A little while ago Amanda tapped me on the shoulder and said, “Mom." I was so surprised when she touched me. I guess it has been two years since she has tried to get my attention the “normal" deaf way. And she called my name out loud. “ Mom" is the only word Amanda knows how to say. It is nothing short of a miracle that she attempted to engage me without prompting. I turned my head toward the back seat to see two “ thumbs up" with a smile sticking out between them. She singed,” I feel good, it's wonderful! Won-der-ful" and with each affirmative nod her smile grew larger and her eyes light up! Indeed, it IS wonderful!For the last two weeks, it seems like Amanda’s nervous system has been waking up. She has an increase in alertness, is waking early in the day, and making strides in independence. We still have a long way to go, but these few milestones sure cheer us on. We are thanking the Lord for his goodness. How we long to have our happy, bubbly Amanda back in full force. God is able!~Tricia ... See MoreSee Less
We have recently been to a couple of camp meetings and have been encouraged by the preaching and fellowship. We are thankful for the pastors and their churches that host these events and for their wonderful hospitality!~ Marie ... See MoreSee Less
Seeing these birds outside our hotel this week reminded me of this verse:“Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows.” Matthew 10:29-31 KJVWe have been travelling extensively since Christmas, with appointments for Amanda and meetings in churches in various states around the US. I’m thankful for God’s provision and protection on the roads, and in the air!~ Marie ... See MoreSee Less
We stopped off at Buc'ees on our way to Indianapolis. Amanda has been having an amazing day! We praise God for the improvements we are beginning to see and are still praying for a full recovery. God is able! ~Tricia ... See MoreSee Less
We had a very blessed Christmas, quietly at home with part of the team and John's mom. In Peru, Timothy's family has a tradition of having panetonne and cinamon-orange hot chocolate. We have welcomed this tradition in our home along with Timothy. Panetonne is Amanda's favorite food in the world. Since she can't have starch, flour or sugar, panetonne was out of the question for her this year. Consequently, I made everyone eat theirs in the kitchen while Amanda was in the living room, so she would not be disappointed. Most of us have a cough and cold from some virus we picked up on our trip. Since no one is feeling that great, nearly half of the panetonne was left over. I put three big wedges in a ziplock bag on the counter before I went to bed last night. Once in awhile, Amanda gets a few moments of clarity, and she starts talking about everything she has had on her mind since the last burst. Last night I was heading to bed, when suddenly Amanda wanted to tell me everything she had on her mind. I had been up all night on Christmas eve, but these moments are so important. I talked to her for quite awhile, and then she finally said she was ready for bed. I was dead tired and glad she was ready. I was out like a light in seconds, but Amanda decided she still wanted to talk. After two hours of in and out of sleep, I grabbed ear plugs and rolled over toward the window. She tried to wake me, but I didn't respond. I fell asleep. This morning there was an empty Ziplock bag where there were three pieces of panetonne last night. Reports from John and Timothy are that Amanda, who never leaves a room without being guided, went to the kitchen in the wee hours this morning and helped herself to the rest of the panetonne. She should in no way, shape, or form be eating panetonne, but there is a little joy in knowing she got to have her favorite food on Christmas.~ Tricia ... See MoreSee Less
And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory, (the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. John 1:14 ... See MoreSee Less
We are on our flight from Texas, to Jacksonville, after being away from Florida since November 7th! Thank you for all your prayers for our time away. It’s looking like the first few months of 2026 will be keeping us just as busy! It’s an honour to be serving our Saviour every day. ~ Marie ... See MoreSee Less
Our Go team is on the plane, getting ready to leave Seoul, Korea. Pray for our flight to the US. Thank you all for praying...~John ... See MoreSee Less
It's a great day for flying! We are loaded up and headed to the airport for a three-legged journey to Dallas, Texas. The trip has been profitable! We have learned so much and we see a clear open door for future ministry in this part of the world. We have been treated with great kindness and hospitality. The Lord has been good to us. All in all, ten people have made a profession of faith in Christ., missionaries and pastors have been encouraged and we can hardly wait to come back! USCIS broke all promises and commitments to process Timothy's visa and has instructed us not to contact them or our senator anymore about his case. He was not able to come at all. Please pray God will intervene and the visa will be approved shortly; we need it for future ministry. We especially praise the Lord Amanda was able to make the trip. Her continued recovery is also significant to our availability and effectivness in global missions.Thank you for all the prayers and financial support !~Tricia ... See MoreSee Less
