Panamanian Institute for Special Needs — Penonome, Panama
*Pictures will be added shortly*
Today during our bi-weekly study with Idenis in Rio Hato, Yessica got a call from the I.P.H.E of Penonome to inform her that a 8 year old deaf student and his mother were anxiously waiting to meet with us.
Yessica is currently studying to become a special needs worker and finished her practicum last week working in the Penonome I.P.H.E (Instituto Panameño de Habilitación Especial/ Panamanian Institution of Special Needs). When asked by the Director and staff how she became fluent in sign language, she explained that she has been volunteering for the past 8 years teaching the Bible to deaf children and adults from all over the province. She placed a copy of each available DVDs for their library and made a special demonstration for the students.
I.P.H.E facilitates children with all types of disabilities from visual, cognitive, mobility and deaf or hard of hearing. Through the use of braille, physical therapy, respite, or sign language, each child's needs is addressed though whatever limited resources are available.
The school´s director was so impressed that she advertised our home bible study program and weekly meetings to parents and contacts around the area and today, we were able to meet privately with one such parent who would like us to begin studying with her 8 year old son Elvis and herself. They live over 2 hours ( and one very rapid river) away, but arrangements have been made to start visiting regularly. While we spend a small amount of time teaching sign language, we emphasize that the main purpose of our visits is to instruct lessons from the bible, and the mother could not be more pleased.
It just goes to show that Jehovah is behind the work we do! Who would have though that local government institutions that previously restricted our access, were now the ones setting us up with new studies!