Parkwood Baptist Church Internship Journal

8/13/2019 Parkwood Baptist Church Internship Journal

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Parkwood Baptist Church Internship Journal:

May 12, 2013: Today I went to the church and really got a feel for how the services run

and got to meet some of the people I will be working with this summer. It really was

nothing too spectacular, but it was good to see Mrs. Glenda and get some dates from here

and really get to touch base and begin the process of starting off the summer on a good

note. I am very excited to see what the Lord has planned and what I will get to learn this

summer from these children and youth.

May 15, 2013: Tonight I got to help with the after school program. I started off riding to

go get the kids from the school, since most them have not met me yet, I introduced

myself and showed them my sign name. From then on it was a blur, I went from talking

with a lot of the kids to helping them with homework. By the way, I had to play a math

game and explain it to Sam, one of the middle school boys who is learning Sign

Language. Have I mentioned that I dont like math?? Then to make things even better,

Ive got to tell you. Professor Moore, you made us learn the body systems in 302. I was

hoping to never be required to use that knowledge... but fate saw it differently. I had to

help Megan study for her Biology test she has on Friday. Ill just say that I was extremely

happy that I pay attention in class and can convey things appropriately in ASL. Then

Brandon got to talking to me, and quickly opened up that he wanted to have a girlfriend

but wasnt sure how to get one. I told him to wait on Gods timing, s ince it seems to

always work out better that way. After that slightly awkward conversation, we had

dinner. That went well as I got to learn more about Ms. Betty and how she became


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involved with the Deaf ministry at Parkwood. Finally, the night ended with practicing for

the KY mission trip. I helped keep the kids focused as Ms. Cathy presented the story of

Moses, with the point that the Bible comes from God- something that will be emphasized

when we are doing the Rainbow Express in KY. Overall, it was a great night. It was long,

but it was a good experience. I feel like most of the kids welcomed me openly, and it will

be good to build those relationships. However, some of the children will definitely keep

me on my toes this summer. At any rate, I am excited and eager to see what is ahead with

these kids and to really be able to invest in their lives.

May 19, 2013: Today I got to observe how some voice interpreters worked to interpret

Professor Moores service. It was very interesting, and I was really impres sed with how

well they teamed and with how they caught basically everything that Professor Moore

said. It was really good, slightly on the feminine side, as far as word choices and

inflection were however; they are women so it is to be expected. Later in the day, I went

to a prayer meeting for the mission trip to KY, which was nice to meet some of the

people that I will be spending the week with on the trip as well as learning more about

what we will be doing. Following the KY meeting, which was super informative, we had

Bible Study. For me, it was nice to see how the smaller group works and to learn more

from Professor Moore, as I have never seen him preach before. It was refreshing and I

really enjoyed his preaching style. His messages got me thinking in a different way about

passages I have known for a while. I am very excited to be working with the church and

for how the Lord will use me this summer and for what I will be learning.


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May 22, 2013: Tonight when I arrived at the church I was able to get to know some of the

women and help them do the last bit of prepping for snack time. Once the younger

children arrived, I rode along to go to the middle school to get the older children. Once

back at the church, I got to know some of the children better, learning more about then.

After a while, I helped Hannah make a flipbook for the story we were practicing for the

KY mission trip. Once we finished the book, we grabbed dinner and had a small group

leader meeting, where we learned more about what is expected of us as well as who will

be helping us with the children. Finally, the night ended with Hannah practicing the story,

and all of the small group leaders getting a feel for how the story will flow and the waysto improve this story.

May 29, 2013: Tonight I was able to show up a little early and help get some materials

together for the childrens Bible Study and set up the area for dinner and games for the

youth. Once that was over, I was able to practice the Day 3 Jesus Story before dinner.

Once dinner was over, I went to the youth and was able to sign the Jesus Story with a

voice interpreter. I must admit that it was a strange feeling to have someone voice what I

was saying rather than voicing for someone. The interpreter did very well overall, and I

really enjoyed how she got several whole concepts and did not miss a lot of information

and was quick to correct herself and fix problems. Overall it was a great night with a lot

of learning experience. On a more personal note, two children accepted Christ as their

Savior tonight, which simply makes my heart happy and shows me that God is going to

do great things this summer.


