let the festivities begin

Monday brought Christmas caroling with my former Bible study girls! :)

Tuesday, some new friends from church had me over and taught me how to make Dutch stroopwafels (or, "syrup waffles," which are thin, caramel-syrup-filled, cookie wafers). I had a great time and so enjoyed getting to know them more. :) Plus, I think we made close to 90 stroopwafels in two and a half hours! I brought home one of their irons and the recipie to try a batch on my own. :)

face-lift

A big THANK YOU to my dear, dear friend, Emily for the beautiful remodel! \m/_ ♥ _\m/

IMMANUEL (God with us)

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." (John 1:1)

"And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth." (John 1:14)

"...in humility receive the Word implanted, which is able to save your souls..." (James 1:21)

The call of God and obedience

I've recently been reading Brother Andrew - God's Smuggler on my flights to/from Dallas, and now For the Love of My Brothers. I'm continually blessed and encouraged by reading the testimonies of fellow brothers and sisters given to Christ. This excerpt resounded in my heart last night, as I am so often guilty of forgetting this truth.

"As we spend time in Scripture and in prayer, it's important not to get sidetracked in trying to determine whether we've received an official call from God or whether we have a clear indication that we are doing God's will. It's too easy to get so caught up in the paralysis of analysis that we fail to act.
". . . We must never try to make our dreams for success or accomplishment God's purposes for us; His purpose may well be just the opposite. God's end, His purpose for us, is the process. It is today that He wants us to focus on. Oswald Chambers put it so well when he said, 'God's training is for now, not presently. His purpose is for this minute, not for something in the future. . . What men call training and preparation, God calls the end. . . If we realize that obedience is the end, then each moment is precious.'
"God has given us in Scripture a full revelation of His nature and His character. And He has given us an unmistakably clear mandate to share Him and His Word with those who have not heard. What more do we need? If we focus on obeying Him on a daily basis--wherever we are--He will lead us where He wants us to go, and to the people He wants us to reach."
(Brother Andrew, from For the Love of My Brothers)

But He knows the way I take; when He has tried me, I shall come forth as gold. (Job 23:10)

results already

I was shocked to find my National Interpreter Certification Exam results in my inbox this morning. They said it'd be 60-90 days, when I finished my test on Oct. 11th, till I heard anything. I like that RID switched to electronic format. There's enough of a disconnect between clicking an attachment link and opening a large mail envelope with shaking hands, that I remained calm. :)

I PASSED!!!!!!!!!! With an NIC Advanced! (There are three levels: Certified, Advanced, and Master).

Yes, friends, I am now a nationally certified ASL Interpreter. :) All glory to God. And much gratitude to all of you who were covering me in prayer that weekend!

"...for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." (Matt. 19:14)

Tonight, I received a phone call from the pastor of my supporting church. He was giving me the heads up that a check was coming towards my Dallas trip expenses. I expressed my gratitude, but he wasn't done. Coming home from a church meeting, He found his five kids (ages 6-10) had scoured their house. They'd gathered up bottles and cans to recycle for cash, raided piggy banks, and brought out unspent birthday money. Together, with excitement and joy, they brought him the $13 and said they wanted it all to go towards my trip. This is the second time these precious kiddos have given so joyfully and sacrificially of their resources towards the work God has called me to... for His kingdom.

Humbling .

The Lord currently has me in an uncomfortably beautiful season of both stretching and pruning. One step to the next, I'm constantly aware of my inadequacy for what He's calling me to. So I praise Him for these dear little friends who, through their obedience to His Spirit's prompting, have deeply challenged me to boldly bring my Heavenly Father all I am and all I have, with child-like trust and confidence that He will take care of the rest. 

Such confidence we have through Christ toward God. Not that we are adequate in ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God. -2 Cor. 3:4-5

For if the readiness is present, it is acceptable according to what a person has, not according to what he does not have. -2 Cor. 8:12

autumn thoughts

October. My favorite month in Oregon. The trees morph into a myriad of colors and carpet the ground with crispy leaves. There's something so refreshing, vibrant, and nostalgic about autumn. My thoughts turn to family, harvest, warmth, and home.

