An update is rather overdue. Although I’ve not been consistent at reaching out, I do think of you often and whisper a prayer for you almost every time. If you’ve been out of the loop, which with 2020 is no surprise, here’s a quick timeline. The boxes along the right are about my work at Deaf Kids Connect (formerly known as Silent Blessings).
2009 – starting Christmas ’08, I moved to South Bend (north Indiana) to attend Bethel’s Interpreter Training Program. The plan was to use interpreting as my income skill while seeking to minister directly to/with Deaf people, the largest unreached people group on every continent.
2012 – graduated from Bethel with a bachelor’s degree in Liberal Arts, concentrations in Ministry, ASL/Deaf Studies, and Interpreting; and an Associate’s degree in ASL/Deaf Studies. Though conversant in ASL, I no longer have the agility to serve as an interpreter. Additionally, the professional distance required of interpreters conflicts with the personal relationship needed for ministry.
2013 – joined Silent Blessings Deaf Ministries, undoubtedly by Divine appointment. This small (micro) non-profit ministry could not afford staff, so we agreed that I would serve for whatever support I could generate. The practices of support-raising are different than my recollections, yet God’s promise to provide hasn’t changed a bit.
2013 – 2015: research, development, and testing of the “Trust God” SignLab VBS – a multi-lingual Vacation Bible School curriculum.
2014 – moved from South Bend to Albany, a small town 30 miles NE of the Silent Blessings office in Anderson. An elderly gentleman welcomed me to his home on the word of his daughter who barely knew me. We have become dear friends, even family, since then.
2015 – the Silent Blessings office moved about 30 miles closer to Indianapolis and farther from my lodging. I moved to Lawrence then Pendleton to keep the commute down to about 45 minutes. These were hosted arrangements as well, complete with good company.
2019 – took a leave of absence and volunteered at two ministries in Texas. When I returned, I rejoined my host in Albany, now 60 miles NE of the office. The commute’s just over an hour each way, so I go to the office twice a week and otherwise work from home.
2015: coverage and knowledge transfer for the loss of our long-time office manager to cancer.
2016 – 2017: develop God Loves Deaf Kids app – streaming videos and games with a companion website.
2018 – 2019: rebuild four ministry websites, project tracking & assistance for the last season of Dr Wonder’s Workshop (DWW).
2020 – My host had a debilitating stroke March 5. Then, COVID made working from home the norm for nearly everyone. Silent Blessings’ founder, Marshall Lawrence, is retiring but still available as needed. Tanya Polstra is our new executive director, and we’re all very excited for new things ahead. But first, I’m focused on finalizing the English and Spanish captions for the last season of Dr. Wonder’s Workshop.
2020: transfer donor data to a different system (no small feat), begin captions for DWW.
Yes, that’s right – if you’ve been getting the letters from Silent Blessings, you know that we’ve been struggling to finish this project for quite some time. My caption work, with complexities I’ve recently been learning about, is the last hurdle (as far as I know) before our partners at Deaf Missions compile DWW-5 for broadcasting and DVD production.
Here’s the challenge… I never managed to build a sponsorship network. I’m technically working twenty hours per week and sponsored for roughly eight. This means that Silent Blessings, already on a tight budget, has been paying the gap so I can bring home $1,000 per month. I casually refer to myself as a salaried volunteer. It’s the way of missionaries on foreign fields, but not officially recognized in the U.S. labor market. I still need prayer partners and sponsors – if you are interested, please contact me.
God has been providing my shelter. Since 2012, the generous hospitality of others has covered what would have been roughly $800 in monthly expenses. I’m currently the caretaker for my host’s home and cat in Albany and watching for a new lodging arrangement closer to the office in Castleton.
My host turned 90 in October and had the blessing of coming home on a day pass for his birthday. He also spent a couple of days at home around Thanksgiving and just before Christmas. It was a matter of timing, as he was within the 90 days of post-Covid immunity. 2020 was a year of window visits with his cat and singing songs of the faith. In January, the cat began inside visits, a great blessing. Feb 28, he went Home – a peaceful exit from the hospital with family singing around him and no windows between. Please pray for his family as they deal with estate issues and the loss of a beloved man. We’re all thankful for this tough, yet blessed, year. Exactly a year.
As for transportation and the 120-mile round trip to the office twice a week, God has provided again. I inherited my aunt’s small SUV with only 65,000 miles. Bonus – it has a CD player and a cassette player, so I can listen to my long-abandoned library again. I’m also thankful that it’s old enough not to have some of the features I didn’t want in a replacement vehicle. It’s neat how, on so many occasions, God has honored my unique desires. Even the cat is a petite grey tiger like one I left behind in 2008.
My journey to Texas in 2019 was…impactful, though not as I’d intended. I planned for an isolated retreat to include a short visit with family and exploration of Deaf ministries in the area. The possibility of me transferring to one or both ministries was promising. Another opportunity presented itself, but God’s answer to me was, “not here.” I had a couple of interviews and returned to Indiana as promised, while considering lodging and logistics for the move. The answers from Texas, when they came, were no, no, and no. I admit that 2019 was, for a few reasons, a time of depression.
