Well, friends, we've been in the branch just over two years, which means it's probably about time for me to get a new calling. (There's no rule on how long a calling should last. But mine usually are in the 2-3 year range, it seems.) And guess what - I DID get a new calling!
Sorta.
I got...the SAME calling again! Before, I was the 1st counselor in the Primary presidency. The president I was serving under was released, but the new president asked for me to be her 1st counselor, too. So I'm doing the same thing, but with new people.
Due to some circumstances, I had a guess that a new calling was coming a few weeks before it actually did, and it was a really interesting experience. Right now, I go to Sacrament meeting, then I go hang out with the kids. I teach them songs with simple signs and a big smile. They are really easy to understand - they always talk, then I tell them they have to sign, then they sign it. Not too hard to figure out what they're signing! Ha! Anyway, my life is pretty comfortable, and I don't have to worry too much about being mediocre at ASL. (Though I'm much better than I used to be!)
So as I thought about a new calling, I realized that every calling other than the one I had meant I would need to be better at ASL. That was pretty intimidating. But also exciting. It's like every time a new door opens in your life - it scares you and excites you. Add in that I have issues with feeling like I've abandoned people when I move on to something new...I was nervous.
I did start being more diligent about studying ASL. I have a New Year's resolution to watch 10 minutes of ASL every day. I can really tell the difference in my comprehension when I do that vs. when I slack off.
But in the end, my life didn't actually change much! (But I'm still keeping my resolution.)
I did do something pretty radical this year, though. Every year, I get all the songs we are going to learn for the year, gloss the signs (which means to write notes for yourself of which signs go in which order, so you can "read" the signs instead of watching them) from a video done by a "professional" and put them in my binder for singing time use. Well, this year, some of the really simple songs, I translated myself. I wouldn't do that for a big, important song - that should be done by a Deaf person just out of respect for their native speaking ability (you know, the same way companies in China should hire a stinkin' native English speaker to write their instruction manuals!!) But you know, if the song is, "When we're helping, we're happy and we sing as we go, for we love to help mother for we all love her so." I think I can come up with something decent for singing with kids. But in truth, here's how I translated them:
"Hey Lige, tell me how you would sign this song!"
Because he's got a talent. :)
Let's see...what else is going on in my ASL world? Oh, cute kids saying the prayer in Primary! Martha prayed last week, and the leaders were struggling to keep our laughs inside. If Martha prayed in English the way she prays in ASL right now, she would sound like a drill sergeant. It's like praying in karate chops. And then she couldn't think of anything to say in the middle. So she just stood there, with her eyes closed for a looonnnggg time. Finally, she peeked one eye open and looked around for help. BWAHAHA!!! It was so stinkin' adorable. This week, another kid her age prayed. He has a deaf dad, so his sign language is more mature, but I noticed that he can't sign Jesus Christ right, either. I tell ya, that's the hardest sign for kids to get. Especially the Christ part. Somehow, they just can't copy that motion! Despite working with Jane on getting it right for a year, she still starts her "C" on any of the corners of her torso square *except* the right one. Sometimes she'll cross her lap like a seatbelt. Sometimes she'll go straight down one side or the other. Sometimes she'll cross like a sash, but the opposite side. So it made me feel better to see a 4-yr old with a deaf parent still struggling with that one. Now I know it's legit hard :)
