Learning From Adventures

Hello everyone and welcome back to CICS! Time continues to pass quickly, in another 2 weeks this years school term will be half-way complete. In the last few months, we have enjoyed a week of vacation for Holy Week, been blessed with some visitors from the states (friends of Ranita’s) and have overcome sickness among students and staff. Last week, we cancelled school on Monday, then Tuesday and Wednesday had only one student, Thursday two students and Friday three students. We are almost whole again, Miguel continues to be sick and is still not back at school, please pray for him!

We have been really blessed to have Mariela Lima here this year, although she only speaks a little English, she gets along very well with the other staff, does a great job at her work and loves interacting with the students. She agreed to write her story of how she decided to come to CICS and a little about her work here. The following is her story, in her own words. (Translated from Spanish of course.)

My name is Mariela Lima, I am 18 years old. I am a country girl, I live near a volcano called Volcán Chingo (pictured above) and that volcano divides El Salvador and Guatemala. It’s very beautiful, I love my home!

In the year 2020 the pastor of my church asked if I wanted to help teach in the little school that we have on behalf of the church in the same place where I live.  After asking for God’s direction and talking to my parents I said yes, and that year something happened that no one expected (COVID).  In the month of March, the government asked that the schools and all the churches be closed. It was very difficult because we could not go to school for some time.

In the year 2021 I continued teaching, thank God that year we were able to go to school every day. When we were close to finishing school I was thinking about the following year. What am I going to do?  But God had a plan for me. October 27 was the closing day and I kind of sensed that something was going to happen, but I didn’t know what it was. The children had given me so much love and before having the closing program they hugged me like they already missed me. One of my students wondered, “But why are we not going to come to school anymore?” So I explained to her that she and the other children were going to rest for a few months and then the following year she would be able to go back to school. Leaving the church, after we had finished the closing program, I saw I had a message from a friend of mine. She was asking if she could recommend me for CICS. I think I did not answer the message right away, but I was excited. I had thought before that I would like to help at CICS, and I thought “Well, maybe this is my opportunity to go”, and I asked for God’s direction.

Now here I am helping and I still do not regret having come! Although sometimes it is a bit difficult because I am the only one who does not know English and the others are learning Spanish. I feel that it is one of the greatest blessings and opportunities that God has given me to be here in this place, helping as dorm mom (I wash the boys’ clothes, cleaning, etc.) What I like most about my job is that the boys are able to wear clean and ironed clothes every day. The time is almost here when we have clothes drying outside and we have to run to get them inside because it starts to rain.

I want to tell a little story that happened one day. Edwin, who takes care of the children after they return from school, went to work with them. They were working in a place where there are trees and I imagine, tall weeds too. Edwin saw that there was a hive with bees and he hit the hive. Miguel saw it and ran away together with Edwin. Deris, another of the deaf boys, because he was the last one left behind, three bees stung him. By dinner time they were recounting the story. Being able to hear their laughter and see their joy, the atmosphere changes and I think that the others are also happy to see them with that joy.

I wish you could see Amy translating from English to Spanish and from Spanish to English, she is a very intelligent and pretty girl. Amy and Liam are such beautiful children, to see them supposedly talking on the phone at the table for lunch is such a cute thing, but actually they each have a glass to their ear.

I love each one of these children, Amy and Liam, and all the deaf, they are very special people that God has placed in my life. Each child is different. A child who is deaf, is above all a child who, like any other child, loves, believes, thinks, plays, learns and also fights. He sees the world around him, interacts with it, represents it.

If you are reading this, I want us to never forget to give thanks to God for everything he does for each one of us. From these people who are deaf we can learn many things. And if you feel led to pray, you can pray for all the helpers of CICS that we always continue forward in the Christian life and continue helping in God’s work. May God help us day by day in our work and know how to relate to each other. Especially for the teachers, may God give them much wisdom to know how to treat each of the children. For the children, may they make an effort to obey and respect and learn a lot from their studies and that they can learn about God every day. Also for Keith and Melody, may God give them much wisdom in their work. God bless everyone who is reading this.

Angela Mariela Lima Lemus – Salvadoran

CICS has added a new family member for 2022. Joel Neftaly Villalobos Varela is a former student who had dropped out and declined to come to school last year. However, after working at a car wash for a year, he has had a change of heart and requested to come back to school. He is 15 years old, so we placed him in the class with Miguel and Jairo, with Kendall as his teacher.

Joel (pronounced “Hoe – el”) is very intelligent, memorizes his word lists with little effort and knows his math well. He could be an outstanding student if he would be willing to apply himself. Sadly, his home seems to be a rough-and-tumble place and Joel brings a bit of a swaggering arrogance and coarseness that prevents him from truly excelling at school.