We usually like to post pictures of the church services and people we engage but due to the political instability in world politics, we have been respectfully asked to refrain. We would love so much to share more but see clearly the wisdom in the request. ... See MoreSee Less
Several people have asked how Amanda is doing on the trip. We have had good days and rough days but we praise the Lord it has been nothing like the difficulties we had in Australia last year. She had had a few days where I kept her in bed, but she has also navigated some days where we were out in the city all day and into the night, climbing stairs, riding escalators and catching subways. A few times she rapidly exhausted and we hauled a cab and took her straight back to our Air BnB. There was one night in Japan that she was struggling and she may have had a mild seizure; I am not certain. Thankfully, the Lord has helped her to do the things we have needed to do. I think the stairs have actually been useful in helping her develop stamina. It has been hard finding foods she is supposed to be eating and sometimes we have had to feed her things she should be avoiding. So far, it has not caused any adverse reactions and we praise the Lord for his protection. We have always taught that God calls a man and his family should follow, even if the place is not optimal for his family. The decision to bring Amanda on such a big trip was difficult and bathed in much prayer but we believed the Lord wanted us to go. It does not mean though, that we didn't wonder if we had lost our minds. Overall, Amanda has been slowly improving. There are still many difficulties and challenges but God is meeting our needs. As we have said so many times, we are so thankful for all your prayers on our behalf. ~Tricia ... See MoreSee Less
Oh no! Not again! Jorge's K-ETA tourist visa did not get approved before our flight. Timothy is still in the US, John and Jorge are in Japan and the rest of the team is with me about to taxi out to go to Korea. How I hate these empty seats that should have had our guys in them. ... See MoreSee Less
We had a most exciting day today! A friend of Chris and Kim arranged for us to visit the Sapporo Deaf Association and the Hokkaido Deaf Association both here in town. Then in the evening we met for a fantastic Japanese style seafood dinner with a deaf teacher who studied at Gallaudet, and a number of her adult deaf students who are learning ASL. Everyone had such a good time. After working at it all day we gained enough information to find our friend Kaji on Facebook and hope to connect with him soon. Kaji was in Bible college with us in the late eighties and early nineties. Everywhere we have gone for the last 25 years people have asked us if we know where to find him. We have looked for years and now we are close. Tomorrow, (Tuesday in Japan) on Marie's birthday, we leave for Korea; but we are praying about returning to Japan to invest more time. We are thrilled with the blessings of today and praying for more as we head to Korea. Our God is so big! ~Tricia ... See MoreSee Less
Our team have arrived in Sapporo, Hokkaido, and have met up with Chris and Kim Walters, who are serving as missionaries here. Tonight we visited the T38 tower observatory, and prayed as a group while overlooking the area they are desiring to reach with the Gospel. Please pray for upcoming meetings with the local Deaf community, and for Chris and Kim, as they seek to learn Japanese Sign Language and further build a ministry to the Deaf here.~ Marie ... See MoreSee Less
Happy Thanksgiving! No turkey dinner for the Go Team. We are waiting on two taxis to take us to the airport. It is a three hour flight to Sapporo. We are looking forward to seeing Chris and Kim Walters. ... See MoreSee Less
As with all missions trips, our time in Tokyo is coming to a close all too quickly. Tomorrow we fly to Sapporo, an island north of the mainland of Japan. We have made friends and are sad to part. As of this morning, nine people have trusted Christ as their Savior and something over seven thousand tracts were distributed. Last night giving tracts out was harder because many said they had already received one. Other ministries were here to witness as well. We think we can say that most of the crowd has been given the opportunity to know Christ. If nothing else, the seed was planted, and we are trusting God to give the increase. ~ Tricia ... See MoreSee Less
After church and an afternoon of fellowship the team headed off to a basketball game between Israel and the USA. We rode the train together from near the mountains west of Tokyo into the city. At Shinjuku station Amanda and I got out to take a taxi home because she has been out enough for one day. We went up to the street to see if we could grab dinner and found ourselves in the "Times Square" of Tokyo. All I could find was bars so we grabbed a taxi home and will figure out what to eat there. If nothing else the convenience stores sell some pretty good chicken. I know John is hoping to get to talk with one of the American players. He and David met him in a gas station on our way to Orlando airport the night the team flew to Japan.He told them he hoped to see them again in Japan. Tonight could be the night. We are praying for Devine appointments.~ Tricia ... See MoreSee Less
