WASHINGTON D.C. SOUTH MISSION: Sister Downey

Monday, August 17, 2009

Sister Downey - Our ASL Angel

About 2 weeks ago I got a call from Sister Downey. She related to me the following: Sister Bay and Sister Munkhnaran had met a man at the city library. He approached them when he saw their name tags and wrote on a paper asking them what church they belonged to and what they believed.

This man's name is Josh Martin. He is completely deaf. And so Sister Bay and Josh wrote questions and answers back and forth for about an hour. After that they set up an appointment to meet him at the library again with someone who could use Sign Language.

Sister Downey has a degree in ASL (American Sign Language) and they had asked her to help. She called asking me if I could take her to the other zone for this lesson. I said sure. When we got to the library, we discovered that the library is only open until 5:00 on fridays. We could not find Josh and left not knowing if they would see him again.

The sisters kept returning to the library and about a week later found Josh again. He was very happy to see them and they started with the lessons. After one of the lessons, when he heard that the Sisters were coming to a baptism in Stafford he asked if he could also attend. And so they brought him with them this last Saturday evening. He enjoyed the baptism and it answered many of his questions. After the baptism, Sister Downey asked if I could take her and Josh to the deaf ward the next day. The deaf ward is in Maryland and so it is out of our boundaries. This ward covers 3 missions.

So early on Sunday, I drove to Annandale and picked up Sis Downey and we went and picked up Josh. We then drove through Washington DC and on to Maryland to the deaf ward. This was a wonderful experience. Not just for Josh, but for me as well. It was beautiful to watch as Josh discovered an entire congregation of deaf people. He was smiling from ear to ear as the talks were given and nodding his agreement with what was being said. Sister Downey said they were answering all the questions he had asked her. For me it was a spiritual and tender meeting. It was so quiet and the spirit was so strong that it felt almost tangible. I enjoyed it so very much. They had an interpreter for the hearing members of the congregation. After the meeting, Josh saw a friend he knew and was so excited. This girl came over and they hugged and found out that she is a recent convert. Everyone came to meet him and I could tell how loved and accepted he felt there. We introduced him to the ASL missionaries and they will continue with his lessons in his own language. After Sacrament meeting, I had to come home for an appointment and we couldn't stay for the remainder of the meetings. When the Bishop asked Josh if he would like to stay and they would make sure he got home, his face just lit up and we said our goodbyes. I am sure Josh will be baptized and I plan to take Sister Downey to the baptism.

Sister Downey is a remarkable young lady. She is an excellent Spanish missionary and has a beautiful spirit about her. But the thing I witnessed with this experience was her incredible grace and love as she spoke in sign language. It was like watching a beautiful dance. Her expressions and movements were so full of meaning and I could tell that she is really a gifted signer. She has been an interpreter at the Marriott Center in Provo. I am so grateful that she invited me to have the experience with her. I loved every minute of it.

No comments:

Post a Comment

Stephanie Smith Fireside

Last Sunday evening we were privileged to attend a fireside in the mission. It was held at a beautiful old chapel in McLean. One of the pictures shows the inside of the chapel and the wood beams on the very steep-pitched ceiling of the room. The gym is under the chapel in the basement. I have never seen a floorplan like this one. Very unique. This fireside hosted Sister Stephanie Smith. Her story was in the Ensign sometime in the last year. She has a remarkable conversion story. She has held very high government positions and at one time was 5th in command at the CIA. She said something at the first of her talk that I wrote down: she said, "I've been on some remarkable adventures. But no adventure in my lifetime has been as extraordinary and life-changing as my path to conversion and baptism in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day-Saints. She then told about her introduction to the church. She was at a time in her life with tremendous worldly success achieved after clawing her way to the top without any regard for others, and she felt her life was shattering into a million pieces. At this time she turned to a colleague she admired who was a member of the church. He told her two things. That her Heavenly Father knew her by name and loved her and that Heavenly Father had a plan for her success. The next day he sent her a map to the temple visitor center. She told how when the missionary sisters came to her door, she didn't think she could relate to these young women. The first thing they did was ask if they could sing to her. They sang,"I am a Child of God." That was the beginning of her conversion, a long a beautiful story. You can read it on the web at Meridian Magazine. Her testimony was a real inspiration to me. There were over 350 people there and she does a great missionary work speaking to investigators. What a blessing to have heard her and felt her spirit.

Chelsea Our recent Convert

We have met the sweetest young sister. Chelsea is amazing. She joined the church during the last year and has an incredible testimony also. She never misses any missionary function and we were able to take her with us to the Stephanie Smith Fireside. She also came to the mission home a few weeks ago and we had family night. She gave the lesson and is was unbelievable. She is hoping to go on a mission next year. What a great young woman. This is a picture of her with Elders Ganaway and Gifford.