Profile : Judy More

Age:  60

Hometown:  Christchurch

Home church: Opawa Baptist

Hobbies:   Reading

Previous work history: teacher of the Deaf at van Asch Deaf Education Centre for 21 years. 

Present assignment:   Evangelical School for the Deaf Luquillo, Puerto Rico. I teach students, aged 5-16, (individually or in pairs) to read and write and develop their language.

Call to the task of mission:  I was married for 23 years to a deaf man.  He was not a Christian until the last 6 months of his life.  God saved him and then he died very suddenly.  I became interested in missions after that, as I saw how important it was to see people saved. I went on short term mission trips to Zambia (1998), Niger (Christmas 1999-2000), and Puerto Rico (Christmas 2005-6) and returned in 2007 as a teacher. When I read the newsletter about the school I felt God was calling me to go to there. I began emailing the principal, and all fell into place.

Typical day:  Greeting students before school which starts at 8am with flag raising and chapel. Classes until 11am when we break for play and hand bell practice.  After lunch I join the younger students’ class where I support Edgar as he learns about math, calendar and Bible stories.

He is just beginning to learn language and it gives me joy to watch him sign ‘God’. After lunch I work with two older students helping them with English.  We use American Sign Language.  Short break at 3.30pm then preparing lessons, cleaning the school vehicles, or working in the gardens.

Greatest challenge:  Learning Spanish, and American Sign Language. Trying to sort my visa problems.  At the end of May I will return to NZ.  If I can get the visa sorted I hope to return to Puerto Rico in July for four more years.

Greatest joy:  Watching the students as they learn about God and come to the point of being saved.  It is very moving to watch the students as they pray and sign their worship songs to their Saviour.

How you have seen God at work:  I see Him at work in the lives of students as they are challenged in their faith, and the way they lead their lives. God is at work in the lives of staff as He builds us into a team that works together well when, with us coming from different places, there is the potential for conflict.

Personally He is teaching me patience and to rely on Him as I try to work through the visa issues and learn conversational Spanish and American Sign Language, so it is His grace that gets me through in these areas as well.

Prayer requests:  The visa situation. That He would give me patience as I wait.

Continue to help me learn American Sign Language and Spanish.

That the older students would continue to develop their relationship with God and the younger ones would be saved.