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June 1, 2013: I went to Pastor Bos and Mrs. Glendas tonight for a cookout with the

youth group. I arrived a little before everyone else to help them set up. It was fun to get to

interact with the youth a little more and learn some older signs from Ms. Betty. We had

hamburgers and homemade ice cream along with my homemade cookies and just had a

time of fun and fellowship. Mrs. Glenda and I worked out the order for the songs to be

interpreted in the morning, and she decided that she would take the hymns, and I would

take what the praise team did. It will be exciting to be able to interpret the songs for my

first official Sunday at Parkwood Baptist Church.

June 2, 2013: This morning I went to the Youth Sunday School as we went ahead and

started talking about what we will be discussing the next few weeks over the summer and

how to share a testimony/ why it is so important to be able to share our testimony. It was

a good lesson with little issues from the youth. Then we went up to the Hearing worship

service, for youth /graduation Sunday. I was able to observe Ms. Betty a little and I

noticed that she is wonderful at getting full concepts out and really has some great mouth

morphemes. Then it was my turn, I was able to interpret the worship songs. I was nervous

but I was able to properly interpret the songs and afterward was told that I was clear and

did a great job. One Deaf woman told me that I am a beautiful signer and I almost made

her cry... I am hoping that is a compliment. In the evening, I was able to interpret the

hymn sung before the business meeting took place. I had about two minuets to prepare,

and it was quite difficult, however I believe that overall I got the point across and

conveyed the message accurately. For the rest of the meeting, I was able to observe


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Pastor Bo and Mrs. Glenda interpret and I really enjoyed how well they got every concept

and were able to keep track of all the numbers, it was quite impressive.

June 5, 2013: This afternoon I went to the church early to help get things set up for that

evening. After getting all sorts of things done in the office, it was off to the church to

work with the youth for a bit before getting the last mission trip lesson ready. Once the

lesson was ready, it was time to socialize at dinner. Once dinner was over, it was in to the

lesson, which I was able to deliver in ASL, however a simple concept did become

complicated, which was interesting to deal with. I learned that I have some improving todo with some story telling concepts, while I can usually get my point across clearly, I am

in no way perfect and would like to see more improvement in this area over the summer.

June 14, 2013: Tonight I went to the church early for a meeting about the things needed

for the upcoming KY mission trip, thing I will be putting together and making over the

next week in order for the team to be fully prepared for the trip. Once the meeting was

over, it was off to socialize and help get things set up for dinner. We ate pizza and talked,

before we started playing games with the children and youth. It was good practice for the

KY mission trip, and simply a lot of fun. Once the fun and games were over, we sat down

and watched/ listened to some testimonies. For me, I found that when the first interpreter

went, they used simpler language, but accurately conveyed the message of the signer.

However, when the second interpreter voiced, they got almost everything but used much

more adult language. I am not sure which approach was better, since both interpreters did


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June 18, 2013: Today I was back in the office, getting things together for the mission trip.

I never would have thought that it would take so much work to get things together for a

trip, but it is all coming together beautifully. Also today, I got to meet a new Deaf man

who was fun to talk to. Come to find out, he knows my old Deaf pastor, Darryl Millsaps.

Overall it was a very productive day.

June 19, 2013: I didnt go into the office until 1:30pm since I would be at church till later

in the evening. Once I got there, I was able to get some things done before Katie; one of

the youth girls came to give me a hand. Between the two of us we had fun signing, and putting things together for the mission trip. Once we got everything put together, we went

to dinner with Pastor Bo and Mrs. Glenda. We had a lot of fun and it was nice to get to

know her better. Then it was back to the church to get things loaded into the trailer

(which took NO time whatsoever!) and then to youth group. It was a good talk with the

youth about what we expect out of them during the trip. During this time, Mrs. Glenda

and I voice interpreted for the youth so the Mrs. Myra (Who is Hearing but going on the

mission trip with the Deaf and has yet to learn ASL) and then as we ended with

testimonies, Mrs. Glenda voice interpreted very quietly for Mrs. Myra on my behalf so I

could simply focus on signing. It was a lot of fun and I was really happy to get the

practice. I noticed that I was more confident than I have been in the past, and it was

alm ost as if I was less nervous and more of a I can do this well, which was a nice

change. I am excited for the upcoming mission trip, as it will give me a great opportunity

to get to know the youth better.


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June 23, 2013: When we woke up today, we all quickly ate and then got ready for church.

I was able to observe the interpreters, and enjoyed seeing how they rephrased and

rearranged things. It was really nice. Then the two teams split up, the men to look at the

construction and the women and youth to go set up the sign and distribute door hangers

about VBS. It was a nice day, and it felt like the calm before the storm.

