DOOR

                                                         ^^ ASL blog ^^

Hey...

It's about time that I post something on this blog =P

I wanted to share something...you know, you might think that last blog (internship) was the last post

I actually have something of which you may not be aware...

You see, this whole thing started this past spring

At that time, I decided to give up my dream to God...

My dream was to start a ministry in Honduras for Deaf people...

I had three goals in this ministry:

1) Gospel...that is, they will understand the Gospel thoroughly and clearly...

2) Education...they will be taught how to read and write, so that they can function independently through written methods with hearing people...even read the Bible on their own...

3) Basic needs...to provide whatever they need such as food, clothing, shelter...

Those goals in my dream ministry...and I laid it before God...it was difficult for me...in fact, I cried...

After giving my dream to Him, I moved on with my life...I almost forgot about it because I was preoccupied with RIT courses, graduation, getting ready to go to Wildwood Summer Project, planning to live in Florida, visiting Honduras to see my family and to go on a mission trip, and starting the internship...

All of a sudden, soon after returning to Florida from Honduras, I discovered that God has given me the bigger dream...

The Big Dream has six goals, which consists of the same goals I mentioned above in addition to the following:

1) Raising leaders in the Deaf community...to equip Honduran leaders to lead deaf Hondurans

2) Residence...that is, deaf Honduran may learn academic subjects and stay overnight...to eliminate the transportation...

3) Employment opportunities for Deaf Hondurans...to enable them to earn steady salary to support themselves

...so, this is even bigger than my original dream...I now realized the importance of surrendering your dream to God...and that you will be given the Big Dream

You may recall from previous blog regarding the ministry called Links of Hope (LoH)...I joined LoH on the trip to Honduras last July...

Anyway...it happened that LoH has a personal contact with the directors of D.O.O.R.

Are you familiar with DOOR?

If not, then go ahead and check out the following link:

http://www.doorinternational.com/

DOOR stands for Deaf Opportunity Outreach...

You see, the mission of this organization (you could say it's a ministry) is to establish
a center that focus on Bible translation in each of the continent. The center will train Deaf people to translate the Bible into their own sign language rather than teaching them American Sign Language in order to understand the Bible.

For example, there are centers in India and Kenya, Africa. So, DOOR's mission is actually awesome.

Now, Beth, who is the founder and leader of LoH, has personal contact with DOOR directors...

DOOR directors looked for someone who was familiar with making bracelets...and LoH's mission is to train women who live in the third-world countries in making bracelets...in order to make an income to support their families by selling the bracelets...

It was totally the plan of God...you see, the DOOR directors came to Beth's church to give a talk about their organization, and Beth came to listen...

There, Beth and the directors made a connection...

Beth did teach one of the directors how to make a bracelets, and the directors returned to Africa to teach Deaf African women...

These Deaf women were supposed to make 50 bracelets, which would be sent to Beth...that way, Beth will signal to them whether or not they did it correctly...before these women make 500 bracelets BY CHRISTMAS!

I think that's neat that these women are able to provide themselves some financial support

However, I don't know what's the status of this process...

Furthermore, DOOR is now looking to Latin America to launch a satellite of Bible translation...Beth was informed of this...

Beth thought of me since I am relatively fluent in ASL, English, Honduran Sign Language (Lesho), and Spanish...

I have the ability to teach and leadership skill...

Oh, and I have linguistic skill as well...

It seemed that I'm qualified enough to be trained over there in Africa...to acquire of their philosophy and system of the centers...

When I become familiar with how DOOR may run, I might be able to go back to Honduras...even to a different country in Latin America...to launch the center there...

So...this is really awesome...

Yo use, only a week ago or so...I turned in my biography and resume to Beth and then Beth completed the cover letter...

She submitted these materials in addition to a Honduran video she created and another video about me through Campus Crusade for Christ

She submitted them to the directors on the day they left for their vacation!

Fortunately, they did respond and indicated that they are quite interested in discussing this...but they need vacation...so they will resume this upon arrival from the vacation

The directors even forwarded the materials, which Beth sent, to some Deaf people in Africa...and a particular Deaf person responded that she or he had goose bumps when seeing one of the videos...

That is cool!

Going to Africa wasn't part of my original dream, but is part of God's will.

In fact, I used to dream to go to Africa just to see what it was like there and to bring my influence on Deaf people over there...you know Africa has many needs...

For me, going to Africa has twofold purpose...first, to travel and, second, to make an impact on Africans...

At this moment, I'm currently waiting to hear from the directors...it is really up to the directors regards with the length of being trained over there and date of departure...

I am really anxious to know what might happen...