We are just sitting around discussing the signs of the times and how little time we have to reach the deaf with the Gospel. Our guys lead a former Buddhist to Christ today and yesterday a seventy-five year old deaf man. Soon, the trumpet will sound, and the chance to reach our world will be gone. Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. Mark 16:15~ Tricia ... See MoreSee Less
Yesterday the three girls went out together to give out tracts. Most people were receptive and gracious. We talked to people of a few different religious backgrounds, including Muslim and Buddhist. Pray for Holy Spirit conviction on these that we met and gave tracts to. ~ Anna ... See MoreSee Less
Tokyo is massive. We took taxi to church to have less risk of wearing out Amanda and getting slowed down on the way. We have been driving well over an hour divided into two taxi's. This is going to be one expensive ride but we should be on time for church.! ... See MoreSee Less
Pray for Pastor Bruce Kelly of Deaf Baptist Church of Smyrna, Georgia, my pastor and brother-in-law flying to Tokyo, Japan, for the Deaflympics Outreach as well as a trip to Nagasaki, Japan and Seoul, South Korea.~John ... See MoreSee Less
We have just landed in Japan! We thank the Lord for a great flight, especially for Amanda. We are certainly all a little disappointed John and Timothy were unable to make the flight but all of the team trusts that God is in control. Please pray God will open a door for them quickly and they will be here before we it! We are on our way to customs and to get our luggage before meeting with one of the deaf pastors to get us to our Air BnB. Japan. Tokyo, Here we are! ... See MoreSee Less
This is it! We are embarking on our road trip from Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, to Orlando Airport, to fly to Tokyo. We had a great three days at the BIO Fall Meeting. We saw Marie Hopkins and Jeremy and Shamberly Coleman get approved with the mission board, and we are praying for a great mission trip to the Deaflympics. Please keep praying for Amanda’s health, and pray for Abigail as she is meeting us at the airport in Orlando. Finally, please pray for Timothy’s visa. We are trusting God to work everything out.~ Anna ... See MoreSee Less
Go Deaf Missions proudly welcomes Jeremy and Shamberly Coleman and family to the team! We are excited so see how God can use us together to reach deaf people worldwide for Christ. ... See MoreSee Less
There is not enough good to say about this guy! He loves the Lord, he loves his family, and he loves the people of God. For almost forty years I have watched him live his life with joy. One could easily think it is because he has an easy life but nothing could be farther from the truth. He has a wife who complains entirely too much and four children who all need loads of prayer for various reasons, yet he meets those challenges with a happy heart.This morning, I woke him early, in the dark, out of dead sleep because I wanted to see the sunrise at Honey Creek Valley. Even though he is not a morning person, he got up and ready and let me drag him out in the frosty cold. We drove over an hour, missed the sunrise entirely, and arrived to see not a valley but a wall of white fog. A lot of guys would have been annoyed, but John just laughed it off. He is such a great husband and I'm glad he's mine!~ Tricia ... See MoreSee Less
Yesterday I had my practical test for a driver’s license here in Florida and passed! I’m thankful for how God is providing for all of my needs here, and for the support of our team. Please continue to pray for us and our upcoming trip to Japan, and South Korea. Not long to go!~ Marie ... See MoreSee Less
Para leer en Español vea abajo:For the last four years I have been working for the Peruvian Bible Society. I decided I would save up my money and keep it in a little box. My coworkers would often ask me, “What are you saving for?” I told them, “I want to travel.” They asked, “Where are you going? Are you planning to travel to another country?” I answered, “To South Korea.” They were surprised and did not believe me. Their comments were, “How? That far? That’s impossible!” They would always joke whenever I talked about traveling. But I told them, “You are going to be surprised! One day you will understand. People in Korea also need to know about Christ. God knows, and He will open the doors.” I held this in my heart.Even my parents told me it wouldn’t work. But I trusted God. I knew He would provide. My desire was to share the Word of God. A verse came to my mind that strengthened me greatly: Joshua 1:9 — “Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.” This verse gave me strength. I felt that God placed it in my heart. I resigned from my job and began to prepare to go on a trip. My parents asked with whom I would travel to South Korea and Japan. They