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I was born in New Jeresy
and born deaf. My parents didn’t know that I
was deaf til I was age 5. My mother took
me to different doctors in Philadelphia and
other places in New Jersey. They all told
her that I was mentally retarded and she
refused to accept it. When we moved to
Mexico City when I was 5, it was there that
she found a lady doctor. The Doctor tested
me and told my mother that I was deaf and
she accepted it fine.
My mother was drinking and smoking when she
was pregnant with me, which was the cause of
my being deaf.
The life I knew growing up was not very
pleasant. I came from broken home. I was
disowned by my father since I was baby. I
was abused physically, emotionally and
verbally by my mother. She was alcoholic.
Yet , my mother was good mother in many
things.
When alcohol gets in the way, it turned
ugly. The life I knew with my mother who
drunk was
full of hate and fightings.
When I was 12 years old, I had a teacher who
taught me sign language when I was 6. One day
in the Public School he told me “Maria,
there is God”. When he told me that, I have
never seen the word God, Jesus, church (even
though I not know the buildings of them) and
Bible. I shot him back, “how can see God you
can't see nothing!". He never said anything
else to me about God again because it was
public school. Besides he was father figure
to me when I was growing up.
When I was 14 years old,
I had a best friend who invited me to come
to her Church first time in PA and I told
her "NO!". Then I through better go with her
afraid I was going to lose a best friend. So
I went to her church on the church bus.
The head deacon came to
me when I walked in the door of the church,
he hugged me and said "I LOVE YOU" first
time in my life.
Her church became a haven
place for me to run to, whenever the
beatings going at home and the doors of the
church is opened, I am there.
One day I was sitting at
2nd pew by the wall...I watched the preacher
finish preaching and he came down in front
of the pulpit and people of the church lined
up to shake his hand and to say "thank you"
or whatever...I thought shaking his hands
leads people to heaven...so I joined up in
line and when it was just him and me and
after I shook his hand, in my mind I said
"Great! I am going to Heaven!".
On August 16th, 1985, the
Load had moved me to Jacksonville, Florida
to Trinity Baptist College and I was
thrilled to be there! Between the 16th and
the 28th of that month, I was in classes
with a Interpreter, Never before had
interpreter in main stream classes before
and the teacher was talking about things in
class I never learned before...what heaven
is like and what hell is like and why Jesus
came and what sin is and so on. During those
days between 16th and 28th and learning
those things really scared me.
On the 28th, I was in
cafeteria at College and I was hungry and at
the same time my hear was going crazy!
I decided to run up to
see Bro. Steve Houghton, who was Paster to
the Deaf there at Trinity Baptist Church. I
ran to him for help and in a few minutes, he
lead me to Christ and I had Christ in my
heard and not in my head this time!!! Glory
I am saved!!!
The Missionary Call
One year later, God
called me to be a Missionary and boy was I
thrilled!!! He had prepared me for the
field. Now in 2005, I been Missionary for 19
years and on the Field for 14 years and
celebrating my 20th year being a Born-Again
Christian!
The Lord had me teach ASL
in many churches and established many deaf
ministries and taught many deaf out there
and I tell you...I have won so many deaf and
hearing throughout the years and have found
deaf in places that many people don't find
them and even think to find them in places
they never thought to look at. I am just so
thankful to know that my God still uses me
to reach more for Him.
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