My sister Rena came to Galati at the end of last year. She has written a blog that I will share with you about her experience here. This comes some time after her trip because, at least in part, she was without electric for 2 weeks due to the ice storm in Missouri.
Those two weeks she was here really flew by! Rena came to Romania on Christmas Day 2008 and went back home Friday January 9th. She came with the intent of helping Teresa and I in the ministry we are working in here in Galati. And for the first week we stayed on course. But the second week we also got to add a few hours of out reach as well.
Not only has she brought hope to some families who had little to no hope at all, we also have gotten into 5 new homes to do Bibles studies! “Team Rena” is the first team that has come just to work with us directly and not through Troy and Karla. She has set a standard that will be hard for the rest of the teams that come this year to meet. She came only to help us in ministry that was already in place and was able to help us get into homes we have never been in before. Her plans were our plans and there is no way to express how helpful and hopeful she was to the families who desperately needed help and hope. Here is her post.
The World Within Her Reach
How did you learn to attach the right names to Ma-ma and Da-da? How did you learn to say those words? You watched Mama’s mouth while she said her name, (and Dad’s while he said his name), and you listened to the sounds they made. As for the rest of the important things in your world, such as your blanket or bear or bottle, you soon learned to identify them all and ask for the one you wanted.
But what if you couldn’t see clearly? What if you could only distinguish the difference between light and dark? How would you learn to identify things? Well, you could still touch. And you could hear the name ‘blanket’ when Mama gave it to you. She would let you touch her face and you would be able to distinguish hers from that scratchy one, even if neither parent said a word.
What if you couldn’t hear well? What if you could only hear loud noises or certain pitches or maybe nothing at all? Learning to talk would be very hard. You could watch mouths move and Dad might put your hand on his throat to ‘feel’ him talk to you. When you made a sound—any sound!—you could see Mom and Dad get excited and put your hand on your own throat to feel the sounds you could make. Even if you could never talk, you could learn names for things by watching and imitating others ‘sign’ the names with their hands and you would quickly learn to ask for things by pointing.
Now, what if you couldn’t see or hear? What if you were a year and a half old and made no attempts to talk? What if you didn’t ask for things by pointing or reaching? How could you even be aware that your bear was at the other end of the couch? Would you have any way to communicate the names Mama, or Da-da? Would you even know that people and things have names?
18-month-old Maria is living in a world without voices, colors, sky, stars, music or pictures. If she hasn’t touched it, tasted it or smelled it, she does not know that it exists. Maria’s parents and grandparents lavish all the love and attention any child could want but without a way to communicate, her ability to learn will be limited. Maria’s world is what lies within reach of her little hands. Doctors say an operation might improve Maria’s hearing. Others hold out hope of medical procedures that would allow her to see. Even though both parents work, there isn’t enough money now to go where Maria could receive this kind of help.
In the meantime, to open up a world full of sights and sounds will challenge the persistence and creativity of Maria’s family. When she explores something warm, tube-shaped and smooth with her hands, Mama can sign the word ‘bottle,’ with Maria’s fingers and let Maria feel the word as it is signed by her mother’s hands. Daddy can still put Maria’s hands to his throat as he talks but he will have to put her fingers on his lips as well to let Maria know what ‘talking’ is. When she makes a sound, Grandma can place Maria’s fingers on her own little throat to feel the vibration. Outlines of familiar objects can be laid on a clear surface with light shining through from underneath to give Maria a chance to see and identify shapes as well as assign them sign-language names.
Can Maria learn? Of course she can. Will it be easy? No, it will be challenging to help this beautiful little girl discover that the world she lives in is much more than the few things that can be touched with her own hands. God can provide a way, perhaps through medical means or through sheer dedication and hard work, but God can provide a way to an exciting future for Maria. Join Maria’s team of supporters by praying for her, for her young parents and for her grandparents. Then be prepared to marvel at what He will do.