June 24, 2013: Today was our first day doing mission work. It was interesting trying to

help facilitate communication a bit. However, while the day was hectic, we got a lot done

and it was good overall. So much happened that it is somewhat a blur, but it was nice toget a feel for the area where we are working, and it was good experience overall.

June 25, 2013: Today was basically the same as yesterday, busy with some interpreting

duties, but a ton of conversations. However, tonight we went to a sportsmans banquet

where I got to interpret blue grass music (might I add, that I have only heard blue grass

like three times in my whole life interesting to say the least). I did pretty well. I knew

the first two songs (Amazing Grace, and Ill Fly Away - which the latter does not translate

easily) and from there I was making up as I went along going with the concept of the

song. It did not help that the music was hard to understand, and then when I finally did

understand something, a man- an older man- spoke at such a rate giving a narrative in the

middle of the song that I wondered if he ever would stop to take a breathe. As if blue

grass was not hard enough, I then had one of the most interesting things to interpret so far

in my young experience. I, had to attempt to keep myself together, as I interpreted the

turkey call contest. Now, it is bad enough that it is boring and awkward and semi-weird


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for hearing people (like myself) who are not used to this, but I can tell you it was

worse to interpret. Seriously, I felt like an idiot as I did the very best I could to sign

TURKEY and show it gobbling. Then it did not help one bit that I looked up, some

people were smiling and giggling, (causing me to start to tear up from holding in my

laughter) but THEN I looked up again. Oh how I wish I had never looked up again. To

my horror, there were about five or six cameras pointed my direction, most of which had

the lovely little red light shining, meaning they were recorded. When all was said and

done and they were giving out a wards, one woman yelled out to me You deserve an

award. I think I handled it the best I could, but it was positively humiliating.

June 26, 2013: Today we got up, and got to go distribute food to some of the locals. It

was a really great experience, and I was able to interpret some for the distributions. We

didnt go to the Senior Citizens center because they were having an event today, and we

were almost done. So well finish that tomorrow. Once we were done, we went to the

VBS, and today I got to tell the Jesus story while Ms. Betty interpreted for me. It was

really good and a lot of fun. Then we had church. I got to observe some of the interpreters

with us. I noticed that some of them like to mouth the words a lot, and I am not sure if

that is normal, or if it shouldnt be done, or what the deal is really, but they got the point

across and the Deaf seemed to understand the message. After church, we had dinner with

everyone from the church. It was a good experience and I had the opportunity to interpret

a conversation for probably over an hour. It got difficult, especially since the one party

involved was extremely off point and jumped around- making him hard to understand.

Overall, it was another great day.


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ended up being on the floor instead of the stage like normal. It wasnt bad, just different.

It was a good experience and good practice for me to keep my composure and keep

myself together whilst attempting to interpret something so touching.

July 2, 2013: Today I did some light office work (moving boxes, and getting things back

to normal after the KY trip) followed by some visitation. It was really interesting to see

how some of our Deaf children live. It was a humble reminder that one does not need to

travel super far to find those in need. Overall it was a good day, and I enjoyed meeting

Jose, a young boy (about 16 and probably, ok he was taller than me) whom I havenever met. I really enjoyed talking with some of the Deaf children and meeting their

families for the first time.

July 5, 2013: We went for a pool party today. Ok, so I had to go in early to help make

some lemonade and get some drinks together before we left, but we went for a pool

party! It was different to be reminded that some of these kids have C.I.s and have to take

them off to go swimming (something I knew, but again just dont think much of). At the

pool, I got to talk and fellowship with some both Deaf and Hearing adults. It was an

interesting social, and I even had to do some interpreting. Including some voice

interpreting for Daniel, who was in town for the 4 th of July. It was a lot of fun to be ale to

be involved in as well as help facilitate some of those conversations. I felt that it was a

good learning experience (similar to KY) of how to incorporate Hearing with Deaf as

best as possible.


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July 7, 2013: Tonight we watched a slide show of the KY mission trip that Jackie had

made. It was really neat to see the lovely photos that she took. Then we shared

testimonies for a while telling of our experiences and how we saw God work in and

through our team. It was really an encouraging time.

July 9, 2013: Today I had a meeting with both Deaf and Hearing to discuss the upcoming

Day Camp. The way it seems is that there will be a lot of good things planned for that

week and we have some amazing Deaf leaders. So my day was spent mostly in that

meeting then working to get some administrative work done so that we can start preparing for the Day Camp. It will be really exciting, and I must admit it was nice to

have a somewhat relaxing day at the office, or at least one where I didnt feel like I had to

get everything done immediately.

