A Most Unexpected Journey - thanks to God’s GPS
Little did I know when I started school in 1960 that God was already preparing me for a long journey: a road trip with a new twist in January of 2026, sixty-six years later. But my Sovereign God knew, of course!
Our small country school, R-9, had two teachers, one for the 1st through 4th graders, and the other for the 5th through 8th graders. We quickly got to know all the kids and most of their parents, since our parents all lived on nearby farms. One family, though, intrigued me from the start: the Outerskys. During my five years at R-9, before our school consolidated into Richmond, I grew to admire Brenda and Pam’s mother, Bonnie. She stood out to me because she had the most gorgeous smile of any adult I knew at that young age, and on top of that, she was deaf. The way she used her hands to talk mesmerized me! I’m sure I stared, but it wasn’t the gawking stare to tease; it was the awe of wishing I could speak so beautifully.
Fast forward through the years. When our school closed at the end of my 5th-grade year, I ended up in a 6th-grade building with 5 different classes. Classes and buildings separated my friends from R-9, so my connection with the Outerskys pretty much disappeared. My fascination with sign language and my opportunity to see Bonnie became a pushed-back memory for the next eight years until a friend at William Jewell College introduced me to an interpreter for the deaf at a church just a few blocks from my college dorm. The spark ignited again with the chance to learn! Every Tuesday afternoon, I’d jog down to 2nd Baptist Church to learn from the church secretary and interpreter for the deaf, Marjorie Stump. She became my first teacher and my encourager. On Sundays, a deaf lady welcomed me to sit with her. I don’t recall her name, but I’ll never forget her kindness as she patiently watched me blunder my way interpreting some church hymns!
God’s expert guidance system opened new paths to friendships. To this day, I can’t recall how the journey led me to so many deaf friends, but as I finished college and began teaching, I searched out small groups and sign language classes. The more friends who communicated with American Sign Language (ASL) and signed English, the more I learned. Finally, I got up the nerve to contact Bonnie and Jerry Outersky. When I was home for a holiday, I asked if they would like to come to church; I’d be happy to
do my best to interpret. (Oh my! How little I knew!) When their nephew, who had also gone to R-9, unexpectedly died in a car accident, they asked me to help with his funeral. With the encouragement of interested church leadership, the deaf ministry at First Baptist Church began. On Sundays, I drove from my home in North Kansas City to interpret. One summer, I assisted Bonnie with a Vacation Bible School for deaf children. In no time, other family and friends from our farming community began learning sign language. Bonnie was a true leader, and so many people loved the chance to finally communicate with the Outerskys. In no time, FBC didn’t need me as an interpreter; Bonnie trained new people who took over. In addition, Leslie Hall, a deaf Bible teacher from Kansas City, began meeting weekly at Bonnie and Jerry’s home to lead a Bible study. Other deaf friends from the area and those learning sign joined.
God’s journey for me morphed into an entire map of pathways for others to walk. When my road seemed to end, I stopped traveling to Richmond to interpret anymore. God planned a whole map for the Outerskys as the deaf in Richmond created new roadways, streets, and highways. In fact, a few years later, Bonnie boarded a plane and ended up ministering to deaf and hard-of-hearing people in Ecuador alongside other deaf leaders from Missouri!
By the mid-80s, I was in no deaf ministry; I was teaching elementary school full-time while being a wife and mother. Occasionally, an opportunity to use sign language arose, but years passed without any real growth in the field. Then, as only God can orchestrate lives, Don and I purchased land from my parents and moved back to Richmond while commuting to work. We were actively involved in church life, but it was another eight years or so before we made First Baptist Church our home. Little by little, I began to reacquaint myself with the deaf ministry and my friends; I felt I had lost so many of my sign language skills! God was paving new roadways for me to take, albeit challenging paths. My confidence needed to be in God, not in my skills. I learned to hold His hands once again as we journeyed down a road I felt grossly inadequate to walk.
What joy! In time, I began taking my turn interpreting. I loved reconnecting with Bonnie and Jerry while getting to know Glenda and Elmer Curtner, another adult couple who faithfully started attending FBC during my absence. They taught me so much, and I once again discovered worship through sign. The ministry helped the deaf community, but all ministry is an act of worship to God. Everything we do in life must be for God’s glory!
I would have been happy if everything stayed the same, but life changes, of course. Jerry passed away in 2015, followed by Bonnie in 2016. Elmer and Glenda died in 2020 and 2021. Our dear friends in ministry and service were gone. What is a deaf ministry without recipients of the interpreting? Since our Sunday services air on YouTube, we continued to interpret. At times, I wondered about the purpose and always prayed, asking God to show us what to do. Interpreting absolutely couldn’t be for our own glory. Father, show us clearly, and please bless someone through this ministry.
Another new road appeared when one Sunday in early Fall of 2025, I noticed a young woman sitting near the back of the church, watching me closely. After church, she introduced herself. Jennifer is hard of hearing and also relies on sign language. She told me she and her family had moved to Richmond a couple of years earlier, and she had often considered visiting our church because the outdoor marquee reads “Deaf Ministry.” My heart felt as though it could explode. We remained faithful to the path God laid out, even when it seemed we might just be kicking up dust. God knew who would soon be traveling down that road! Jennifer’s Bible was well-read, and our conversation made it clear she had a strong Christian upbringing, but one Sunday, she wanted clarification. She asked an honest question, a question that made me recognize how many churchgoers might need such clarity but are reticent to ask, reluctant to go down a path of uncertainty. Jennifer asked how to be certain one was saved. Isn’t it wonderful to realize God never dismisses a person with genuine doubts, questions, and even fears? God understands the heart. After that conversation and prayer time, we started meeting regularly for discipleship. It was soon a joy for me to meet Jennifer’s mom and sister when they came to church a few weeks later. Angelica, Jennifer’s mother, also depends on sign language and is a devout Christian. I enjoy watching Angelica use sign language to share Christian music online. I’m eager to know them all better.
I fear this account is wordy, but all this background feels vital as I see God creating the roadmap journey!
January 2026. Here I am, sitting here in Georgia. Don and I came down for the Peach Bowl. After deciding to stay in the area for a few days, we attended church with the Darseys, friends from when Daniel coached at the University of Georgia. The music and sermon were precisely what I needed. After the services, we met the lead pastor, Chad Mantooth, and the music minister, Chris Blanton. One thing led to another when Chris shared that of their five children, the middle child, Samuel, was deaf. Did I have any suggestions for online help?
“Do I?” I thought! “God certainly does, and my mind has been doing cartwheels since then!” Is there a chance in my life’s journey that God has arranged for all these circuitous paths to cross at this very moment? I’ll speak with Angelica and Jennifer for the help, but today I needed to write this all down and process the journey God placed me on 66 years ago as a first grader. Where will the road head next? Will this be the beginning of new paths crossing? Will Angelica, Jennifer, Samuel, Chris, and his wife, Laura, have intersecting highways for a long time to come? Only God knows—and I learned long ago, planning the GPS of life is out of my skill set—the journeys below to the Almighty Sovereign God.
I am in awe. My God reigns. He is my Sovereign Redeemer who keeps promises. Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.”
Don and I often discuss our dependence on GPS navigation as we travel now. We still pack the Rand McNally road atlas, but it’s the car’s GPS that really directs us. In life, God reveals His roadmap. I can trust Him every step of the way—and life is exciting as His plan unfolds! Every tiny detail over all the many years has kept me on the journey.