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
Bilinguals and Polyglots! We need your help and We need it right away! We are creating a tract/cover for John and Romans to use at Deaflympics. We need someone to accurately translate these two pages to:JapaneseChineseUkrainianFrenchTurkishItalianArabicRussianMessage us if you can help. We will remove languages from the list as we cover them. Verses need to be from the translation closest to the KJV. Thank you for your attention in this matter. ... See MoreSee Less
How exciting to meet in Zoom this morning with Deaf pastors in Japan to work out details for Deaflympic!. Some of the bigger challenges for the trip are finding suitable lodging for twelve people and a feasible way to get materials shipped to Japan in time for a reasonable price. Restrictions on airlines make missions trips harder and harder, but God is always still able! ... See MoreSee Less
Tonight, the church we visited gave us a check to help with the Tokyo Deaflympics trip. Praise the Lord! Looking forward to God providing the rest. Please pray.~John ... See MoreSee Less
She is worn out now, but we were able to get Amanda to church this morning. How amazing that Brother Dismuke changed his sermon and preached about birds! Amanda was intrigued through the whole sermon. And just like He has grace and mercy for the little bird, God has that same grace and mercy for her.~ Tricia ... See MoreSee Less
What a week! Since we determined to go to Japan, we have been in a frenzy trying to put all the pieces into place. Three weeks ago Tokyo was not even on our radar. Usually we would begin preparing for a trip like this almost a year in advance, but when we met to decide we are going, there were less than eighty-five days to prepare. We need to book flights, find reasonable lodging in two countries, coordinate with churches in Japan and Korea, and brush up on all the foreign sign languages we know and some that we don't. We need to create and order tracts, custom make some give-aways, and figure out transportation, and that's just the big stuff Help us pray down the cost of airfares because right now they are through the roof! Also pray we can find housing for the team without having to mortgage the house at home to pay for it! I don't think we can be too far off from a day's wages buying a loaf of bread. Things are getting very expensive! But thanks be to God, He has already started to bless our efforts, and we are expecting great things from Him!I am sitting here in my bed next to a giggling Amanda. I can't even describe the roller coaster ride we have ridden with her over the last week and a half, but we have had two nights where she has had laughter and clarity. We don't know what tomorrow holds, but we know who holds it! We are very eager to talk with Mayo about the genetic testing on the 11th, because we have some conflicting information we are hoping to sort out. Again, thank you for praying.~ Tricia ... See MoreSee Less
We are at the dentist with Amanda. There is no emergency on the tooth with decay. We are putting Curadent on several small spots that need it and throwing a little on the decaying tooth in case it would have any possibility of slowing down progress. The dentist is going to do a little research into some very old and very new treatment options and wait until after Amanda sees neurology at Mayo in October. He does recommend removing the four wisdom teeth but is willing to help us kick the can down the road so we do not upset the apple cart at Mayo. Thank you to everyone who made recommendations. We went to the one who was recommended as a Christian. We did check with special needs dentists but they only see peds. I am thankful for the peace of mind these steps will give us. It was worth the drive to Ocala. ~Tricia ... See MoreSee Less
"Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not." Jeremiah 33:3Will you pray or continue to pray for Amanda? It is heartbreaking to watch Amanda not able to talk or to eat on her own. She has two doctor's appointments in the next few weeks. Tricia and I thank you for praying and encouraging us.~John ... See MoreSee Less
