Emma C.: We went to the big tree. We made our own dampers over a campfire. They are a bread-type roll. We rolled it onto a stick and we cooked it over an open campfire in the woods. After we cooked the dampers for a few minutes, we took it off the stick and put butter and jelly inside and ate it. After eating the damper, we had some chicken and mashed potatoes and a veggie mix. After we finished dinner, we all climbed the big tree and took photos. The big tree was big, just saying. After the big tree, we all headed back by truck or by foot to chapel.
Once we got back to the campus, we started chapel. We performed Grace Will Lead Me Home and fellowshipped with the kids, and then went to bed.
Martina: Today in chapel, I did my group song with Jordan, Emma, and Cia. It was Grace Will Lead Me Home by David Dunn. Then, Emma Hartz shared her testimony, and then I shared mine. Right after, Pandeta, one of the Deaf dorm mothers, came up and told me her entire testimony, and that my testimony really touched her. It was really cool to see that my testimony helped someone because I really didn’t expect it to help anyone that much.
Deanna: On this trip, I have observed people like Brian not really communicating in most conversations because everyone is talking and there is no signing. He probably feels left out. I’m hearing impaired and I’ve never gone a whole day deaf in public as far as I can remember. I thought this would be perfect opportunity to do that since this is a mission trip with Deaf people. So today, I decided to leave my cochlear implants in my bag and not use them at all today to put myself in Brian’s shoes and to give myself a touch of what he goes through every day.
I woke up and everyone was talking. There was not much signing at all. I felt really left out and felt like I was almost watching a movie without sounds. Then I went to breakfast, which was hard. I looked over at Brian and he wasn’t communicating because he wasn’t involved in any conversations. But then, when Mrs. Raisch and I went to work in the field planting seeds, I felt like I belonged more. All the workers were Deaf, and I was able to get more communication. That was one of my highlights of the day. Just working with Deaf people.
That led to heartfelt conversations with our team farmers and talking about our testimonies. Lunch happened again, and it was all hearing people again. It was hard again. I felt isolated.
I went to go hang out with the kids. I still felt kind of isolated because a lot of the hearing kids were there and they were talking, and there were a few Deaf kids, so I stayed with them. Because I felt isolated, that’s why I started to talk to one Deaf teen and one Deaf adult. That went on for at least a half hour. I was more focused because I didn’t have as many distractions.
After a while, I started to forget about the hearing kids. I just noticed my visual perspective was ten times heightened because I was so focused on all the Deaf conversations.
Chapel rolled around, and I finally understood why the students are so distracted. There are no sounds to keep them focused on the front. Even I was distracted a lot of chapel except for the testimonies.
I had one girl ask me why I had my cochlear implants out. When I explained why, she thought it was really cool.
I feel like after this whole experience, I feel more humbled and aware of how Brian and other Deaf kids feel when we are there and we just talk. I think from this day forward, I will be more aware of Deaf people and make sure they are included.
DC Jamaica Mission Trip 2020 