Christmas Play & Christmas Day!

December has been full of festivities. It is Christmas morning here at the Ranch and a warm 61 degrees praise God for the sunshine and warm wind. We all began our day with a late breakfast 8:30am of sweet bread aka Krispy Kream Donuts, leche y huevos. The kids faces were all lite up with excitement and glee because this morning we would be celebrating someones birthday...JESUS. They were also excited to open up the many gifts that churches, families, and other groups had donated to the Ranch. Our chow hall was completely full of colors; red, green, yellow, purple, pink, orange, silver, and gold. The beautiful thing that came to mind before we opened up these gifts was that on this very special day I was spending Christmas/ Navidad with my family. Everywhere I go or travel I gain more brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, then I could ever imagine, and what better way than to be thankful for my new Rancho Sordo Mudo family. My cup overflows when I am surrounded by people whom I love.

On the 19th we had the annual Christmas obra/play and all the families were invited. It was a joy to meet so many families and share with them how their sons or daughters were doing in school. I was forced to verbally use my Spanish, which was so much fun. I love this language and now I am learning Spanish in sign language who knew....(God did). The play was fantastic, and all the kids worked so hard. We set our play in Valle de Guadalupe, Mexico where the Virgin Mary was called upon by God to carry his son, who was to be called Jesus. So we had the girls wearing colorful Mexican skirts, and the boys had red or green cumber buns with bow ties . We changed the scenery from Bethlehem to more of a modern day pueblo in Mexico. The kids remembered their lines, and signed beautifully. After the play we had a short skit called "Everything-check it out online YouTube" we copied this skit, very powerful. Then we finished our obra with a fun Christmas dance to a song called HOY ES NAVIDAD. It was a day of celebration and watching the kids share the beautiful story about the birth of our Savior. Also on this special day some of the kids witnessed to their families and some of them accepted Christ into their lives. Amen. xxoxoxoo. Peace be with you all this Christmas.

Christmas is coming...

The icicle lights are hung on our house, a tree is decorated, Christmas music is playing, the weather is cooler, and I am wearing a sweater. This time of year is so much fun. We are all excited to bring the Christmas story alive in our very own drama here at the Ranch. We have the angels, wise men, Mary, Joseph, donkey, cow, sheep, a of course baby Jesus. The play will take place in a little pueblo called Valle de Guadalupe. The homes will be decorated with bright colors. The shepherds will be wearing sombreros, pinatas will be displayed on the streets, and twinkling lights will illuminate the sky. It is fun to see the kids work so hard to memorize lines for the the play, and watch their faces light up because they know that their families will be coming to see them perform. It is a joyous time of year. Busy little ELVES are we. In all of this hustle and bustle the GOOD NEWS is to be shared..."For God so loved the world that he gave his one an only son, that who so ever believed in him shall not perish, but have eternal life." JOHN 3:16.

Where does the time go these days? We had a wonderful Thanksgiving here at the Ranch. I was encouraging my kids all month to remember to give thanks for everything that they had received. I enjoyed watching them give thanks for their daily vitamins, for a friend sharing their snack, thanking Juanita for cooking all of our delicious meals, thanking the teachers for all hard work, thanking the groups for fixing repairs needed here at the Ranch, and thanking God for providing them with a place to live, learn, and to feel loved. Our Director Luke shared with all the staff about when the Ranch was just getting started and his Mom has taken in several kids to teach them sign, but one day she knew she wasn't going to be able to feed the kids let alone her own six children. Luke's mom sat down all of the kids and had them pray. Later that afternoon their prayers were answered by a gentlemen who was serving on a mission trip and heard about a deaf school being started so he decided to bring over some groceries and a bag of pinto beans (frijoles). Interesting enough till this very day the Ranch has never run out of pinto beans. Since I have been our food room has been low, but again we all are faithful and trust that God will provide. He is our provider and this Thanksgiving I was blessed to share a wonderful meal with my Ranch family.

I am LOVED!

