Finally Open

 March, 2022

Praise God from whom all blessings flow.

Dear Praying Friends,

     The government has decided to call all of the country green again. That means businesses can open and things will begin to return to normal with one exception - masks are still mandated in all public venues. There is still a fair number of cases here but we have learned that we do not always have a true picture of any situation.

     We are so thankful that we have sidestepped this pandemic as a family. It has hit several families in the village where we live, including some who were friends. We have tried to be super careful and to pass on all the information to the deaf.

     The church is open, but it has been difficult to get them to return to regular services. It has been two years since we last had a regular schedule of services, so they have become very lax about returning on a regular basis. We fear they may be lax also in their study and faithfulness to the Word of God. Please whisper a prayer that they might see the importance of faithfulness to the Lord.

     The Lord laid on Gary's heart to keep the deaf stimulated by first doing a five minute a day devotional, and eventually turning that into a twice a week full study of the Word of God. He has greatly blessed the efforts in this as many comment on the lessons. It was not easy since we are "old dogs" trying to learn new tricks with video production. Eventually we hit on a prolonged system that seems to work best. It involves a lot of time, but produces an interesting, beneficial presentation.

     As you are probably aware of by now, the deaf do not easily read the Word of God nor any lengthy written work. THEY ARE NOT SLOW - they are studying in a second language which is totally different from their method of thinking. Sign language is their first language. It is not Spanish on the hands as many believe. Their entire approach is different. Therefore we must reach them with written doctrine, presented in their own culture and language (through sign language in their own understanding). Pray as we seek to keep them studying the Word of God.

     We are so thankful for each of you who continue to pray for us and sacrifice to make it possible for us to continue in His ministry. Even though the world has gone through (and still is) a terrible pandemic, God's people have been faithful. Thank you.

For DEAF souls in Mexico,

Gary and Ann Layne