Reaching Deaf People

When I first began trying to work with the Deaf, I had no idea what I was doing. I started because I had a heart for Deaf people. I had learned the Bible from the time I was a young boy. But many Deaf people had not had that same opportunity. I knew a lot about the Bible, but I did not know much about Sign Language or Deaf ways. I wanted to be a good teacher and preacher for the Deaf. I wanted the Deaf to love the Bible like I loved it.

God used an event in my life to push me to become serious about my work with the Deaf. We had a Deaf person in our church with serious communication problems at home. This person said that they were frustrated, because their father had never learned Sign Language beyond simply learning the alphabet. They needed a father to be able to give them advice, to love them, and to care for them. It broke my heart when this person shared with me that they were the third Deaf child born into their family. Even with three Deaf children, this father had never taken the time to learn Sign Language. After talking with this person, I realized that if I were ever to be effective in teaching the Deaf, I needed to commit to learning the heart language of the Deaf – Sign Language. I gave my heart to learning this new language. I had never been able to learn another language before this time, but I learned an important lesson. When God calls you to be a part of His work, and He calls you to love a people, He will give you everything you need. God brought wonderful Deaf people into my life. Some taught me about Deaf culture. Some taught me Sign Language. Some taught me about the history of the Deaf. I praise the Lord for the many Deaf people who invested in my life. If Deaf people had not taught me, I would not know Sign Language. Whom have you invested in recently? Whom are you helping? Who could write about your influence on their life and ministry? Start today by helping someone to know the Bible, Sign Language, or Deaf people better. God wants to use you today!