Leaning on the Everlasting Arms: And The Winner Is .......Sulmi!

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

And The Winner Is .......Sulmi!

Sulmi is fourth form the left. There were about 300 people in the audience.

Hooray for Sulmi. She won the National Spelling Bee for the Deaf. Every year the Ministry of Special Education and Crystal Water team up to host a spelling bee for the deaf children around the country. There are two divisions: Juniors-ages 10 and under, and Seniors-ages 11-16. Sulmi is 12 and she beat out 8 other contestants most of whom were older than she.
I am so proud of her. We practiced a set of over 300 words for two months and she knew them all by the day of the event. Many of the deaf adults from our church came to cheer her on. At first she was nervous to see Mario, Edgar, Manuel, Angelica, Elton and Kelsey in the bleachers...but by the third word she was confident and on a roll.


Sulmi with her medal and trophy.

1 comment:

Joyce Moyer HostetterDecember 9, 2011 at 10:44 AM
Congrats to Sulmi! That is amazing! And congrats to you, too, Abuela!
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Things I Love About Belize

EVERY meeting begins with prayer, whether it is a Town Council Meeting, a school function, or the National Spelling Bee.
No matter where you go, there is always someone you know who is greeting you with a smile and a wave.
The zillion stars in the sky.
When my car fell into an uncovered drain and I could not go forward or back... within 3 minutes 6 men came running to help and lifted the car up and out! Not that I would pull the stunt to have six men come running (smile)... but I have been saved more than once!
When something breaks, like the rubber gasket on the bottom of the tank behind my toilet and water was flowing everywhere, or when the dog chewed through my garden hose while I was at school and water sprayed over the fence and into the street, there is always a neighbor who is ready to come to the rescue and fix the problem.

About this Ministry

How did I end up in Belize?
In 2004 a Belizean family asked me to come to Belize to teach their deaf son and possibly other deaf children for the summer. We expected about six children but were surprised by fifty-two adults and children who came to our three week ASL workshop. God walked with me and led me each day. In so many ways God empowered me and encouraged me. When it was time to return to the US and my full time teaching job there, I felt God calling me to plan to return to Belize to start a Deaf Church. I returned the following August (2005) to start a church and teach the Deaf children at St. Peter's Anglican School here in Orange Walk. Since then God's hand on this ministry has been beyond my wildest dreams. This blog is a dialogue on the journey. I hope it shows God's power and presence in the lives of those who commit to following in Jesus' footsteps to build the Kingdom. I pray over each entry hoping it encourages others to "step out of the boat" and take risks to answer God's call in their lives.