On the second shuttle we took to the airport this morning, I had the opportunity to practice my communication skills with a hearing impaired lady that was on her way to work. Before I even notice she was hearing impaired, I noticed her smile. It was a great smile, full of life and joy. I sat down and smiled, followed by a hello. But she looked away with a blank expression. I was quickly baffled, but thought nothing of it at the time. I noticed some letters on her vest, they spelled out “Hearing Impaired”. I then proceeded to Google, “How to say hello in sign language”. Instantly, an image popped up showing me exactly how to sign “Hello”. I signed hello to the lady and almost instantly that smile I saw earlier returned. I realized I was looking into the eyes of someone who loves to live and I couldn’t help but smile so much. I then continued to look up how to say my name, and how to say how are you, and how to say have a great day in ASL. It was a great beginning to my day, even though I only got an hour of sleep and I had to get up at 4am. It doesn’t matter if I’m exhausted at 4am, the lord shows up to brighten my day.
I will be boarding my flight at 9:10am and then departing at 10am this morning. I can’t wait to begin living with, preaching with, and growing in relatioship with my fellow team ATLAS members. Which include Bailey Barnes, Lily Johnson, Colton Nones, Jonathan Brown, KC, and Casey Balicki. (Photos of each member to Follow)