God is always wonderful...I encourage you to keep pursuing Him...to seek His face...God will bless you for earnestly seeking Him...

Also, you will discover His will that match your passions for something in the life...

So yahh...

Well, I will see you later!

Azael

Links of Hope

^^ ASL Blog ^^

Hey!!

My name is Azael. I haven't post any blog lately, and I should have done it earlier. I have several things to share such as missionary trip to Honduras, internship, and my new life here in Florida.

However, I have been busy with settling down here in Florida. For example, I bought a car, purchased an insurance for my car, planned my budget, and learned what is Florida like. I even have several doctor appointments. It was crazy to live on my own, and I made so much mistakes. From those mistakes, I have learned so much.

Anyway, I would like to share my experience with Links of Hope (LoH).

LoH is a ministry with a vision, which was established by a person named Beth, to outreach women of third-world countries by teaching them how to make bracelets with beads. That way, those women will be able to earn an income from selling those bracelets to support their own families. It is awesome because making several bracelets seem to be insignificant in this country. However, it is life-changing experience for those women.

Well, I was invited to tag along with the ministry. Actually, I want to back up a bit. You see, I visited Florida for my spring break and went to a church service in a closed theatre. It was different because the theater screen was used in the service with everyone sit in the theater seats. There, I experience powerful presence of Holy Spirit and fought with the Spirit emotionally. It was like the Spirit wanted to cause me cry, but I refused. This happened when Beth stood in the front and shared about her ministry. Beth also asked people at the service whether or not they are led or interested to join her ministry. It was odd because I already knew what was purpose of her ministry. The Spirit and I had a mild battle emotionally, and it was a while before I won the battle.

All of a sudden, I was overwhelmed intensely and ran to the bathroom. I cried in the bathroom. I could not stop crying, and I told Lord that He has my attention. I asked Him what does He want from me. He wanted me to join LoH on the next mission trip, and I told Him that I shall go as I am His servant.

For this reason, I was invited to join LoH. Now, those women who were taught to make bracelets were mother of Deaf school at a vocational school for Deaf. I was given the opportunity to teach morning devotion for the Deaf students before school begins.

It was moving experience for me. I know that I have an ability to teach and enjoy teaching. For this reason, it was perfect opportunity for me. Also, when I taught, it was awesome. You see, I did not know what to expect in teaching morning devotion because I didn't know the expectations of those Deaf students. I was uncertain on whether or not I should match their expectation. Whether or not they ought to fit my expectation. Even if I am able to go with their expectation, I still didn't know what kind of expectation they might have.

Not only that, but also sign language. You see, I was born in a town called Puerto Cortes, and signs there are not much same to signs of those Deaf students.

See the video above from 4:11 to 4:33 about the difference in sign of Heavenly Father and earthly father related to locations in Honduras.

It was truly God's miracle. I tried to figure and figure, but I eventually decided to put my trust in Him for making the morning devotion successful.

Sure enough, it was PERFECT! I didn't even plan in details! By third or fourth day, I realized that the devotion works out just finely. In my teaching of the devotion, Trinity was revealed. I shared about how God the Father created the earth, how Jesus calmed down the storm, and how Holy Spirit allowed Virgin Mary to become pregnant.

I was so thrilled at the discovery that Trinity was revealed in the devotion. I allowed Him to lead me in teaching His devotion ^.^

That's why I said it was perfect!

I actually enjoyed teaching the devotion very much. In fact, I was offered a teaching job at that school. I thought it was cool =P

I want to share this experience...

You see...when I returned to the USA from Honduras, I found a newsletter, which was sent by the very same vocational school for the Deaf, to Beth's place. That was the night where I ate dinner and spent night at Beth's place. Well, I read the newsletter and was totally blown away. There was a section about a student I knew, and this student was full of joy, didn't complain, and was amiable. I love him. His name is Jorge.

In the newsletter, it said that Jorge lives in an EMPTY one-room shack. He does not EVEN own any furniture, any extra room. It only has a stove, which is barely beyond simple. That is all! PLUS, floor of the shack is EVEN not furnished with tiles at all! It is simply dirt like earth's dirt! That's where he slept! He slept on the ground! It is not all! When it is raining, the ground will become muddy.

I was shocked, and that's when reality kicks into my perception of Hondurans' lives. I just didn't make the connection between the dots. Dot #1: beat-down shacks anywhere, which is obvious existence of poverty among Hondurans, and dot #2: Deaf students with whom I interacted for a week.

I mean, I thought those deaf students were fine and have things they need just like me. However, I realized I was wrong when reading the newsletter.

