Only it wasn’t a real church. It was a cult.

Since then, Pedro was conflicted. The so-called church forbade him from seeing his family, even for sicknesses or funerals. He felt very uncomfortable with their teachings and didn’t see them lining up with Scripture.

Pedro left the cult and started attending another hearing church. Then he was introduced to DOOR International and their Chronological Bible Storying translation for Deaf people.

“I finally knew how loving my God really was,” Pedro says. “This set me free.”

Pedro at DOOR’s 2-by-2 commissioning in South Sudan and Mozambique. (Photo courtesy of DOOR International)

DOOR recruited Pedro to join their 2-by-2 Program which trains Deaf leaders in pairs of evangelists and teachers. DOOR celebrated Pedro’s 2-by-2 commissioning with several others in June.

From a violent kid to a confused cult follower to a redeemed Christian leader, Pedro’s life was forever changed.

“I felt that DOOR’s recruitment was truly a calling from God for me to help others who are bound by the same lies that bound me before. Knowing the truth will truly set you free. I want to carry on this good work.”

Pedro’s story is not uncommon in Deaf communities. Many Deaf individuals have never encountered the Gospel or have only been fed lies disguised as God’s truth.

In fact, of the 70 million Deaf people worldwide, it’s estimated less than two percent know Jesus.

Rob Myers with DOOR says reaching unreached Deaf communities isn’t always easy. “When you have a people group that’s been cut off from the Gospel for a long time, there’s a lot of spiritual resistance.

“We can face resistance from the government if it’s a closed country, or from attitudes within the community if people view Deaf people as curses or as demon-possessed. There are a lot of barriers that come up when you’re serving Deaf communities.”

Even when Deaf individuals do embrace a relationship with the Lord, it can take a while to raise up Christian leaders within a Deaf community.

Myers explains, “Many of these Deaf leaders actually struggle because for years they’ve been told they can’t lead and they can’t do things. But they can. God has gifted every single believer with spiritual gifts to be able to serve the Kingdom.”

The Deaf community and its Christian leaders need your prayers.

(Photo courtesy of DOOR International)

“Pray that those spiritual strongholds would be brought down,” Myers asks. “Pray that God would open up doors and opportunities for us to be able to serve these Deaf leaders and provide them the tools that they need to be able to reach their own communities. Pray that God would be raising up workers and that some of these Deaf leaders would truly catch the vision for who God has made them to be.”

If you’d like to support DOOR’s ministry among Deaf communities, click here!

Finally, you can play a role in raising awareness for Gospel needs among the Deaf. “Many people just don’t know that Deaf communities are unreached by the Gospel. They don’t realize that there are still millions of people who don’t have access. And they don’t realize that Deaf communities play such a critical role in finishing the Great Commission,” Myers says.

“So as any listener learns about this deep need, as they share it, that is a critical step in the Church becoming aware of the need and then beginning to take steps toward meeting that need.”

Follow DOOR International on Facebook here for ministry updates and sharing opportunities!

Header photo courtesy of Wycliffe Global Alliance via DOOR International.

(Graphic credit WitsLanguageSchool.com)

Africa (MNN) — In Part Two of our series about reaching the deaf for Christ, we’ll explore challenges and growth in Africa with Wycliffe Bible Translators, Wycliffe Associates, The Seed Company and Deaf Opportunity OutReach (DOOR).

With help from the Wycliffe coalition, DOOR is equipping national believers to tackle the stigma surrounding deafness and introduce people to Christ.

Reaching the Deaf for Christ: Africa

DOOR’s Rob Myers says many challenges face the families of hearing-impaired people in Africa compared to those in Western civilization; prime among them are prevalence and perception.

Healthcare issues in the underdeveloped and often impoverished nations of Africa contribute significantly to the commonality of deafness.

An African child signs “I Love You” in
gratitude for the Gospel DVD he received from DOOR.
(Photo credit DOOR)

“You tend to find a higher percentage of deaf people among the populations,” Myers notes. “Oftentimes, children between the ages of five and eight will contract a disease that will subsequently cause them to lose their hearing.”

Another challenge to reaching the deaf for Christ in Africa is the perception of deafness itself. Many communities view deafness as a curse.

“The [deaf] child often becomes a source of shame for that family,” explains Myers. The perception of deafness as a curse usually results in deaf children being hidden away and completely isolated from society.

“90% of deaf children are actually born to hearing parents, so most of the time they grow up in a dysfunctional family because they have no means of communicating with their parents,” Myers adds.

Liberating Africa’s Deaf

Since many deaf communities in Africa are unreached, DOOR uses an “alternative” method of sign language Bible translation to introduce deaf people to Christ. It’s called “Chronological Bible Storying (CBS).”

DOOR uses a three-step CBS process and materials for evangelism, discipleship, and fellowship called Know God How, Follow God How, and Serve God How, respectively.

“That entire series constitutes 110 stories and lays a primary biblical foundation for a people group so that they can really understand what Christianity is about,” Myers explains.

DOOR staff in Africa celebrate the
translation of evangelism, discipleship,
and fellowship materials.
(Photo credit DOOR)

Five African nations–Burundi, Ethiopia, Ghana, Uganda, and Tanzania–recently completed translation and production of the complete 110-story series. DOOR held a grand celebration to mark the occasion, and more breakthroughs came forth.

“During that celebration, we had the country of Nigeria finish the first series of 32 stories,” shares Myers.

“We also had our Kenya translation team finish a series of translator notes and Bible study notes, or commentaries, that we call ‘The Deeps.'”

He says these commentaries will be extremely helpful for future sign language translation work.

As you pray, ask the Lord how He would have you support deaf ministry in Africa. For more details on the ministry of DOOR, click here to visit their Web site.

Tomorrow, we’ll explore how you can be a part of reaching the deaf for Christ in your own community through Faith Comes By Hearing.

Read Reaching the Deaf for Christ: Part One.