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.