told me I couldn’t go alone. I obeyed my dad and began to pray for God to open the door. There came a moment when I felt very sad and discouraged. My dream was to travel to Japan and South Korea to share the Word of God. But everything seemed so hard and impossible. I even thought about changing my plans and going to another country, such as Argentina. I grew depressed and my heart filled with doubts. But in the waiting, God spoke to my heart. He helped me understand that He had not forgotten my dream. He showed me that His best plan still included Japan and South Korea. Even though my parents doubted and told me no, I decided to believe God. I did not have all the answers, but I had faith. One day after I prayed, I told my mom I know I am going! She said, “Definitely! This year, 2025, you will travel to Japan. No matter how things look, the important thing is that you serve the Lord. Pray, and He will open the way.” One day my mother showed me a video on Facebook. Although it was in American Sign Language, I suddenly saw they were talking about a mission trip to Japan and Korea! As I watched it, my heart filled with excitement. My mother turned to me and said, “That is a sign. God is opening the door. I will tell your father,” My dad agreed I could go. And it all came together! I gave all the glory to God when the Go Deaf Missions team accepted me as a participant on this trip. God truly does everything perfectly, in His time and according to His plan. Even when a visa to the United States seemed unattainable, because the one I had had expired, I said, “If God wills, a new one will be approved.” Because when God decides to open a door, no man can shut it. Today, I continue to trust Him. Wherever He sends me, I will go, to share His Word and to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I know that God is with me wherever I go. And my parents, who once doubted, now see the hand of God and have grown in their own faith. Together, we continue forward, by faith, to serve the Lord.~Abigail De La Vega ______________Estuve trabajando durante cuatro años en la Sociedad Bíblica Peruana. Decidí ahorrar el dinero y guardarlo en una cajita. Ellos me preguntaban: Para que estas ahorrando? Yo dije deseo viajar."¿A dónde vas? ¿Vas a viajar a otros países?" Yo respondí: "A Corea del Sur". Pero ellos se sorprendieron y no creían y sus cometarios eran: "¿Cómo? ¿Tan lejos? ¡Eso es imposible!". Siempre bromeaban cuando yo hablaba de viajar. Yo les decía: "Es una sorpresa. Algún día lo entenderán también en Korea necesitan saber de Cristo, Dios sabe,, Él abrira puertas". yo pensaba.Incluso mis padres me dijeron que no. Pero yo confié en Dios. Sé que Él proveerá. Mi deseo es compartir la Palabra de Dios. Me vino a la mente un versículo que me animó mucho:Josué 1:9: "Mira que te mando que te esfuerces y seas valiente; no temas ni desmayes, porque Jehová tu Dios estará contigo en dondequiera que vayas."Este versículo me dio fuerza. Sentí que Dios puso en mi corazón. Renuncié a mi trabajo y me preparé para ir. Mis padres me preguntaban con quién viajaría a Corea del Sur y Japón. Me decían que no podía hacerlo. Pero obedecí a mi papá y comencé a orar , Hubo un momento en que me sentí muy triste y desanimada. Mi sueño era viajar a Japón y Corea del Sur para compartir la Palabra de Dios. Pero todo parecía difícil, imposible. Hasta pensé en cambiar de rumbo e irme a otro país, como Argentina. Estaba deprimida, con muchas dudas en el corazón. Pero en ese silencio, Dios habló a mi corazón. Me hizo entender que Él no se había olvidado de mi sueño. Él me mostró que lo mejor seguía siendo Japón y Corea del Sur. Aunque mis padres dudaban mucho y me decían que no, yo decidí creerle a Dios.yo no tenía todas las respuestas, pero sí tenía fe. Oré que un día, yo voy dice a mi mamá Definitivamente, este 2025 viajarás a Japón. No importa cómo estén las cosas, lo importante es que sirvas al Señor. Ora, y Él abrirá el camino. —Un día, mi mamá me mostró un video en Facebook. Aunque estaba en habla señas inglés, de pronto hablaban de Japón y Corea. Al verlo, mi corazón se llenó de emoción. Ella me miró y me dijo: —Eso es una señal. Dios está abriendo la puerta, avisare a tu Papi y el estuvo de acuerdo.¡Y así fue! Le di la gloria a Dios, cuando el equipo me acepto para poder participar y poder ir con ellos, porque Él hace todo perfecto, en Su tiempo y con Su plan.Incluso cuando mi visa a Estados Unidos parecía imposible —porque ya había pasado la fecha—, yo dije: “Si Dios quiere, la aprobarán.” Porque cuando Él decide abrir camino, nadie lo puede detener.Hoy sigo confiando. Donde Él me envíe, iré. Para compartir su Palabra, para compartir el evangelio de Jesucristo. Porque sé que Dios está conmigo dondequiera que vaya. Y mis Padres, que antes dudaba, ahora ven la mano de Dios y han crecido en su Fe y Juntos, seguimos adelante, con fe, para servir al Señor.~Abigail De La Vega ... See MoreSee Less
It's getting real! I am trying to figure out what to pack for Japan! Temps are already ranging from 50-60° F. By the time we get to the north island of Sapporo there may be snow and by the time we get to Korea, there probably will be. It is hard packing for me but worse for Amanda. She does best when she is toasty warm!~ Tricia ... See MoreSee Less
