Vonda Hamilton

EDUCATION

DEGREES:

HOPE INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY

MASTERS OF MINISTRY with a concentration in Intercultural Studies. Received December 2015

OZARK CHRISTIAN COLLEGE

BACHELOR OF BIBLICAL LITERATURE/DEAF COMMUNICATION COURSES: Biblical studies, interpreter training program, in-depth studies of deaf culture and working with the deaf. Deaf internship in Honolulu.

BACHELOR OF CHRISTIAN EDUCATION Bible, Communications, Education, Mission studies

CERTIFICATE DEAF MISSIONS EXTENSION PROGRAM (1/87- 5/87) Council Bluffs, Iowa Certificate in Deaf Studies: taught deaf children at the Iowa and Nebraska schools for the deaf, interpreted in different situations. Honors, Awards, and Positions: I was nominated and chosen outstanding student, “Dally” Evangelism award winner, served as secretary and vice president of the Lord’s Reapers, mission organization at Ozark Christian College, Honor roll, and a member of the Handicapped Concerns Club of Cameron University in Lawton, Oklahoma.1980-1982

LAWTON HIGH SCHOOL
Lawton, Oklahoma  Graduate Diploma
Honor, Awards, and Positions: Vacation Bible school director, National Honor Society, Beta Club, 4-H, FFA, and Business Leaders of America, Scholarship Award Winner for “Handicapped Concerns” essay, Spanish

WORK EXPERIENCE MISSIONARY

5/12
Puerto Rico Outreach at Deaf Exposition in San Juan.

6/99 to present
EXPRESSIONS OF EMMANUEL
(formerly “Hands of Love” in Oklahoma)

EOE Christian Sign Language songs and Bible lessons, as well as Miss Vonda’s Big Bible Stories: Jonah, Finger Food Cafe videos, and a few other cooperative video projects Job Responsibilities: Video, outreach, and writing projects are the emphasis of the mission work. Work has included teaching and leading in a deaf church, Bible teaching at Happy Hands Deaf School in Oklahoma, and the Lil’ Buckaroos Bible story hour in Texas, working as an actress for the Finger Food Café Television programs (and video). I worked on scripts, sets, recruiting and training of other actors, preparing the best American Sign Language performances possible, as well as singing and voiceovers. I have written magazine articles, newsletters, devotional writing, and done extensive public speaking and teaching. I acted as multiple characters and did the narration of “Miss Vonda”, the cowgirl storyteller. I have prepared songs, crafts, and dramas that teach deaf children and others via video. Currently, we are working towards the production of multiple Bible lessons, devotions, and Christian song videos in which requires creative preparation, acquisition of props, costumes, and video sites, editing, and voiceover additions. Some of our strategic outreaches include: Deaf expositions sharing gospel stage performances as well as sharing tracts and DVDs from and EOE booth,  women’s retreats, revivals, sharing in Deaf churches across the nation and the world.   training others to minister with the deaf, deaf camps, youth retreats, and Vacation Bible school programs. I have traveled to 43 states and 26 countries videotaping Bible lessons and songs, and sharing the Gospel in outreaches.

8/10-5/11
FORERUNNER CHRISTIAN ACADEMY

Job responsibility: I taught American Sign Language as a foreign language to high school students.

8/01-5/02
WRIGHT CHRISTIAN ACADEMY 

Job responsibility: I taught American Sign Language as a foreign language to high school students.

10/96-6/99
HAPPY HANDS DEAF CHRISTIAN PRESCHOOL & KINDERGARTEN PROGRAM

Job Responsibilities: Lead teacher; preparing lessons, preparing the classroom, teaching the Bible and all areas of study, evaluating children, discipline and parent consultation.

8/91-9/91
Radio Announcer (Christian black Gospel)
(part time) KTOW radio, Sand Springs, Oklahoma

Job Responsibilities: Announced and controlled music and programming, weather reports, commercials, and public announcements.

8/91- 12/96
AMERICAN SIGN LANGUAGE, DEAF MINISTRY, AND DEAF CULTURE INSTRUCTOR

Ozark Christian College Joplin, MissouriJob responsibilities: Plan, prepare, teach classes in American Sign Language, Deaf Culture, preparing classes and additional activities which enable students to be very familiar with the Deaf community, becoming skilled interpreters, and to be skilled in relating with Deaf people.

6/88-present
FREELANCE INTERPRETER

Job Responsibilities: Interpret in medical, educational, and employment situations as well as various other situations. (Had a regional Level 4, but have not been active due to mission work.) (Interpreting is, however, a regular part of my mission work)

7/88-5/89
TELECOMMUNICATIONS SPECIALIST
Tulsa Speech and Hearing Association, Tulsa, Oklahoma

Job Responsibilities: Facilitate communication between deaf and hearing consumers through a telecommunication relay network. Interpret for deaf consumers for phone calls.

