EARS TO HEAR

My grandmother Colleen wears hearing aids.  She went for a check up last year and told her audiologist that I was going to El Salvador for a year.  Sheryl Figliano, her audiologist, is also a member of the Boardman Rotary Club and had the great idea to join efforts with the children's home with whom I was volunteering.  In January of 2011, a team of rotarians including Sheryl and her husband visited Los Planes de Renderos, El Salvador to help at Love & Hope Children's Home.  During the visit Sheryl was able to check for hearing loss in a nearby community.  Her husband Fortunato and assistant Liz Shoebel helped to test and identify the people who would need hearing aids.  Antonia and Pablo were identified with significant hearing loss.  They were able to create a mold and attach hearing aids to them that same day.  It was very emotional watching their reactions to being able to hear better.  Pablo hadn't been able to hear for 14 years and praised God while he waited for the molds to dry.  On a recent trip back home to the states Sheryl gave me the permanent ear pieces she had ordered for Antonia and Pablo to replace the temporary molds.  This past week I was able to visit them and change out the molds.  It's great to see how grateful and joyful they are to have ears to hear! 

MI CASA ES SU CASA

About a 5 minute drive from the children's home lies a little community named "The Golden Villas".  One day a friend from church told me about this place.  She said there was a house for rent and it was a safe community.  I went for a walk that afternoon to go and see it.  I wasn't sure where the location was once I saw the sign for it, so I asked a woman and her granddaughter who were standing next to me.  They told me that the house was actually right next door to them and they would take me there.  When I entered the gated community of "The Golden Villas", a huge smile jumped on my face.  It was a nice, quaint block of townhomes connected to one another all painted in beautiful bright colors.  There was a park with basketball courts and swings, and many families out walking and enjoying the afternoon.  I immediately felt safe and comfortable.  I definitely could live here!  I checked out the house, it was bigger than I needed, but a quarter of the cost of my condo back home, so it seemed rather affordable.  I rented it the next day. 

This new home has been such a huge blessing to me.  I love to wake up to the sun coming through my window at 5:30am, listen as the coffee pot brews on its timer, and slowly get the morning started without any distractions.  Once my devotions are finished, I get a nice quick workout in and then head for the home.  These are all the things that start my day off well but were hard to fit in when I lived at the home.  I've had to separate myself so I can be more balanced.

My neighbors were quick to make friends.  There are 3 women who invite me to hang out with them.  We mostly have coffee together at someone's house but we also went on a day excursion to a surfing location along the Pacific.  Two of the women are single, Christian and my age.  It makes me happy to have some friends just like me living a few houses down!!

I painted the entire inside of this home.  It was a big project but I loved every minute of making my new house a home.  One thing I've learned about me is that having my own home and being able to dress it up to look nice makes me feel sooooooooo good!