Wow! I just want to say thank you to everyone who has blessed me with notes, emails, words of encouragement, home videos, phone calls, and even visits in San Diego. This adventure here at the Ranch was a big leap of faith, and I know I could have done it with out the God, my family and friends. My Whittier family made me a video of my Stride class from the last 2 years with all my adult students saying hi, and then later in the video I saw many of my YMCA family in SPIN class. It was such a joy to hear from everyone. Many of the people on the video even wished me Happy Birthday, which was funny because my birthday is in April, but it certainly made me laugh. It was also good to see the Inouye family in San Diego on my free day. We has a wonderful picnic and mexican dinner together catching up on life, what God has been teaching me here at the Ranch, and being encouraged to press on. My family has grown over the years with all of my travels and I am so proud to be able to share with everyone my experiences. I wish you all a wonderful THANKSGIVING with family, and friends. 1 Peter 4:10 "as each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God." Let us all remember to give thanks and count our blessings for we are very rich indeed.

Crisp November Air

The month of November has almost come and gone. The Ranch has been busy with many visitors these past few weeks. We have had groups from Hume Lake (70 people in the Joshua Program), Alisha's church from Auburn, CA, who built the teachers a new deck and put in brand new carpet. Our house is amazing and smells like new. We have also had a small group come from Bakersfield to visit and repair all of the door knobs and locks. The groups that are coming this weekend will be staying a preparing for all of us a traditional Thanksgiving meal (the works!). As the weather changes slightly many of us have to bundle up at night, but it is nice to have some change. This month we have taken the kids and many groups hiking up to Snoopy Rock to look down on the Valley of Guadalupe, now that the weather is cooler it is safer to take hikes, since the snakes don't like the cold. God has blessed us with so much support here at the Ranch. When our pantry is empty then a group comes and brings food, when many of our staff are waiting for support to come in, again God provides, and even as teachers when we are tired God gives us the strength to teach. The wind is blowing outside, the birds are singing, the kids are cleaning, teachers are planning, and some of us are resting. Each day is filled with life lessons. I am blessed and there is so much to give thanks about. Remember this month especially is a time where we can give thanks to all. It is a great day to be alive.

New staff & fun groups

Here at the Ranch we have visitors from all over the country come stay with us for a week or a weekend. It is a privilege to share about how I came to learn about the Ranch and how God has called me to serve here. I also have enjoy asking many of our visitors how they heard about Rancho Sordo Mudo. Some of them have seen the movie "Hearing Everett" or they have friends who have worked here, or who have been here before. This past week we were blessed by a small group of men and women from Nashville, Tennessee. They did some major repairs on the bathroom in the Boy's dorm, and helped construct our backdrops for the Christmas play. The women in the group helped cook, mend clothes, organize our distribution center, and even pulled weeds at the front entrance. It is a blessing to see the Ranch receive so much support through the groups that come visit us. We are pretty much here 24/7 so when we get visitors the kids and staff are excited to meet new people and welcome everyone to our home here in the valley. Every group is different in size. I am more and more amazed by the continuous works that are going on here at the Ranch. The staff itself has been such an encouragement, and we seem to compliment one another in everything that we do from laundry, teaching subjects, kid patrol, games, cleaning, interpreting Spanish or sign language. Each day is new and each day I see God's hands at work in these children's lives. May more people come visit Rancho Sordo Mudo and witness the love that is be shared through the kids and works presented.

Holy Enchiladads Batman!

