME. The children are the parents to their parents. That is not how it's suppose to be- these kids need to be kids and these youth need to be youth not grown-ups yet. So many times CODAs are forced to be grown-ups too quickly, they have too much to handle and that is why some of the CODAs here have ran away from home, are into drugs/alochol, rebellious, and most do not care. Pray for the CODAs here and some of this is the exact same in the United States.

This past Saturday i had an opportunity to go to Cayey. They have a service for the Deaf twice a month. I had a chance to spend time with one CODA teen and his cousin. I was so nervous because of my Spanish skills. Number 1- it's different when you work with kids and speak Spanish. Number 2- These boys would speak SUPER fast and slur their words. Number 3- God defiantly worked in those boys. I spend most of my time really getting to know them. Wanting to know their dreams and what they know about the Bible. They told me they knew nothing. The CODA teen said he wanted to go to the retreat June 11-13 and he's really excited about it. The boys asked me when i am coming back to Church- i told them when the van comes and picks up their mom to come. They told me they can't wait to come again :) GOD YOU ARE GOOD!

Visiting a Deaf school in Barranquitas

taking a moment to smile!

Also, I'm teaching Jayson how to play the guitar and look at the results.. hahaha.

Feliz Navidad from Cristina y yo en la oficina de PRDM :)

amor y besos en Cristo!