Rio Bravo, Mexico. ... to Our Good Shepherd

Transcription

1 ... to Our Good Shepherd I am the Good Shepherd: The Good Shepherd giveth His life for the sheep. John 10:11 ICCD s logo depicts the Good Shepherd, our Lord, reaching out to the lost sheep, which is precariously perched on the edge of a perilous cliff. Depicting the devil is an eagle lurking in the sky waiting to devour the deaf sheep. He already has so many deaf sheep in his clutches but he is ready to get one more. Our Good Shepherd gave His life for the salvation of a deaf sheep. Issue 6 A REPORT OF THE MINISTRY OF ICCD TO THE deaf Summer 05 Rio Bravo, Mexico We are pleased to announce, with much thanksgiving, that Ray and Tanya McDaniel assumed leadership of the Rio Bravo Campus in October They have served with ICCD since 2001 and recently returned to Rio Bravo after completing a year of language study in Costa Rica. We praise God for their commitment and dedication as they are doing an excellent job. Joe and Denise Maller, who were also at language school in Costa Rica, returned to Rio Bravo last summer. Joe works well with the Work Teams and ensures that the campus is kept in good shape. Denise is well qualified to head up the school administration. We are thankful for her continued contribution in teacher training and building the school s educational program.

2 Bravo Mexico Rio Bravo, Mexico Behold how good and pleasant it is for brothers to dwell together in unity. (Ps. 133:1) THE SCHOOL The McDaniel s are doing a great job leading the Rio Bravo team as they honor God through the team s cooperative and encouraging spirit. The children, cheerful and excited, seem to thoroughly enjoy singing in chapel services. We praise God for the school leadership He has provided in Denise Maller. Denise has several degrees in Special Education and has experience in training and working with the Deaf in the US. We look forward to the quality education the students will receive. Felipa Prado Abrego is doing a fantastic job as the Head Teacher. We are very thankful for her and for the other teachers that work with her in ministering to the children. Felipa Prado Abrego Head Teacher SALVATION OF THE DEAF Praise God! Several of our students have accepted Him as their Savior. We are thrilled, and we rejoice with the angels that now there are deaf Mexican children safely in God s fold. We thank God for answering our prayers and sparing these children from the horrors of hell. They have begun their eternal pilgrimage with God as they grow in grace and live for His praise and glory. Oh Lord we praise You for Your salvation which has now reached these deaf children! CHILD SPONSORSHIP How the children are growing up! We greatly appreciate those of you who sponsor our children. We thank God for your sensitivity to His leading to be involved in the ministry. We particularly appreciate your prayer on the children s behalf that they will come to know the Lord as their Savior, that they will develop a Godly character, and that they will mature in their walk with the Lord. We still have children that require sponsors, and, when the residential children arrive, there will be even more opportunities for service through giving. If the Lord is leading you to join the ministry by sponsoring a child and making it possible for that child to attend school... please contact Lynne Wertz at our US Office at telephone (540) or LWertz@iccd.net. She will tell you how you can become a sponsor and will provide you with a picture and some biographical information of your child. INTERCESSION While we praise God for redeeming these deaf children, we ache over those who have not yet accepted Him as their Savior. Let us continue to intercede for the other students in our school. And let us not forget the hundreds more who have never once heard the name of Jesus Christ. They know nothing of the Good Shepherd who gave His life at Calvary. It is for these unreached deaf that hundreds of you have labored faithfully to construct the campus buildings so that these children may come in and hear. We are focusing our efforts on completing some essential buildings so that we can make the school residential. We anticipate a rapid increase in enrollment as the school becomes accessible to those who live farther away. We have longed for this day, and we now believe it is very near. Please join us in praying for the several hundred deaf children in Reynosa (the neighboring city of more than 1 million people) that we are seeking to reach. Please pray for the adjustments that will need to be made on the campus and for the preparation of the teachers and staff s hearts. Pray for the children that, even now, God s Holy Spirit will prepare their hearts for the day that they will hear the name Jesus for the first time. Karla Flores Hernandez Julian Villeda Rojas WORK TEAMS With their prayer, laughter & love, the Work Teams are such an encouragement to the Rio Bravo team. The children also enjoy being with the volunteers and receiving so much love and attention. Work Teams are focusing on the finishing work on the existing buildings and on the construction of the large building that will house the dining room, kitchen, gymnasium & office. Dorm Building Dining Room / Gymnasium Administration Building HONOR AND THANKS We honor and offer our sincere thanks to the hundreds of you who have been to Rio Bravo. You labored faithfully in the heat with blood, sweat and tears. God has rewarded your labor and answered your prayers. We thank the Lord for several of the local churches who have partnered with us over the years and who have been a great asset to the ministry. They have helped us find the deaf children and have recommended our teachers and principal. They now also have a Sunday School class for the deaf. We look forward to continuing to work with them, with other churches in Reynosa, and with you for God s eternal glory. 2 3