July 10, 2013: Tonight I went into church and simply got to socialize and observe signing

styles. It was really interesting how most of the older Deaf tended to sign in a more

English register while the middle aged to younger Deaf signed more toward an ASL

register. I really enjoyed that there was no interpreting tonight, but instead I was able to

enjoy the beauty of my second language for what it is. I really enjoyed these differences

and have found an appreciation for all types of signing.

July 11, 2013: This morning I met Mrs. Glenda at the church and then we went out on

visitations. The first place we stopped at, they were not home. However, when we

stopped at the next apartment complex, we first rang the wrong doorbell. The woman


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who answ ered was Deaf but wasnt very kind. It was a strange experience. Finally, we

found the woman we were looking for, and I found it interesting that while she was Deaf

and her son was Hearing that the communication wasnt very good. I always thought that

if your parents were Deaf (or at least one was Deaf) that you would automatically learn

ASL, but apparently that is not the case. It is possible for CODAs to have a hard time

communicating with their parents. Anyway, once we were done there, we went on to

lunch and then back to the church. Once back at the church, I worked on putting coloring

booklets together for day camp (to fill in dead time) before heading home for the day.

Overall it was a really interesting day and I really enjoyed it.

July 14, 2013: This morning I had an interesting experience. I was able to interpret the

announcements for Sunday school (which was good practice for later). Once the

announcement was done, it was time for everyone to go to their respective classes. Today

I stayed in Eliz as class to be more exposed to more sings. Mrs. Amy Talbot interpreted

for my friend Brittany who wanted to experience Deaf culture. Once Sunday school was

over, it was time for church. I was able to interpret the announcements and prayer

requests before the service. Overall I dead really well, though when I was unsure my

voice got a little quieter and I noticed a question in my voice once when there shouldnt

have been one. I can say that overall I am proud of my performance. I was especially

nervous since it was my first time working with a microphone to voice interpret; but I

was sure to remember to point it away from my mouth when checking with my team on a

word. It was a good feeling to know that I was accurate in my interpretation. Tonight I


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was able to observe the interpreters work as people gave testimonies of what happened on

the mission trip in KY. Overall, it was a great day.

July 16, 2013: Today I went in for the regular staff meeting at 9am, then I had another

meeting for day camp. The meeting for day camp lasted about two hours. However, it

was good to meet with everyone (or most everyone) who will be involved with the

children in any way this summer. It was interesting since some people do not know sign

language very well and thus we had to simcom and voice for the Deaf. Overall, the

meeting went very well and we enjoyed talking and giving ideas. Once the meeting wasover, a large group of us went to CiCis for lunch. It was really fun to sit around signing

and interpreting, and just enjoying everyones company. While we were eating, one of

the youth girls, Miranda, came in with her grandmother. They came and joined us and

Miranda and I got to talk for a while. She mentioned to me how she can be very lonely

since her family does not sign well and she goes to a public hearing school in which there

is only two other Deaf students and one hard of hearing student. It broke my heart a little

to hear how she doesnt feel like she has friends. However, I was able to encourage her

by informing her of how most of the Deaf people I knew from school had a good group

of friends who knew how to sign. Before long, I was back at the office and I finished

almost everything for day camp. All I have left to do is make some extra copies of a few

things, put all the copies in cubbies for each group with some construction paper, and

everything is ready to go for day camp. It is getting exciting knowing that day camp is

right around the corner.


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impossible to interpret. Then the service started, Dr. Johnny Presley had to mention my

turkey call interpretation to the whole church (joy), which was interesting to see the other

interpreter try to duplicate. Through the service, I noticed that her register was more

toward English, and that she did use mouthing. However, for the most part she got the

point across (which can be hard, Dr. Johnny speaks like a million miles a minute).

Overall, it was a great day and a good start the week.

July 22, 2013: Today was my first day in the office without Pastor Bo around. He and a

group went to SBCD. I wanted to go, but it worked out better that I stayed (and muchcheaper for me). I was able to get some work around the office and some last minuet prep

work done for Day camp next week. I also got to help out the other secretaries with some

of their office work. Overall it was a productive day.

July 23, 2013: Today I had to go into the office a little early (it is Tuesday, and we

always have our staff meetings on Tuesday). The meeting went well, and then it was

immediately to work. I got to working on some things for Mrs. Natalie, when in walked

Mrs. Claudia, who gave me about five things to work on for her for Day camp (have I

mentioned, they are almost all cutti ng things out Im AWFUL at cutting things out I

can ever cut on the lines). Once I got done everything for Mrs. Natalie, I began working

on the copying, tracing, and cutting for Mrs. Claudia for Day camp missions emphasis. It

was a ton of work, and LOTS of cutting. But, I got a lot done, so I cant complain.

