"I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe." Ephesians 1:17-19
"I believe that sometimes, deaf people can hear better than people of hearing.
Just recently, my family started the process of adoption. We are adopting two children from Uganda. The older of the two, Joan, is deaf. Other than being able to physically hear, she is a perfectly normal seven year old girl. She loves clothes, candy, dolls, getting her picture taken, and many other things. She also loves to talk. Granted you can't understand what she's saying, but she is talking.
One of the things that used to confuse me about Joan is that she loves to dance. For most seven year old girls, that would be completely normal, but since Joan can't hear, it struck me as odd. When I say Joan can dance, I mean it. She can move! It's so funny to me! I don't know why. I guess it's because she dances better than me, and she can't even hear the music!
I'm writing this essay, not to tell you that my deaf sister can dance, but to tell you that my deaf sister can hear. She can't hear like me, or my mom, or anyone else in my family. She hears in her own way. I believe that more than what we hear makes up the sound something makes. Even though Joan has never heard a laugh, she knows what a laugh is, and when we are laughing. When we laugh, so does she. She knows that laughter comes when you are happy, so when she's happy, she laughs.
On Facebook, there is a picture of Joan dancing and laughing and dancing. Even though it's just a picture, I can hear my sister laughing, and her feet shuffling on the ground. Under that picture, my mom made the comment, "She dances to the sound of angels singing."
So, I believe that my deaf sister dances to music. We just have to search our hearts and minds to listen with her."
By Laurel M. Reeves
March 2010
This was an essay written by Laurel almost one year ago. "We just have to search our hearts and minds to listen with her." Our child is deaf. We have known this from the beginning. I met with the Cochlear Implant Team at Children's hospital while Todd was in Africa. They told me Joan is NOT a candidate for an implant. My heart sank into my stomach when they told me but I'm thankful because I know this is God's plan for our family. I have felt God drawing me more and more into Joan's world, God's world. He prepared my heart and HE is equipping our family every time we turn around. She is learning so much at school. They told me yesterday they thought she was ready to learn to read. She understands concepts that are difficult for many hearing children to comprehend..."obey", "I'm the boss", "months of the year", and many more. Joan is beginning to sign to me about her past. I sit there with no expression so I won't inhibit her. I go to my car and I praise the Lord, cry a little, because she is home safe with a family that adores her. She is an amazing artist! She is friends with everyone. It's prideful for me to wish she were any other way. I'm thankful for the life that God is teaching me through having a deaf child and hearing children. More than a deaf child, she is HIS child. HE has had a plan for her life long before I did. God is reshaping my life in a way that I never expected. HE's cleaver and creative. He's mighty to save! I have so much more to share but it's for another day.
Praising God From Whom All Blessings Flow,
Amiee :)
