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I’m mesmerised by the dance of a girl up on the chapel stage. She moves beautifully – with an unspeakable joy – and I think to myself: now that is true worship. I’ve got to get her story.
Jiselle Sanchez has a dream and dreams are a big deal. She dreams of being a pastor. She began at the The Fishermen of Christ Learning Center for the deaf here in Ligao, Philippines in kindergarten at age 3 when dreams are often detached from reality, but now at 21 and soon to graduate from year 12, she holds this great dream, a dream that, with God’s help, will one day become a reality.
But it’s been a long hard road to this point, and Jiselle has had to overcome many hardships to get here.
She is the ninth of ten children. She had a good upbringing in a loving family, but being the only deaf member made life frustrating at times. She desperately wanted to join in her siblings’ interactions and know what they were all were talking about. Were they talking to her? Were they talking about her? It was isolating, and made her feel quite lonely at times.
So Jiselle has had to overcome personal challenges, even in a loving family.
As a child, she was tiny and sickly. She suffered from enlargement of the heart which gave her a deformed, protruding chest and an awkward posture. Two surgeries were needed to rectify this (the first was unsuccessful). She also endured problems with her eyesight. A lazy right eye which watered incessantly was a source of both impairment and ridicule for her. Again, painful surgery rectified the problem but not without complications.
So Jiselle has had to overcome physical challenges.
For most of her life, Jiselle went to a hearing church with her mum but she couldn’t understand what was going on and so found it all meaningless and boring. She was so desperate to know what the pastor was talking about, what the people were praying about, what the songs they were singing were about, but she simply had no way of knowing and this left an emptiness in her heart.
So Jiselle has had to overcome spiritual challenges, too.
But overcoming these challenges is where DMI comes in.
Even with a loving and well-meaning family, if it wasn’t for the school and the deaf church associated with it, Jiselle would have been left without skills, without hope, and without the dream – the very real prospect – of becoming a pastor and making a lasting difference in the lives of others.
At the school, Jiselle has learned to sign, to study, to socialise, to worship, and to dare to dream. In recent years she has started attending the deaf church associated with the school and she loves it. She is so hungry to learn about God and who Jesus was and is. She feels like she is playing catch-up for all the years of churching when she couldn’t understand. Once she had heard and understood God’s Word, it touched her heart and, seeking God with an uncommon passion, she began to experience Christ for herself.
But such glories rarely go untested.
She tells me that some hearing people at that time tried to lead her astray with lewd talk and temptations. At a time when she herself was just developing it was scary and confusing. Even in her own family she became exposed to the vices of alcoholism and gambling.
So Jiselle has had to overcome worldly challenges, too.
But God has used these challenges to strengthen her dream and the DMI staff have taught her that a life in Christ is the only way to live. Attending the school and belonging to a church family helps her to live the blessed life that God has planned for her.
I see a measure of that blessed life up on the stage as she dances during chapel time. She’s in her element, so free from inhibition, and she’s good! You can see how much she loves it. You can see how much she loves God. It seems to me that such devotion is wasted on so small a stage. The whole world needs to watch her dance.
But Jiselle’s worship goes far beyond dance. It takes her to her dream. Looking past her graduation, she holds onto her real hope of becoming a pastor. She wants to teach the deaf about Christ just as her pastor Arnel has done for her. She understands that to do that she must undergo a lot more study and training but no matter what, she wants to share the love of Jesus with others in the deaf community.
I can’t think of a better dream for her, or a greater success for DMI.
If you would like to know how you can support Jiselle or any of the kids or teachers at DMI’s schools, or help meet any of DMI’s needs, please click on the donate button below, or mail to info@deafmin.org
Thank you Jiselle for sharing your story, a wonderful story of how God has been powerfully present in your life and the courage you have displayed. I pray that you stand firm with your dream . Bless you Jiselle.