ASL & Open Doors

One of the things that I have been privileged to do this year is continue an American Sign Language class.

Back in August, some of our neighbors started taking an ASL class from a local public school teacher. They offered to let me come with them.

I agreed. I couldn't believe that after years of reading ASL books and wanting to learn more, I was really going to learn ASL.

What followed was an excellent learning  experience. In two months, I learned brought that I was able to communicate with some deaf people I met. Within four months I had had my first ASL performance where I signed a song.

My teacher is very passionate about ASL and teaches with excitement and patience. Even when I make mistakes or sign things wrong, she just laughs over it and shows me how to do it right. It makes the class fun and exciting.

One thing that she encouraged all of us to is to wear ear plugs off and on for a month. This was a tough project for me. In one sense it did cut down on a lot of distractions, but for the music loving girl inside me, I found the silence hard sometimes. And I missed hearing my families voices. But it gave me an appreciation for sound and for some of the struggles that deaf people have. It also helped me to realize that if I was deaf and someone was willing to communicate with me in sign instead of making me come into their world, it would mean the world to me.

This year, my vocabulary has improved and I'm able to have conversations with other deaf people. It's wonderful. It's opened up doors for me that I would never be able to think about before.

What do I hope to do with ASL? Apart from taking to deaf people and encouraging others, I'm not sure. It's one of those passions that God put on my heart, but I don't know all of what He wants me to do with it. For now I am content with what God has given me. And I'm sure that when God wants me to do more with ASL He will let me know.

For now, I'm enjoying the adventure of learning a new language and seeing what God has for me.

Small Action Stories 2

Last year I found an article from a 2006 edition of Guideposts. In this article a woman shared how she began to knit for charity 10 years earlier. She did originally to help recover from some grief, but soon she grew to enjoy the knitting. She started to get together and knit sweaters for charity. As they worked together and knit, they were all encouraged.

Soon others joined in, not only in their town, but all across the USA. In ten years 300,000 sweaters had been made and given to charities all over the world. Because one woman started to knit with friends, 300,000 sweaters got to kids who needed them.

Is there something that you do with friends? Volunteer together at a food pantry? Make blankets for charity? Whatever it is, know that you are contributing to making the world a better place. Small actions done together make for even greater impact. Keep it up.

Thankful For ...

Day 9

Books and Audiobooks. I enjoy and challenging my mind. Besides it’s fun to get caught up in a good story, especially a good romance ;). 

The Story

 Since we celebrated the 2^nd Birthday of Homemade Ministry earlier this spring, I thought that you would like to hear a little bit about how Homemade Ministry began. Here goes …

            When I was getting ready to graduate high school, I knew that I wanted to do more ministry work when I finished school. I had always loved making things with my hands and wanted to use these talents to help others.

            The only thing was I didn’t know any ministries that took handcrafted items. I wanted make blankets to give to babies in the hospital, but I was clueless as to where to give them.

            Then one day as we were talking to some ladies that work at our library they started talking about a charity that they gave to called The Linus Connection. They made blankets, and then they would give them to this charity, that would then give them to kids in need. It was perfect. I had found a place to make blankets for.

            So I began working. I would make blankets and then give them to the ladies at the library, who would give them to charity. It was so exciting. I now had a place to make blankets for.

            After a while, I wanted to find other ministries that would take things for preemie babies since I had a heart for babies. So I did some research on the internet. I did find several really neat ministries and charities, but I had to do a lot of research to find the good ones. I became frustrated with dead ends or ministry links that were no good.

            So two years ago I started this blog called Homemade Ministry. It’s a blog where you can find out information about charities that need homemade things. I check out all these charities and then post a little bit about them with a link back to them. The idea is that you will find ministries quickly and easily, and to save people the trouble of having to do the research that I did.

            Since then I continue to keep crocheting and blogging. God continually helps me. I continue to work and write. There always seems to be things to do and new ways to serve.

            But for each new task God always provides strength. He helps me continue in my Homemade Ministry.

            Rose

Leave the Rose

          By Rose H.

          I stopped to smell a rose. The soft petals tickled my cheeks and its sweet fragrance filled my senses.

          “It’s beautiful,” I whispered to God.

          “I put it here just for you.” He answered softly.

           It was so lovely I wanted to pick it and take it with me. I gazed at the flower thinking at how beautiful it was.

Source

           But then I remembered that someone else would probably pass by that same place. If I picked this flower, then they wouldn’t be able to enjoy it. Then what would brighten their day as mine had been?

           So I left the rose, so that all could enjoy it.

           Wherever you go and whatever you do, leave lovely fragrances there. So that those who come behind you can be blessed.  

Back to School Time!

Many of you I’m sure heard about the devastating tornados that swept through Joplin Missouri. In its wake it left a path of destruction and hurt. People lost homes.

But the community rebuilt. With help from the government and helpful neighbors Joplin is coming back to life.

One of the signs of this new growth is that on Monday kids went back to school with a little help from a seamstress. Over the summer a local quilter Susan Stewart wanted to help the rebuilding effort. Unable to do heavy manual labor she got to thinking about helping the kids of Joplin. Then she remembered that ever year she had a new dress for the first day of school. It struck her that many of the kids of Joplin had lost everything. Giving them new clothes for the school year would be a perfect way to help.

So Stewart launched Project First Day. She invited her sewing friends from all over the country to help her make clothes for the kids of Joplin. People latched onto the idea. By distribution day they had 1,440 garments to give away.

For the kids of Joplin it was nice to have something not only to where, it also made them feel like they had a fresh start.

Wow. What a story. Because one woman gave and encouraged others to give, some kids who had lost everything got blessed with new clothes. People like that inspire me. They inspire me to give, to work, and to love. I may not end up on the national news for it, but if I make a difference in someone else’s life. It’s enough.