Well, we are in a dilemma. We took Amanda for a dental cleaning yesterday. The dentist discovered a wisdom tooth mostly buried under the skin of her gums but exposed enough to have had food particles get up inside and sit on the tooth causing a pit of decay. It is serious, and the dentist wanted me to have it extracted right away and the other three wisdom teeth as well, because they always do four at a time. The problem is, without a diagnosis to her condition anesthesia could be equally as dangerous, and there are no pain meds beyond Tylenol that would be recommended. When I tried to explain Amanda's situation, and he pushed saying things could change fast, and she could die. I ended up standing there in tears. I asked to have a consult with the lead doctor that I know and trust.After a few minutes, they sent in an oral surgeon who said if the dentist said it needed to come out, then it did. I told him Amanda has some sort of seizure disorder, undiagnosed. He was sure her seizures wouldn't be a problem. I told him how severe they had been. He was gruff and challenged everything I said. He told me we had not tried Valium on Amanda. I told him we had. He told me it worked fine. I told him it didn't. This is a guy we have never seen, and who has obviously not seen Amanda's chart! He asked what happened with the Valium. I told him after two days of no sleep a hospital gave her Valium, she slept four hours, and then was up the next 72 hours, half out of her mind. He turned on his heels and said he would consult with another doctor.While he was gone, the hygienist resumed cleaning Amanda's teeth, so I asked her to clean the tooth in question well, so the doctor could see it's actual condition. She complied but had a hard time getting up under the skin. She sprayed all she could in the opening in the gum. (This should never have happened)She left the room briefly and returned telling me we were all done. I was confused. I asked about the senior doctor, and she said he was not coming. She told me the best thing would be to take Amanda home, do a better job brushing, especially up under the skin over the bad tooth and consider doing three month cleanings instead of six. That was all. How am I supposed to brush a tooth that is under the gum? She couldn’t get to it with her dental tools!I knew the dentist visit would exhaust Amanda, but she had an awful day today. Her mouth is too sore to chew. Tonight she is in a lot of pain. I finally gave in and gave her ibuprofen. We have been avoiding all meds, even over the counter, but I prayed God would help it work for her. It took away the pain but now she won't sleep. Tonight, I have been digging and researching what we should do. I am not sure how bad the tooth really is. He showed me two dark spots. The dentist said it was shallow but soon would start to hurt and get infected. From what I read, blowing water in there probably drove bacteria into the gums and possibly deeper into the tooth. This poor girl has suffered so much. I wanted a second opinion to know if it is safe to wait until the 11th and talk to Mayo. Now, I don't know. For tonight, we will see how things go. If Amanda is alright, we will be looking for a new dentist on Monday. If not, Mayo may be seeing us sooner than they think. Interestingly, the tooth could contribute to the difficulty with swallowing.The Bible tells us, "In the last days, perilous times shall come." Surely times are perilous when medical professionals just write off patients. I am glad I read this morning how God's thoughts of us are more than can be numbered. The psalmist exclaimed, "How great is the sum of them!" It has been a tough couple of days, but I know God still has everything in control. Please pray that Amanda will not be in pain in the morning, that there is no resulting infection from the tooth or the cleaning, and that the dentist who evaluated her was erring way too far on the side of caution. Also, please pray I can get some rest. There have been too many interruptions every night, and now my internal clock wakes me even when I can sleep. It does lend itself to frequent praying though, which is what I need to go do now.~TriciaP.S. Does anyone in Jacksonville have a good solid Christian dentist who has some godly wisdom and a heart of compassion? ... See MoreSee Less
Timothy is taking his first Japanese lesson online with a lady from Japan. He couldn't be more thrilled! He has wanted to learn Japanese since before we met him. Pray God helps him learn it well! ... See MoreSee Less
UPDATE: Praise the Lord! A lady who saw this post has a good friend that works at Mayo Clinic in the finance department. On Monday, after seeing our dilemma, she called the friend. Not only does she work in finance but Amanda's case had been assigned to her group. She looked into options for Amanda and was able to waive the S5,000 Fee. She sent is an application to help get any further appoints covered for Amanda but the first three will be at no charge to Amanda. This is such a huge answer to prayer and such a huge relief! We praise God for providing once again in our time of need!On a side note, bit by bit Amanda seems to be growing stronger. She is taking tiny steps that she is trying to regain her autonomy. It was so encouraging to see her smile all day yesterday. So often she just has a blank stare.I am praying feverently about Amanda's health and the trip to Japan. I know God only wants us to be in one of the two places. We want to please Him. He knows what is best for us.These appointments are a miracle in themselves! We thank the Lord for hearing and answering prayer! He is good and his mercy is everlasting!😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊This morning Mayo called to say they need $5000 today for the follow up to the free appointments. If we don't pay it today, they will cancel the appointment. We didn't even know we had an appointment. We had $5,000 set aside for Mayo, but after they sent a letter stating they declined Amanda as a patient, we spent it last week at another clinic to run a new battery of tests. This is the second time Mayo has called asking for an immediate $5,000 for an appointment they scheduled without telling us. What a mess! How can anyone in health care call families desperately needing help with such an ultimatum? It feels like a ransom demand. How is this not illegal?Praying for God to quiet my heart and give us a boatload of wisdom. ~Tricia ... See MoreSee Less
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
My apologies for saying we have the report on Amanda, but delaying to post it. We are not home from the trip to Indianapolis yet; we have lingered in Atlanta to honor a pastor’s request to be in his church this morning. Travel is tough on Amanda and therefore tough on mom. I am tired.As I mentioned, the genetic testing did not show MELAS, ADSHE, or any other mitochondrial epilepsy. In fact, it only showed an anomaly on a single gene. In their global database, there is only one other patient reported to have a mutation of this gene and no information is available about the symptoms of the patient. Apparently, in genetic testing, the school of thought is, “If we don’t know what it is, it must not be significant.” For now, Amanda’s test results yield “no significant findings.” The geneticist recommended retesting in one year in case the insignificant findings become significant. In the meantime, they also ran a panel to find a genetic cause for Amanda’s deafness, because certain etiologies come with other expected genetic manifestations. This is true in David’s case. His deafness is caused by Usher’s syndrome and this mutation is also linked to retinitis pigmentosa. If a patient has one, he will likely have the other. In Amanda’s test, they found no genetic cause of deafness. I wish I had thought it through when the geneticist told me, because it strikes me as odd that Amanda would have a deaf brother without a genetic link. A myriad of illnesses can cause deafness, but two siblings being deaf from the same virus, though not impossible, would be unlikely. Also, the fact that the natural brother had albinism screams there is a genetic condition. In addition, the one irregular gene has identical chromosomes, but no other identicals were identified. These results cause me to question the validity of the test. Another possibility is, the spectrum of the test was too narrow, and the alleles examined were not the mutated genes. The geneticist even suggested our next step would be another set of genetic testing, looking for adult onset mitochondrial disorders. Even though Amanda and her brother had pediatric symptoms, we asked for a referral to adult genetic counselling at UF. On a mission trip to Peru six years ago, we were hiking to Machu Picchu with missionary friends working in Cusco. In our deaf-culture way, we lagged behind the other hikers, stopping to sign our conversations. We had no thought to how suddenly the sun sets in the mountains. We were quickly engulfed in darkness over an hour from our destination. Even with a flashlight, David could not see to find his footing. John and I were sure that night he had Usher’s Syndrome. As soon as we were home, we scheduled a battery of tests including genetic testing at Nemour’s Children’s Hospital. The tests all came back negative for Usher's and doctors told us David had unexplained night blindness, not associated with Usher’s. A year later, a optometrist discovered the retinitis pigmentosa Nemours had missed, and new genetic testing revealed Usher’s. Two years later, the original lab sent a letter saying they were sorry, they missed it, but a review of David’s tests showed he did, indeed, have Usher’s. To the best of my understanding, symptoms of a genetic mutation may not manifest but the DNA should still show the mutation.We relayed all this to Amanda’s geneticist and she buried her face in her hands. She admitted this happens in genetics but said it is rare. I think, after four years of chasing a diagnosis, it is about time the medical community accepts the “rare” as probable. More genetic testing will likely take a few more months to complete. I have just been praying for God to give us