Celebrating Small Victories

“It’s done!” I exclaimed with a huge sigh of relief. Several months ago, Ariana and I received a Togo sign language book. The book was first printed in the 1990s and has been passed around between the different schools for the Deaf in West Africa. It has been photocopied so many times that many of the printed words were illegible. Ariana and I began to scan the over 200-page book, clean up the marks, and retype the words. It was long process, but we now have a like new Togo sign language book! The teachers now can have access to digital file of the cleaned up version of the book. Our next step is that we would like to create an app using video signs from the book. This process is long and will probably take years to accomplish, but for now, we are celebrating that the first step is done! Praise the Lord!

It has been a few months since we started going to the school for the Deaf in Tsiko. Our visits are going well! The kids and teachers love when we come. One of the students was by the well getting a drink of water when we pulled up to the school. She did a spit take and ran with excitement to tell her class that we had arrived. The students ran out to greet us with big smiles. We look forward to the days that we go to the school. Ariana and I teach a vocab lesson followed by a game or craft. We love seeing the creativity of the students. Sometimes the teachers will ask if they can do the craft too! It is fun seeing them enjoying the activities as well.

It has been encouraging to see how much the students have learned and grown in only a few months. When we first started, the students struggled to sign simple phrases. But now, they are having small conversations with us in sign! There is still a long way for them to go, but they are growing and making progress. God is working. Please pray for the students and teachers as God works in their lives. Also, please pray for wisdom on how we can best help the school. One of my biggest needs for the ministry is teammates. There are so many open doors for the Gospel. It has been a blessing to have Ariana here with me for the last year. However, she returns to the States in March. Afterwards, I will be by myself. Please pray for Deaf educators, interpreters, and Deaf workers to join me in the field. The harvest is ready!

Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore, pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.” -Matthew 9:37-38

Living on the blind school campus has provided some cool ministry opportunities. Every Monday evening, I co-lead a Bible study for girl blind students. There are 18 who participate in the study. This has been an encouraging time for me as I am stretched in my French and also get to know the girls. Please pray for the girls’ hearts as God works in them. On Fridays, three of the girls come to my house and read the Bible in Braille to me. I’m thankful for this time with the girls as we read God’s Word together.

The blind students live at the school. When there are short breaks from schools, the staff come up with different fun activities for the students to do. One of the days, we decided to have baking day. We had three different baking stations. A missionary ran each station. All of the students routed to each station. My station we made my mom’s recipe for peanut butter cookies. It was hit! There were some challenges as not everything made it in the bowl, but we only had one egg end up on the floor! The cookies turned out well and the students all had fun and enjoyed the baked goods.

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. I have such fond memories of the holiday. As a kid, it usually meant that my family was traveling to Minnesota to spend it with my grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. I loved the time together. There was always lots of laughter and of course, a delicious meal. It has been 4 years since I celebrated Thanksgiving in the States with my family. I have enjoyed keeping up a similar Thanksgiving atmosphere with friends whether it was. In Togo, all the missionaries gathered for a potluck style Thanksgiving feast. I made mashed potatoes, a Thanksgiving favorite of mine. All the other traditional Thanksgiving food was there. It was a good time of fellowship, eating, and giving Thanks to the Lord.

It has been a busy season, and the Lord is good. I’m thankful for each of you for partnering with me in this ministry. Thank you for your prayers, words of encouragement, and support. The Lord is at work here in Togo, it is exciting to see and have you be a part of it.

God bless,

Liz Ortiz

Prayer Requests:

Pray for teammates to join me on the field.
Pray for the Bible study with the blind students that Hannah and I lead on Monday evenings.
Pray for visits to the school for the deaf to continue to go well.
Pray that we can develop good relationships within the school.
Pray for my ability to communicate. I desire to grow in my confidence in speaking French and signing. The difference in accent and vocabulary can be a bit overwhelming at times.
Please pray that I would not be overwhelmed in French or sign language and that I would be able to understand and be understood in the language.
Please pray for wisdom as I develop the ministry.