Deaf VIM Trip to the Dominican Republic

February 27- March 5, 2007
A Report By:
Rev. Peggy A. Johnson - Christ UMC of the Deaf (BN)
Dominican Republic Mission Team (back row left to right) Diane Rehling, Jessica Hughes, Jennifer Hughes, Rev. Chris Hughes, Dionne Dyson, Victor Minaya, Koretta Scott, (kneeling row left to right) Ann Mason, Joshua Hughes, Joanna Hughes, Rev. Peggy Johnson.
Group of deaf students making crafts and Victor Minaya is looking on. Joshua Hughes is also helping with the crafts.
Group picture of all the students in the school. They are signing "ILY" in American Sign Language. They are wearing blue uniforms. They range in age from 5 to 21 years old.
Woman in pink is the director of the school: Peggy Blevins. She is seated next to of her girl students in blue shirts in this posed picture. "If you ever go to the Dominican Republic please take me with you"....that one-line message was e-mailed to me over a year ago. It would become the beginning of the Deaf VIM Trip to Santo Domingo, the capital of the Dominican Republic. The e-mail was sent to me by the Deaf brother of two of Deaf women who attend Christ UMC of the Deaf in Baltimore, who were born in the Dominican Republic. The whole family came to the USA fifteen years ago and had not been back since. Their brother, Victor, did not attend church but he longed to see his homeland again. I dismissed this e-mail request as an idle, somewhat extravagant thought but some months later a sign language interpreter put me in touch with the head teacher at a small struggling Deaf school in the Dominican Republic. The teacher's name was Peggy Blevins. I had to meet this Peggy who worked with the Deaf children that the National Deaf School in the Dominican Republic would not teach because they had learning disabilities and behavior issues. She had made a life of giving hope and language and the love of God to children that the educators of that country thought were not worth reaching. The next thing I knew Peggy in Baltimore and Peggy in the Dominican Republic, both whose favorite color is pink, struck up quite a conversation through the internet and by the fall plans started to come together for a VIM trip. She wanted me to bring the most valuable gift of all to her students. Not money, not supplies, not even Bibles...but a Deaf Dominican Republic role model. That is when that lone email from Victor began to make sense. Even though he rarely attended church I felt God nudging me to invite Victor to come on this VIM trip to work with these children. He was thrilled and had his bags packed and ready from the day I invited him to go.

God not only planned to have Victor on the team but a "dream team" of other talented hearing and Deaf people from BW Conference Churches and other churches volunteered to take part as well. Together we planned a week of Bible School lessons for the Deaf children and also we scheduled visits with the various ministries of the Assembly of God Deaf Church of Santo Domingo. There is no Deaf Methodist presence on the island. The Deaf ministries were mostly found in the Baptist and Assembly of God Churches. The Dominican Republic Assembly of God pastor was Deaf and he assisted our team with street evangelism and Bible Studies with the Deaf in the evenings. What a surprise to find out that the Deaf pastor's wife was a long lost cousin of Victor! He did not know she had married a minister ...they had not seen each other in years. God's plan for this unlikely team member continued to unfold. Throughout the week we taught the children a number of familiar stories of Jesus with costumes and drama and crafts and games. It was unusually easy because the Deaf people on the island use American Sign Language. Most international countries have a different sign language code from ours but in this country they use ASL because the missionaries brought ASL to the island from American years ago and it stuck. Throughout the day as we taught the children I would look up and there would be Victor seated on a tiny child's chair talking with the students, helping them with their crafts. The children's eyes were full of expression and curiosity and their smiles would light up their tiny faces. Each day we sent them home with supplies and treats that we had brought with us.....school kits, health kits, stuffed bears, baseball gloves. The children were enthusiastically appreciative. They had so little.

One day we visited the National Deaf School where we had the opportunity to meet with the principal and advocate for better relations between the Deaf School and the private schools that attend to the needs of the more challenged students. Victor had been a student of the principal years ago and his insights on the changes in deaf education were a valuable part of the discussion.

The Sunday morning worship at the Assembly of God Deaf Church confirmed to me what I had seen many times before....this universal Deaf Spirit that transcends nationality, ethnicity, language or economic status. The Deaf worshipers signed and prayed and laughed and talked endlessly ...just like the Deaf Church folks back in Baltimore. Time means nothing....community is precious....hugs and smiles and soul to soul communication ran like a river through the room. Heartwarming testimonies about the love of God were shared ...but none touched me as much as Victor, who rose to address the congregation. His signs were eloquent: "I came here to visit my home country but I found out about God here and the love of Jesus. I accepted Christ as my Savior and I want to come back here and help this Deaf school again." I hope that God has this plan in the works. God is always working for good in the world....the hearing world...the Deaf world....it's all God's world. And God is always about the business of using everyone, even the people we don't expect, as bridge-builders of understanding and peace.

Many thanks to those who helped to support this VIM trip through funding and prayers: BW Conference Deaf Ministries, Christ UMC of the Deaf, Peace with Justice Grants, United Methodist Committee on Deaf, Late Deafened, Hard of Hearing and Deaf Blind, Magothy UMC of the Deaf and many friends and family members.

Attending the mission trip with me were: Rev. Chris Hughes (Assembly of God pastor) and his family: Jennifer, (wife), Jessica, Jacob & Joanna (children), Diane Rehling (Fallston UMC and sign language interpreter at Hiss UMC), Koretta Scott (Metropolitan UMC - BH), Dionne Dixon and Ann Mason. ©2006 by UMCom - Design by Pearson Web Design