Every Season

This Wednesday I signed to Every Season by Nicole Nordman with the first person I've ever taught.  I started doing interpretive movement when I was in about sixth grade.  It was part American Sign Language, part dance, part non-signing interpretive hand movements.  I loved it!  I don't know why, it was just so elegant and fluid.  I did that all through middle school, high school, and off and on through college.

To me, signing is a way to worship.  I feel like I connect more to the meaning of the music when I'm signing it than when I'm just singing it.  I knew a lot of "church" signs but I didn't know a lot of general signs.  I couldn't have carried on even a basic conversation with a deaf person.  My childhood church started offering classes last winter in ASL taught by a licensed interpreter.  I took both classes and they will start up again in January.  I've learned so much!  It's really exciting. I can now communicate at least a little with someone who is deaf.

I learned in that class (and don't quote me on these exact numbers) that the deaf population is about the 7th most unreached group for Christ and the average deaf student graduates with a 5th grade reading level.  This breaks my heart!  Jesus and books are two tings I love most and a whole group of people are missing out!  That knowledge combined with remembering how much I enjoyed signing when I was in youth made me approach the youth minister at my church to ask about starting up a group.  We have just started and Every Season was the first song we performed.  Hopefully, it encourages others to come join us and it can become a legitimate ministry.  Someone videoed the performance and I wish I had it to show you, but it wasn't posted online.  Maybe sometime!

That's what is going on in my life, well at least some of it.  Haha, life is busy.  I "officially" start a new job on Monday so hopefully I'll post about that soon too.  Have a marvelous weekend!