Hello dear friends,

My name is Lucien Bulabula and I'm 21.  In my family there are 4 boys and 2 girls.  I'm the youngest.  I'm profoundly deaf.  I'm the only one in my family who is deaf.  My father has lost some of his eyesight.

My family is poor.  I live with my sister Jose.  She loves me very much and encourages me to study.  I'm a senior in a high school for the deaf called "Espoir des sourds" (Hope for the Deaf) in the  Republic Democratic of Congo.  My major is in pedagogy because in the future I would like to teach in the deaf community.   Since January I have been working with a choir of 8 people, all deaf.  Our pastor is also deaf.  His name is Botanyi Kamonyo.  He loves Jesus.  He teaches us sign language and how to preach to the deaf community.  His wife is deaf as well.  Together they run our school (our pastor is also the director of our school).  I like Jesus very much.  The pastor urges me to go on and study at the biblical school or at the university for the deaf, but in my school we lack the means for succeeding.  I ask you to pray for me, for last year I failed the national exams and did not get my high school diploma.  I know God loves me anyway.  Soon I will pass the oral part of my exams again.  It's quite difficult, since the school refuses to pay for a sign language translator.  Also, we don't have the means to hire a good one ourselves.  Pray for us a lot.

In the freshman class of the junior high school there are 7 students (4 boys and 3 girls).  They all are Christians and would like to have pen pals.  Here are a few of their names: Kanku Papy, Geleme Bigoyo, Rene Awoyo, Muhamadi and Lumba.  Soon I'll send you a picture of us.  Awoyo is deaf and
blind but not totally.  Muhamadi is somewhat deaf and Lumba can hear.  In the Congo there are no school for those who are deaf and blind at the same time.