A concerned Christian requested we help a little deaf girl in an extremely rural village. I set out with one of His beloveds that we’ve mentored ever since she was 5 years old. She’s now 22, and despite her very challenging upbringing/life, she has been making godly choices this past year and was more than excited to join me on this journey.
The entire 7-hour drive Roxana was practicing how she’d communicate the love of Jesus with this new little deaf girl we were hoping to find. I’d coach her, and she’d tweak her ‘message.’ When there would be bouts of silence, I’d ask, “What are you thinking?” and she’d reply, “The salvation message God wants me to share with Sindy.” YES, the entire way, this was Roxana’s focus – being able to present the good news to this child!
To keep this short, suffice it to say, God majestically brought us to the home of this child. She lives on the side of a hill that requires a 15 minute walk through the fields. She’s an extremely timid 11 year-old to whom we fell in love with immediately. Her timidness was mistaken for deafness. Sindy is hearing! It was awesome to see Roxana’s response when I told her Sindy’s not deaf. She immediately said, “So what. That’s okay because I love her so much. I know God brought me here to love her!” God’s movement is in the unexpected!
After visiting a short while, Roxana asked, “Can I teach her now?” “Of course!,” I replied, and couldn’t wait to see how this was going to go down! Roxana takes out her Bible and the foam figures we use with His language-deprived beloveds, and she starts pointing to corresponding pages in her action bible and showing Sindy the foam figures, using her voice as if she’s speaking but she’s profoundly deaf and doesn’t talk. Well, I heard her talk this day...not intelligible speech, but communication nonetheless. It was a profound moment to say the least.
Sindy got to see a Deaf lady who has a lot of challenges. She got to see that this Deaf lady was kind, loving, and fun. She got to see that even though people tease this lady, it didn’t change the fact that this lady is a Princess of God, and her identity in priceless. She got to see that Roxana can share love and receive love. She got to see that Roxana didn’t let peoples’ rudeness or disinterest stop her. She got to see that Roxana was capable of loving her and praying for her. These are all nuggets that I believe were deposited into Sindy and God’s wonders began a great work in her heart this day!
Her mother was so moved and shared, “Thank you for coming to my home. You’ve treated my daughter so beautifully. I am not a Christian and you’ve given me a lot to think about today. I’m grateful for all you’ve done and the only thing I can do for you is give you each a plate of food if you’ll let me.” We savored this meal like no other and thanked God that His Kingdom came to hearts this day.
This day also worked wonders in Roxana’s heart. As we were driving away I noticed tears streaming down Roxana’s cheeks. I asked, “What’s going on? Why the tears?” Roxana shared, “That was such a beautiful experience. I love Sindy and I know God loves her. He let me love her, and I’m so grateful to Him. I want to love more people like that. I want to find those that need to be found, and love them like God loves them. I know that's what you did with me."
Our journey to her small home on the side of the hill was WORTH IT! To those of you who pray for us and/or support us, thank you for your part in this beautiful story. You allow us moments like this...often! We are grateful for your partnership in ALL God has us doing.
