International (MNN) — According to the US Council on Foreign Relations, there are 28 active conflicts worldwide today. Each one holds unique dangers for Deaf individuals, from Ukraine to Gaza to Sudan.
Even fleeing to safety can be deadly. Rob Myers of DOOR International says, “We know of Deaf people who have been shot on site because the person asking them questions doubted that they were Deaf.”
Deaf people often miss critical wartime information because of language barriers. For example, in Ukraine, “Hearing people in the cities would hear the UN trucks coming and would know that they were carrying food and supplies, and so they would run out and start to grab supplies,” Myers says.
“Deaf people were not aware that the trucks were in town. No one told them. When they finally became aware, they would run out, and the supplies would already be gone.”
In 2022, DOOR International partnered with Deaf Bridge to help Deaf Ukrainian refugees fleeing the war in Ukraine.
(Photo courtesy of DOOR International)
Many Deaf also lack information about the spiritual war raging around us because they cannot access the Gospel in their heart sign language.
“Oftentimes, we think of spiritual as immaterial or invisible, and it’s interesting that the needs of many of these Deaf communities, particularly the spiritual needs, are invisible to us as the Church,” Myers says.
DOOR International equips Deaf believers to reach Deaf communities for Christ. More about that here.
“DOOR recognizes that God’s word is central to being able to know Him and follow Him, so DOOR is involved in sign language Bible translation in various parts of the world,” Myers says.
“[We also] recognize that the people most likely to share Christ with the Deaf are Deaf missionaries. We train Deaf missionaries to go into unreached Deaf communities and ultimately raise up indigenous, local Deaf leaders to reach their own people groups with the Gospel.”
You can be part of the change. Learn how here.
“For those who want to see people know Jesus, and especially want to see that happen for whole people groups who haven’t had access to the Gospel for millennia, we would encourage you to look at what God is doing through DOOR International,” Myers says.
Header image is a representative stock photo courtesy of Mahmoud Sulaiman/Unsplash.
