Hello Friends & Family,
Social Isolation life is pretty much the same.
Not much to report there.
However!!
Because we are having a
unique schedule now,
social media has provided
us with the means of
connecting to literally
hundreds of thousands
of people!
I will share a few of our experiences thus far.
Because of my
ASL videos continuously
popping up, more people
have begun to recognize
me as a Signer.
have begun to recognize
me as a Signer.
Which is very surprising to
me and kind of people!
There was a post on the "Worldwide United"
group (previously the worldwide fast group)
asking if someone could interpret ASL.
I never actually saw this post, but
15 people who recommended me did!
They tagged me so many times, that the
person asking for help texted me and told
me her story.
She has a brother who is Deaf, and who
He asked me to "Be his hands". He bore his testimony, then watched me repeat it in ASL, so that he could see it all come together, and so that he could be connected to the Deaf culture.
-Elder Vance
There was a post on the "Worldwide United"
group (previously the worldwide fast group)
asking if someone could interpret ASL.
I never actually saw this post, but
15 people who recommended me did!
They tagged me so many times, that the
person asking for help texted me and told
me her story.
went to an oral school for the Deaf as
he was growing up. This caused quite a
few interesting events to happen, which
eventually led to him learning sign language
and having a future family.
The woman who contacted me knows
enough sign language to communicate,
but not enough to have an in depth
conversation.
This is where I came into the
picture. Because of her
Brother's experiences, she wanted to
write a book to increase the knowledge
about Deaf culture, but she needed
someone who could help break the
communication barrier.
I happily agreed to help!!
He has an amazing story that
we are diving into, and we
will have more time to talk later this week.
Our social media efforts have landed us teaching appointments from 4 other countries.
We teach them initially (due to their insistence) and then refer them.
I am keeping a list of all the places we have shared the Gospel virtually, and it is very fun!!
There was another lesson in particular that stood out to me.
A man reached out to me and asked me to interpret for him. After video chatting for a bit, I found out more about him. He has Cerebral Palsy, and is also hard of hearing. Because of this, he understands ASL but cannot sign it himself.
He asked me to "Be his hands". He bore his testimony, then watched me repeat it in ASL, so that he could see it all come together, and so that he could be connected to the Deaf culture.
This nearly made me cry in front of him. He relied so heavily on Jesus, saying,
"As long as I have this chair (his electric wheelchair) and can breath, God can use me".
The imagery of being "The Savior's hands" now has a new meaning for me...
-Elder Vance