Hey my mom would be proud I made Enchiladas for everyone a couple weeks ago. They loved them and I even though I multiplied the recipe at least 8 times they turned out fantastic, and there were no leftovers. I am just happy to have been able to share one of my favorites with everyone here at the Ranch. It was probably the most cheese I have ever grated in a life, but all the work paid off. I even had some great helpers once everything was prepped so that we could fill and roll the enchiladas quickly. Thanks Johnny, Josefina, Drew, Gerado, Alexis, Josh for all your help. It was a tasty comida. (check out the photos)

Star gazing

It is beautiful here at the Ranch at night. I could sit outside and admire the stars for hours upon hours. In today's staff devotion we read from James 2:14-22, which talks faithfulness and how you can't have faith without actions. Our geography teacher Evan who is in his late 70's comes to the Ranch every week for about 4 days. He teaches, works on landscaping around the Ranch, and usually blesses everyone with day old Starbucks breads and AMERICAN ice cream. Oh and Evan picks up the mail for us every week so we are all excited when he comes each week. Evan brings more that goodies, Evan brings a dedicated heart, mind, and body to serve God and share with these kids Christ's love. In the devo from today Evan shared about how we can choose to get the grumbles with all the work that we are responsible for or we can choose to serve God with a thankful heart and let our light shine for HIM. He encouraged us today to shine like the stars and try to find our star when we look up into to the sky tonight. Which star am I? How am I brillant? Can you see me ? I looked tonight and I found a bright start close to the horizon, so if you are star gazing tonight just turn a little to northeast and just above the hoizon I will be shining bright.

One day at a time

It can be amazing how much I can learn in one day. The best part about improving in Mexican Sign Language is that the the kids can understand me. I do have to share a funny story about my a recent miscommunication on my part. I was dividing my class into groups of two. I wanted them to partner up and work together, but what I signed to the first 3 pairs of my students is that I wanted them to work on KISSING with one another. Well they were all embarressed and I wasn't sure why they were'n't obeying me and following directions, until Linda who is helping me with LSM signed to me that I was wrong in what I was asking the kids to do. I thought I said WORK TOGETHER, but instead signed WORK ON KISSING. Oh and I forgot to mention that I partnered boys with girls. Well, after I was corrected we all had a good laugh for about 2 minutes. It is sometimes the little things that make me smile. In my class there is never a dull moment.

Zapatos for Everyone!

Yesterday was shoe day! A church from San Diego comes every year to the Ranch at the end of September and buys 2 new pairs of shoes for all the kids here at Rancho Sordo Mudo. We rented a bus and packed all 35 of us into the bus to Ensenada where we would meet up with the SHOE GROUP at a local shoe store. It was a dusty ride, but the closer we got to Ensenada we began to feel a nice cool breeze that brought joy to us all because the weather in Valle de Guadalupe has been hot here at the Ranch so the ocean air was delightful. Each of the staff were assigned 3 kids and we connected with the church volunteers to help our kids pick out 2 new pairs of shoes (1 for church and 1 for play). It was about $35 per kid for 2 shoes and everyone walked away happy. The church even offered to by each of the staff a pair of shoes, which I wasn't expecting. I found a pair of red tennis shoes that are fun for running with the kids. The joy in each of these kids eyes and the patience the shoe store had for such a large group was amazing. It was a blessed day and now we will see how long these new shoes last. Kids are hard on foot ware....here.... which is probably true for any kids really. Yeah for shoes and the little blessing that church groups provide for this ministry.

We need to be like clay

It is hard to believe that September is almost over. Where does the time go? We have church here at the Ranch every Sunday and this morning it was a new experience for me. Eugene and Linda are a deaf couple who have been missionaries in Mexico for over 15 years. They are helping our teachers, and students to learn Mexican Sign Language. Linda led us in worship, and for many of us when we worship we have music, or a worship band playing, but for the deaf there was none of that, instead Linda led us in worship using movement of our hands, and body. It was different not hearing anything, but yet we were worshiping. It was a unique experience that I am blessed to have witnessed. Eugene later shared from the book of Jeremiah about prophesy and told the story about Jeremiah being sent to the house of the potter. Eugene used play dough and a hard pot and talked about how God wants us to be like the play dough (clay), moldable, teachable, open, and not allowing our stubborn ways to harden our hearts or our minds. He is our creator and he has uniquely designed each one of us and is constantly molding us into the something beautiful. It was a good lesson to hear again. As I am teaching I am reminded to pray for patience with these kids who are teenagers and can have a hard time sitting still or just focusing on me while I am teaching. I am also reminded to have patience with myself, because I am learning and as I practice and study more sign the better I will be able to communicate. I want to be like clay and be shaped into something beautiful. I pray that I can continue to have patience through the process of learning and not get frustrated with the fact that I am not yet in a groove with planning, but again if I stop and I remind myself to let go andn let God then I can....breathe....pray...and remember that I am here to be a light to these kids in all that I do. Thanks for your prayers. Mucho amor.