One of my Texas tasks was to work on a document with the lady renting office space at Silent Blessings in Indianapolis. We laughed about driving halfway across the country to work with someone who shares the same office kitchen & restroom. Turns out it was an introduction, because that was Tanya – our new Executive Director. God arranged for a working rapport and positive relationship well ahead of time.
Tanya is Deaf, happily married, and mom of three – two toddlers and a newborn. She was a leader in the Scriptural Engagement team and brings a wealth of experience, resources, and contacts. She has invested her maternity leave in preparing new initiatives for Silent Blessings. Her vision includes plans to connect families with one another and the resources to disciple their children, and plans to highlight Deaf adults with skills sorely needed in churches and ministries. We’ll also resume work on the VBS.
Another after-note of the Texas trip was God’s preventive grace. The ministry where I interviewed has endured significant staff cuts due to Covid and some corporate reorganization. I would certainly have been among them, stuck with a lease and no job. Just one more thing God saw but didn’t choose to tell me about. Instead, He says, “Trust Me.” (and I do.) Pray for the Deaf ministries in Texas and the people displaced from the work they were doing. The harvest is plentiful, the workers are willing, and they’ve got families to feed.
I’m looking forward to 2021 being a year of new beginnings. With Tanya at the helm, we’re taking a more assertive approach, reaching out to the parents of Deaf children. Most of them are hearing, unfamiliar with the Deaf community, and receiving information limited to oral (non-signing) options. Check out her blog, From the Executive’s Heart, at www.SilentBlessings.org.
Like Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz, it appears that I traveled a while to gain some perspective and learn that my place is here among the familiar, snow & all. My discouragement is resolving, and I have a renewed enthusiasm for this little non-profit that still strives to serve the spiritual needs of Deaf children and their families, nurturing a lifelong relationship with Jesus Christ. I was trained for this. I am home.
I’m also somewhat like the guy behind the curtain, frantically juggling hidden wheels and levers. Regular updates aren’t the only things I’m falling behind in. I’m confident that our team will build a rhythm that works once Dr. Wonder’s Workshop is finished and released. Unfortunately, I’m the current bottleneck, and you may know how anxious and frustrated I get in that position. Pray for grace.
Just before Christmas, my quip was “I’m not ready for Halloween!” The lag has continued, as it’s now Easter and I’ve still got several Christmas gifts to make & deliver. I’m also rebuilding my own websites, https://www.sglass.net and www.janeenjarrell.com. I plan to make this letter and more information on each topic available on both.
Thank you so much for your prayers and encouragement. Please know that you’re making a difference in the lives of children all over the world who otherwise would not have an opportunity to know of Jesus’ love for them. We’re looking forward to reaching even more families in the months and years ahead.
Please share with anyone you encounter that Jesus loves them, knows their heart language, and wants a relationship with them. If they’re Deaf, please point them to Deaf Kids Connect and the app. If they’re hearing parents with deaf children, please tell them that we want to meet them and be an encouragement – we’ll have new resources soon, just for them.
Oh! And speaking of new resources – we now have, after 38 years of dedicated work, a verse-by-verse signed translation of the Bible. It’s the first in the world, the ASLV, developed by Deaf Missions. It’s available for free online at www.DeafMissions.com. Please consider adding it to your media content for worship services and Bible studies. One language done, roughly 400 to go.
May grace and peace be with you, and may you have the joy and confidence of knowing that God is still working for, and with, and through His people.
Prayer List Recap:
- Housing closer to Silent Blessings –
- Reduce the commute (fuel, vehicle maintenance, fast food, road hours)
- Rebuild local relationships (Deaf, church, writers, and more)
- Reset availability for a second job (part time, income focused)
- Bethel’s Interpreter Training Program –
- Health & stamina for staff & students
- Opportunities to grow in skills and ministry
- My ASL skills –
- Agility in my mind & fingers, not to interpret, but to communicate clearly
- Peace over perfectionism – frustration makes my signing worse
- Receptive skills, so I don’t frustrate others trying to communicate with me
- Finances –
- For Silent Blessings
- Bring Paula (office manager) and I to full time status – there’s plenty of work
- Replace aged and failing computers, without which we’re crippled
- Hire or contract skilled media production personnel
- For me
- Eliminate the student loan debt (currently $39,000)
- Afford my own residence (hospitality, library, creative space)
- For Silent Blessings
- Deaf Ministries & Staff –
- Health, stamina, wisdom, & grace
- The Deaf Missions Persevere double conference in September
- The Manifest and Hidden Gem projects, new from Silent Blessings
- DOOR International’s ongoing translation, evangelism, and discipleship work
- People –
- Mr. B’s family (current host) – peace & comfort
- Deaf Children & families – access & opportunities – over 90% of deaf children are born to hearing households, to parents unaware of the Deaf community and benefits of early access to sign language. They’re why we’re here, to point them toward community in this life and Eternal Hope for the next.
This is clearly not an exhaustive list, but it gives you some specific items to pray for in this season. See JaneenJarrell.com for more.
Thank you for your prayers and encouragement.