Meet Irlanda...

I have been trying to introduce the girls going from the oldest to the youngest. Irlanda is not next in line to be introduced, but I have a reason for introducing her this week, and I will explain shortly.

Irlanda is 15 years old. Her favourite colour is purple, and she forms part of the threesome who are in seventh grade and attend a public school with their interpreter Cecilia. Irlanda is very intelligent and hard working. For the 6th of August (Bolivian independence day), she got to march with her class because of her good grades. Her dream is to be a teacher one day. To fulfill such a dream, she faces some practically insurmountable challenges--her deafness and a poor educational system, which at best offers her a poor education through highschool and then no options as far as post-secondary school.

Irlanda is from Potosi, the city where I grew up. She and I actually knew each other years ago when I would volunteer two afternoons a week at a deaf institute. Occasionally I would take my sister Elisa with me to the institute, and I remember Irlanda and Elisa playing together.

Not long before I left Bolivia there was a guy, Pablo, who started up a deaf ministry at his Baptist church. I was so excited, because there had been no deaf ministry in Potosi previous to that. A group of the students I knew from the institute started going to the Baptist church with Pablo, and among those students was Irlanda. I remember visiting the church and seeing how excited she was about church and learning about God, etc. All these years later, I can really see God still working in her life, and I am quite confident that she has been born again.

Let me share a story from the other week. It was a school day, and I was calling the girls to breakfast. I couldn't believe it when I found Irlanda was in the shower--she was supposed to be at the gate meeting her interpreter to go to school in about 15-20 minutes! She ended up not having enough time to sit down and eat breakfast. She gulped down her drink, and came to give me my goodbye hug. I was frustrated with her for not showering earlier, and I am ashamed to say I showed my frustration and hugged her rather coldly. At lunch time, I went to ask her to please forgive me. She would not acknowledge anything had happened that morning, but that day and the next I felt she had distanced herself from me. She would not make eye contact with me and seemed to avoid me. I felt horrible! Usually Irlanda and I are very close, and she is always giving me big bear hugs.

The following evening, I was sitting in the common area watching the news on television. (The girls like me to watch the news and explain to them what is going on in the country. Right now there is a lot of news on who the candidates are going to be in the national elections in December.) Suddenly Irlanda came up to me. She told me she had been angry at me for what had happened the previous morning, and she asked me to forgive her. In turn, I asked her to forgive me, and we gave each other a BIG hug!!! I was SOOO happy and grateful to God for restoring our relationship!!! It also made me happy to see signs of the Holy Spirit working in Irlanda's heart.

Now I come to the reason why I chose to introduce Irlanda this week. Last Thursday night Irlanda's uncle showed up at the centre. He came with the news that her dad had been in a terrible bus accident and could possibly die. He rushed her off with him to Potosi. Later I found out her dad actually died in that accident. Please pray for Irlanda right now!!! Apparently she was very close to her dad. She was the only girl with two brothers, and she was the apple of her dad's eye. Please pray that her faith would not be shaken and that she would find strength and comfort in God. I understand she arrived back from Potosi this morning (I think she was taken straight to school, so I didn't get to see her).

RANDOM INFO. (about my life here): Every Tuesday the secretary of the centre buys the vegetables for the week. The vegetables are then divided up between the boys' dorm and the girls' dorm. We then chop up vegetables till our hands are stained green! One thing I never thought of before, but chopping vegetables is not an activity condusive to conversation when you rely solely on sign language! You are using your hands to chop, and you kind of need to keep your eyes on the knife or you might end up chopping a finger!

PRAISE (Blessings):
-Irlanda's life and God's work in her life.
-A three day weekend spent in La Paz!
-Getting to see Rachael and to talk till past 3 am!

PRAYER REQUESTS:
-Comfort and strength for Irlanda as she grieves the loss of her father.
-For the spiritual salvation of Irlanda's other family members.
-That God would provide for the needs of the centre, which is really struggling financially right now.
-For the health of little Priscilla (the almost one-year-old of a couple who works at the centre. Priscilla was in the clinic for the past few days very sick with vomiting, etc. She is home and doing better, but please pray that she would continue to get her health back.)