This book began as a labor of love: love of music, love of ASL and the Deaf community, and love for the Lord. This is a work in progress and is constantly evolving; I am currently in the process or revising a few hymns and adding more. In addition, I have a primary hymnal in progress. What works for the congregation I serve in will not work in every congregation. This book is not intended to teach ASL signs or grammar. It is assumed that anyone using this as a resource understands the different types of sentence structure with the accompanying NMM’s and can apply that knowledge to the gloss provided.
This is intended to be a resource book; a starting place for anyone interpreting congregational hymns. Please use this as it fits your consumers; change what you need in keeping with the hymn context and meaning to best serve those in your congregation. These are NOT intended to be used for choir or any other performance as that requires a different approach.
Through the process, my testimony has grown beyond measure. I truly began to understand why the Lord says a song of the righteous is a prayer. Growing up in the church, I sang these hymns at church, at home, in the car, or wherever I was. Even so, it wasn’t until I began to research and pray about them that my love for the hymns grew. As I have studied the lyrics along with the scriptures and the history of each hymn, I am in awe of the wealth of testimony and teaching we hold in our hands with the wondrous gift of music.
I have not done this alone. I have sought guidance from the Deaf members of my ward for ASL accuracy. I have sought guidance from my leaders and many others in understanding the doctrines expressed in the lyrics. And I have prayed a lot.
ASL LDS Interpreters 