International (MNN) — Imagine you’re a child with no access to language. You can’t understand anyone in your family, and they can’t understand you, either.
Every week, your family goes to a building where people stand up and sit down multiple times. Then, one man stands up to talk for what feels like forever. There’s a picture in that building of a man broken and bleeding, nailed to a wooden structure.
You have so many questions about that picture, but no way to ask them. You want to know who the Man is, why He’s been abused, where and when this crime took place, and why the picture is in this building – yet with nowhere to turn with those questions, you set them aside unanswered.
This is what church is like for many Deaf people. “Deaf people can be sitting in church. They can be part of a Christian family that tries to do devotions every evening,” DOOR International’s Rob Myers says.
“They can be very near to the Gospel, but if there’s no access to the Gospel in sign language, they’re incredibly far from it.”
Knowledge barriers
(Photo courtesy of DOOR International)
Deafness is the only disability that creates a separate language – sign language. Most Deaf communities are cut off from the Gospel because it’s not available in a sign language they understand.
“Globally, there are about 300 or more sign languages, and less than a third have any verse of Scripture translated,” Myers says.
You can help Deaf people know the Good News by partnering with DOOR International. Learn more about that here.
“Because one of the biggest issues facing the Deaf community right now, in terms of Gospel access, is a lack of awareness in the global church, one of the biggest steps that people can do is spread the word,” Myers says.
“If this is your first time recognizing that Deaf people have had barriers to the Gospel, take an opportunity to share this story with other people.”
Use the buttons at the bottom of this page to share this story on your social platforms. Most importantly, pray. Ask the Lord to use DOOR’s “I Want to Know” campaign to educate hearing believers about Deaf needs and encourage them to support Deaf ministry.
Header and story images courtesy of DOOR International.