God gave us a pretty amazing day today! We are asking God for a number of great things but right at the top of our list is for Amanda to recover. I think we are all amazed at what we saw today. In the afternoon, Amanda started talking about all kinds of things she remembers. She talked to me, then Anna, David, Timothy, Marie, and John. This evening while I was on a video call with Peru, Amanda told John she needed to take a shower. She proceeded directly to the bathroom, closed the door, got ready and got in. Unsure of whether she had done all the steps, I went to check on her. I found her with the shampoo bottle in her hand. She wanted to know if after her shower she could get something to eat. She showered herself, dried, dressed herself and hung up her towel all by herself. Afterward, she fed herself dinner, took her medicine and put herself to bed! I came a few minutes later to say good night and she told me, "Stop, I am trying to sleep, you are messing me up!“These are huge milestones! We are praying for a full recovery! ~Tricia ... See MoreSee Less
Sometimes, it is hard to know what to write about Amanda. So many days feel like we take two steps forward and three steps back. We measure victories in such small increments that we are almost uncertain if there has really been a change. Two weeks ago it seemed things might be taking a turn for the worse but we have been praying and God has been working. We have had two great days in a row and today, Amanda laughed for the first time since I can’t remember when. Such a thrill to my heart! Timothy just happened to catch the moment on video and I want to share part of this beautiful blessing with all of you. Thank you for praying and please don’t stop!~Tricia ... See MoreSee Less
Three days ago I sat down to chat with Amanda. She's been so ill, and I've been so busy, we haven't talked as much as usual. Someone had brought her some paper and colored pencils, as she has always loved drawing, but she hadn't touched them. Since her illness, she has a hard time starting a task, and when started, a hard time continuing. I think her mind gets stuck not knowing how to proceed to the next thing. She is frustrated by this, because she used to be fully capable of these things. I asked what she wanted to draw. I suggested a strawberry, and she nodded. She had a hard time knowing how to start, so I drew the outline in red and handed her the pencil. She began to draw the seeds, then switched to green and drew the leaves. As she drew, I talked to her about the things we have done in the last several days: the Deaf Baptist Ladies' Retreat and seeing old friends, and the fruit she had for breakfast. As I talked, she lifted her hands and began to agree with me, and tell me her opinions. She liked the strawberries for breakfast. I asked her what to draw next.I suggested a blueberry, which she also ate for breakfast, and I drew one. Amanda has never loved working or playing alone. She likes to draw together. When she was little, I used to come to her house on Sunday nights after church, and she would watch the door for me to arrive. She would come running, take my hand, and drag me over to the office room floor where she had games ready. After drawing the blueberry, I suggested we draw something to represent fall. I found a photo of a beautiful maple leaf on my phone, and she smiled and nodded. It's difficult to talk to someone who can't talk much, so I try to imagine what things Amanda is thinking and what she would say. I told her, "I wish I could open your head and look inside at your thoughts." She smiled at that. Several times she lifted her hands to tell me things. She told me to try again to sharpen a colored pencil that kept breaking. Eventually it did sharpen. We did high fives and tens to celebrate. She told me that the leaf was hard to draw, and she didn't like what she produced. She also didn't like my first attempt at the leaf, which was way out of proportion. We smiled at my poor attempt. While she talked, she was as bright and cheerful and energetic as she always has been. It's good to see her natural personality shine through in those rare moments. It gives me hope that she will return to normal. She is still the same Amanda in there.~ Anna ... See MoreSee Less
We are at the storage unit picking up all the Christmas decorations, because if we don’t decorate for Christmas now, we won’t be ready for Christmas after we get back from Japan. When we get home, we will have about four days at home to do everything Christmas. So we are trying to get it knocked out before we have to leave for Indianapolis next week for Amanda‘s appointment, then go to a meeting at our mission board. From that meeting in Tennessee, we will be driving straight to the airport in Orlando to fly to Japan. The Go Team stays very busy! ... See MoreSee Less
Both of these ladies Mary Fuller, and Lisa Gunter, have had a huge part in my trusting Christ as my saviour, and learning more about who God truly is. Thank you to all the missionaries who have made huge sacrifices to go to people in other countries to share the hope of the Gospel with the Deaf. I am so grateful for the impact they have had in my life! ❤️~ Marie ... See MoreSee Less
