CEE Story From The Mission Field
You Are My Sunshine
January 2003
By Jessica Dowdy
I have been teaching in a Deaf Czech high school two days a week for almost a year. I'm not a teacher and I'm not deaf, but the Deaf are my "people group" here in the Czech Republic. I came to minister among them almost 2 years ago. I will be leaving soon and I pray that the seeds I have planted will come to fruition.
Nearly every day, on my way to school, I have prayed, "Lord, let them not see that I am different because I am American, or because I am hearing. Let them see that the difference in me is You--Your light shining through me."
Natasha is another teacher at the school. I invited her and her deaf daughter to come to our team's evangelistic Christmas program at the local Baptist church. She thanked me for the invitation, but explained that she didn't go to church.
"I don't believe in God," she told me. "I was raised to believe there is no God, and I am teaching my daughter the same thing." It is such a sad, but typical response in this former Communist country. I began praying more diligently that I would have an opportunity to share God's love with these people....
--I was at deaf camp, reading my bible one afternoon. A couple of girls saw me and asked me if I would teach them to study God's word.
--My class was at my apartment. One girl noticed a nesting doll I had from Russia that depicted the life of Christ. She started asking questions. "Who is Jesus and why did He have to die?" Several were interested in learning more.
--Girls were at my apartment and saw my memory verses displayed in prominent places throughout my house. "Why do you memorize scripture?" they wanted to know.
Now my term is coming to a close, and my students and colleagues at the school know I will be leaving soon. Recently, I talked to Natasha again, and God showed me that He is at work in her life as well.
"It will be much darker here when you leave," she said. I asked her what she meant by that comment.
"You are our sun," she said.
"Son? Do you mean daughter?"
"No- Sun. You are our sunshine!"
… "Lord, let them see Your light shining in me…" He has answered my prayer!