Answering the call.

I am so excited for my sister and brother-in-law, Krista and Ben Beukema.  They have recently made the decision to follow God's lead and become missionaries in Jamaica!  If you know them, then you know that this is not a surprise.  They will be working for the CCCD (Caribbean Christian Centre for the Deaf), where Krista will teach and Ben will be responsible for the work teams that come down to help build the villiage.  This is a PERFECT fit.  Krista has a degree in Deaf Education and spent the last two years teaching at a residential deaf school in Knoxville, Tennessee.  Anyway... we are SOOO excited for them and that they are in the perfect point in life to take advantage of this opportunity.  Of course we will miss them... but we can't help but be so excited and proud of them for responding to God's call on their life.

If you'd like more info - they have started a website and blog at http://bkbeukema.org.  Here is a little blip from their blog.

About Us

Where to start! The two of us have been practically inseparable since we met our freshman and sophomore years of high school. We began “dating” on Krista’s 15th birthday and immediately knew that we had something special. After almost 8 years of being together (4 of which was long-distance), we were finally married in May of 2009.

Our passion for the Deaf community stems back to our high school years, during which we had the opportunity to participate in missions to CCCD several times. The experience touched both our hearts; it was incredible to be a part of a movement that reached out to such a marginalized people group. Even after several missions to the island, Krista especially felt the urge to return to CCCD again. She was able to spend 2 months on a short-term mission at the Montego Bay campus after her Junior year of college.

We are so excited to begin our partnership with CCCD as full-time staff. God’s call on our lives has been undeniable…our personal skills and experiences, including construction and deaf education, have prepared us for this specific opportunity. It will be such a blessing to be a part of an organization that not only gives children a basic education, but provides them with access to the Gospel in a world where most language is inaccessible.

Once we get there, Krista will be teaching in the classroom and I will be leading missions teams that come down from the states to do construction projects and other various activities. Some of the details are yet to be determined, including which campus we will be on and what grade/subject Krista will teach. We are just leaving that in God’s hands right now; we know he has it planned!