GOOD SIGNS

 

Meet Isaiah.  

I encountered him while I was cleaning trash from the street in front of our home.  He is deaf.  He began helping me to pick up trash.  He tried to say something to me but I could not understand him.  His friend standing next to him gestured with her hands. They shared a manual patois. She turned to me and told me his name and that he wanted to help.

I turned to Isaiah and made the American Sign Language (ASL) sign for “deaf” and pointed to myself.  I am significantly hard of hearing and rely on hearing aids to communicate.  He smiled when I showed him my hearing aids.  I thanked him in sign language for his help as he waved and skipped away.

A few days later Isaiah again appeared as I was flushing out the fuel tank from our generator.  He again joined me in my project.  I tapped him on his elbow to get his attention. I finger spelled his name and pointed to him.  I then gave him a paper with the ASL finger spelling alphabet.  I helped him to spell his name.  The photo is Isaiah practicing his name.  Later I finger spelled my name and pointed to myself.  He nodded excitedly for we now shared something unique.

Later that day as Janet and I were backing the truck out our hangar, I saw Isaiah picking up litter in front of our home.  As I was about to drive off, Isaiah caught our attention.  He smiled, signed my name, and waved as we drove off.

God is good.