Liz Ortiz

I was nervously waiting outside the room where the ABWE board members were gathered. I had gone through various interviews the previous days. Moments ago, I had finished my final interview in front of the board. Now they were deliberating my acceptance into the mission...

Imagine not having the Scriptures in your heart language. There are over 400 sign languages in the world, and none has had a complete Bible until now. On June 20th, Deaf Missions finished the complete Bible in American Sign Language Version (ASLV). It was worked on for...

The school year is about to end. It hasn’t been the school year that I expected at my new job, but it has been good. We had to be creative on how we could reach our students. I was able to use skills that I hadn’t expected to be able to use, like making videos! I made...

I was about to finish my first week at my new job as para pro at a special needs school, and I was ready for things to start feeling “normal” again. The four months, since I returned from Togo, had been a transitional season that was challenging both emotionally and ph...

It feels strange to think that I have been back in the states for 3 months now. Togo feels like a distant dream. I miss it so much. Every day, I pray for God’s guidance, and each day I feel the strong reassurance that He is calling me back to Togo. But for now, He has...

“How does it feel being back?” I've been asked that question frequently since I returned to the states. My response, “It feels weird.” A culture that was once familiar to me now feels so strange. I still find myself checking my bag to make sure I have my flash light, a...

“Things have changed” wasn’t a phrase I was expecting to say over and over again during my final weeks in Togo, while I was covering the gap for the sign-language teacher. But, I also wasn't expecting the announcement, just 3.5 weeks ago, that the ASL teacher wasn't co...

My alarm went off at 5:00AM. Although I am not a morning person, this morning I was excited to jump out of bed. After months of praying, planning, and preparing, I could say, “Today is the day. We are going to Benin.”

A few months ago, I wasn’t sure I would be able to m...

One Sunday in September, I got up early to go with another missionary to visit a small church up on the mountain. The long drive over rough dirt roads caused me to become very car sick, but as soon as I saw the little bamboo structure and the people's smiling faces, I...

Everyone was at my house, celebrating the end of the summer sign language class, with a potluck lunch of Togolese and American dishes. Jonas sat across the table from me and made a face as he took a sip of soda. He signed, “I’m thirsty. I don’t like this drink.” I sign...