Serving an ASL Mission #Embark

Everything is kinda weird over here with our house completely turned upside-down with our many construction projects and house repairs.  But we are happily moving along, spending lots of time in close quarters, and trying to do our best to continue the most important things that make us who we are as a family!

One of those things is family home evening...the other is singing loudly to the 2011 Muppet Movie, which we only recently discovered!  It's brought us some fun memories!

But I'm hear to talk about the family home evening that we had last night.  Scarlett stayed home sick from school, so in the afternoon, I asked if she'd like to help give our FHE lesson that night.  

We had recently received another mission letter from Aunt Emmalee who served an ASL mission in the Phoenix, AZ area!

Since sign language is another thing our family is way in to, I asked Scarlett if she would like to learn to sign her testimony and share it with our family during FHE tonight.  She was very excited to do this!  

First, she wrote out a brief testimony in her own words.  Then we tried signing it using the signs we already know.  (She knew a bunch of church words, because they're learning to sign "I Know That My Savior Loves Me" in Primary right now.)  The other words we looked up real quick googling ASL + the word.  One sign that was new to us was "the Articles of Faith," which you'll see is signed by making an "a" followed by an "f" on the palm of your hand.

Anyway, we here's Scarlett's testimony:

We really enjoyed learning about Emmalee's mission experience and her great faith was evident.  I liked that she told the kids that she had wanted to serve a mission from an early age and as a result she did a lot through out her life to prepare herself, by studying  the scriptures, attending Seminary and Institute, and, in her words, "paying the price" to know for herself that the church is true.

In college, she was excitedly anticipating serving a mission when a friend cautioned her to make sure serving a mission was the right thing to do.  Emmalee asked the Lord in prayer if she should serve a mission.  The answer came.  The Lord assured Emmalee that she should serve a mission, and that she would serve, not just for the sake of serving a mission, but she would serve THE LORD'S mission.

Emmalee served in ASL areas and was also sent to serve on a Navajo Reservation, where she taught in Navajo and served where President Kimball did on his mission.

I love how Emmalee said, "I never thought a little deaf girl would learn how to speak Navajo, but I did.  We would sing in Navajo to share our messages."

She closed by encouraging our children to study the core doctrines of the church, to know them, and to share them.  She said, "Wherever you go, ask the Lord to help you know why you were sent to that area.  He will show you."

I love having so many examples of missionaries in our family who set a great example for our children!  Emmalee's commitment to prepare to serve the Lord from a young age and then her faith to humbly follow where the Lord would lead is a great example to us!