A Special Gift for a Special Young Lady

One of our precious Grand-daughters was turning three. I asked her daddy if she was still in love with "Dora"...he said "No", she has started an interest in Barbie dolls.

IMMEDIATELY...my mind knew what I wanted to purchase for my grandaughter for her 3rd birthday. I asked my husband to join me in searching for the sign Language Barbie. I know I have one, but it is packed in storage somewhere, or I would have sent her mine. Surprised to see that it is now a vintage doll so the price was more than I would ever pay for a Barbie for a 3 year old....but she is precious, and this doll has such meaning.

You see, I am a deaf interpreter, so our family has been giving the "I Love you" sign to each other since they were born. Our grandchildren ALSO know the meaning of the hand sign.

Sometimes.....there is no price limit to a gift you know has special meaning. I told her to think of Grandma when she looks at Barbie's hand. I asked her to always remember that her grandma loves her.

Special Gift for a Special young lady.

A Love Gift from HIS Heart

The first question that most people ask when they learn I am a Deaf Interpreter is: “When and why did you learn sign language?” Most of you know my story, but let me remind you of God’s great mercy.

I am the middle child of two very strong Christian parents. My older brother was overflowing with musical talent that got him lots of attention. My younger sister was just cute-cute…and then there was plain me. I was a Christian, but still had no reason to get up in the morning. There was nothing special or meaningful about my life…not a good place for a Junior High girl. I started to dabble in things that could have led me down a very destructive path. God looked down at this unhappy girl, who was very vulnerable, and gave her a Love Gift from His Heart!

When I was In 8th Grade, we had 8 deaf students come to our School. They sat in class with us, and had no interpreter. Some could lip read, but others struggled. As you know, teachers talk while writing on the board. No deaf person can lip read someone’s back. Something deep inside me stirred when I saw their eyes, their expressions, and knew they were missing information. I started writing down what the teacher was saying ‘to the board’. I also made sure they knew their homework assignments. That gesture of kindness started a friendship between us. I went to their homes and they came to mine. I WANTED to be able to talk to them, REALLY talk to them. AMAZINGLY, I learned sign quickly from them…outside of class of course. I loved them, and they loved me.

Years later, I realized the placement of those deaf students was a LOVE GIFT from God to ME!

That is the ONLY year we went to school together! I really believe God saved my life when HE brought those lovely deaf students to my school that year. He looked down at this vulnerable youth and caused me to fall in love with a beautiful group of people, and equipped me to talk to them!

Later, as I grew more in love with Jesus, HE helped me to understand that Deaf people need Jesus too. Who was going to tell them? I needed to do more than just bring them to Church. God had equipped my hands, and my heart, to share the GOOD NEWS with my deaf friends. There is no greater gift I can offer them, than to offer them JESUS!

Thank YOU Lord!

Double Blessing!

I Want to share a Double Blessing that occured today:
_________________________________________________
BRIEFLY: I met a new deaf lady today! AND.....
I met a hearing man who knows CUBAN Sign Language!
__________________________________
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

He's Able!

I wish I had a picture of our congregation as I teach the sign language segment on Sunday mornings. I am teaching them the chorus called, "He's Able".

It is such a JOY for me to watch out over the congregation and see all the HEARING people lifting their hands in praise to God and learning to put in expression too! I know the Deaf people LOVE this segment as well. It must warm their heart to see so many people making a real effort to learn their language in such a meaningful way.

_____________________________________________
These are the words of the chorus:

He's Able, He's Able
I KNOW He's Able
I Know my Lord is Able to Carry me Through
He's Able, He's Able.
I KNOW He's Able.
I Know my Lord is Able to Carry me Through.

He healed the broken hearted
And set the captives free
He made the lame to walk again
And caused the blind to see.

He's Able. He's Able.
I KNOW, He's Able.
I know My Lord is Able to Carry me Through.
_______________________________________________

Most of the song is easy to sign, until you come to the verse, and then the syntax needs to be changed quite a bit. Today's lesson was "Set the Captives free". In sign language you must set the problem first so it can be resolved - so I taught them "captive" and explained the whys of the formation and emphasized the expression....then I taught them "SAVE" with explanation and expression emphasis.

Once hearing people understand the concept of visualization, they are able to grasp the understanding of why I am signing "two words" to a whole group of English words.

It is fun to teach, but MORE fun to watch them sign such great praise to our LORD JESUS!

I am so thankful that we have this segment in our morning Worship service. It is fun to ALL! It involves all ages and is a builder of communication between two cultures, two language groups of beautiful people who chose to worship together.

May God use this Sign Language Segment and multiply its efforts even more than I can imagine as only HE can do.