At first, Joel communicated in a very forceful way, with lots of yelling, animated sound effects and gestures that were difficult to decipher. However, after a few weeks, he has learned that we are able to understand him just fine if he uses good sign language. He doesn’t need all the extra effects to communicate here at CICS. I am sure at home, where his family does not know sign language, the loud sound effects and forceful gestures ensure that he is not ignored by his family and at least partially understood.

Miguel is another student who comes to us from a less than ideal home. Raised by a collection of aunts, uncles and grandparents after being discarded by his mother, he often seems torn between two worlds.

On good days, he is bubbling over with energy, smiling ear-to-ear and laughing at funny stories, studying diligently at school and playing recess with a joyful abandon. In the afternoons, he is attacking his work with a vengeance in hopes of having some time to ride bikes or fly kites before supper. On bad days he is difficult from the start, being disruptive in class and then in the afternoons, rebelling against whatever job or instruction he is given to do.

Often when we talk to him about his bad behavior, he is remorseful, even tearful and promises to do better. We know there is tenderness inside Miguel because we see it in his deep brown eyes when he has done wrong and tears well up. We know it because of the tenderness he shows to Amy, being patient with her when she tries to help him or lifting her up to show her a birds nest with eggs in it. But most of all we know it is there, because God created Miguel and placed that softness inside him, just as he has in each of us.

But many days, it does not get better, and he seems to embrace his rebellious, dis-respectful side, refusing to allow goodness to triumph. Sadly, we have already had to suspend Miguel for 1 week due to his rebellious behavior. Unfortunately, the week he was suspended was the week we were planning to take a little trip to a Zoo in San Salvador, so he was not able to go.

Zoo day, what fun! The children are excited from the moment I pick them up in the morning and the anticipation only builds as we pull into the yard at CICS and see all the staff gathered by the front door, waiting our arrival. After everyone has used the bathroom and all the food and drinks for the day have been loaded into the van, we gather in a circle and ask God to bless our day and protect us on our adventure.

Then there is a scramble as 16 people pile into the 15 passenger van and everyone finds their seat and tries to secure a little legroom. On the hour long drive, the children and staff talk, play Uno and Go Fish and watch for interesting sights out of the windows. When we arrive at the zoo, everyone piles out of the van and staff and students are partnered up so that no one will get lost or left behind. After buying tickets, ($1 per person) we head to the entrance.

At the gate, the gruff security guard inspects Anthony’s backpack. He finds a bag of chips intended for a snack and denies us entrance. “It is forbidden to bring food into the zoo!” There is a bit of a scramble as chips, cookies and a few bananas intended for the monkeys are returned to the van.

At last we are in the zoo! The children run gleefully from cage to cage, looking at the lion, the tiger, the puma and the zebra. Sadly, Manjula passed away several years ago, so there is no elephant. We do see a water buffalo, some pretty spotted deer, a llama and some alligators. The zoo is practically empty and except for the staff wandering around and a few scattered visitors, we have the place almost to ourselves.

Anthony looks eagerly for his favorite animal, a fox, but although there is a cage marked “fox” no one is able to see the sly tricksters. The coyote is out and about and we see all kind of birds, including an emu. Finally, we find the highlight of the zoo, the monkeys!

While most of the other animals are in too small cages with more concrete than green grass, the monkeys live on a collection of islands in a small lake. They have a glorious life, swinging from tree to tree with no steel bars and wire fence to keep them in. Only their dis-taste for swimming keeps them caged. We sit on the benches across from the islands and spend more than an hour just watching them. Climbing, jumping, swinging, and hanging by their tails, they seem to be having so much fun. Then one monkey shrieks, hops up-and-down and seems to be pointing into the water. In an instant, he is joined by a dozen others, all shrieking excitedly and gesturing in a way that almost looks like sign language! It is not a sign that we know and we never do discover why they were so excited. Maybe they saw a fish?

As a bonus, we were able to see multiple iguanas. They were not caged and seemed to be honored guests at the zoo, able to roam about as they pleased. One particularly large iguana enjoyed sunbathing on a rock wall directly beside the path. I don’t know if the iguana got any joy from the little shriek and sideways hop that happened when my hand almost brushed against him but I know the children certainly did. Although harmless, they do look quite scary, especially up close and personal.

As always, please continue praying for the work here at CICS.