I mean...those deaf students who I learned to love deeper and deeper over 6-day period of ministry might have nothing.

Jorge who I mentioned earlier isn't just a poor boy. There is another deaf student who is the poorest in that school. Imagine what this boy might not even have what we took for granted with our basic needs that can be met daily.

It simply shattered my world. I pondered on this reality. It was hard for me to imagine that it's true. I mean those deaf students were full of joy, yet they have nothing.

Look, I have a small library right there, a luxurious bed, clothes in a closet and in a dresser, shower that is right next to my bedroom, and a laundry room. These are things I can just rent. I mean, this room is furnished with lamented wooden floor. It is beyond simple in comparison with Jorge!

It's odd because I have visited Honduras regularly. My family on my mamá's (biological mother) side has money, and my family on my papá's side seems to be a middle-class family. I think with that, it sheltered my view of the reality by thinking that everyone else in Honduras is fine just like my Honduran family.

So, I didn't make such connection. It didn't occur to me that those deaf students may be poorer than my family.

To tell you truth, America is totally pampered country. For this reason, I am quite conscious with what I purchase from any store. For example, when I returned home from Honduras, I needed a hamper. I decided to get the cheap one, so I went to Wal-Mart. There, I found the prices of hampers to be quite cheap. I was surprised by many options right front of my eyes. Those are only hampers! Still, I kept looking for the cheapest kind.

I found a large, blue polyester bag that cost me only $2. It didn't include any wheels.

Think about it...Hondurans might not even have enough clothes to fill up any hamper.  Hampers weren't really needed in Honduras. Unfortunately, I needed it because, well, I have that much of clothes that can fill up the hamper quickly. So, I wanted to buy a simple hamper. It doesn't have to be plastic hamper or have wheels to make my transportation between my bedroom to a laundry room easier.

It doesn't stop there. I also am aware of how I planned my budget and spent my money. In fact, it is my plan to support some Hondurans financially after getting a paycheck from the internship.

I stumbled on a website that I can adopt a village. It is a program where I can donate money to support all deaf students from certain villages because they are in need of transportation from their villages to a school for the Deaf.

It is my desire to see that deaf students will finally have an access to education and will build network among Deaf people. Well, I already sent email regarding my desire to support this program and am currently waiting for the response.

I am excited about that because I think it's sooo cool with the name "Adopt A Village".

Well...that's all...I planned to post about my internship and my new life here in Florida...

See ya later!!

Peacee out!

Azael

Florida and Honduras

Here is the following blog in two different languages: a YouTube video in American Sign Language and written English.

Before I start talking on and on, I want to let you know that I added two features to my blog, and you may either subscribe to my blog to your RSS site or receive email with my new post at the right of the blog site.

Hello! How are you doing?

It's hot here! Whoa!

I will be sharing four things: looking for a place to live in Florida, internship, coming here to Honduras, and then I will be going with Links of Hope (LoH) ministry team tomorrow.

So...I would say that I checked out five different places in Florida. You see, I was supposed to fly to Florida on Saturday; however, I missed the flight that day because of traffic. So, I went to Florida a day later, which was Sunday.

As soon as I landed in Florida and got my bags, Alissa Matiya helped me driving around to look at several places. Near the end of apartment/rental room search, I found one that was my top choice. I eventually made a decision to move into a rental room, and I will be living in a house with at least 5 bedrooms. There are two rental rooms, and I got to rent a room for $500. It's actually perfect because with $500, I was provided everything I need. I have access to family kitchen, living room, and laundry room. They also provided Internet access for me. In addition to that, it is actually only 10-minute driving to my internship. God is good! God is truly Provider! His provision is perfect!

I will tell you a bit about the family who live in that house. The owner of the house is a mother named Sharene, and she has a son and daughter. The son's name is Ryan, and the daughter's name is Crystina. Sharene has her mother lives with them as well, so she's basically grandmother. There are four of family members and me living in the house.

Crystina, who is the daughter, and her boyfriend were excited to learn American Sign Language. They impressed me because I was surprised that they were eager to meet me despite of my deafness. Ryan, who is the son, usually play video game all day and night in the garbage. So, I didn't get to know him much. I talked a bit with the grandmother, and she's actually kind enough to invite me over for dinner for July 4th. Grandmother made delicious dinner ^.^

When I entered the house, I saw that everything inside is decorated with African style. There are several decorative African animals and pottery blend with African-like color painting. It's quite beautiful house! Another interesting thing is that the color of the exterior house is pink.