This morning Tricia, Timothy and I will be looking at places to use as a location for our photo session coming up. We are intending to update our team photos on our website. We are also busy with everything we need to do before heading to Tokyo and South Korea. Please continue to pray for us!~ Marie ... See MoreSee Less
I am really excited to see Amanda up at the crack of dawn talking and laughing. She said she is starting to feel better. She also said it has been a long time since she has eaten. (Since last night at 8:00)Over breakfast she told me how she has been feeling. Right after, I prayed to thank the Lord for strengthening her, and asked Him to help her fully recover. Then she prayed. She asked God to take away pain, let her get well, and help her to witness again. Just sitting here stunned.... God is good. He has a plan. He is working. ~Tricia ... See MoreSee Less
Last week we were in Indianapolis, and we recorded this missions update. God is still working. Please keep us, and this upcoming trip in your prayers. ... See MoreSee Less
Today is John's birthday! As is often the case for special occasions, we are on the road and the family will not be able to gather to celebrate but would you join me in wishing him a Happy Birthday and maybe share something you learned from him or love about who he is. If you leave a video, his phone will caption it. ~Tricia ... See MoreSee Less
I am sitting in a therapy room with Amanda at Holistic Integrations. She has had some good developments in the last few weeks, and we have made some important discoveries that seem to have helped address her needs better. I could probably write a book, but in short, whether genetically caused, covid caused, or scoliosis caused, it seems likely that the Vegas nerve is the common denominator to all the difficulties Amanda has been having. We will probably never learn what lead to what, but we are in a process to eliminate toxins that have damaged the nerve and chiropractic care to alleviate stress on the nerve with a few other therapies on the side. After the first chiropractic adjustment to free the Vegas nerve a couple of weeks ago, Amanda suddenly started talking. We were so amazed. She had not said a whole sentence since the big seizure in March. She talked all evening and woke me again and again all night to have more conversations. Some of them were repeated and sometimes she would get stuck on a word and repeat it without being able to move on. Other times she would just freeze with her hands mid-air. By morning she was once again lethargic and non-communicative. In the last two weeks, Amanda has had several lucid periods where she has held full conversations. Sometimes her movement is jerky and we can see the intent of the brain does not carry out in the limbs. For example she tries to walk and her upper body tries to go forward but her feet remain firmly planted on the floor. It surprises her because she intended to move. For these last two weeks we have been on shifting sand, up and down, weak and strong, aware and trapped inside unable to get out. But there are ups! There is strength! There is awareness! We thank the Lord for seeing little glimpses of Amanda's bubbly personality break through! How we have missed her sweet smile and gentle laughs! Dr. Prather said Covid did unimaginable damage to some people's Vegas nerve. He said the toxins he is finding are in the Vegas nerve. He expects the ups and downs to continue but the overall trajectory to be on an upward trend. Once he frees her of toxins he thinks he may also be able to support the genetic issues as well. Amanda's case manager thinks Amanda can go to Japan and the office is writing a letter for Japanese Customs for all of Amanda's supplements. It was not long ago that I was waking nearly every hour of every night to check if she was still breathing. So many nights I feared she would be gone by morning. But God... God is doing the impossible. Instead of realizing my worst fears, we are going to go to Japan with the Gospel. How good is God to do something like this! Thank you for continued prayers!~ Tricia ... See MoreSee Less
I wanted to support a young lady I know from Peru who has the opportunity to go to Europe on a missions trip to Europe. I was surprised when the transaction returned NSF. I knew we made a sizable deposit a couple of days ago. It turns out scammers have gotten a hold of our card number and drained our bank accounts. John spent a couple hours on the phone with the bank combing through our purchases. They will begin returning the funds tomorrow. Now we have to go get new bank cards and start calling everyone we do business with to change our auto payments. It looks like the first deduction was after we pumped gas out of state. Thank the Lord the bank did not dispute any of it.~Tricia ... See MoreSee Less
There is still time to register for our second set of fall ASL classes! While some classes are full, we still have many options available to choose from. If you have been wanting to learn or continue your learning, now is your chance! See the link below to see descriptions of the classes we offer. Register soon, as the classes will be closed on Monday September 22nd. www.gcdhh.org/adults/asl... See MoreSee Less
