1. Who reached out to you? Why did you became a disciple?

Cash McHargue and his wife, Maria reached out to me in November of 2010.  I was baptized January 23rd, 2011.  I chose to become a disciple because I have always had a love for God but I wanted that love to grow deeper and really have the chance to build a relationship with Him.

2. Reason for college major Deaf Studies.

I am very passionate about languages and cultures and wanted to learn more about Deaf Culture and ASL.

3. When and why did you learn ASL?

In 2007, I decided to take ASL as my general education requirement for a foreign language.  I fell in love with ASL and knew I had to pursue it.  It came very naturally for me because of my love for languages.  Deaf Studies was my major and Spanish was my minor.  I hope to become an interpreter in the future!

4. Your best memory as a disciple?

My best memory as a disciple was visiting the Deaf Ministry, in the Valley Church, in Los Angeles and meeting brothers and sisters that I had never met! They were so warm and welcoming and made me feel like I was family.  We went out to eat after church and took pictures. I really felt at home with the Deaf Ministry in L.A.!

5. Share your experiences about the Deaf Conference at the World Discipleship Summit in 2012.

I went to one class as part of the Deaf Conference and met many new people, including Joe Cepeda! I really enjoyed learning about God in ASL! I learned many new biblical signs that I had not known before!

6. Do you have a vision for the Deaf Ministry?

I would love to see more Deaf ministries in our sister churches all over the country, especially in the Baltimore/D.C. region.  I would also love if there were Deaf conferences or retreats every year because the Singles, Marrieds, and Campus ministries have retreats, workshops, and ICMC’s quite frequently.  It is my dream to see Deaf ministries get together for retreats as often as other ministries in our churches do.

7. What is your favorite scripture and why?

My favorite scripture is James 1:2-5 because it really helps me to get through times that are tough.  It also reminds me that life is a journey we embark on to grow closer to God and build our relationship with Him.  We can find pure joy in the good times and the bad, but most importantly, in Christ Jesus.

8. Have you interpreted at church services before? What was the hardest part to interpret? What you do enjoy the most about interpreting?

I have only interpreted at church services twice, starting last month in December 2013.  The hardest part of the service to interpret is when scriptures are being read.  There are a lot of hard words in the Bible to pronounce and spell, and a lot of stories and history that I do not know yet so sometimes I can get confused in what is actually going on in the scriptures.  I love to interpret because I can use ASL.  I love using sign language and try to use ASL every opportunity I can, whether it be through interpreting or just chatting!

9. What would you like to see at the future Deaf Conference?

I would like to hang out as much as possible with all Deaf Ministries in ICOC.  Maybe plan dinners and different activities to do where we can all hang out, outside of conference classes!