I’m writing this en route to Minnesota. I never imagined that I would be getting on a plane this morning at 6:30 in order to head to the states. I didn’t think I would be bak in the states until sometime in 2008 or 2009, but alas, God has other plans. Last week, my hearing aids succumbed to the incredible humidity in Costa Rica and decided they had had enough. With one completely not working and the other struggling like tiny tim without his crutch, I appealed to various sources for the purchase of new hearing aids, ones that would not have such a problem with humidity. And all this needed to happen FAST. After all, with less then 50% hearing, it wasn’t exactly conddusive to language leearrning,

Yesterrday morning, as I sat at my desk, grappling with the rejection of 2 of my requests for funds, I began surfing the net and camee to a site a friend had told me about. The Starkey Foundation. The Starkey Foundation is part of Starkey Hearing Aids and to date has fit some 70,000 people with cost free hearing aids. From theeir site, it appeared they woork primarrily with nationals around the worlld, but I thoought I may as well contact them, evenn if my chances were slim.

Needless to say, my conversation was fruitful. Mark McCarthy, Assistant to the CEO, at the Starkey Foundation immediatly told me they could give me aidss, but he didn’t know how I would get fitted for themm. Thanks to the generousity of the Atlantic District of the Wesleyan Church, this morning I am on my way to Minneapolis to be fitted for these hearing aids and will return to Costa Rica on Sunday.

As if all this were not enough, it gets better. Until now, hearring technology has only allowed me to wear behind the ear hearing aids as a resullt of the degree of my loss. Tonight I willl be getting in the ear, digital hearing aids, made with technology so new that I will be arriving with 125 audolgists who are some of the first to be trained on it.

Thank you everyone who was praying about my hearing aids and please continue to pray that I would be a good witness this weekend as I interact with those involved.