Like many things in our life, Doug's time with Kezar Hearing Center prepared him for ministry here in Mexico. We had only been here a short time when a mission team from an Evangelical Free Church in Washington state came down on a short trip. One of the team members was having some trouble with his hearing aid, so Doug adjusted it and made it fit better. A year later, this Christian brother brought down a box of old-but-working hearing aids. These devices had been donated by a doctor in Washington.
Last week a Christian lady from Boca del Rio came over for her first-ever hearing test. God is so good!!! Sister Maria and her family live in a two-room house with a lean-to kitchen/living room combination. Her husband, Victor, works when he can as a concrete worker/construction laborer. They have two teen-aged kids and one grown son and never in a million years could they afford to purchase hearing instruments for Maria! No matter how bad her hearing became.
When I, Rebecca, first met Maria, I knew that she didn't understand me very well. As I learned more Spanish, though, I realized that there was something wrong. I knew that my Spanish wasn't that bad! Honestly, I just assumed that she was a little "daft". We only discovered a few weeks ago that she heard practically nothing of what was said around her! The amazing thing, though, is that in the box of hearing aids donated by that Washington doctor and brought down by our missionary friends there were TWO hearing instruments which fit Maria EXACTLY! Why is that so strange? Because ear canals are a lot like fingerprints: no two are the same. Doug had to adjust the shape a tiny bit, but the over-all size was perfect and they work great!!!
Doug explained to her that she probably was going to have times when she didn't like her new hearing. It has been many years since she heard many sounds which we take for granted. Noises which we consider "background" noise may bother her for awhile. While Doug explained these things to her and encouraged her to have a good attitude about her new hearing, Maria kept looking around the house in amazement.
When the water dispenser gurgled she swung her head around in surprise. She was fascinated by the children's giggles and the various conversations going on around her. With tears in her eyes, she asked if we could all stop and give a prayer of thanksgiving to God. Of course we could. We prayed, and it was probably the first prayer she'd really heard in years.
A few days later, Doug stopped by Maria's house to see how she was adjusting. She told him that she was so happy! "I can hear my son playing down the hill at the baseball field!"
At her daughter's birthday party on Sunday, I got to have my first "real" conversation with Maria. This woman is anything but daft!
I praise God for the opportunity we had to help Maria, Victor and their whole family! Praise God for knowing our needs ahead of time and working "all things together for good for those who love Him and are called according to His purposes!" (Romans 8:28)
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