I'm enjoying a quiet Saturday, sipping Echinacea tea, catching up on correspondence, and working on some preparatory reading materials. :) My membership finalized on Tuesday. :) The reality of this undertaking is beginning to sink in.

On Thursday, I'm taking off for a last-minute, 9-day trip to Dallas. The purpose is to gain some first-hand perspective of sign language translation in progress, as well as to spend a bit of time working alongside my future boss.

Pray for sustained health (I was recently reminded that being on an airplane this time of year is a great way to catch nasty little germs...), clear and effective communication, His hand on the work being done, and the time spent with future colleagues. 

May the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God and into the steadfastness of Christ. (2 Thess. 3:5)

roadtripping & the NIC

I'm on my way to Portland this weekend and tomorrow is the big day. I'll be taking my National Interpreter Certification Exam at 1:00 p.m. :) I think I'm ready... So I guess we'll find out! The trip is sweetened by a visit with an SIL-UND classmate en route and staying with precious friends while I'm up there. :)

Thank you for praying for direction and clarity. No decisions have been made yet, so keep them coming. Love to you all.

Romans 10:1

"Brethren, my heart's desire and my prayer to God for them is for their salvation." 

Bear with me as I make some minor, necessary changes and do a bit of editing this week. :o)

WordSign.org

For all you techno-geeks (or not), here's a short video example of the 3-D Animation software that is being developed for Sign Language Bible Translation. :) Check it out: http://www.wordsign.org/aslsmall.html

World Magazine (Aug 2009)

A friend and prayer supporter sent me this great article about the Deaf and access to the church, the Word of God, and the Gospel. Check it out: Sounds of Silence.

haircut and happenings

Happy Wednesday!

Exhibit A: The new haircut. Oh yes... fun. AND the shortest I've ever had it since my horrifying bowl cut at age seven. Yikes.

Please be praying this Saturday. Last month, I was asked to share at a Eugene Dessert Night this weekend, to a bunch of young adults/college students. Please be in prayer for those who are coming and that the Lord would share His heart through me. I'll be riding up with my recruiters and very much look forward to seeing them, as well as meeting some more kingdom-minded young people!

Success! My sister, Abby, and I have been unofficial exercise buddies since I got home. She'll bike with me while I run, or I'll bike with her while she rides her horse, or we'll both walk. Just the  accountability I need! On Monday, she biked and I ran ALL THE WAY around Lake Selmac. The redneck version of a 5K. :) It was a blast! We kinda sorta did the same thing today (only I didn't run the whole way... I walked part of it. :-p).

An exciting update on the Southern Oregon Deaf Church--which I'm now regularly attending and loving it--is that we may be expecting an assistant pastor soon. Pastor Ken has been praying for the Lord's wisdom and we have a Deaf couple coming next weekend to check out the area, meet the congregation, etc. Please pray for God's peace and confirmation in their decision.

Finally, to the point of this entry. Yes, that's right... the results are in. I have been officially accepted as an approved candidate. :) Just another step in the journey, but it's an exciting checkpoint! Hooray! All praise to the One who knows our every step and faithfully guides the way.

relaxing

It's good to be home, and just doing the home-y things like laundry, cooking, and cleaning. :) There's something about the daily life stuff that is so comforting and relaxing. I've finished my first week of an online Interpreting Ethics course, which is keeping me in academic mode (though I've already lost a lot of my edge with two weeks off). I've been very much enjoying the down time I have till work starts up in September. I've had time to be in the kitchen (made Indian for lunch today... Garlic Naan and lentils, or "dahl" as they call it), play the piano, write some overdue letters, and read for pleasure. *happy sigh* I just started a documentary-style book called Talking Hands by Margalit Fox, about a Bedouin village in the Middle East, with generational deafness, where everyone signs. It's good thus far. I'm really excited to go to Deaf Church tomorrow night and meet our new Deaf pastor. :)

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Isn't sign language universal?

A: No. There are currently 230 confirmed sign languages that have been documented. Language surveyors are anticipating close to 400 worldwide once survey is complete and all are accounted for.

Q: Why do the Deaf need a sign language Bible. Why can't they read the Bible in the language of wider communication?

