Sign Language Interpreter - Bridging the gap SELFLESSLY!

Continuing on with the Praying Pelican Missions' blog series about everyday missionaries:

"We, who have accepted Jesus as Lord, are all missionaries! Each of us may not be living abroad or leading mission trips as a career, but the truth is, everyone can be a missionary.  This blog series will span across multiple blogs from our PPM Mission Coordinators and Advocates and will serve to showcase people who are living daily with a missional mindset. We will be giving a voice to a barista, who shares the love of Christ through espresso shots each morning. We will be the platform for a tired mom next door to share how she impacts her child's friends when they come over for a sleepover. We will be the helping hand to a Pastor who wants to encourage his congregation to get involved. The school teacher who invests in his students and wants to see them succeed and know Christ. The janitor who humbly and lovingly listens to his co-workers as they vent and confess their sins to him. We pray these stories will encourage and challenge us all to live our lives as missionaries everyday, in our own unique mission fields!"

I asked my good buddy, Kira Lawson, to write about her mission mindset in being an American Sign Language interpreter... LIKE ME! Kira and I went to the University of Tennessee together - Go Vols! I have enjoyed her friendship so very very much.  Kira recently passed the big dog test of interpreting - the NIC (National Interpreting Certification)! Woot Woot.  

Praying Pelican is ALL about bridging cultures and people. Well... that's exactly what sign language interpreters do... RIGHT IN OUR OWN BACKYARD! They bridge the gap between the hearing and Deaf world by facilitating communication between the two! It's a beautiful thing! Deaf people then have access to the hearing world, and the hearing have the amazing opportunity to have a look into the Deaf culture... an amazing thing in itself! And... many people may not know, but the Deaf population, as a whole, is an unreached people group (less than 2% claim to be evangelical Christians).  So... interpreters who love Jesus are a treasure! 

With all the hype going on about fake interpreters and such and because I love her tons, I wanted to showcase Kira! Here's what Kira says about her every missionary life:

My name is Kira Lawson and I am a certified sign language interpreter.  I have a husband and two dogs.  We live in Knoxville, Tennessee. Our life is always crazy and chaotic, but I wouldn't have it any other way.

Kira and her husband on date night. 

I met Anna Morgan while in college and she's one of the reasons that I chose the field that I'm in today.  During my career so far, I've seen a lot of different scenarios and had a lot of new experiences.  I'm an interpreter both in the community and video relay settings. So how am I a missionary daily?

Here are their 2 dogs - Coco Chanel (we call her a miniature black lab HA!) and Cheyenne (chocolate lab)

I think what I've learned to be one of the most beautiful things about a person is their attitude. Their heart. Their compassion. Everyday I encounter lots of people, both deaf and hearing. Co-workers, clients, people at Target, friends, family, and even the person at the gas station who needs money for milk.  I used to live a life where I thought, "well that's their problem, not mine" or "that sucks for them..." I was prideful of the life I had built for myself. And then I realized how selfish I was being and what an ugly heart I had.

So I prayed. I prayed to have the desire to be compassionate. To be positive. To be the blessing to those who may just be having a crummy day.  Here's where my heart has been dwelling lately.

"Do nothing out of selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests but also to the interests of others."  Philippians 2:3-4

I decided to be a blessing at all times. Am I perfect?  Of course not. But I decided to change my attitude. So how did I do this?  I took one day at a time.  It might be telling a sick client that I'm praying for them. Or remembering a client's favorite drink and bringing it by the hospital. Or making a co-worker laugh when their day isn't going so great. Maybe it's volunteering in the Deaf community and building relationships. Or it's talking about what God is doing in my life.  Perhaps it's encouraging a young new interpreter in the field. Even something as simple as a compliment. We should build each other up instead of tearing one another down. As a daughter, I want to please my Heavenly Father and show his love to others. I want to BLESS others daily with His compassion.

It's all about the attitude. In my daily mission field, my goal is to strive to be more like Christ. To bless others. To have a compassionate heart. A beautiful heart.

So thankful for Kira. Make sure to keep up with her on her blog! 

Check out the other blogs in this everyday mission series: 

Stay at Home Mom - It's a Mission Field!

