Little miracle. (long post!)

Many of you know I served a sign language mission. When my official "call" came, it was to serve in the Riverside, California mission/ Sign Language "speaking." I was thrilled. I had been studying sign language so that I could talk to a couple that had joined our ward in New York. The missionaries that taught this couple would stay after church and teach sign language to anyone that wanted to stay. So, for 45 minutes, after church each Sunday, I would cram in all the learnin' I could. On my down time I would sit on the beach and devour sign language dictionaries. I developed a pretty good vocabulary but it was still hard for me to converse with a deaf person. Especially if they spoke true, fast, ASL. ASL is a complete language, with it's own syntax, etc... It is not like signing "Exact English." Sorry, I'm adding unnecessary information. Needless to say, I wasn't a proficient signer when I filled out my mission papers. I asked my Stake President if I should put that I knew sign language on my mission papers. He said, "No. I don't think so, since you've never had an official class in sign language." I complied and didn't put anything. That is why it was so exciting to get my "call" and have it say I was to serve in the deaf program.

I went into the MTC (missionary training center) eager to learn more! I got so lucky/blessed to be in the MTC with a fantastic group of missionaries. We were a big group. I think 25. We had a lot of deaf people in our group, including an older, deaf couple. I learned so much from my fellow missionaries and am still friends with a lot of them. It was amazing to be immersed in sign language from morning to night. My companion was deaf so I got to practice sign language non-stop! I couldn't wait to get out in the mission field. It is common for hearing sign lang. missionaries to be sent all over the U.S. (We even had an Elder in our group whose call was changed to England. He was deaf but had to learn English sign language. TOTALLY different from ours!) My call got changed half way through the MTC. They were putting me on Temple Square in SLC. They wanted to see how much a sign language missionary would be used on the Square. I was excited but a little worried. I wouldn't have a deaf companion. Would my limited skills deteriorate? After 10 1/2 weeks in the MTC I moved to Temple Square. To make a long story short...I stayed there my whole mission. I never had a deaf companion. I did use sign language often and I didn't lose anything I'd learned but I would have been a much better interpreter and communicator had I served with a deaf companion. I loved Temple Square, though and really feel like it was MY mission. I feel blessed to have gone there.

Still, I was eager to have a longer lasting sign language experience than just signing the occasional tour or movie for visitors. When the Square doesn't need as many working sister missionaries we are moved out to other missions for 2-3 months. So, in the winter, I was switched to the Ogden mission. I thought, "Wow. This was an inspired switch since the Ogden mission has a huge Deaf school!" Unfortunately, I was sent to the spot farthest from the deaf school. Not a deaf person to be found. I was serving in a rural part of Idaho. (I'm sorry this post is so long. I'll try to shorten it up. My lack of editing details drives my husband crazy!) Half way through my time in Idaho, someone contacted us and told us of a deaf woman in a nearby town. She had been raised in this little Idaho town. Her parents sent her to the deaf school and then she would come home on occasional weekends and in the summer. People in her small town knew her but never spoke to her. They didn't know how to. Her deafness really scared people off. They just didn't know how to communicate with her and so she felt left out. Really alone. When I met her she was a divorced mother of 4 rowdy kids.  She was embarrassed that her teenagers were considered "bad seeds" by the residents of this small town. No one talked to her but her kids heard the gossip about her and her brood and so the gossip trickled back to her. She went to the first two hours of church but only stayed to take the sacrament the third hour. Then she would go home since she couldn't understand what was being said. She was called as a  nursery teacher and had been for 26 years!

She asked if I would interpret a sacrament meeting for her. I was more than happy for this! The next sacrament meeting happened to be a fast and testimony meeting. She was shy about having someone sign to her...drawing attention to her in the large, intimidating  meeting. So we sat against a far wall. Normally I would sit in front of her, just under the podium, so she could see me and the person speaking. She wanted as few people to notice her (and me) as possible. I, awkwardly, sat right next to her, signing the meeting. Half way through the testimonies she nudged me. "I want to go up there and share my testimony," she signed. She was nervous and hesitated a little longer before we made our way up. I stood in front of the microphone and spoke aloud as she signed to me her simple testimony of the gospel. She expressed to the congregation her sorrow over some of the decisions her children were making, her fear that others were judging her. She shared her feeling about the Savior. Her testimony so simple but sincere. There wasn't a dry eye. When she finished, we sat back down and the meeting came to an end shortly after that. She confided in me that she had never, in her life, shared her testimony. She was beaming. People crowded around her after the meeting, showering her with hugs and tears. Thanking her for being so brave and letting them finally hear her "voice." Crusty, old Idaho farmers were hugging her, with tears in their eyes. It was an experience I cherish and I feel so humbled to have been a part of. My spirit expanded as I felt a pure testimony of our Savior that day and felt honored to be a vessel for that.

Today, at church, I had a similar experience. A newly deaf woman moved into our ward. Her name is Wendy. A medicine took away her hearing just about a year ago. She could hear one day and woke up the next unable to hear. She doesn't know a lot of sign language. She is trying to become a better lip reader and taking some sign language classes. But she hasn't come to church for a year. She couldn't understand what was being said and people stopped making an effort to talk to her...just not knowing how. So she stayed away from church. She talked with someone at the deaf center and got a list of deaf wards in the valley. She decided she would try one of those. But this morning she had the impression that she should come to our ward. Her first church service since going deaf. Since she doesn't know anyone in our ward she was so hesitant to even come. She said she fought with herself all morning until finally deciding she would come just to sacrament, the last hour of our block. I had a fluish husband at home with two argumentative kids that weren't feeling healthy. I decided to go teach my primary kids and then I'd go home and take care of my family, missing sacrament. Something wouldn't let me go home. I kept getting pulled back from the doors. Really. I started walking out twice but felt this push to go back into the chapel. Just before church started I was introduced to Wendy. She gladly accepted my offer to sign the meeting for her. With a combination of signs and lip reading she would get a fuller understanding of the meeting. She was so appreciative and had teary eyes a number of times. Afterwards she told me she felt I was an answer to her prayers. I know she understood the meeting better because of my efforts. It made me feel so good. I was once again humbled at how the Lord works through us to let others feel his spirit. He wants us to hear each others testimonies. He wants us to feel connected to each other. I am in awe of this lesson, once again. I felt needed, but it helped me see how much he wants us to help each other feel a part of things. To make a simple sacrament meeting accessible for anyone and everyone.