Now, you can see how God is awesome Provider. When I was in New Jersey, I was quite concerned about whether or not I will find a place to live on time? I decided to put my faith in Him, and the result was that everything worked out! Not only that, but also Sharene was quite kind. She told me that since I will not live in the rental room much during the month of July, I don't need to start paying the rent until August and can save some money for the trip to Honduras. She said she wanted a hundred dollar as spot-secured deposit to know that I will be coming back. I did pay a hundred dollar, and it was easy! Again, this showed me that God is good! ^.^

I want to tell you something about the internship. Linda, who is the owner of the group home, overlooks Living Prosperous, Inc. I learned that Linda was actually the first person to provide group home for the Deaf clients in the state of Florida, and Living Prosperous is relative new business. In fact, I was impressed with Linda for initiating the group home because she was not quite familiar with Deaf culture, Deaf community, or even American Sign Language (ASL).

We had communicated through email, and then some woman sent me email from Prosperous Living Inc. Her name is Michaela, and I assumed that she was a middle-aged woman with some of kids. We also had communicated through email. Then, we finally arranged to meet, she came over since I didn't own a car.

So, she drove to where I was provided a place to sleep for a few nights before moving out to the renal room. As I opened the door to greet Michaela, I was shocked to see that she was much younger than I expected. So, I asked her how old she is, and she told me she's 18. I was like oh? She's 18 and I'm 22.

I found out that her positive is sort of manager of the group home. Later, I got to meet Shannon, who is Michaela's mother, at Starbucks just to drink and discuss any matter related to the home group. I also later found out that Linda is actually Michaela's grandmother. I realized that the group home for the Deaf is actually family-owned business. Isn't it interesting? Michaela is relative fluent in ASL, and Shannon is able to pick up signs pretty well, and Linda is currently learning ASL. It's rare to see a hearing family who actually knows ASL!

There is another evidence of why God is good. You see, Prosperous Living Inc. was established not too long ago, and I happened to need an internship. God led me to find an internship in Florida. God has a perfect timing for everything!

Let me see...what do I have next to share...?? Hmmm...ah yes...

Let's talk about Links of Hope. I will be starting the journey with Links of Hope tomorrow. Oh wait wait...I want to rewind...I want to share about Honduras first!

I came here to Honduras to visit mi familia for 10 days. I actually enjoy being here in Honduras, and there are two things I have enjoyed the most. One was Honduran plates because it is homemade food. I am fond of Honduran noontime meal because it's actually the most important meal of the day here in Honduras. Therefore, lunch meal was prepared with "love labor", you know? Honduran plates are unique, just different from American food. Besides, it's healthier simply because it is homemade.

Two was spend time talking with mi familia. I love to talk with my hermanos (Spanish for "siblings") and mamá. We actually communicate in Spanish using a notepad and a pen. I especially like to talk with my hermano (brother) because he often took time to talk with me. Sometimes, my hermanita (younger sister) still didn't finish her college courses, and my mom was doing errands. It would be just us for lunchtime. We talked and eat lunch together. That was my favorite part being with him.

Oh, you may click the following link to check out the pictures, which I uploaded through Facebook. Those pictures were taken at a place where there were large pools that were spring-fed. My tío (uncle), mi familia, and I drove two hours to that place and swam there. It was worth the 2-hour driving because it was fun! Afterward, we went to see waterfall. I was surprised to find that there is a waterfall here in Honduras! It was neat to see waterfall =)

So, you can click the following link to check out the pictures:

Verano Hondureño 2011

Now, let's talk about Links of Hope haha...

Tomorrow in the morning, I will be going to San Pedro Sula (SPS), which is a large industrial city, from here in small town. It will be an hour driving to SPS. I think we will first eat lunch with la familia and possibly my friends and then I will meet the ministry team. I believe there are 7 members of that team. I am excited about that. I think I will be meeting them at 2pm or 1:30pm...just after lunchtime. LoH team and I will be riding on the bus to the capital city named Tegucigalpa.

We will be at Tegucigalpa at nighttime. For the rest of the following week, we will be meeting deaf students. We will also work and encourage those deaf students. I'm excited to see how God will work through the ministry team to impact them. It is my hope to show them our love and to help them understand the Gospel. Hopefully, some of them will be saved. However, may the will be done in God's Hands. I'm excited about how God will use me to make difference in those deaf students, and God might use the students to change me as well.

I'm ready to serve deaf Honduras while giving my heart wholly to God.

I will share in the next video about how God work through me, how does the dynamic of the ministry appear, who are these members of the ministry team, and I might take a picture of the ministry team. I'm excited about that.

Now, you know what's up with my life. Have a good day...or night...see you later!

Azael