• Kendall – for wisdom and energy as he teaches the older class, also that his stomach will adjust to the food of El Salvador
• Ranita – for wisdom and energy as she teaches the younger students
• Edwin – for wisdom and grace as he works with Miguel and Deris in the afternoons
• Mariela – for patience as she is the only staff member who doesn’t speak English
• Leticia – for endurance as she works on learning sign language and Spanish
• Joel – for a soft heart and gentleness towards others
• Miguel – that in the battle for his heart, evil will be defeated and goodness will reign
• Jairo – to learn to apply himself diligently and to understand the evil and pain of a “gangster life”
• Deris – to embrace his talents and not be caught up in being “cool” and “tough”
• Anthony – that his heart remains soft and tender and that he understands his own value
• Gabriela – that she can continue to find joy in coming to school as the lone girl among 5 boys.
• Keith/Melody/Amy/Liam/Baby Yoder – Wisdom as we lead the work here, energy and joy even on the hot days, good health for Melody and the littlest Yoder.

Grace and Peace,

Keith Yoder, for CICS

2-1/2 months back in the states, Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday celebrations, multiple company banquets and a trip to CO for a New Years celebration and then we were saying our goodbyes and boarding the plane that would take us back to El Salvador for another year.

El Salvador in January is glorious, an endless succession of bright, clear blue-sky days in the 80’s with refreshingly cool nights in the 60’s. We arrived on a Thursday and indulged in El Salvador’s favorite food, pupusas, Friday night and then again Saturday night.

After settling in over the weekend, sweeping the dusty floors and cleaning up the cobwebs, Kendall and I head to Suchitoto to work on our Spanish. Beatrice and Norma are excellent teachers and patiently correct our poor accents and atrocious grammar while torturing us with ever more complicated verb forms. When my head is so full of conjugations and tenses and participles that bits of Spanish verbs start leaking out of my ears, Beatrice takes mercy on me and we chat (in Spanish of course). She tells me about a family in her community who has been orphaned by the gangs, the corruption of the Catholic church in El Salvador, how Islam has been brought into El Salvador by the president’s grandmother. Then we discuss favorite holiday foods, “pan con pollo” for her and pumpkin pie for me and compare holiday traditions in the US and El Salvador. The biggest difference we find is Salvadorians fascination with “bombas”, firecrackers that sound like grenades going off.

Every day after Spanish school, Kendall and I find a different spot to try out for lunch. On Monday, as we are walking, we spot a few “gringos” ordering lunch. We say hello and ask where they are from. We discover that we have multiple mutual friends and decide to join them for lunch. By the time we have eaten lunch together we are friends. They invite us to join them in their adventures for the rest of the day and Kendall decides to spend the afternoon with them. They explore a waterfall, get lost in the city, drink coffee at Cafe 1,200 on Boqueron volcano and then are kind enough to return Kendall to CICS in time to get some sleep before Tuesdays day of Spanish classes.

Saturday morning Mel and I and Amy and Liam along with Kendall, head into Apopa to purchase some supplies for the coming school year. After fighting through the normal Apopa traffic, we set off into “Plaza Mundo” a modern mall complete with numerous restaurants, clothing stores and much more.

As always, we have a very enjoyable time, as shopping is one of my favorite pastimes. Going from store to store to store looking for the things we need, finally finding what we are looking for, then waiting while the store sends someone to the far reaches of the mall to retrieve it from inventory is almost as fun as a visit to the dentist. Of course, the children behave perfectly as all 1 and 3 year olds do. Their legs don’t get tired, they dont’ beg for ice-cream at 10 AM in the morning and they don’t scream whenever their mom is out of sight for a few minutes. And they certainly don’t cry because they are so hungry, then eat 3 bites and decide they are full. Instacart, when are you coming to El Salvador?

The following Tuesday, the rest of the staff arrives and our little CICS family begins to feel more complete. Edwin Glick (ES) is senior staff this year. He is again embracing the responsibility of taking care of Miguel and Deris and caring for the CICS grounds, animals and vehicles. Tall, broad shouldered and blond, Edwin looks like a “gringo” but speaks Spanish as if he has lived in El Salvador his entire life, which he has.

Kendall Stoltzfus (WV) is teaching the older boys – Miguel, Jairo and possibly Joel. Kendall, dark-haired with a Latino style haircut, looks like he could belong here in El Salvador. His brain is working overtime, stretching and bulging with a deluge of Spanish and ASL. All the learning doesn’t seem to affect his enthusiasm and he is already talking about the things he wants to do and places he wants to see here in El Salvador.

Ranita Eby (PA) is teaching the younger students. The oldest of the staff group this year, she brings a quiet competence and added maturity. Although Spanish is new to her, she has been signing since she was a baby and is quite comfortable in ASL. Her students include Deris, Antony and Gabriela, an enthusiastic, intelligent and high-energy group.

Mariela Lemus (ES) is here to keep the house functioning properly, cleaning, washing and helping wherever she can. She is darker skinned than the rest of the group, the youngest of the staff at just 18 and speaks only a few words of English. None of that seems to affect her exuberant spirit and I often hear her patiently teaching proper Spanish pronunciation to the other staff then splitting with laughter at their (our) butchered rr’s, mis-placed emphasis and much too hard d’s.

