I'm just fine with you reading my journal. I wrote it for my future descendants anyways. It's just a day to day ... "looking on the bright side of life" entree. I don't know if it's a good thing or not, but most of the events that got under my skin or annoyed me or really bothered me never made it in my journal. I don't feel like complaining in my journals. The same applies to emails. I remember in the MTC my day may have been awful and all I wanted to do was complain, but I'd sit down at a computer and find something good to write. That might have been one of the reasons why my MTC emails were more like "general conference talks" because the gospel was the only good thing I could think of to say that day. Also, if you read my journal, you'll know more about what I'm doing and I don't have to be so detailed in my emails :-P
But to update some things as you read through it, I have learned that some my former investigators in the Ft. Lauderdale mission have been baptized. Mercy was baptized a few weeks after I arrived here (my feelings about that are near the end of that journal because it was a tender mercy and huge highlight of my mission when I learned about that!) Also, a few weeks ago, Alex was baptized here in the Orlando Mission. He had a date in Boca but moved the day before. He went through leukemia and hospitalization for a few months, then almost lost his testimony, but the Elders in his area was able to help him finally become a member of the Church!! I was so excited to hear that!
Yesterday, one of our Deaf investigators was confirmed a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. We are so excited!! He was baptized on Saturday and we did a fill signing baptismal service with me interpreting (in ASL for the times Bishop talked, and voice for all the hearing members present). Adding to my growing voice interpreting skills, I was able to assist in voice interpreting for a talk given in church by one of our Deaf members. It was a shock to see it on the program so I asked him who was voicing and he said I got to share the responsibility with our ward interpreter. Surprise! But I'm really starting to enjoy voice interpreting. I just need to be correctly trained on how to do it!
But to describe how an Elder baptized and confirms someone who is deaf, this is a question a lot of missionaries like to ask us! The most important aspect of a blessing is to begin and end with the right hand position (hand to the square for baptism, hands on the head for blessings). Then they use both their hands to sign the prayer or blessing. What was great about the baptism was the fact that our Deaf member performed both the baptism and confirmation. It was his first time and he did great! He was reactivited about a year ago and he is AMAZING!! It was a great success and miracle for the ASL program!
About Sis. Lovejoy knowing who we are, Sis. Homer and I decided to write a letter to her from the mission field. It was a lot of fun! Sis. Homer wrote one line on the paper, I took the next, then so on and so forth. We discovered that we do not think alike, so the letter was very interesting and funny to read. We're excited to have her come join us! We've here so much about her from the members who also read her blog and the mission president and his wife who met her at the MTC. The ASL program is also going through changes with her joining us and it is going to be great! We are excited to watch it continue to grow!
Zone Conference was great! We discussed the Church's new simplified curriculum for the MTC. We are going back to the basics and it will help all of us improve our teaching skills to connect it with the spirit even stronger. Also, our meetings schedules will change to give more training to us.
Lots of Love!