A: Sign languages are distinct languages which have their own individual linguistic features completely independent of the spoken languages around them. For example, English and ASL have completely different sentence structures, grammatical markers, vocabulary, etc. ASL is a visual language without any written form, while English has a written alphabet composed of letters representing sounds. English speakers learn to read by not merely connecting letters, but sounds, into units of meaning. For a profoundly Deaf individual, every English word is a “sight word” without a sound base (thus phonetically “sounding out” words is impossible). Deaf individuals who primarily use ASL and can read/write in English are actually bilingual. So for a Deaf individual reading a Bible in a spoken language would be the equivalent of a native English speaker reading a Swahili Bible... without ever having heard a word of Swahili spoken. Their only access to God's word is through a second language.

Q: What's the format of a sign language Bible?

A: A sign language Bible can be produced in several formats, the main one being video/DVD. The ASL New Testament (released in 2005 by Deaf Missions) is in DVD format, and can also be downloaded online or purchased in .mp4 for iPods or other personal media devices. 3-D animation is also being developed for sign language translation through JAARS, and will be vital for translation projects in hostile countries where translator's identities would be compromised if associated with a Bible translation. Other formats include traditional line drawings (like most ASL dictionaries you pick up in bookstores) and SignWriting.

Q: How many Deaf people are there worldwide?

A: The Deaf form one of the largest minority groups with about 1 in 1,000 Deaf people in richer countries. In poorer countries, that number is reportedly higher. Population estimates widely vary between 20-250 million Deaf worldwide. The World Federation of the Deaf website reports their organization represents approximately 70 million Deaf around the world.

Q: Are the Deaf really an "unreached" people group?
A: Yes. The Deaf have been called "the most unevangelized minority group in the world," with only an estimated 2% having embraced the gospel. All but the ASL Deaf community are bibleless peoples.

Q: So how many Sign Language Bibles have been done?

A: Out of 230 confirmed sign languages, only ONE (American Sign Language, 2005) New Testament translation has been completed. NONE have access to the whole Bible in their heart language. However, translation is currently underway or groundwork is being laid in 50 sign languages in approximately 30 countries through a variety of organizations.

Home again

I arrived back home in Oregon on Saturday night, after taking the long, scenic route home through the midwest to visit undergrad friends and my second family in Michigan. :)


with undergrad (Bethel) roomies, Amy & Andrea, in Chicago, IL


with a dear Bethel friend, Sylvia, in Elkhart, Indiana


my precious Erin B. in South Haven, Michigan


visiting Owen B. at college in Chicago, IL


out on the South Haven pier (Lake Michigan) with Megan B.

spending some quality time with new friends in Holland, MI



















then, a couple days with Emily in Placerville, California.

Right now I'm in "catch up" mode, sorting through 3 months of mail, seeing some of my bible study girls, lining up work schedule for the fall, and starting an online class for my National Interpreter Certification Exam (which I'm taking in October). :) It's good to be home.

I've sent in my grades in for my membership application, which means... they'll be processing it and deciding on my candidacy for membership in the next couple weeks!

the homestretch

Thank you for your prayer covering!! I've felt unbelievably calm this past week despite the frantic atmosphere. And my stolen moments with HIM have been precious, cherished. Beautiful.

Rachel, Teri, and I turned on our Grad Research Paper for Sociolinguistics on Monday night. After two full days of typing, synthesizing, editing, re-writing, re-editing, reading through aloud, and more editing... I did the final read through/edit and took it to Kinko's. I'm amazed at the quality we were able to produce in such a short period of time. Praise God! We received it back with a solid 'A' yesterday!! Hooray!

Later this afternoon, three of my four classes will be completed. Tomorrow, We'll wrap up Sociolinguistics by presenting on our Grad Research to the undergrads, and then taking our last Final Exam.

The end is in sight. :) I've had moments where I just sit in amazement at all we've learned and accomplished this summer. Whoa.