Mi vocabulario

We are moving into week 3 and it is so much fun to look back on the past couple of weeks and realize that my vocabulary in Mexican Sign is improving. I think when I first arrived I knew how to sign my name, the bathroom, and other staff member names. I know feel more confident about leading my class with the little vocabulary I know. I bet I am up to at least 100 different signs. I know animals, colors, commands, places, people, some nouns, and now I am working hard to memorize the spanish verbs. I know many verbs in spanish, but the signs are what I am stuck on. It is great though because if I can't remember how to sign a word then I can finger spell and my students will still be able to understand me, and it forces them to work on their spelling so it is a win / win situation for us all as we learn together. I am looking forward to teaching the INEA books to my class this week, which are the standardized books provided by Mexico's education system so that our kids here at the Ranch can study and prepare for the tests at the end of the year. My homework lately has not only been practicing my LSM (Mexican Sign), but to practice math (fractions, division, measuring, perimeter), vocabulario (spanish verbs), and much more. I have just as more or probably more homework then the kids, but the more work I do now the better my teaching will be. Thank you everyone for your continued prayer for myself , the staff, and the students. I will try to post some photos of each of them and our play for Independence Day last week. Te quiero a todos familia y amigos.

My first week

Wow! I have been learning so much Mexican Sign Language that at times my hands get tired, but the entire process is so worth it because the more I learn the better I am able to communicate with all these incredible kids. I was blessed before starting this week a family friend Steve Sundin came to provide the staff with Sunday devotion. He brought many hugs from family and friends. He also shared with all the staff that this year was going to be "UNFORGETABLE" I have only experienced two weeks and I am already beginning to realize how this year will already live up to that word. I am being transformed daily, spiritually, mentally, and physically as I serve these kids in numerous ways. I may have the title as a teacher here, but I am learning that my responsibilities are much more than that. I am a parent figure to these kids, cook for certain meals, coach, translator, lifeguard, sunday school teacher, devotional & worship leader, luandry & cleaning many rooms here at the Ranch, and most of all with each thing that I do I do with love....lots of love to model for these kids WHAT JESUS WOULD DO. This week I am working with my class to prepare an Independence Day drama for Mexico's Independence on Wednesday September 16th. We are having fun acting, preparing costumes, and learning about eachothers little quarks. I was super nervous beginning this week, but as the week progressed I felt more and more comfortable expressing myself. God is GOOD! Thank you everyone for your continued prayers and support financially to make this opportunity possilbe. Mucho Amor

Thank you friends and family

I just want to give a big thanks to everyone who came to my FAREWELL FIESTA! You all lifted me up with so many words of encouragement, financial support to assist me here at Rancho Sordo Mudo, and I am truly blessed. I miss you all and will be in touch via snail mail and email. Keep smiling and talk to you soon. "WHEREVER YOU ARE BE ALL THERE" - JIM ELLIOT

How it all began....

Hello Everyone! I loaded up my car on August 24 and headed down to Valle de Guadalupe, Mexico (northeast of Ensenada) to teach 3rd/4th grade at Rancho Sordo Mudo, which is a boarding school for the deaf. (www.ranchosordomudo.org) Making this decision happened quickly, and I felt confident that God was calling me to follow a long time desire of mine to serve kids, teach, speak spanish, and share my love for art. Everything fell into place as I began packing, sharing final moments with friends, figuring out how to share the good news with friends, and the fear of jumping into a new environment was gone. So here I am living in another place, and another country serving God, meeting new people, and enjoying each day to its fullest.