Hallejuah....Hallejuah- i'll sing it again..

No hay nadie como Tú, sólo Cristo...

moriste por mí en la cruz, viviré para alabar!!

-Hillsong United

How beautiful that song is to me- None but Jesus or Solo Cristo en Espanol :)

Here are some updates on my adventures here lately :) First of all i am so humbled and blessed at all God brings in front of my face. When i think something is going to be a disaster, He turns my disaster into something BEAUTIFUL

*Two beautiful CODA girls i met this past Saturday*

Every other Saturday i go to "Buscan a Jesus" in Cayey. Victor Martinez is the leader/pastor and he picks up Deaf and their children from different areas around Cayey- including Orcovis, Barenquitas, Camuy, and etc. These two girls are from Orcovis which is one of the poorest areas i have visited thus far in Puerto Rico. Orcovis is the area i may have mentioned in one of my previous blogs that have about 40 Deaf family members living in one area. This area is so poor and many of the families that i have visited- have hardly anything. Most of the houses i have visited- the families don't even have beds to sleep on. They simply just sleep on their hard cement floor. This area touches my heart so much especially since the Deaf do not have a foundation of a strong language. Their signs are mostly gesture and made up home signs that we (the church leaders) have to figure out so we can teach them the Bible. Victor has been starting a basic sign language class with these people. Pray that the Lord uses these sign language classes to help make the Gospel clear :)

Some Saturdays are disappointing because i'll have no CODAs to show up. This past Saturday as i drove to Cayey, i was praying i wouldn't be disappointed. When i showed up, Victor said, "Ezelis, i GOT KIDS for YOU". I was so excited but at the same time nervous because i have to use my Spanish ha ha (which is getting better, i promise). When these two girls stepped out the van- they were so quiet and so timid. We finally sat down and i opened up with some games. Then, the girls warmed up to me quickly!!! It didn't take anytime for them to start talking to me and share with me what they know about Christ. 10 and 6 years old, they have heard the name of Jesus Christ :) They told me what they knew, and told me that they saw the movie, "The Passion of the Christ" which is pretty graphic but these girls told me EVERYTHING they remembered. They didn't really understand why Jesus died- so i just simply told them because HE LOVES YOU! The girls looked at me and said, "Verdad.. El me ama?" (Really? He loves me?) SIIIIIII EL TE AMA!!! Yes, HE LOVES YOU! When i said those words, they had the biggest smiles i could ever see on a child. God blessed me on this day- we got to talk about the word of God and the reason why God sent His Son JESUS. Amen & Amen.

The girls want to come again :) I sure hope they do- they told me they really liked me and gave me HUGE hugs. God, all the GLORY IS TO YOU!!

Deaf Church in Ponce

Normally on Sunday i drive to Aguadilla which is 2 hours from my house. This drive is quite long for a Sunday and for those i pick up along the way. This particular Sunday many of the families i pick up informed me that they couldn't go to church, but next Sunday, but that didn't stop me from going. Victor and his family were meeting me EARLY Sunday morning so they could come along for the ride. Well, i waited and waited. It was almost 9am and church in Aguadilla starts at 9:30am. I was so anxious and finally they arrived. We could not possibly make it in time for church since it was two hours away and the service was about to start. We decided to go to the Deaf church in Ponce (which is 2 minutes from my house). I have to admit it was exciting to know i did not have to drive 4 hours on this day- also i have never been to this Deaf ministry in Ponce- i've been to all of the Deaf churches in Puerto Rico but not the one next to my house- can you imagine? The missionaries just tell me, there aren't any CODAs that go there- plus they have great leaders so they don't need extra help. BUT finally i was excited to GO and SEE :)

I walk in and am just greeted in with such love. I know a lot of the Deaf and they were excited to see me come to their church. Then, walks in a young girl- Tony (one of the leaders) tells me, "This is Janid, she is a CODA" we started talking in Spanish- then somehow we both realized that we both knew English. We spoke away in English- this girl was fluent. Janid knows English, Spanish, & Sign Language and she's 12 years old :) She was so excited to meet me. She kept telling me over and over- "You are so nice, no one is ever nice to me" i was so humbled. During our 2 hour worship service- we sat on the front row of the Deaf church, then somehow we just sat there for two hours talking about the Bible and what it means.

2 hours of straight Jesus talk- who He is? why did He die for us? He loves us? Wait, HE died for us just because HE LOVES US and wants us to be with HIM? She was so excited!!!!

I praise God for the reason He allowed me to go to the Ponce Church- so i could meet this CODA. She is so smart and there is so much she wants to learn. I praise God for her life, i praise God for letting us "be late". Amen & Amen.

:) Janid y yo

The next two weeks of my life is going to be super busy but super amazing.

MY FAMILY FLY INTO PUERTO RICO TOMORROW Morning.... HOORAY!!!!

They will be here for two weeks and daddy is going to travel around and preach at different Deaf churches around the island. He is so excited and so are my little brothers and sisters.

Pray for their safety and that God will use them while they are here in Puerto Rico.

Things to pray for:

July 24th-

kODA Treasure Hunt

* This even is for kids- we will discover the ULTIMATE TREASURE WE COULD EVER FIND IN OUR LIVES!!!! JESUS CHRIST :) Pray that KODAs come, the Gospel is shared, and great fellowship is made :) I plan on having a treasure hunt, crafts, painting, lots of games, cookout and BIBLE STUDY :)

July 27,28,29- CODA Youth Retreat

Our theme will be "Who are YOU?" I am so excited about this. Pray as God really guides me into what God wants me to share with these CODAs. They are really special to God and i want them to realize the gifts God has given them especially being a CODA.

*Right now i do not have enough young adult helpers to help me this time- PRAY THAT GOD WILL SEND THE RIGHT PEOPLE TO HELP BE A ROLE MODEL TO THESE YOUTH.

thank you for your prayers and support for me throughout this CODA ministry.

God is so good :) I am so excited to see what will come in the next weeks :)

until then- Dios te bendiga oxox

Yay- my dad is coming to Puerto Rico :)