Today we had the privilege of experiencing a church service in the deaf church. It was very interesting to witness the barrier between the deaf and non-deaf to where the service is presented in two separate styles so that everyone could get the message.
One could tell that we were having a great time during the worship with the big smiles on our faces and our somewhat sorry attempts to sing the songs along with the others in sign language. After that we were preached to about the values of marriage and a healthy relationship in a way that we’re not used to back home. Personally, I found it a lot more entertaining to watch a church sermon where the preacher both spoke and signaled the message at the same time. I felt as if it were a more passionate sermon than a regular sermon where the preacher only speaks his message. Overall, it was a great experience and I am very grateful that they let us sit in with them.
Will Huddleston
Today after lunch we went to the Manchester infirmary. When we drove up there were a couple ladies wandering around, looking with smiles at us. We went into the ladies side of the infirmary and I kinda didn’t know where to start. Me and Kelci ended up at the back of the third room with a lady named Harriett. Harriett had no front teeth, which made it very hard to understand her, and her arm was hidden beneath a blanket. We talked to her for awhile about her family and then she asked Kelci and I to read to her from our Bible. Kelci read her a verse about how the Lord blesses us from 1 Corinthians, and then Harriett started telling us about how the Lord blesses her everyday! If I was in her position I know that feeling blessed would probably not be on my list of emotions. Next we met Linette, who we couldn’t understand at but couldn’t stop talking to us. She also liked having her back scratched :) When I opened up my Bible to read to her she pulled out a necklace I got from Kamp that has a nail on it with a verse from Galations on the back. I asked her if she wanted to keep it and she said yes (although I couldn’t understand, but her face said how much she was pleased). Then we walked outside to go meet some new people but Linette came after us and took us to where there were girls singing for some of the residents. We sang some fun songs and then some of the ladies got up to dance! (If you don’t know me, I love to dance, so I was in my element!) I got up and danced and Linette and another lady grabbed my hand and we danced together. This was such an eye-opening experience and it was really fun to meet these people who are thankful for everything even in their situation.
Holly Robertson
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