Watch and Learn

This post is actually in response to Mrs D’s comment on my previous post (thanks Mrs D for getting my mind on the positive side of our challenges.)

Last Sunday was a rare good day in Church for me. You would have to ask Steve how he felt about it, but I believe he enjoyed it. Sister Marshall returned from her Deaf mission last Wednesday, so she was in church again after 19 months in Texas. Before Sacrament Meeting started, Steve asked her if she would like to interpret for him. I was already sitting in front when they came and sat beside me. I was happy to see her and even more happy to have her interpret.

A few of our Sign class students were sitting in the front. After the Sacrament was passed, our organist (I keep calling her our choruster, but she is our organist, which goes to show you how stressed I am at church every Sunday) sat herself on the front so she could also watch and learn from Sister Marshall.

From what I could tell, she did a good job of interpreting. My receptive skills are not as good as I would like mostly because since Steve talks, I don’t have to learn how to read signs. So I usually get that practice from watching ASL videos with the sound off. Anyway, it appeared that for the first time in his life, he received full interpretation of Fast and Tesimony Meeting in the hearing ward, except for one spot where we had to look up the sign for “testimony”. Her sign was different from what we learned in the LDS ASL Dictionary. She said she had a few opportunities to interpret on her mission, but it really has been a long time since she did any interpreting. Steve said he understood her and that is important.

The Stake President asked her to interpret at Stake Conference. I explained that we might have another interpreter from the Deaf Ward so they will have the opportunity to team interpret. That is a good thing for a two hour meeting. She later told us that since she will be going to school, she may not be around much in the ward.

Our Sign class students enjoyed watching and learning from her. This would be another good reason to have interpreters from the Deaf ward on a regular basis. We can all learn by watching them. There really is not enough exposure in the ward with only Steve and I signing to each other.

Regarding the class – There is much information in the guide that I would like to teach people, but it’s hard to teach when they aren’t there. On the other hand, I have received feedback from people who tell me that they are no longer afraid to communicate with Steve. That in and of itself is worth the effort, in my mind.

I got a chuckle out of one sister who asked during last Sunday’s class, that we practice a Primary song. She was asked to teach this song to the kids and she was nervous about getting it right. I said to her, “It’s the rule for people who don’t know any Sign Language. If you know a few signs, you know everything….and you can interpret.” After feeling my pain about teaching the Young Women’s Theme, I was happy to have someone else in the ward feel that pain. There is comfort in shared frustration.