February 2010 update

February 2010 Jamaica Update

February was a good month. Not good in the sense that everything was great, good in the sense that even the bad had its context. Let me explain. The biggest thing for our family in February was that my Grandma Plattner passed away on February 17th. As we were reminded from her funeral, “the memory of the just is blessed.” A loss is a loss, but a life lived right is to be celebrated. She was ready, her health was deteriorating, and we thank God for His mercy. We were not able to return for her funeral but we were present in heart and connected via technology. We are thankful for a legacy of faithfulness.

February was also a good month because Keri’s parents came to visit. As we have stated many times before, the separation from parents and subsequently the separation of grandparents and grandkids has been one of the most difficult aspects of our calling. But, as a result, I think the times that we are able to connect with our parents is extra sweet. We always look forward to their visits and this was no exception. We were able to spend some good time together at our apartment in Knockpatrick and get a few nights of vacation together at the end of the week. We enjoyed sharing our lives with them and in just a couple of days they became very proficient at fetching and conserving water. The kids loved spending time with Grandpa and Grandma. We are so thankful for our parents’ support.

We also had some great visitors at the beginning of the month who were doing a survey trip to determine if they wanted to serve at CCCD full-time. Our time in Jamaica continues to be highlighted by all of the people we get to meet. As we have maybe stated before, the picture of the church as the body of Christ has been illuminated during our time here by the fact that we get to meet so many different people, from different places, with different skills that all work together for His glory.

A short month means a short update. We have confirmed our plans for a return trip to the states. Lord Willing, we will be flying back to the states on March 23rd and staying through April 16th. In our 3 weeks back, we hope to catch up with family and friends in Princeville, Roanoke, and Leo. We told the boys several months ago that we were planning on going to Illinois for Easter and everyday since they have been either on an imaginary airplane flying, getting their bags packed, or making plans on what to do with Grandpa and Grandma. To be fair, we are all very excited. Again, we want to thank you for your love, support, and prayers.

Love,
Plattners

Prayer Request - The Deaf Church of Jamaica - We have talked about this in the past and will update you again soon, but the deaf Christian community here is asking for the Lord's guidance in regards to more deaf outreach and church planting.

How do you spell?

Drew loves letters and numbers. He loves to sit down with a book and copy words into his notebook. He loves to spell every word he sees. Tonight in his bible story book he tried reading a verse reference, he said, "Peter 3:1." I said how do you spell Peter, he said,"P-R-O-V-E-R-B-S." There are so many stories, but lets just say he loves letters. Here is a video of him copying the word ASSOCIATION out of a book.

Rivers and Deserts

I was listening to a sermon tonight that spoke to the references in the Bible to rivers giving life. Maybe it is because we are in the middle of a drought and the idea of having a river nearby would be lifesaver. But I was struck in a new way by this picture. A river is an ever-present, flowing source of water to everything that is thirsty around it. We dont have to think about our own lives long to understand our thirst/needs and the amazing grace that is provided by an ever-present source of living water.

Vacation with Grandpa and Grandma

Ok, we are feeling very spoiled. After a 5 days at Knockpatrick, Keri's parent took us to a hotel for 3 nights. The kids loved it, we were refreshed, and we shared some good time together. We did the same things with Grandpa and Grandma Plattner a few months ago. Thus, we are feeling spoiled. It is a funny thing about living on a tropical island, there are times that we can forget we are on a tropical island. Life at CCCD is not filled with reminders of beaches, swimming, and vacation and so we really appreciate these times to experience the "other side" of Jamaica. To contrast the extent of what I mean about "the other side" of Jamaica, remember that we still do not have consistently running water. We were getting ready to go to a hotel with a beach, watersports, and pool, and Keri and I were both most excited about just getting a real shower. It was a blessing. We are still without water for the majority of our days and are still getting showers with a bucket rather than through the shower itself. Anyways, enough complaining about that, Grandpa and Grandma Kaeb were very gracious to us and we want to thank them so much. Here are some pictures of the fun.

Grandma Plattner

My Grandma Plattner passed away yesterday afternoon. She lived life gently. She was not leading the charge on community events, she was not shaking the status quo, she was a hard worker, life was not always easy, she raised 5 good kids, she was not pretentious, and most importantly, she was Faithful! She passed peacefully and mercifully as she was beginning to suffer from more and more severe dementia. We rejoice that the grave has no victory!

Christmas in February

Last Thursday, Keri's parents arrived for a visit. They carried some Christmas gifts with them and Saturday morning we had "Christmas morning." I guess the odds are just as good that Jesus was born on February 13th as he was December 25th. And, we always hear of the importance of remembering Jesus birth all year, this was a good reminder. We turned on the Christmas music, cued the lights, read the story, and we opened gifts. Here are some pics.

Spirit Week

In my school, it was called "Spirit Week." Here at CCCD, I have no idea what it is called. But, today was hat and tie day. Enjoy!

