Judy's Jottings


A visiting worker from the USA worked with me to complete student educational
profiles in SPANISH during our first week of classes.
August 2010
Dear family and Friends
The school year started with a special Bible programme We had a group come from the States to lead
it for us. The theme was on Fruits of
the Spirit. In the morning we would
sing, have Bible lessons, and craft activities.
In the afternoon we would have fun activities. We went to the beach and the rain forest and
played games at school. A lot of fun was
had. Certainly was a fun way to start
back at school.
The second week we were in our classes and beginning to set
routines and start our programmes for the year.
This year I am working with Kristian, who is 14 and is really struggling
with academic subjects. I am also
working with Larimar, a ten year old girl, who has just moved up to work with
the older kids. She is adjusting to the
changes that means for her. We have
started a science unit on batteries and electricity, which they seem to be
enjoying.
Every day we start with Chapel that I plan and lead. The other teachers support me by planning and
teaching the Bible stories that we learn each week. On Wednesday we have surfing the Bible, which
is the same as sword drills, for those of you who remember them.
After chapel the older classes do devotions. Sometimes we use an online programme
especially for deaf. They watch a person
signing about some verses from the Bible.
We read the verses together and the students record in their books what
the have learnt. Some days we will do a
devotion together and some days they choose a piece of scripture to read
themselves and then write what God has shown them.
I continue to be the Bible teacher for the school, so that
means I have three groups of children twice a week. With the older students we are doing an
overview of the Bible. With my class we
are using a prgramme called STOP. It’s
great! S stands for Seek- what is the
problem you are confronting. T stand for
think- what does God’s Word say about it.
O stands for overcome-pray for God to help you overcome your problem. P is for praise – praise God for His help in
succeeding. The younger students are
learning Bible stories.
It is now the third week and we have a group of people
visiting who are learning to be interpreters for deaf people. They are supporting our new teacher
Elizabeth who has joined our staff this year.
She has just finished her Master’s degree, but doesn’t know sign
language. She works with three students,
Johanely, Kevin and Edwin. Edwin is a
new boy. He has come from the States and
is still adjusting to being at a new school.
Johanely and Kevin are so good at supporting him.
Betsy is teaching out two seven year olds. They are both lovely kids.
Jen has the two youngest.
She has Saul, who is five and his brother Gabriel, who is three. Gabriel is hearing and comes for a preschool
programme, so he can learn sign to be able to communicate with his two deaf
siblings. Kioney, in Betsy’s class is
his sister. One word to describe the
youngest class is energy. The boys are
full of it and keep Jen on her toes.
The weather is very hot.
September is our hottest month and of course it is hurricane season
right now.
Please pray for us as we lead our busy lives in the heat.
Jason and Iley have some holiday time to use, so they are
coming to visit me in September. They
are hoping to spend some time at Culebra, one of the smaller islands that is a part of PR. I am hoping to
be able to show them some of the local sights as well. I am excited about them coming. Counting down the days!!! I last saw Jason in 2007 and have yet to meet
Iley.
I have been really blessed by my NZ church. Opawa you are so good at encouraging me. I have enjoyed the many letters that have
been written in church and then sent to me.
We managed to Skype while the Sunday service was on. It was great to see familiar faces.
I was blessed by Jen’s church in California. I have attended services there when I have
been in LA on my way here, or on my way home.
The ladies got together and sent me a wonderful care package of all
sorts of goodies.
Think I’ve rambled on enough.
Love and blessings
Judy
Praise God for:
· A good start to the school year
· People He sends to support us
· Two new students
Pray for:
· Coping with the heat
· Staff and students as we settle into routines
· Students to strengthen their faith and understanding
of who God is
· For those students who have not yet accepted Christ
· For the many visitors that come here to support
us. Some are not Christians, so pray
that we would be good witnesses.
· For Selena who is now at a public school. Pray she
would continue to remember what she learnt about God and she would continue to
grow her faith.
· For the property. That God would send us the people we need to
help survey the land and decide on a suitable price. That we would know His leading and guiding
for the school board as they work through this process. If the decision is to purchase that the funds
would be available.
Love, hugs and blessings
Judy
PDF files:
August 2010
June 2010
16 October 2008
View as a
PDF file
How Judy Came to ESD
Judy More’s association with ESD began when a work colleague
handed her one of the school’s newsletters.
Her colleague had met Betsy Hoke at a conference for teachers of the
Deaf. She had been receiving the
newsletter for seven years before passing it on to Judy.
Judy read that copy of the “With These Hands” with great excitement. She e-mailed Betsy Hoke, the principal at the time, to see how a teacher of
the deaf from New Zealand, who used a different sign language, could be of any
use. In January 2006 Judy came to carry
out some teacher training and workshops and stayed on afterwards to aid in the
classrooms.
Visits through 2007 to 2009 on a tourist visa convinced Judy that
God wanted her to make a longer commitment.
Judy has now been granted a religious visa and arrived back in
January. She can now stay until May
2012. 
