September Update

September Plattner Family Update

For Drew’s 5th Birthday, we bought him his own little CD player. Since then, he has become quite the little DJ. I don’t think we can even count how many times we hear “Bullfrogs and Butteflies” blasting out of the boys’ room. They wait anxiously for the chorus and then shout, “Bullfrogs and Butterflies, have both been born again.” It’s hilarious. This past weekend, during our weekend chapel duties, I tried to explain this concept to the students. Not using the Bullfrogs and Butterflies example, but just trying to explain the reality of being born new in Christ. Not simply accepting Jesus and then going on with life, but understanding that saving faith in Jesus means new life. It is not a simple mental exercise, but a commitment of your whole life, every part, no part is left unchanged. The butterfly can’t be who the creator intended him to be if he tries to stay half caterpillar and half butterfly. I don’t know if I got the message across, but that message continues to be critical in light of the fact that we see so many around us that seem so content to remain caterpillars.

As we mentioned in our last update, we were ready for September. It has been good having the students back in school and life back around our campus. The farm program has started slowly as our little plot of land was neglected over the summer and the rain has kept us from working much these first few weeks. Our seeds are not in the ground and so we are missing lots of good rain, oh the life of a farmer. The students are almost fully back into routine and we are hoping that everything really starts rolling in October and November. Keri and I have been doing a lot of teaching. We are on a rotation for Wednesday night chapel duties as well as Sunday chapel duties at the school. We also recently began a rotation for teaching at the new deaf church plant in Savanna-La-Mar (SAV). We enjoy these opportunities to teach but they are also very humbling. We pray that our signs are clear and that the message of the cross rings true across our language barrier.

Speaking of the church in SAV, I think we have mentioned this before as something we have been praying about for a long time. Quickly in review, there are currently 3 deaf churches in Jamaica that are serving only a portion of the deaf population. There is a need for Christian fellowship among the deaf across Jamaica. This has been a burden to the leadership at the local deaf church in our area. Therefore, an effort has been made to begin a new deaf church inside of a large deaf population in western Jamaica. The first weekly services started at the beginning of September. There were 11 people that showed up the first week and 8 the second. We pray that this is the beginning of a foundation of faith that will remain to serve the community of SAV.

Our family continues to experience abundant blessing. I know we say that every month, but it is something we cant get over and it is always before us. Again, that is not to say we are not having our struggles, but we have sensed His blessing in the midst of the chaos. Keri began formally teaching Drew at the beginning of September. This has been going very well as it has brought out her passion for teaching which as been meeting Drew’s passion for learning. They are doing great. Truitt is usually saddled up to the table next to them soaking in all that he can. It remains to be seen if he is just standing in as the class clown or whether he is ready to start his own academic journey. Daisha continues to grow faster than we can believe. She is becoming quite a little signer in her own right. She is cared for in the mornings by Claudine, a young deaf lady that helps our family. We are beginning to worry that maybe she thinks she is deaf as her signing vocabulary is much larger than her verbal vocabulary. She becomes quite the sight as she acts as if she is taking charge in a conversation as her arms and hands move every which direction. Our family appreciates so much your support and prayers. We have been asking the Lord for His continued guidance in our ministry. Thanks again so much!

Love,

Plattners