We are collecting resources for Japan! Thank you Jim Sloan for sending us your French Sign Language materials. We will stack them on Anna's pile of things to do! Anyone else who is willing to part with foreign sign language books can send them our way! God said, " Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things which thou knowest not." (Jeremiah 33:3) We are in need of a great God to do great things for this trip. We know he is able!We are slowly but surely seeing some improvements with Amanda and beginning to take her out once again to places beyond medical appointments. In absence of a mitochondrial diagnosis, we are believing God for a full recovery. Unless God intervenes and makes it clear she cannot travel, we are taking her to Japan. We have bathed this decision in much prayer and all of the team believes it is the will of the Lord that we all go. We know something unwanted could happen. It could happen right here in the United States, as well. Ultimately, Amanda's health and life are in the hand of the Lord. He called us to missions and he is able to take care of us wherever he sends us.We know some people may not understand how this would be our decision. Unsure medical resources are a part of missionary life, but it is God who protects the life and health of the missionary, and also God who allows illnesses and sometimes even death in order that he might be glorified. We are committed to trusting him in this. We believe God will strengthen her for this trip. All year, we have been asking the Lord to show us how and when to return to foreign travel. When our Pastor, Bruce Kelly, said he was planning to Go to Deaflympics but no one he invited was able to go, we just knew on the spot this was God's answer. A week later we had an eight hour meeting with our team to outline the trip. There are a lot of moving parts but we believe God is in this. We hit the ground running!~We have several prayer requests:Amanda's full recovery and for all of the team to stay healthy.~For a Transit visa for a deaf young lady in Peru who will be joining us.~For sufficient funds to print and ship Bearing Precious Seed tracts of John and Romans on short notice. We would like to take 12,000 and ship them by air.~For additional funds to create wordless book bracelets with ILY ( I Love You ) hands in wordless book bracelets to give away with Gospel presentations.~For adequate housing for a team of 12 in Tokyo and Seoul.If you know a place, please let us know!~For a couple of unspoken but very important items. We are praising God for a family in Georgia who donated 600,000 Sky Miles to offset the cost of the trip. The other 400,000 they donated were used for Las Vegas and some personal flights for Amanda to see doctors and David to travel this summer. If you do the math, you should come up with a million free Skymiles! God does great and mighty things!We are praying earnestly for God to help us clearly present the Gospel in Languages where we are not yet fluent and we are praying for souls to be saved. We are also hoping to scout out some opportunities in Japan and Korea for new deaf ministries to be started. We are praying for the right connections. Thank you for praying with us! ~Tricia ... See MoreSee Less
UPDATE:If you are planning to be in the workshop this morning and you did not get a link from me, message me now so I can send you the link._______________________One of my biggest challenges in ministry is interpreting music in a way that invites the Deaf into meaningful worship with the rest of the congregation. In this online workshop, I would love to share some of the things I have learned to help interpreters facing this same challenge. ~TriciaThis workshop will be Online, details will be provided after registering.Click here to register:godeafmissions.com/workshopn... See MoreSee Less
Well, Mayo uses the UF Lab for testing and the doctor said Amanda has already been fully tested. He thinks she probably does have some sort of genetic disorder but it does not stem from any part of the genome medicine understands. He suggests testing again in three or four years in case new discoveries have been made. We have exhausted genetics He is referring us to neurology and psychiatry for symptom management. He thinks she may also be experiencing depression. We are very skeptical because of the awful effects medicines have had on her. We are praying for more wisdom. ~Tricia ... See MoreSee Less
Please pray for Amanda as we go to Mayo Clinic for an appointment tmw (Thursday) with the Genetics department. Pray that God will give the doctors wisdom and understanding in finding the diagnosis. Thank you.~John ... See MoreSee Less
We had something unexpected pop up today that throws a wrench in a lot of plans. We trust that God has a plan and that he is working all things for our good but we have a lot to figure out and rearrange. Please pray for God to do great and mighty things as we are preparing for Japan and Korea. We are asking God for wisdom, understanding, mercy, and patience. ~Tricia ... See MoreSee Less
