Heart and Soul of Sign Language

Where I attend Sunday services, we have a good amount of our group who use sign language. There are leaders who, in turn, stand at the front of the congregation to interpret the sermon. There are at least, four young ladies who take turns. When there is a play, all four ladies will sit up front and interpret, using sign, for the different actors on stage. This is beautiful to watch.

Mrs.A.~~~~There have been times when our pastor jokingly speaks quickly just to tease Mrs. A., while she is interpreting. She does not miss a beat! She comes out of it a true champion! She might be sweating...but she never stops smiling! It is all in good fun and everyone enjoys a chuckle. Mrs. A is amazing with her sign. She also has a great sense of humor; and excellent timing. She makes the facial expressions as quickly as our pastor delivers them! We just found out recently, that she and her husband adopted a child who is hearing impaired. She is an inspiration to all of us.

Miss T~~~~One of the ladies, a teen, puts her whole body and energy into the leading in the deaf ministry, in singing. She has a bright smile and she shows how much love she has for her gift and calling.

When we stand up to sing, everybody stands up. I am truly blessed to sing along with the whole church including those who do sign. I noticed that a lot of us also follow along with those who are using sign. They give their all in the praise worship. It is a very vibrant way of worship.

The worship team has a fantastic group of singers and instrumentalists. Along with the guitars, there are drums, congas, cymbals and tambourines.So, with or without hearing, all of us can FEEL the music! Nobody is ever left out.

Today, the worship team encouraged the whole congregation to not only sing, but to dance and clap. We could not help but feel elated because everyone joined in the dance!