Centro Cristiano Para Sordos

Our time in Bolivia is rapidly coming to an end. It has been an incredible opportunity, and we have been blessed to see many different facets of God´s work here in an among the people; and we have thoroughly enjoyed experiencing the culture and getting a small glimpse of the beautiful country. We leave Bolivia on Thursday to meet up with Rory and Brett Sallach, as well as Chuck and Angela Barrier (friends from med school), and Anne P. Johnson (Lindsay´s former Sunday school teacher). However, before signing off for a while, we would like to tell you about an organization that we were fortunte enough to go and visit today. It is called the Centro Cristiano para Sordos - The Christian Center for the Deaf.

Centro Cristiano para Sordos is a Christian boarding school for deaf children, serving children from all over Bolivia, and offering schooling up until the 5th grade. It was founded by two missioneries in the late 1970s, who had been serving in Bolivia since the mid 1950s. The school has grown since that time, and is currently serving approximately 30 students, as well as deaf faculty, groundkeepers, and crew. The current director of the school is the daughter of the original founders , and she is here with her Bolivian daughters, (one of whom is Lidia, who offered us Spanish lessons while here with HOH), as well as her mother (the original founder).

There is a large deaf population here in Bolivia, but there are no other boarding schools available for these children, where the children can be prepared to integrate into society. The Centro provides not only room and board and school education, but also incorporates Christian teaching, church services, and Christian counseling for the children as well. It is truly an amazing work that has been undertaken, and the rewards are evident as the children grow, learn, and mature.

We were able to play with the kids today during their extended recess break, and we also toured the grounds and viewed the new projects that are underway (new boys and girls dormitories, etc.). The school is almost self-sustainable with crops, a private well, and room for livestock. This provides great opportunity not only for reducing the costs, but for developing a strong work-ethic and responsibility within the children as well.

While the majority of the children have families that they visit on holidays, at least five of the children are orphans, and have been "adopted" full-time by the Centro. The love that the faculty and staff have for the children is self-evidnet, and it is a great encouragement to see their good work. If you would like more information about Centro Cristiano para Sordos, they are in the process of developing a website, but their email address is as follows: ctrsrdos@albatros.cnb.net.
Thank you for reading along with us, and thank you for your prayers and support. We will try to update again over the next two weeks, but we might be without good computer/internet access until we return home on the 5th of June. Blessings to you all!