I Want to share a Double Blessing that occured today:
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BRIEFLY: I met a new deaf lady today! AND.....
I met a hearing man who knows CUBAN Sign Language!
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Here's the story:
Ken and I went along with Captain Ed and Granny Ann to 'Royal Care' where they were scheduled to minister to the residents with their puppets and illusion lessons. Captain Ed had asked Ken to go along as his 'sound man'. I went along for the ride and could see Minnie.
Our dear friend Minnie is still a resident there while getting therapy. She told me "That lady" (pointing to a lady in a wheelchair down the hall) "is deaf". I never know what a person means by that ....is the person deaf because of age, or do they know sign language? But I turned to that lady and signed: "Are you deaf?" She signed back with enthusiam: "YES!" So we started chatting in the hallway while I heard Captain Ed begin his program. The deaf lady could not come down as she had to be 'swing weighed' soon and then put to bed - her time for being "up" was over. She fractured her hip and is still not to the walking stage. She was happy as the man had just hooked up CC to her TV for her! I started walking back to where Captain Ed, Granny Ann and Ken were giving the program........
THEN one of the workers there (all seem to be foreign) asked me if I was going to be here for a few minutes, that he would bring down his friend who worked with the deaf in Cuba, but is here now in the States and doesn't know much English or any american sign. I said 'SURE'. So he brought him over to me. A nice young man. We had fun showing each other the differences in our sign languages. I could see how his made sense too (as far as an aerial picture) but was totally different from ASL. I asked him if he went to Church anywhere. He said "SDA". I said "GOOD, then you are free on Sundays to visit our church!" I told him: "Come and you can learn ASL by watching me". He said, "HOW can I do that without knowing English?" I said, "by WATCHING like deaf people do. YOu will SEE the picture and you will pick up a few words, and God will help you to make the connection. It will be great way to pick up sign language as well as english".
I gave him my email address, and directions to the Church. I told him my name was Bonnie. I remembered from being in South America that it is a hard name (and so is Ken) for spanish speakers to say correctly. So I told him: "You can call me Susanna" (my middle name is Sue). HE smiled as big as Texas and said, "OK Susanna!"
When the program was done, Captain Ed, Granny Ann, Ken and I were standing by the car talking as we loaded up and this young man was in his car. He pulled up to us, looked at me and said in his broken english: "I be there Sunday!" And in my broken spanish I said, "and your wife?" and he said "YES and my wife."
What fun! I got to practise my broken spanish with his broken english and exchange two different sign languages - and we will see how the LORD uses this to HIS honor and glory! Isn't God goooooood!
So on the way home, I told Pastor Ken (my hubby) that he may be called Pastor Carlos (since 'Ken' is hard to say) and we smiled. [We thought God was going to have us use those names for years in South America - so it is nice to at least hear them now with that lovely spanish accent]. I teased Ken and said, YOu are going to surprise them with a copy of the sermon in spanish arent you? He said I just may do that!
Life is sure interesting. Interesting indeed.
Nothing boring about life or being in ministry!
HUG
Bonnie