3 CHURCH SCHOOLS Church Schools The Need God has commissioned ICCD to reach the Deaf around the world with the joyous news of His salvation. Church schools allow ICCD to reach more deaf more rapidly in more countries. We seek to shatter the silence of their world with the proclamation of God s glory. Though many Deaf have home gestures, these signs do not allow for a faithful presentation of God s gift of salvation and life. We bridge our communication gap by teaching and using Sign Language. These silent words allow us to share the gospel with integrity to this unreached people group. The Method When we first enter a country, we share the often ignored needs of the Deaf with local pastors and leaders. About 1% of their population are Deaf who have never heard the name of Jesus Christ. We pray that God will direct us to leaders who will be interested in using their church facilities as a school during the week. We will then help their church develop an effective ministry to this unreached people group within their towns and villages. The Schools To get things started, our missionaries will open the school and teach the local deaf children. We will also provide on-the-job training for godly Church members so that they can become the full-time teachers. Since local churches provide the facilities and the teachers, the Church School is a relatively inexpensive means of breaking the dark silence of deafness with God s great gift of Light and Life. The Deaf An Unreached People Group Planting The Church But what about the adult Deaf? How do we speak the love of God to their hearts? Once again, we enlist the help of local believers and facilitate them in loving their neighbor. We encourage them to befriend deaf adults and invite them to the Church School where both of them will learn Sign Language. This training will provide adequate Sign vocabulary for both the hearing and the Deaf so that they can minister effectively and plant churches for the Deaf within existing hearing churches. Once our missionaries have established a Church-School, they will relocate to facilitate the rapid expansion and growth of more churches and Church-Schools in nearby towns. The Petition God has given ICCD an enormous vision and task of reaching the Deaf of every country with the gospel. Please pray with us that God will provide missionaries and national believers to join us in fulfilling our responsibility that the Deaf, too, from every tribe and nation may bow before the throne of the Lamb and worship Him. The Praise Please Join us in praising God for who He is and for allowing us the privilege of sharing the Gospel with the Deaf. Praise Him for graciously opening the doors for us to get into new areas. Finally, praise Him for the Deaf whose silence is broken and who now worship Him as their Savior. Reaching the Deaf for Christ Yes You Can Be Involved Yes! College & High School Graduates Are you a distinguished member of the undeclared group? Does it seem that God has left your post-college calendar open and blank? Rather than kill time or let it slip by you, why not invest it? And not just for this life, but for all eternity. Or maybe God is already guiding you into ministry with the Deaf. Will you start praying about the possibility of serving your Savior with ICCD? We re looking for committed believers who want to invest their life glorifying God wherever He leads. Yes! Servants of Faith Why am I here? It is one of life s great questions. God has created us for His glory, and only in Him will we find our purpose and fulfillment. Have you given serious thought to God s claim on your life, your talents, your dreams, your being? Are you fulfilling your God-given purpose? Are you investing your life, or are you killing time? Perhaps God would have you serve Him by joining us as we minister to the Deaf. Will you pray about that possibility? We re looking for committed believers, regardless of your age, who want to invest their life for the glory of God wherever He may lead. Where? ICCD is looking at the possibility of going to the Bahamas, Belize, and South Western Mexico. Yes! Short-Term Invest the next two years of your life for God s kingdom in any kingdom in the world. (We will consider one year commitments.) Yes! Long-Term Invest four or more years for God s glory and the salvation of the Deaf. Qualifications A Christian from an evangelical church willing to: work in submission, cooperation and harmony with fellow servants for God s praise and glory. work with people from different cultures. live and work within the deaf culture. learn Sign Language. teach the Deaf. live overseas in third-world conditions. raise financial and prayer support. Yes! I am interested in exploring the possibility of investing my life serving God with ICCD. Contact us at: 4 ICCD P.O. Box 540 Cloverdale, VA Phone: (540) Fax: (540) tturner@iccd.net Web: 5