Our 2nd Language Acquisition lab group. :)

new friends

Allow me to introduce you all to Rachel & Teri...

both of whom (along with their 2 month old, Immanuel) have been an ENORMOUS blessing and gift this summer. :) Rachel and I met in SLA lab - learning Paraguayan Sign Language. Through this summer, the Lord has used them as a huge pillar of support in the midst of life's ups and downs, and I'm deeply thankful for them!! And... they're changing their trajectory to head towards sign language work as well (God's been directing their steps this direction over the summer... so cool to watch)!

Also... Roman & (the other) Bethany and their girls...
have been another integral part of my "SIL family." I'm head-over-heels for these girls (as previous pics may reveal). :) They live and work in Argentina with the Deaf, planning to use 3-D animation to do Bible Translation in Argentine Sign Language.

Here are Abi and I at her 4-year-old bday party last weekend.


Lesson #137 of this summer - God puts His children in spiritual families, no matter where they are.

hunkering down

Week 8 has begun, and we're all shifting gears for the final stretch. Daily homework is being replaced with massive final projects and some class lecture hours with self-study time.

Right now, I'm staring down my...
-TWO Morphology & Syntax Grammar Filing Projects (including a Grammar Sketch) in Salasaca Quichua (a language of Ecuador).
-Two-day Comprehensive Final Exam for Morphology & Syntax
-group Sociolinguistic Grad Research Experiment (15-page, single-spaced paper & class presentation) on Language Variation among ASL Users
-Comprehensive Theory Exam in Sign Language Phonetics
-other assorted class readings and journal responses

I feel surprisingly calm, which I can only attribute to unceasing waves of God's supernatural grace and the prayers of you all! To think, in less than two weeks, I'll be gone from this place. This summer has been such an incredibly stretching, challenging, affirming experience!

Important Reminder: Do not send me mail at my SIL-UND address after this Friday, JULY (thanks, mom :D) 31st!!! I will not receive it! I will be receiving all mail at my Selma, Oregon P.O. Box from there-on-out. Thank you to those of you who've faithfully sent me mail this summer (Marty! and others) - your encouragement came in the moments I needed it most!! He knows.

A pic from the SIL annual picnic last Saturday - me and Elli.

"...your Father knows what you need before you ask..." (Matt. 6:8)

Wednesday, I was talking with mom on the phone about travel plans after I'm done on August 8th, how/when to get home, expenses, and so forth. In looking ahead, it was clear I didn't have enough for my travel home and my last month of bills before I start back to work. At mom's, "Don't worry about it, God will handle it," I assured her I wasn't worried, nor even had the time to worry about it now... but would cross that bridge once all my final exams and research projects were behind me in August.

This morning, I checked my mail to find a letter from the SIL-UND Director, congratulating me on being awarded a $650.00 scholarship!!! (I applied back in April, but assumed they'd already been awarded earlier in the summer!) I'm overwhelmed! I hadn't even begun praying about those bills and upcoming expenses... but, of course, He knows all things and provides out of His abundance. It also brought blessed confirmation that this isn't "my plan," but HIS... and where He guides, He provides.

"But our God is in the heavens; He does whatever He pleases." -Ps. 115:3
"For the earth is the LORD's and all it contains." -1 Cor. 10:26

how ironic

One of my Dove chocolate wrappers this week said: "Do a little more each day than you think you possibly can." Check.

O, Canada!

On Friday, July 3rd, I left the United States of America for the first time in my life. :) And I have pictures to prove it. ;)


pilot & co-pilot
passengers
getting excited!
Canada!
Manitoba Welcome Center


The only Royal Canadian Mounted Police I found

Monica, Elizabeth, and I.

July 1st was Canada Day!

sight-seeing

St. Boniface Cemetary

St. Boniface University

St. Boniface Cathedral

On the steps

Walking at the Forks

Canadian Money!!

"The Forks" in Winnipeg

I loved this sign!

The multi-cultural market was incredible! I loved all the variety of food stands, fresh produce, and clothing from around the world!

And they even had the Old Spaghetti Factory!

Some of us tried the Taiwanese Bubble Tea.

It had big tapioca beads in it. Very interesting.

Tara was our fearless guide!

One of many Ukrainian Orthodox Cathedrals

Chinatown!!

Canadian sunset

Returning home :)