Short Bio

Vanessa VanCleave is a Mvskoke prayer warrior poet, teacher, and storyteller whose mission is to inspire, encourage, and motivate others to connect with God and live with purpose. After serving eighteen years as a sign language interpreter, she is currently the Curriculum Director and English/ASL Instructor for a rural school in Oklahoma. She is the author of Hearing AIDS: How a Deaf Child with AIDS Taught Me to Hear God’s Voice.

Long Bio

Vanessa VanCleave grew up in rural Oklahoma. She is a Mvskoke citizen, and her mission is to inspire, encourage, and motivate others to connect with God and fulfill their unique purpose. She holds a bachelor’s degree in English/writing from East Central University in Ada, Oklahoma, and a master’s degree in education curriculum and instruction from the University of Missouri–Kansas City. She received ministry training at the Berean School of the Bible and Victory Bible Institute School of Worship. Vanessa is also a graduate of Christian Leaders Authors and Speakers Services (CLASS).

In 2000, Vanessa founded Hands of Hope Ministries, a nonprofit prayer and missions organization dedicated to training up warrior poet messengers who know their mission and live with purpose.

Her essay “Happy Go Home” and poems “No Place Like Home” and “Do Not Resuscitate” won the Originals (East Central University’s literary arts magazine) award for creative nonfiction and poetry two years in a row. Her articles have appeared in Today’s Christian Woman and Guideposts magazines. She is the author of Hearing AIDS: How a Deaf Child with AIDS Taught Me to Hear God’s Voice.

If she isn’t spending time with family and friends, she is at the keyboard, in a prayer room, or in a classroom, teaching literature, poetry, American Sign Language, or how to write a mission statement. To find out more or to join her mission to train up an army of warrior poet messengers, visit vanessavancleave.com.

Blurb

Living in a silent world doesn't mean you can't hear God's voice.

Before 8-year-old Maegan died with AIDS, she hid gift-wrapped trinkets and notes throughout the house for her parents to find after she went to heaven. One gift simply said “Hope.” Maegan’s story is precisely that: a message of hope that has touched the lives of millions around the world.

Maegan was born with HIV, and after her birth mother’s death, Maegan was struck with spinal meningitis and became deaf. Her father, Jeff, was heartbroken and overwhelmed.

In 1991, Vanessa VanCleave began dating Jeff. And time with Jeff meant time with Maegan—a frustrated and confused child, who would point and scream because she could not communicate. Vanessa recognized Maegan’s desperate desire for communication, so she began to teach her American Sign Language.

But it was Maegan who would ultimately become the teacher and Vanessa, the student.

Through this touching memoir, readers will:

Learn to watch for God’s “sign language” in their lives
Find and fulfill their personal mission or purpose, like Maegan did
Be inspired by Maegan’s unshakable faith

Maegan knew her purpose and fulfilled her mission to teach others about love and Jesus before she went into her Father’s arms in 1997. Hearing AIDS: How a Deaf Child with AIDS Taught Me to Hear God’s Voice will inspire and challenge readers to examine their own purpose and mission while learning the true definition of hope and unconditional love.