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!