A big 'small lime' at the mall

Saturday 19th December 2009


On this day I met Lisa's lovely mom. I was so happy to meet her and share the experience I had with Lisa during her job interview. I always like to meet parents, family members or guardians of deaf persons because it helps me to gain a greater understanding of that person's domestic life which ultimately leads to a deeper knowledge of that person as an individual.

I was really grateful to share this seemingly common activity of browsing through the mall with Kamal, Lisa and her mom. I am especially happy for these opportunities to have special time with deaf individuals. I want them to know that while they are loved as a group, they are also loved as individuals and spending time with them apart from church and interpreting activities really matters.

I am always mindful of this and so whenever these sometimes brief but always meaningful moments have ended, I leave feeling a sense of joy and contentment, even peace, just knowing that I have just invested in a building relationship. This is how I felt at the end of this short 'lime' with Kamal, Lisa and her mom. I could tell that Lisa's mom was grateful that I was there and that I was willing to help Lisa and Kamal in whatever way I could....how encouraging :) Reader, it was a good day :)

Mayaro

Friday 18th December 2009

Ian and Lisa's job application

Tuesday 15th December 2009

God is good all the time and all the time God is good.

This is a testimony of God's goodness towards Ian and Lisa :D

Day one (1)
After Deaf Church on Sunday last, Ian presented me with a newspaper ad which stated the following:

MOVIETOWNE IS COMING SOON TO CHAGUANAS!

HIRING NOW! Call: 627-2002/4788

Email: jobs@movietowne.com

PRICE PLAZA - CHAGUANAS

He then asked me to respond to the ad via telephone and ask whether or not they would be willing to hire Deaf persons. I agreed to do it.

Day two (2)

The following day, which will be Monday 14th December, Ian texted me and reminded me to contact Movietowne (of course forgetful Jones...or forget Joan that I am...I need these constant texts as reminders lol) Anyway, back to the tory... I called and the woman advised me to visit their Port of Spain branch to fill out an application then the application may be considered. She said that they have never hired Deaf persons before but they were willing to take up the challenge.

So I texted Ian and informed him of what is required and I suggested that we invite Lisa who was searching for a job since August. He agreed and throughout the day, arrangements were made to go to Movietowne, Port of Spain the following day.

Day three (3)

So this is day three. My expectation of this day was that we go, fill out the application form, attach their resumes and photos, leave the application and wait for a response. That was my expectation...but God had a plan lol

First of all, I printed Ian and Lisa's resume with a cover letter addressed to Movietowne, but I forgot it home. I was prepared to return home for them but Omar, our designated driver, suggested that we print it from my flash drive. Later I discovered that I also left that at home but praise God, both Ian and Lisa had their updated resumes and cover letters with a space to insert the employer's name and address.

So God's plan was that we go there, fill out the application forms then have an interview one time!! lol Of course I had no expectations of an interview lol... Anyway, I interpreted for Lisa and Omar agreed to interpret for Ian. We prayed then interviews were in session.

The first thing the interviewer told Lisa was a compliment. Thank you Lord! She admired Lisa's neatness and constantly praised her beauty! Thank you Lord! She was also very concerned about people taking advantage of Lisa and other members of the differently abled community. To be honest, this did not feel like an interview at all lol. I felt as if Lisa and by extension, Ian already had the job and this was just a conversation to ensure that the logistics of the job were understood and any questions or concerns could be addressed lol. Apparently Omar and Ian had the same experience. Well, the interviewer said she will call me and let me know their decision. I guess this was formality because both Omar and I were convinced that they got the job.

Day four (4)
As you know Reader, I have expectations and God's plan always prevails. I expected to be contacted probably later in the week or the following week but God's plan was different. The following two days Thursday 17th December, I received a call from the HR department at Movietowne. Lisa and Ian got the job!! God is so good!

So four (4) days - Sunday, Monday, Tuesday and Thursday - if you want to count Wednesday and say five (5) days... it really doesnt matter! What matters is that God is faithful and next year two Deaf persons will have a job. Ian and Lisa have been working tirelessly making jewellry to sell during this Christmas season and I am so happy for them both :)

Thank you Lord for your favour!!

President's Reception

Wednesday 9th December 2009



What a night! When I think about this night I think about mom mentioning - "When you're with them you just feel a special joy eh". Smile...I will be a liar if I say I don't agree.




I enjoyed this night. I was happy also that my mom was there and she too could experience this joy. Thank you Lord. I was able to dance with a Deaf man that I dont usually see very often and I was glad that I was able to. I always like to do little things to help each person remember that they are special to me.

In a nutshell, we ate, we drank, we ate again, we laughed and everyone bombarded the poor president lololol. I was happy to see them happy and I was ESPECIALLY happy to see Bobby from Mayaro approach the President confidently and shake his hand assertively as he greeted him. I am so happy that he and his wife Mala were able to meet the President. It warmed my heart!!


This was my first night at the President's house and it's because of my Precious-es that I was able to do so!! Thank you Lord!

Costa Rica - La Pura Vida

November 2009

Well mi amiga y yo went to Costa Rica in November for some further linguistic studies. Of the few stories there are to share, one particular testimony stands out. We went there hoping to connect with the local deaf and also attend Deaf Church during the two Sundays that we were there.

Fortunately mi amiga randomly met a few deaf persons on a small trip to the city and discovered their usual Friday 'liming' spot. So Friday evening there was only one place we could be. I had decided before that I would only observe and allow my amiga who is more outgoing, to lead in all conversations.

Well, lol all this changed when we arrived. I was just so completely excited and my heart was bubbling with such joy that it was hard to just stand aside and observe lol. We talked and we laughed and we enjoyed ourselves. However, we had not yet met anyone who was attached to a Deaf Church.

God is so good! It was getting a bit late and my blood sugar levels were beginning to drop because I hadn't eaten. So I was trying to explain that I needed to eat to some deaf persons but they did not understand the TTSL sign for diabetic!! lol I tried explaining what it meant but they looked more and more confused lol. I was feeling really unwell yet they insisted that they must understand what I was saying. So they emphatically lead me to their friend Carlos. They said Carlos was smart and that he will understand and he did. So said so done.

AMAZINGLY, my blood sugar level normalised instantaneously after meeting Carlos. I did not realise this until later that night but God had a plan. Carlos and I began talking and when I told him I was from Trinidad, he told me that he knew some Trinidadian Deaf. Then he began listing all the Trinidadian Deaf that he met some years ago ".....Shevon, Ian, Salina, Roger...." LOL I began to jump!! I was sooooo excited!! I called mi amiga! This was the guy we were looking for. This is the person who would know about the Deaf Church and this the person who our Deaf had already connected with on their previous trip to Costa Rica.


Anyway, my heart was just dancing and I felt as if I could not contain the joy I felt just overflowing within me. Carlos (2nd person from left in pic above) seemed very happy as well. He shared about the local Deaf Church and the issues that they had and the literacy hurdles that they had to overcome. He seemed very educated, he was really friendly and I feel in love with his spirit. He reminded me of Ian and I felt like a bit of home was with me in San Jose that night.

I remembered that I had only spoken to Shevon online the day before and he asked me if I had met anyone that they met when they were here. I was amazed at how God operates and how He connects people globally and what tools He uses to bring people together.

It was a great night and my happiest and most fulfilling moment at Costa Rica.