November 2025

November 23rd, 2025

Well, I forgot to add anything to this blog for 6 months!

We continue to do the same things – game and craft times, tutoring dates, movie time. God has blessed us with a peaceful year – no hurricanes, no crises. The picture above is from our Movie Afternoon on November 22, 2025. We had 17 people enjoying the Jesus : Deaf Film . It is a great outreach tool and also good for our older Christians to remember Jesus’ sacrifice and love.

The three ladies at the nearest front table are all new ASL students. One is from my church here in Fajardo. The other two just came and asked about a class. One is not a Christian so I thank God for the opportunity to witness to her.

Mondays and Fridays we are working with the Deaf Bible Translation program. Pray for our translation of Mark to bear fruit.

Tutoring Tuesdays finds Betsy busy with actual in person teaching.

ASL classes are taught remotely by Betsy on Monday and Wednesday evenings. Valie is teaching on Tuesday evenings.

Definitely staying busy in the work of the Lord – though in a different way than we previously did. Thanks for your prayers!

November 23, 2025Christian School for the Deaf, classroom, deaf in Puerto Rico, missions trip, News, StaffBetsy Hoke

A family missions trip blessed us!

July 1st, 2025

Sometime in the Spring, we received an e-mail asking about a family coming for a missions’ trip. We just never know these days what will happen.

The Auman family arrived on June 16 and Robbie (the dad) immediately saw things to do. Betsy, our school director, was not feeling well and had to leave the family to figure things out on their own. They sure did! (With Valie’s help.)

Stephanie (the mom) was so helpful with Betsy’s mother – sitting with her, making sure she had lunch and companionship. The kids were working with their dad doing this and that – creating a new user-friendly playground! And Robbie was able to entertain Mikael (6 years old and deaf) with some science projects like bottle rockets and kites.

We invited some of the Saturday Deaf Fellowship friends to come on FRIDAY June 27th to help with the final touches – hanging chains and swings and a rope climbing spiderweb! We all had a good time together and were SO BLESSED by this family’s visit.

Thank you for coming!

If you think YOUR FAMILY or your church group would be interested in a missions’ trip, send an email to cscdluquillo@gmail.com and let’s start the conversation. We may not know exactly what the plans will be but God always leads our groups through the unknown into a time of service and blessing.

July 1, 2025NewsBetsy Hoke

February 2025

February 6th, 2025

Yes we are still here and still serving our great Lord and Saviour!

The beginning of the year (January) we hosted a student group from University of Connecticut. It was an amazing time of learning for all of us.

This month, we met a new family – the father is CODA and the mom is not. Their baby is 7-months old and Deaf. Pray for us as we work with them for the next 20 years. The family came to our Monday parent ASL class on Feb 4 and had a good time with the variety of hearing and Deaf persons present. We look forward to seeing them at our Saturday activities also:

February 6, 2025NewsBetsy Hoke

September 2024

September 22nd, 2024

The pictures above are from two separate Deaf Fellowship events held in our chapel. We have such sweet times with the Deaf who come together to share life’s moments and fellowship in God’s Word. I have so much to say on this but not here and now. Just know that God is working.

The picture in the center shows a couple (first time visitors) who presented a Bible object lesson. They prayed and prepared and we reviewed and worked together. I ran the PowerPoint – finally got to sit back and not DO something! The Deaf adult audience that day were excited to have people who cared enough to work on how to present and how to sign clearly. They blessed all of us with their visit. Pray for God’s guidance on them as they consider future ministry opportunities in missions.

The two pictures to the right show one of the classes I am working with this school year. Natalia (deaf) is in a mainstream classroom in a private school. I have been going there for the past two years to teach ASL to various grades. This year, they needed an English teacher. I accepted the position for 2 days each week 2.5 hours both days in addition to the ASL classes once a week. How exciting to be teaching Natalia and her friends! It’s different than teaching my Deaf students but I am learning how to work with groups of 12 and more kids. The program is Montessori and they kids are accustomed to working in small groups. Using games (left picture) and videos (on the tablets and laptop in the right picture) allows me to talk to each student individually while the other continue to (hopefully) learn.

Pray for these opportunities above highlighted as well as the other weekly events that keep my fingers moving. Each opportunity provides another relationship through which we can share God’s love and mercy and grace with another person – Deaf or related to the Deaf. Thank you for your part in serving our Deaf community here.

Thank you for praying for our ministries!

Betsy

September 22, 2024Christian School for the Deaf, deaf in Puerto Rico, missions trip, NewsBetsy Hoke

Post T.S. Ernesto Post

August 18th, 2024

Because so many are asking: GOD had a plan to help us through the Ernesto cleanup. Dave Markle was helping to transport a disaster relief team from San Juan International airport to Vieques (nearby island of PR) on Tuesday before the storm. To get to Vieques, they were going to the ferry. Ferry service ended on Tuesday at 11 a.m. and the team arrived Tuesday at 2 p.m. (Their intention was to come to work with a school in Vieques that requested some help). On Tuesday afternoon before the storm, they checked out the tools, jacked up the minivan so they could do a brake job, and planned what they would need for post-storm work.