Leticia Miller (OR) agreed to come at the last minute and take on the no easy task of cooking for our hungry group of staff and students. She has an uncanny ability to roll her rr’s like a native and when she figures out the rest of the sounds, she will be chattering away in Spanish. Even the hard work of cooking beans over an open fire does not sap her energy and in the evenings after supper, games of “futbol” or kick-the-can provide evening entertainment.

This week school begins and we are once again introduced to the 5 reasons for being here in El Salvador.

1. Miguel – A lanky 14 year old, stronger than his slender frame indicates, does not enjoy school work but loves to have a good time, a magician with a “futbol”, loves animals and is looking forward to taking care of a calf and some chickens this year.
2. Jairo – 14 years old like Miguel but quiet and a bit shy, quite good at his schoolwork when he cares to apply himself, prefers painting or drawing rather than hard work.
3. Deris – 11 years old, small in body but not in spirit, fiercely competitive and loves to learn, determined to keep up with the older boys at sports, riding bikes and general “coolness”. Enjoys games like Uno, connect-4 and memory and is always strategizing for an edge.
4. Antony – 11 years old, super friendly and loves people, helps his mom by going to the neighbors and selling snacks and trinkets, his expertise is not in sports and physical activity but in story-telling, soft-hearted and eager to please, always has a story to tell – if you don’t get it the first time, don’t worry, he’ll tell you again.
5. Gabriela – 11 years old, petite with dainty features, small size doesn’t stop her from outplaying some of the boys at futbol, very intelligent, explains things to the others when they don’t “get it” as quickly as she does, sweet natured and never causes trouble.

We are looking forward to an incredible year here in El Salvador in 2022. We expect lots of learning to happen, good relationships to be formed, an abundance of fun times and some hard times. We also anticipate quite a few visitors to CICS this year, so we are eagerly looking forward to that as well.

Grace and Peace,

Keith Yoder for CICS

How many sounds do you hear in a day? Slamming doors, ringing telephone, cries from an unhappy baby. The cheerful chatter of your children. Questions from an employee or instructions from a boss. Tender words from someone who loves you. Music that lifts your spirits on a dreary day.

Their world is silent. They do not hear the loving words of a mother, the strong voice of a father, the joyful shouts of their friends. The cacophony of the market, the rumble of traffic, the bulla (boo-ya) of a large, loud family are only silence.

They climb eagerly into the van, faces shining from their morning scrubbing. Eager chatter is replaced by eye contact and motions made with their hands. We sign “good morning” to each other, then they settle in the van for the quiet ride to school. As more of their friends are picked up, I catch glimpses of them in the mirror, hands flying, as they chat.

When we arrive, they pile out of the van, eager to greet their teachers. The usual chatter of a group of children right before school is exchanged for smiles, eye contact and signs. They are eager to learn, eager to help, eager to contribute.

In El Salvador, deafness is often considered synonymous with low-intelligence. As a result, deaf children are a shame to their parents, expected to contribute little. Their silent world imprisons them, and as a result, they can seem “simple” not because they have a low IQ but because they have never learned the things that hearing children learn.

As for our students, it doesn’t take long to see that their handicap is in their ears, not their brains. When I forget to pick up his friend, Jairo (Hy-do) emphatically reminds me. And when we pull up to his house and no one is there, he tells me to go knock on the door. Sadly, 12 year old Joel (Ho-el) does not come, his mother tells us he has a job at a car wash and would rather work then come to school. When we stop at the car wash and attempt to talk to him, he shrugs his shoulders and points to his boss as if to say, “I’m his now”.

When I am about to make a wrong turn onto a busy street, Paula is paying attention and shakes her head and points the other direction. When I bring Amy along a few times to take the students home, Paula brings a book with lots of pictures and patiently teaches Amy some signs.

Anna, a former student, shows up at church on Sunday. We invite her home for lunch and she readily accepts. Her and Mel talk the whole way home, their hands flying. Anna tells us that she was curious about the new directors at CICS,(us) so she bussed from her home in Apopa to attend church this morning. Her weeks are busy, she works at a sewing factory from 7 – 7 during the week and cares for her ailing mother on the weekends.

After only 2 weeks of school, the question of what are we doing here in El Salvador has become clear. We are here to break down that prison of silence that surrounds each deaf child and make it possible for them to communicate. With signs, they can have meaningful conversations with other deaf people or anyone who knows sign language. If they learn to write, they can communicate accurately if slowly with almost anyone. As they learn to read, an entire world opens up through books and stories.

How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?

Romans 10:14

And in the case of the deaf, perhaps we could add, And how shall they hear unless they are taught?