Two and a half years ago I began my first semester at UWM with the intended major of American Sign Language interpreting. UW Milwaukee was not my first choice school and to be honest, school was not my first choice either. Even before beginning college I knew my calling was to do missions somewhere… anywhere but I didn’t know how. So, even though I didn’t want to go to school, I went and I chose the coolest thing I could find, interpreting. Everyone has their own reasoning for going to school to learn ASL, I never really had some grand experience that led me into that course of study but I knew God could use anything!
Two years of school, classes in ASL, fingerspelling, Deaf culture and history and even a four week adventure living in Washington D.C. at Galludet University later and I am brought into the Deaf community in Haiti. Believe it or not, American Sign Language is not a universal language. Every country has their own sign language and they do not always align very well. But… here in Haiti, in this specific community, God chose to use American Sign Language to build relationships between the Haitian community and myself.
This community was built by Mission of Hope as a way to move Haitians from their temporary homes after the earthquake into a permanent community. Most of the individuals living in this village come from Port au Prince, where devastation hit the hardest six years ago. Very quickly after the earthquake organizations began pouring into the city and building make shift homes out of what looks like blue tarp. These homes were designed to be utilized for about six months. Six years later they are still the residence of Haitians and its causing severe permanent medical issues such as skin cancer and blindness.
Around 10 in the morning, day 40 of the world race, my squad steps off of the bus in La Veque and starts up towards the school. I walk with the knowledge that there is a Deaf community in the area. I began praying that God would lead me where He wanted to use me, in any way and moments later I hear one of my squad mates called my name. I looked up and over, searching for the voice in the crowd, and I spot one of the girls on my team standing with a little boy, trying to ask his name. I watched for a moment, wondering what was going to happen… would he respond in sign? Moments later I walked over and waited, he said nothing, so I began moving my hands. I asked the little boy what his name was, he responded in ASL… and my heart broke. We carried on a short conversation, I asked what he likes to do for fun, his favorite color and how old he was and he went on his way with a smile to rejoin his friends on the playground. Without even having the time to look up I hear another voice calling my name, and then another and another. I was being surrounded with deaf children and a community of world racers determined to learn how to sign so they could get to know these kids!
About an hour and 10 conversations later and it was time to load the bus back up and head out to lunch at the MoH north campus. I sat quietly in complete shock, how do I even begin to process what just happened? My mind raced, questions… questions… questions! What the heck God? As soon as we got off for lunch I raced to a corner and began balling my eyes out. The hurt in my heart grew heavier and heavier and I couldn’t emotionally handle what had happened. I began asking God if I spent the last two years studying ASL in Milwaukee, Wisconsin to one day be in Haiti and have a divine encounter with Him. I honestly have no idea why my heart broke, this should have brought me incredible joy, and it did, but it also did not. I cant really explain the dynamic of my feelings and I don’t know the answer to my prayer.
Here is what I do know, God can use anything and anyone, anywhere He wants. His timing is perfect for what He has in store for His kingdom and I could never have orchestrated that encounter myself. This year God is going to bring me to some crazy, amazing places that can only be divinely set, I could not be more excited.
Until then, consider donating to keep me on the race! 🙂