wisdom to know how to sort this out. The neurologist wants and really needs an MRI. To do the MRI they need to surgically remove the magnets of Amanda's cochlear implants. We are not against doing so, but right now, we do not know of a sedative or a pain medicine Amanda can take without causing her great distress and possibly dragging her back into repeated seizures. We were working from the premise that if the genetic testing was negative, we would move ahead with surgery. Now, we have a referral for more genetic testing. Our insurance has already declined to pay for the first set of tests, so we do not know what we owe now, and we suspect they will not be interested in covering any others. UF Shands is "working on it." If the waters were not already muddied enough, on Friday, Mayo Clinic called to say they have changed their minds about seeing Amanda, and they have an opening in genetic counselling for Amanda in September. It took me by surprise, but I said we would take it. They scheduled two appointments; one, by phone, for a nurse to take her medical history, and one, in person, for a genetic consultation. I was even more surprised when they said there would be no charge. Following the conversation, I received two texts confirming an estimate of zero dollars for the appointments. Yesterday, I received two more texts estimating the appointments will be over four hundred and eight hundred dollars. Here we go again. I have to get a definition for the word “estimate!”As far as Amanda’s condition, she has not been showing symptoms of anything but absence seizures and possibly some nocturnal seizures that cause twitching. Her processes are all very slow, and she still needs assistance with all her daily living skills; even reminders to swallow food or her saliva. We are maintaining the holistic approach and she seems to have some relief. She was starting to gain weight, which was very encouraging, but I think in the last couple of days, it has started to reverse. God IS our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. I know He wants to be glorified in all of this. Sometimes I feel dismayed, but I am reminded that He is working all things together for our good. I am praying specifically for Amanda to begin to sleep through the night and for her to swallow normally without prompting. Of course, we are asking the Lord for a diagnosis and an effective treatment. We know, above all of this, He is able to heal her completely by the power of His will. Again, we thank you for your constant love and prayers. Our God is able!~Tricia ... See MoreSee Less
It’s confirmed! On Thursday we had an eight-hour meeting to lay out the plans for Korea and the Deaflympics in Japan. There is much work to be done. We are excited the Lord presented us with this opportunity, and we are praying for God to prepare hearts to know Him.~Tricia ... See MoreSee Less
We were headed to Atlanta tonight, but due to flash flooding in the Chattanooga area, we are opting to get a hotel for the night in Kentucky and assess the situation in morning light. Tomorrow we are planning to meet with our pastor to discuss the plans for Korea and Japan. Anna and Marie drove up today from Florida and are bedded down safely for the night in Woodstock.We are praying for our friends, the Lancasters, who live near a rising creek.Tomorrow, I will post what the geneticist had to say about Amanda's test results. The short version is: they did not find anything that would explain her condition, we are getting referred for further DNA testing, and we still do not have a diagnosis. We are thankful to the Lord they did not find a mitochondrial epilepsy, which would have been a terminal diagnosis. We have way more hope of recovery than we had yesterday. Please keep praying.~ Tricia ... See MoreSee Less
We submitted a renewal application for Timothy's visa back in February. They never sent us the number we need to track progress. They have an automated system that hangs up on you if you ask for a live agent more than once and they have not responded to any of our e-mail inquiries. Timothy is allowed to stay a certain amount of time on a "bridge" until his review is complete. Please pray we get an approval soon so he will be set to travel with the team to Korea and Japan in October. We need him!~ Tricia ... See MoreSee Less
Today I looked into how to sign my name (マリー) in Japanese Sign Language. I learned that the long dash in katakana means that the vowel before it is extended. We are preparing for a trip to Japan for the Deaflympics in November, Lord willing, as an opportunity to share the Gospel with Deaf people from all over the world. I am thankful to be settling in to life here in Florida, and for God’s bountiful care for me in my new home. ~ Marie ... See MoreSee Less
