Mariela Lima – Faithful Worker at CICS

Hello everyone and welcome back to CICS! Time continues to pass quickly, in another 2 weeks this years school term will be half-way complete. In the last few months, we have enjoyed a week of vacation for Holy Week, been blessed with some visitors from the states (friends of Ranita’s) and have overcome sickness among students and staff. Last week, we cancelled school on Monday, then Tuesday and Wednesday had only one student, Thursday two students and Friday three students. We are almost whole again, Miguel continues to be sick and is still not back at school, please pray for him!

We have been really blessed to have Mariela Lima here this year, although she only speaks a little English, she gets along very well with the other staff, does a great job at her work and loves interacting with the students. She agreed to write her story of how she decided to come to CICS and a little about her work here. The following is her story, in her own words. (Translated from Spanish of course.)

My name is Mariela Lima, I am 18 years old. I am a country girl, I live near a volcano called Volcán Chingo (pictured above) and that volcano divides El Salvador and Guatemala. It’s very beautiful, I love my home!

In the year 2020 the pastor of my church asked if I wanted to help teach in the little school that we have on behalf of the church in the same place where I live.  After asking for God’s direction and talking to my parents I said yes, and that year something happened that no one expected (COVID).  In the month of March, the government asked that the schools and all the churches be closed. It was very difficult because we could not go to school for some time.

In the year 2021 I continued teaching, thank God that year we were able to go to school every day. When we were close to finishing school I was thinking about the following year. What am I going to do?  But God had a plan for me. October 27 was the closing day and I kind of sensed that something was going to happen, but I didn’t know what it was. The children had given me so much love and before having the closing program they hugged me like they already missed me. One of my students wondered, “But why are we not going to come to school anymore?” So I explained to her that she and the other children were going to rest for a few months and then the following year she would be able to go back to school. Leaving the church, after we had finished the closing program, I saw I had a message from a friend of mine. She was asking if she could recommend me for CICS. I think I did not answer the message right away, but I was excited. I had thought before that I would like to help at CICS, and I thought “Well, maybe this is my opportunity to go”, and I asked for God’s direction.

Now here I am helping and I still do not regret having come! Although sometimes it is a bit difficult because I am the only one who does not know English and the others are learning Spanish. I feel that it is one of the greatest blessings and opportunities that God has given me to be here in this place, helping as dorm mom (I wash the boys’ clothes, cleaning, etc.) What I like most about my job is that the boys are able to wear clean and ironed clothes every day. The time is almost here when we have clothes drying outside and we have to run to get them inside because it starts to rain.

I want to tell a little story that happened one day. Edwin, who takes care of the children after they return from school, went to work with them. They were working in a place where there are trees and I imagine, tall weeds too. Edwin saw that there was a hive with bees and he hit the hive. Miguel saw it and ran away together with Edwin. Deris, another of the deaf boys, because he was the last one left behind, three bees stung him. By dinner time they were recounting the story. Being able to hear their laughter and see their joy, the atmosphere changes and I think that the others are also happy to see them with that joy.

I wish you could see Amy translating from English to Spanish and from Spanish to English, she is a very intelligent and pretty girl. Amy and Liam are such beautiful children, to see them supposedly talking on the phone at the table for lunch is such a cute thing, but actually they each have a glass to their ear.

I love each one of these children, Amy and Liam, and all the deaf, they are very special people that God has placed in my life. Each child is different. A child who is deaf, is above all a child who, like any other child, loves, believes, thinks, plays, learns and also fights. He sees the world around him, interacts with it, represents it.

If you are reading this, I want us to never forget to give thanks to God for everything he does for each one of us. From these people who are deaf we can learn many things. And if you feel led to pray, you can pray for all the helpers of CICS that we always continue forward in the Christian life and continue helping in God’s work. May God help us day by day in our work and know how to relate to each other. Especially for the teachers, may God give them much wisdom to know how to treat each of the children. For the children, may they make an effort to obey and respect and learn a lot from their studies and that they can learn about God every day. Also for Keith and Melody, may God give them much wisdom in their work. God bless everyone who is reading this.

Angela Mariela Lima Lemus – Salvadoran