INTERNATIONAL AND URBAN MISSION WORK

02/04/19 – 02/15/19
JAPAN – Steven, Vonda – Deaf Mission Work & Medical for Steven in Tokyo, Japan

01/28/19 – 02/04/19
PHILIPPINES – Steven, Vonda – Deaf Mission Work in Manila, PH

5/17 – 6/17 and 1/18 – 2/18
PHILIPPINES – Steven, Vonda, Cloudi, Nate, and Selah- Deaf Mission Work in Cebu City, PH

7/17-8/17
BELIZE – Vonda and Selah – Deaf Mission Work

2012 and 2016
LAS VEGAS – DeafNation World also have attended DeafNation in Dallas, Austin, and Tyler, TX, Portland, OR, and Chicago, IL, Kansas City, KS, Phoenix, AZ, Orlando, FL, and Wayne, NJ.

5/13-6/13
HAWAII – Vonda and Selah – Deaf Mission Work

4/13
PUERTO RICO – Vonda – Deaf Mission Work

6/10 -7/10
JAMAICA MISSION WORK Deaf Camp Bible teacher in Knockpatrick, Jamaica

7/10
ISRAEL/JORDAN TOUR Videotaping Bible lessons & deaf outreach

7/09
MEXICAN MISSION WORK Vacation Bible School Bible teacher in Ixtapi & Zihuatenejo, Mexico

6/05
UNIVERSITY OF THE AMERICAS SPANISH LANGUAGE SCHOOL San Antonio, Texas (Visiting: Piedras, Negras Mexico)

7/05
HONDURAS DEAF MISSION WORK Job experience: Learning Honduran sign language and teaching in a Vacation Bible school program and at a deaf church.

10/01-11/01 & 7/95
COLOMBIAN DEAF MISSION AND ADOPTION TRIPS Job experience: Learning Colombian sign language and teaching the Bible at a deaf school in Bogota.

5/94
ROMANIAN DEAF MISSION TRIP Job experience: Visited deaf schools and orphanages, shared team mime drama presentations, learned Romanian sign language, promoted deaf awareness. We presented the Gospel.

6/91
RUSSIAN DEAF MISSION OUTREACH Job experience: Taught the Bible to the deaf club, an auditorium full of deaf senior citizens who had never “heard” the Gospel, visited deaf children in orphanages.

8/3/89-8/17/89
SOUTH AFRICA DEAF MISSION RESEARCH TRIP Job experience: Visited deaf schools, learned some of the needs of the deaf in South Africa, educated South African hearing people of the talents and needs of the deaf.

6/89-8/89
KENYA, AFRICA DEAF MISSION RESEARCH TRIP Job responsibilities: Learned some Kenya Sign Language, visited and taught at deaf schools, researched deaf’s educational needs, gathered data to help send future missionaries to Kenya, and promoted deaf awareness.

8/86-8/89
KCFO RADIO AM & FM Tulsa, Oklahoma Job responsibilities: Announced and controlled music and programming, weather reports, commercials, and public service announcements.

9/87-10/87, 5/90, 6/97, 6-7/04, 5-7/06
HAWAII DEAF MISSION WORK Job responsibilities: Visiting deaf people in their homes and at community gatherings, helping organize and plan activities with the deaf church, teaching in the deaf church and deaf camps, sharing special music and leading worship, in 1987 being a radio announcer for KLHT Christian radio on my day off from the deaf church work, in 2006 enormous amounts of Christian videotaping was done on six of the Hawaiian islands.

6/86-7/86
INTERPRETER/TEACHER Hillside Church of Christ, Queens, New York

3/85-4/85
STUDENT LEADER Ozark Christian College, Joplin, Missouri Job Experience: Interpreted and coordinated activities for a group of students to be involved in deaf awareness/fellowship activities in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

5/85-8/85
BRAZIL MISSION TRIP Job experience: Learned language and culture, helped prepare crafts, skits, games, and lessons for Vacation Bible School. We taught in many weeks of Vacation Bible School around the country. We also served in the local churches and camp.

2/85-12/86
RADIO ANNOUNCER KOBC RADIO Job Experience: Learned broadcasting in classes and practicum at the Ozark Christian College directed station. I began working as a part time announcer.

5/84-8/84
EUROPEAN MISSION TRIP Job Experience: We traveled in England, Scotland, Belgium, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, San Marino, Italy, France, Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. We shared in services, Bible studies, literature distribution, language learning, camp, and friendship evangelism in England, Scotland, West Germany, Italy, and France.

Summers of 1982 and 1983
CAMP COUNSELOR, & NATIVE AMERICAN RESERVATION/MEXICO MISSION TRIP Job Responsibilities: I was a counselor for many weeks of church camp during both summers. I was also a counselor/sponsor for a mission trip to a Navajo Reservation in Arizona, and to Juarez, Mexico.

TEEN YOUTH LEADER
I was baptized on June 11th, 1978, from that point onwards even as a teen I was the Vacation Bible school director, a youth leader, participated in friendship evangelism, door to door calling, and other evangelistic campaigns.

SPECIAL INTERESTS

Family, creative writing, photography, bicycling, karate, traveling (have been to 32 countries), drama, movies, singing and signing with music, prayer walking, understanding people (cultural studies and psychology), horseback riding, and learning to cook (won Hillcrest Christian Church’s International cooking contest.) My greatest interest is to love God and people! I am thrilled when I can help someone realize and move towards their full potential in Jesus Christ!