Being a Missionary in the Classroom 

Rock-N-Roll Missions  

Missional life in the "church bubble"

It's Twenty Thirteen.. already amazing!

HAPPY NEW YEAR! 

I've been having too much fun to blog. But, as promised, here's some awesome pictures (with our new camera) of some of my favorite people.  I got to spend 3 whole days with these beautiful gals:

I love them. I don't know what I'd do without them... really. A girl surely needs friends she can just let loose with... talk about the hard stuff with, laugh with, shop with, sit around in p.j.s with, eat with, clean with,... and most of all... be herself with. These are my girls. I love them tremendously.

My Em... my college roomie... bunkbed mate... best friend ever.  She gets me and loves me... all my craziness included.  She even went to Africa with me... that's true love. Don't we look identical?  People have FOR REAL asked us if we were twins... one dude even thought we were the same person.  I know... I'm confused as you about that one. 

My Lindsey Jo. I love her. I knew as soon as I met her she was suppose to be my sister... and that's what she's become. She's wonderful.  She's living life in the fast lane and loving every bit of it. I love her heart and her family and when I grow up I'm gonna be like her! So thankful for her friendship.

They are beautiful - I hope you have friends like them.

I surely missed Beck and Ames during the visit! 

THEN... we got to go to one of my favorite things ever... PASSION 2013!!! Oh... how Jesus is lifted high there! And... not only did I get to go... I got to interpret!!! AHHH!!!! My dream come true.  I have had the privilege to interpret at this conference for the past three years... all because EMILY told me they had interpreters at Passion and that I should be one of them. So... I started emailing... and they responded!!!! And I have had the amazing privilege to interpret for so many of the people I look up to and learn from!!! AMAZING! Here's some pics from the trip! 

The High School seniors heading to the GA DOME!!! So much expectation packed into that van!!! I love them with all my heart. God is going to do IMMEASURABLY more with them!  I know God worked some big works in their lives!!!! So thankful! 

My hubs... so thankful I get to live life with this fella. He is amazing... He really is. He is my leader and my best friend. 

No big deal... just hanging out with 60,000 of my closest friends... worshipping Jesus!!! O... so good! 

The most amazing interpreting team you could ask for!!! So blessed to work with them! God put this team together.. for sure!!! It was SO awesome to see the Deaf students worship Jesus WITH us... to see how they GOT it... to see them laugh with the rest of the dome... to sing... to lean into what Jesus had for them at Passion 2013! So good! 

The amazing mentees from Troy University!!! So blessed to be their "leader"... as they call me. I know I don't talk about my job much on here... it's not because I don't enjoy it (most of the time). I love my job because I get to invest in faces like these!! To love on them in the everyday stresses of life. Sometime I don't do a good job of it... but this is my mission field.  I love my job because I love the students in our program. I love to see them enjoy interpreting, invest in the lives of the Deaf, for them to see their potential, and for them to know that I BELIEVE IN THEM! 

Interpreting for the Passion Band.

My spastic face while interpreting for Beth Moore.  She's my best friend... she may not know it... but BY GOLLY... she has taught me SO much and I just love her passion for the Word and for Jesus. SO SO SO stinking honored to put her message into ASL. 

I had the BEST time interpreting for Lecrae with this girl, SUNSHINE! Such a fun story too - So... I got up to interpret for Lecrae and was jamming out! Well... we had a couple of Deaf students who did not know sign language and relied on lip reading.  Well... I love interpreting for Lecrae but I do not know every word he is spittin'.  BUT.. this girl did!!! Sunshine, who just HAPPENED to join the signing section THAT session - probably a God thang!  So... the interpreter coordinator pulled her up there and we jammed TOGETHER!! And... for the first time, perhaps, those students got to experience the amazingly Biblical lyrics of Lecrae... a rapper!!! So fun!!! 

p.s. while I was up there... I had NO CLUE what Sunshine was doing... but I invited her up on the platform with me so we could party together!!! I didn't find out the cool God-story until after!! I had no idea what we were doing there together... I just thought it was fun! 

Jammin' to Lecrae! 

Thankful for the days in 2013 already. 

So excited for what this year holds... I hope Eric will become a Morgan within the year!!!!! PRAYING AND WAITING AND LEARNING!