The team of 5 very seasoned disaster relief workers overnighted with us through the storm. On Wednesday as the rain was ending, they checked walked through the limbs and leaves and made their plans – used our tools, went to Home Depot twice – through some rough patches of trees on the roads…. SLEPT then helped 4 families in the area on Thursday and then got the ferry to Vieques on Friday morning at 4:30. HOORAY for having 5 seasoned clean up workers. They commented that most times they arrive a day or two AFTER the storm so it was an experience to be IN the storm and actually know the sounds of wind and rain beating on the windows. The CSCD campus lost power at 2 a.m. August 14. The tree removal guys have been on our road EVERY DAY since that (it is 5:30 Sunday evening August 18 and the chainsaws just stopped running on the road to the east of us with a fleet of trucks spread down the road – kind of cool to see a quick and busy response). The Tesla batteries are running – praise God for Dave Markle knowing a few more things than I do! He got the batteries to GO somehow and has kept the generator in running order – I turn on the generator at night to provide power from midnight to sunrise (or 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. if I wake up and have to use the bathroom) a few hours is all we need to recharge the battery. Our Deaf friends have been video-calling to check on us and to let me know they are well. No one had SERIOUS damage – but the continued time without stable electricity wears on everyone. My mother keeps saying “I wonder when the electricity will be on again.” I know she wants an answer but I can only say, “I wonder too Mom.” I will let you know when I know! Thank you for checking in on us – BETSY for the CSCD Community

August 18, 2024NewsBetsy Hoke

Tropical Storm Ernesto passing by

August 13th, 2024

Today I was preparing to teach a class at the local “hearing” school when a storm came by and everything was cancelled. It has been a day of waiting and preparing – putting outdoor tables and chairs inside, putting potted plants into protected areas, updating the website, balancing the checkbook, making some calls to friends.

Dave has been doing the bigger work – putting up hurricane shutters today. Last week he put up a new support cable for our infra-net/internet cable. Planning ahead!

Pray for our school year – again this year we do not have students in the classrooms but we have them in Zoom Classrooms and in tutoring sessions (mostly in the library with the a.c. on). Betsy will also be teaching part-time at a local school where there is a Deaf child mainstreamed in a classroom. Pray for opportunities for Betsy to shine the light of Christ in the classrooms there and for the Deaf child in the mainstream to be able to develop friendships with her hearing peers.

August 13, 2024Christian School for the Deaf, classroom, deaf in Puerto Rico, News, StaffBetsy Hoke

July 2024 work team

July 25th, 2024

A group of workers from the Emmanuel United Methodist Church of Laurel MD has blessed us this week with some really good work on some really HOT days.

They weeded the front garden, replaced fencing and painted in the dorms. THANK YOU, Donna and the crew from Emmanuel United Methodist!

July 25, 2024NewsBetsy Hoke

Saturdays Fellowships are so fun!

March 4th, 2024

While we do not have any full-time traditional K-12 students, we do have a lot going on around here. Call before you come or text to make sure someone will be here to meet you. Our “office hours” are by appointment only.

Two things you can depend on are the second and fourth Saturdays of each month – we have fellowship days. Stop by and join us in games, chat, crafts, a movie, food, a Bible study, a literacy class… all kinds of options to challenge your brain!

Check out our Bible Memory Verse page also! We are working to improve our minds and literacy skills by memorizing Bible verses.

March 4, 2024Christian School for the Deaf, classroom, deaf in Puerto Rico, missions trip, NewsChristian School for the Deaf, CSCD, deaf in Puerto Rico, deaf school luquillo, Evangelical School for the Deaf, luquillo deaf, sordos en luquillo, sorodo PRBetsy Hoke

February 2024

February 17th, 2024

We had a lot of rain at the end of January.

Our Wednesday student is picked up after school at her mainstreamed school and we work on ASL and speech and awareness of environmental sounds and CRAFTS!

In addition to tutoring this little girl, Betsy spends time online with ZOOM classes for other students too remote to come in person. We also have 9 ASL classes for a variety of groups through the week. Betsy is working on a variety of projects including videos of the book aprende señas conmigo and the Hear-Me-Read Bible. (videos available here)

We are down to ONE teacher – BETSY HOKE – who is taking care of her mother who is slowly sliding into dementia. Betsy is thankful she can fulfill this role and asks your prayer for her as she serves both her mother and the Deaf community here. Betsy continues to teach those students who come and we are praying for new younger teachers – turning away students in need because of distance or lack of hands to work with them is sad. GOD KNOWS and in His time, He will provide for these precious ones. She also works through her church in Fajardo with the Deaf Ministry there – interpreting services and Bible studies and meeting the Deaf adults for fellowship.

We also have a maintenance man – Dave Markle – on staff as a missionary. Dave serves the school and his local church with his skills at fixing things. Dave has taken on the role of Work Team Coordinator/Host and we are seeing the return of mission groups, interpreter training groups and others interested in supporting Puerto Rico and her churches. We are SO THANKFUL for Dave and God’s timing in bringing him to CSCD.

Every month we have Second and Fourth Saturday activities with the Adult Deaf community: We have movie day on the Fourth Saturday and Fellowship day on the Second Saturday. We open at 10 a.m. for Adult literacy classes – pray for these – many say they want to learn but most do not make it a priority. Have lunch together around 12:30 and then the afternoon activity. It’s a fun day and we are thankful we can do this.

Recently, a volunteer helped us make Valentine Cards – even the Deaf men joined in on this one!

Thank you for praying along with us for the Deaf in Puerto Rico. The needs may seem small but to those who have them the needs are pressing and scary. We are so thankful that our God knows and provides for each one and that FAITH is grown as we discern His Hand at work to protect, guide and provide.