News from Puerto Rico

David and Marsha Mitchell, missionaries.
Ezelis Sistrunk is a CODA (child of deaf adults). She will work with children of Deaf adults in Puerto Rico, until December, 2010. This is a faith ministry. She trusts God to supply all her needs. We ask that you pray if the lord would have you to support the important work that Ezelis is doing in the name of Jesus.

Progress toward Deaf School. Dr. Diane Robinette of Knoxville, Tennessee, and Associate Professor of Education at Tusculum University College, Greenville, Tennessee, gave her five month sabbatical in 2009 to work in Puerto Rico to develop the Deaf school. She researched materials, contacted educational professionals, investigated locations, and prepared a 126page application for the school’s license. This will be submitted to the Council of Special Education, soon. Our thanks to /Dr. Robinette! The school project needs $36,000 to hire a teacher – salary and basic expenses.

Victor Martinez drove ten hours round trip to pick up 5 members of a Deaf family in the central mountain region of Puerto Rico. In this little village there are 40 close relatives who are Deaf. Victor took them to the Easter Crusade for the Deaf in Arecibo. By the time the four hour crusade was finished, four Deaf people were saved and 20 others rededicated their lives.

David and Marsha Mitchell are in Tennessee for medical treatment. He has a serious ear infection (bacterial mastoid bone infection). Pray for them.

If you want to receive more information, ask for the Puerto Rico Deaf Ministries newsletter. www.prdm.org.

News from Haiti

I don’t know about you but I grew up with family vacations being a camping trip, sleeping in a tent, fishing, cooking on the grill….. Our tent did not leak, rain did not run in rivers through our tent, we had a ready supply of food and water……  But I cannot imagine living in a tent for months on end. Many of the Deaf in Haiti have been living in the streets, and in refugee camps since the earthquake. We know that there is one large Deaf camp and it appears there are Deaf scattered throughout the other camps.  

Yesterday my friend wrote that the leaders of the Deaf refugee camp report damage to some of their tents. The fabric is in shreds. This is the rainy season and the water runs through the tents and now the rain is coming in from the top as well.

Please pray that the blocks can be purchased quickly and the tents can be raised off the ground and that damaged tents can be replaced.  There is a urgent need for permanent housing. The Refugee camp with fence and tents is only a temporary solution. There are many needs, housing, food, water, education, and the list goes on……

The biggest need though is a Deaf church, Deaf leaders to be trained, materials to be prepared (stories) and taught to these leaders for the continued evangelism among the Deaf throughout Haiti.