4 Cuba Equipo, Cuba Equipo, Cuba Opportunities exist in many countries to reach the deaf with the Gospel. In the world today, especially the under-developed countries, the deaf constitute an unreached people group. Our God is ready to expand our vision and lengthen our stakes. ICCD stands ready to move at His direction. We encourage singles and couples whom God has burdened for the lost to contact us for more information about this very fruitful ministry to the world s deaf. Contact us at ICCD P.O. Box 540, Cloverdale, VA Or call: (540) We praise God for giving ICCD the privilege of being part of Equipo, the ministry of reaching the deaf in Cuba. Only our great and almighty God could accomplish what has taken place here. By God s grace, Equipo is in every state in Cuba, challenging pastors to start a ministry to the deaf in their towns. Today there are more than 300 churches, working with EQUIPO, ministering to the Deaf. One of Equipo s highlights in 2004 was the graduation of 17 deaf from the Biblical Theological Training Course held at Camp Palmaron. During the past 2 years, our graduates studied Bible, Leadership, and Evangelism. The graduation was a time of tremendous celebration, excitement and thanksgiving. One deaf graduate said, This is so special because as Deaf we never graduate from anything. But now, I have my certificate. Yadami Santisteban Camp Palmaron is in the countryside, several miles off a main road. Beautiful palm trees surround a small chapel, a few rooms and a simple kitchen. In the depths of Cuba, God has allowed us to train these 17 Deaf to serve Him more effectively as they return home. Yadami Santisteban, the director of the course, presented each of the graduates to Equipo s National Coordinator, Rev. Gilberto Prieto, who gave them their graduation certificate. A deaf choir and Deaf from nearby towns joined in the ceremony and rejoiced in God s blessings. The night before the graduation, Orlando Alvarez Valerea shared his testimony. He was born in 1968 in Bayamo, and accepted Christ in May He was baptized two years later. He said he wanted to share his faith with the other Deaf in Bayamo, but his unanswered questions robbed him of the necessary confidence. Over the past two years, his professors at the Biblical Theological Training Courses answered his concerns, and he had peace and confidence to share his faith boldly. With the help of Esperanza, his interpreter, he began to evangelize the Deaf and soon had 10 Deaf in his discipleship class. Every Friday at 6:00pm they gathered, and Orlando taught them what he was learning at the Training Course. Two years ago there were only 4 Deaf attending his church. Now there are more than 12 who come faithfully. News of what God was doing in his church spread through the town, and another church asked Orlando to help them start a deaf ministry. Bolstered by their faith in God, Orlando and Esperanza, helped establish another deaf ministry. News continued to spread in Bayamo, and a second church asked Orlando to do the same. Once more he and Esperanza answered the call and God blessed abundantly. God, who does exceedingly abundantly above all we can ask or think, caused a third church to ask Orlando to help them start a deaf ministry. Today there are 4 churches with a deaf ministry in Bayamo. Before leaving each of these churches to work on their own, Orlando organized an evangelistic program. At the Santidad Church, 8 deaf people accepted Christ as their Savior that night. At the Second Baptist Church, 9 Deaf accepted the Lord. Before Orlando left the Methodist Church, 6 accepted Christ as their Savior. Orlando and Esperanza thank God for the door He has opened, and they have confidence that God will allow them to continue the work in Bayamo. Indeed all of us at the graduation praised God for using Orlando to reach the Deaf for His glory. The Biblical Theological Training Courses are generating tremendous interest among the Deaf. The courses began 2 years ago in Eastern Cuba and in March 2004, in western Cuba. There are now 46 being trained in the east and 27 in the west, a total of 73 Deaf. These courses are equipping the Deaf to know and love the Lord more deeply. As a result, the Deaf are zealously accepting the call to reach other Deaf who have never heard of Jesus Christ. The Lord continues to work amazingly in and through the Deaf for His praise and glory. OPPORTUNITIES FOR YOUR INVOLVEMENT We are eager to send you additional information on: The ministry of ICCD How to sponsor a child How to organize a work team How to become a missionary to the deaf How to become a part of a work team How to receive brochures of ICCD ministries Please contact Tom and Debbie Turner at our office address: International Christian Centers for the Deaf P. O. Box 540 Cloverdale, VA Phone: tturner@iccd.net Fax: dturner@iccd.net Orlando Alvarez Valerea with Equipo s National Coordinator, Rev. Gilberto Prieto Updates and additional information can be seen on our web page: 7

5 TO THE PRAISE OF THE GLORY OF HIS GRACE Praise List Petition List 1. God s blessing on the ministry in Cuba through continued growth and changed lives. 2. Godly ministers of God s Word in Cuba and new areas of ministry opening up rapidly;. 3. Growth and maturity for those saved in Cuba. 4. Provision of Dave & Jeanne Tozar, ICCD s new Mobilizer representing the Ministry. 5. New leadership in Rio Bravo. 6. Progress & completion of additional structures at the Rio Bravo Campus. 7. Provision of finances, materials and work teams at the Rio Bravo Campus. 8. Progress at the school during the past two years & the acquisition of curriculum. 9. For 24 students enrolled in Mexico & their growth as they learn to communicate; salvation of 6 of the students. 10.Opening of doors to the new Church School model of Deaf Evangelism. 11.Provision of Summer Interns and their willing service. 1. Continued wisdom and health for Gilberto & Nerida Prieto, the National Coordinators in Cuba, and all the staff and volunteers of EQUIPO. 2. Pray for Dave & Jeanne Tozar as they represent the Ministry throughout the US. 3. Open doors, personnel and funds needed for international expansion of the ministry to the Deaf especially with regards to the Church School Model. 4 Continued provision of work teams, finances and materials needed in Mexico. 5 Designated funding for the administration of ICCD. 6. Continued wisdom, strength and unity for all the missionaries & staff of ICCD. 7. Understanding of, and salvation for the deaf students. By the grace of God, we have been able to present the Deaf-inite Praise...to our Good Shepherd in full color at reduced expense to ICCD. International Christian Centers for the Deaf P.O. Box 540 Cloverdale, VA Address Service Requested Non-Profit Org. U. S. Postage PAID Cloverdale, VA Permit No. 1