January Update

January 2010 Plattner family Update

Have you ever gotten the sense that God continues to sneak new verses in the Bible? The following is just such a verse, “For all the promises of God in Christ are yes, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us.” Maybe out of its context it sounds a little obscure, but I heard this verse quoted the other week and couldn’t believe it was in the Bible. It is in 2 Corinthians 1:20 and has been food for thought over the past few days. My first thoughts about the verse related to the confirmation that all the promises of God are affirmed in Christ. Or, Christ is the fulfillment of or represents the character of all of God’s promises. For me, that was enough. Then, this week I came across Moses demanding of God to “show me your glory.” In that encounter, the Lord replies with a declaration that in revealing His glory He will cause His goodness and His Name to be revealed. And, He lays out His sovereignty in that He will be gracious and merciful to whom He chooses. I am always a little bothered by times that God declares His Sovereignty in such “Sovereign” ways. But, this time I felt a tinge of comfort or at least a sense of new understanding. When the idea of His glory being revealed through His sovereignty was coupled with the idea that all of the promises of God have their “Yes” in Christ, then I was able to move on to the second half of the verse. Through Him is our Amen for His Glory (Sovereignty) and to His Glory. Ok, maybe I am crazy, but this now puts some movement to this idea. Ever since Daisha’s incident, I have been slowly trying to come to grips with His Sovereignty. While I know I am not there yet, I am challenged in my life to continue to pursue this mystery as my “Amen” to His Glory (Sovereignty) which is for His glory (His name being made known). I don’t think I understand how that works and it honestly makes me tremble that He may ask me to learn that truth at a deeper level. But, until then, I pray that our hearts can pursue His goodness as revealed through His glory.

Our month of January was not nearly as confusing as that introduction. We started out with a work team from California State University at Northridge. This is our 3rd year hosting this team and were again seriously challenged to a deeper study of deaf culture. This whole idea of culture and what makes us who we are continues to reveal new levels. I feel like I am peeling an onion but the layers just continue on and I am wondering if there is an end. It is such a blessing as it often reveals the intricacies of available resources and movements of the body of Christ. After CSUN, we had a week of board meetings and a flurry of activity, which led right into a team from Dayton, Ohio. Another great group that has been coming for many years and is firmly committed to aiding in the educational development of CCCD. We continue to be blessed by the fellowship of the teams and appreciate their support of the school.

The main outreach arm to the deaf adults in our area is a church called New Life Church of the Deaf. This church is pastured by a deaf man and is establishing itself as a central aspect of the deaf community in Jamaica. The church is beginning to pursue the possibility of starting another deaf church in a community about 2 hours from Mandeville. As you may remember me mentioning before, there is a serious need for deaf churches in Jamaica. The majority of the deaf adults in Jamaica do not have access to the 3 deaf churches on the island. Due to travel restrictions and geography, the established churches are not able to meet all the needs of the deaf across the island. We are praying that God will lead in this new endeavor and ask you to join us in asking the Lord to prepare the way for this ministry.

To wrap this up, I will jot down a few notes about the family. Keri continues to do her thing and do it well. As we have wanted to do for a long time, we hired a helper to come in and help around the house. This extra help provides Keri with the margin to begin doing some of the things she always sees, but was unable to do. So, Keri is now free to focus more time with the kids individually, go down to the school, or get out for a walk. What a blessings! Drew continues in school. His signing continues to improve and he loves learning. Speaking of learning, Keri’s extra time with Truitt has certainly paid off as he goes to “his school.” Truitt’s school consists of potty training. He loves to take it so serious as he feels just a bit more like his older brother. He acknowledges mommy as teacher and assures us that he always obeys his teacher. He is doing well and it is always encouraging to be leaving that stage. Daisha is doing great and continues to grow and develop. We rejoice. Kirk is farming. I have tackled a chicken project, am helping the kids develop a garden, and have planted an acre of carrots. Next, I am moving on to the pigs. I am learning so much and it has been mostly enjoyable. Ultimately, whether potty training or cleaning pig pens, we are rejoicing in His faithfulness. We walk on with some trembling and uncertainty, but we walk on. Thanks again for your love and support. We loved the Christmas cards and pictures. They are all still hanging on the wall and will be for a while as we miss the fellowship. Thanks for your prayers.

Water!

Revelation 21:6
And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.

We are thankful for the promise that the water of life is flowing freely because that is all the water we are getting. He is Faithful!

So we are going through a very dry time and have not had a good rain for long time. Our main source of water is rain water caught in a cistern. So, we have been watching the water level in the tank drop over the past month or so. CCCD has begun buying water by the truck load, but it is hard to keep up. Every time we turn the faucet we get to experience the adventure and mystery of whether water will be coming out of the tap. With the low water level means low water pressure. Low water pressure means water is not being pushed through the water heater. Water not going through the water heater means water that is not hot. Water that is not hot actually means water that is very cold. Cold water for a cold shower makes us very thankful for warm water the rest of the year. We are praying for rain and waiting. Praise the Lord!