Hopefully tomorrow will be a little less stressful.


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July 24, 2013: Today in the office was so boring. I answered the videophone twice, which

was fun and I really enjoyed learning the new technology (yes, it is new to me). I noticed

that it was harder for me to understand peoples signing (sometimes due to where the

camera was for them) because of the fact that they are on a screen. The other things I got

to do today were prep for Sunday school and h elp the childrens pastor with nametags for

VBS. I told you, it was a boring day.

July 25, 2013: Today I was rented out to Pastor Michael Stewart, the childrens minister

to be extra eyes and hands as we took the kids to Hickory Dickory Dock in Hickory, NC.It was a fun but crazy time with the kids running around everywhere but I am glad that I

went, it was a good experience.

July 28, 2013: Today I went into church, and was excited to see everyone after their trip

to SBCD. It was great, though everyone was definitely tired. Once Sunday School was

over, I got to go to church, where I voice interpreted for the announcements and prayer

requests. Overall, I did well, however I noticed that I had some issues getting words out

and following some concepts. However, I have noticed that my confidence in voicing has

increased greatly, and I have enjoyed the practice. Church ended and I went home, only

to come back early and set up for day camp (which begins tomorrow!). And then I went

and participated in Bible Stud y (where I learned a sign for orientation thank you

Caitlyn Cullen). Overall it was a good day and I look forward to the craziness of the week

ahead.


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July 29, 2013: Today was the first day of day camp at church. It was really crazy but a l

enjoyed my 4 and 5 year olds. Theyre adorable. One little girl, Natalie is absolutely

precious! Her entire family is Deaf, and so shes very independent and a ton of fun. I

noticed that a lot of these children from Deaf families or somehow connected to Deaf do

not communicate well in Sign Language, which really surprised me, I always thought that

those related to Deaf in some way could sign, guess I was wrong. Anyway, it was a good

day, just long and busy. Luckily for me I have 4 more days with these children. I cant

wait to see what they teach me this week.

July 30, 2013: Today I got to see my kids again (theyre with me for the week Im

the leader, I claim them, they are mine- dont judge). It was a crazy day, I feel like they

were better behaved yesterday than they were today but it was still a pretty good day. I

did notice that some of the kids were starting to sign more, which I really believe Natalie

appreciated. It was also fun to watch Sofia and Natalie hit it off and Sofia began learning

to sign so that she can play and enjoy a friendship with Natalie, it was a really beautiful

experience to watch these two become friends and figure out how to communicate with

each other. I also noticed that Natalie is a very strong young girl, and she is great at

communic ating to the other kids that they need to sign because she cant hear them. It

really was an interesting day overall.

July 31, 2013: Today was extremely long. I had my four and five year olds today, and

they seemed tired today (yay for wearing them out!). However, it was still exhausting. IT

seemed like after lunch, the kids got more energy than ever before. I seriously wan to


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there as well. The Bible Story went really well, I dare say, even better since we were

outside and were able to use some elements that werent inside. Since it was getting dark

once we finished the Bible story, we packed up and headed inside to practice the song we

are working on. By the time we finished practicing, we had about twenty minuets left for

the kids/ teens to do their craft- tile painting. It didnt take long till we were cleaning up,

going through the song one last time, and then saying goodbye for the evening. Overall, it

was a really good day at VBS.

August 6, 2013: Tonight was another evening of VBS. So while it was busy, it was stillgood. Caitlyn and I were outside playing games with the youth before we practiced the

song, had snack and finally settled down for the story. Tonight was different because

when Caitlyn and I were ready to practice the story, we realized that between the two of

us, there were not enough people to perform a drama of the Bible Story has we had been

doing. Luckily, Ms. Betty and Mrs. Glenda were happy to help, and while we had no

practice time, everything went super smoothly. After the story, we went inside to paint

boxes for children overseas who live in childrens homes so that they can have a place to

but things of their own. Although I noticed some major attitude problems (particularly

with one kid in our group) it was overall a really great night. I cant believe we only have

one more night of VBS ahead of us.

August 7, 2013: Tonight was extremely difficult. The kids did not want to listen at all. To

be honest, Im elated that it was the last night for VBS, because by this point in the week,

they do not care anymore nor do they want to respect us (particularly me). Considering


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Parkwood Baptist Church Internship Journal

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