An Unexpected Gift 🐢 - Jessie Fox

"Turtle"

Over the years, we’ve been given some incredibly unique gifts 🎁—exotic fruits 🍍🥭, crocheted tablecloths 🧶, hand drawings ✏️, potholders, cellphone cases made from seeds 🌱📱, woven baskets 🧺, plants 🪴, and many other small treasures. The gift itself is never what matters most. What touches me deeply is the heart behind it ❤️.

These gifts are expressions of gratitude 🤝, generosity 💛, and relationship 🫶. They are ways of saying, “We value that you came. We value the language you bring 🤟. We value the love of Jesus you share with us ✝️.”

Recently, while visiting a Deaf boy in a Guarani village, we were waiting in the community meeting area when suddenly he came running out of the jungle 🌳 from his home. He rushed toward me with an awkward hug because both of his hands were already full 🙌.

With a huge grin stretched across his face, he carefully set everything down and signed, “turtle” 🐢.

He was so proud—not just of the gift 🎁, but because he could communicate what it was 💬✨. A year and a half ago, this same little boy didn’t even know his own name. Now he was confidently signing, sharing, and giving.

His brothers stood nearby wearing necklaces made from turtle bones 🦴🐢, reminders of the hunt that had provided the gift he was so excited to offer.

That turtle meant far more than a gift or sharing about their traditions 🌎. It was connection 🤝. It was dignity ✨. It was language 🤟. It was the joy of being understood and being able to give something meaningful in return ❤️.

That same day, we were also given a beautiful gourd. Many gourds here are dried and hollowed out to make mate cups for drinking their traditional tea, mate🧉, but this one had grown in such a unique way that its shape was unlike any I had seen before 👀✨.

It felt fitting somehow—a reminder that God delights in uniqueness 🌱, in unexpected beauty 🌸, and in people who the world often overlooks ❤️.

Moments like these remind me that ministry is never one-sided ↔️. Yes, we come to teach language 🤟, to disciple 📖, and to share the love of Jesus ✝️.

But we also receive so much in return 🎁: friendship 🫶, trust 🤝, generosity 💛, and glimpses of God’s image ✨ reflected through people discovering their worth and voice for the very first time. 🥹🤟

The Kingdom Through Their Hands

 

Some stories remind us exactly why Signs of Love exists. William and Jostin are two young boys, and Deaf brothers in Honduras. Like so many of our beloveds, their journey has not been an easy one.

They do not attend school because there are no teachers interested in teaching them. When their mother finally found a school willing to accept them, she was filled with hope. But that hope was short-lived. On William's very first day, he came home with a black eye. The other children saw his deafness as an invitation to ridicule him rather than an opportunity to know him.

You can imagine a mother's heartbreak. You can also imagine her gratitude for Signs of Love. While we are not a school, in many ways we have become their school. Every time William and Jostin arrive at our programs, they come eager and ready to learn. They run into our arms knowing they are welcomed, valued, and loved.

What an honor it is to teach these boys. To love them. To show them they are prized. This past month, something especially beautiful happened. Roxana helped with our program. Years ago, Roxana sat where William and Jostin sit now. She came to Signs of Love as a child, eager to learn and hungry for language. Now she is pouring into the next generation.

Watching her teach the boys was a gift. Their eyes were wide open, taking in every sign that flowed from her hands. They carefully mimicked each sign until it was mastered. They laughed, practiced, corrected themselves, and tried again. Then it was time for the Bible story. That day, we taught about Jesus calming the storm. The boys watched intently. Every movement mattered. Every sign carried meaning. Every expression helped bring the story to life.

When it came time to retell the story, their hands shot into the air. "Pick me!" They could hardly wait. One after the other, they confidently retold the story of Jesus calming the storm, as though they had enjoyed language fluency their entire lives. Moments like these leave me overwhelmed with gratitude. Language changes lives. The Gospel changes lives. Being seen, loved, and valued changes lives. 

Last month in Honduras, we also completed another important project. We updated our LESHO sign language tutorial videos so they now match the resources being used in Argentina, Zambia, and Guatemala. We were lacking one video: the alphabet. And who better to help teach it than William and Jostin? Can you imagine their mother's pride? Her boys who have been denied access to education, boys who were told there was no place for them in a classroom, were invited to become teachers themselves. They will now help other children and adults learn, both deaf and hearing! Their hands will become a source of language for others. Their faces will appear in videos that will serve Deaf communities for years to come.

What a powerful message. In God's Kingdom, every person has value. Every person has purpose. Every person has something to give. We love helping children like William and Jostin discover language, confidence, belonging, and the love of Jesus. Lives changed deeply and forever.