This marginalization becomes even more severe in times of war. More about that here.

“For groups that experience inequality or marginalization, that vulnerability is incredibly heightened in wartime,” Rob Myers of DOOR International says.

(Photo courtesy of Ahmed akacha/Pexels)

As conflict spreads across the globe, survival becomes even harder for Deaf individuals. Communication barriers – like missing emergency alerts or not understanding soldiers’ commands – can quickly become life-threatening.

Sometimes, “they (Deaf people) struggle to get the critical care they need. If they try to go to the hospital during a war and no interpreters are available, no one can understand them,” Myers says.

The Deaf also tend to miss critical information. “Governments will make very important announcements, and either a sign language interpreter is unavailable, or that interpreter is not skilled,” Myers says.

As a result, “The information that they’re telling the Deaf audience is different or just plain wrong compared to the information that a hearing audience will receive.”

Despite these barriers, Deaf individuals often find creative ways to adapt.

“They will depend on hearing family members,” Myers says. “They will [use] social media to try to share information, [building] trusted networks.”

A shelter in the time of storm

DOOR International is currently ministering in several conflict zones, addressing the urgent needs of Deaf communities. Here’s how you can help. Donations help cover costs for staff evacuations, trauma healing workshops, and creative solutions that allow ministry efforts to continue.

In addition to physical hardship, Deaf communities also face spiritual isolation. Less than two percent of the global Deaf community can access the Good News in any sign language.

“That lack of information access (during war) carries over almost exactly in the case of spiritual understanding,” Myers says.

“Many Deaf people are cut off from the Gospel in their heart sign language and don’t have protection in the midst of this spiritual war.”

Pray for Deaf people worldwide to understand the truth of Jesus and His salvation. Consider partnering with DOOR International to help unreached Deaf people access the Gospel.

Header image is a representative stock photo courtesy of Emad El Byed/Unsplash.

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.

“While Deaf people may be around written Scripture, many of them have been missing information about that Scripture for many years,” DOOR International’s Rob Myers says.

“Reading is a sound-based activity. We grew up with a language, and then we learn to read it. But that’s not true for Deaf people.”

DOOR International equips Deaf Christians to bring the Gospel to unreached Deaf communities. More about that here.

“DOOR, under various names and in various roles, has been in Deaf ministry now for 40 years,” Myers says.

(Photo courtesy of DOOR International)

Last year, “we had a celebration in Kenya where we had over 16 different African countries send representatives to partake in that celebration,” he continues.

“[It was a] wonderful opportunity to see leaders who’ve grown through the ministry and either have remained with DOOR and continued translation or discipleship work, or they’ve branched out, and God’s used them to begin other ministries and planted other seeds.”

Through church planting and sign language Bible translation, Deaf are reaching Deaf for Christ.

“We’re excited about the prospects that are ahead, and what God’s not just doing through existing Deaf work, but the seeds that have been planted that are beginning to bear fruit in some new areas,” Myers says.

Is the Lord calling you to serve in Deaf ministry? Connect with DOOR International and see the open positions here.

Pray for wisdom and discernment for DOOR leadership as they meet candidates and hold interviews to fill vacancies.

“Typically, if someone has a lot of sign language background, then we’re trying to catch them up on the biblical content,” Myers says.

“If they come with a biblical background, then we’re trying to catch them up with the sign language content.”

Header and story images courtesy of DOOR International. 

“Reading is a sound-based activity,” Rob Myers of DOOR International says. “We grew up with a language and then learned to read it, but that’s not true for Deaf people. While Deaf people may be around written Scripture, many of them have been missing information about that Scripture for many years.”

Deaf communities need God’s Word in a native sign language instead of written Bibles. More about that here.

“There are almost 400 different sign languages. Less than half of them have active translation projects started yet,” Myers says.

There’s a collective effort underway to produce more sign language Bible translations.

“We have connections to 70- to 80 percent of the translation projects that are happening out in the field in one way or another, and we’re grateful to be able to collaborate with partners and support efforts that are happening,” Myers says.

“Everybody recognizes we need to increase the speed at which sign language translation is happening, and no matter what, we need to make sure that we keep or increase the quality of translation,” he adds.

“It’s critical that it (the translation) be good quality because you’re setting theology for generations.”

Translation consultants play a critical role in the process. “Translation consultants will walk alongside teams of native signers, and together, they’ll ensure that the quality and accuracy of that translation is spot on,” Myers explains.

DOOR initiated the Translation Resources Development (TRD) project in 2021, which wrapped up in early 2023. This groundbreaking two-year project offers over 30 hours of training material, empowering Deaf ministry with vital resources for sign language translation teams.
(Photo, caption courtesy of DOOR International)

In 2025, DOOR wants to streamline its training for Deaf and Hearing translation consultants, bringing it from many years down to three.

“We’d love to see Deaf translation consultants be trained and deployed into the field because they connect the best with other Deaf teams,” Myers adds.

“We’re also focused on increasing the number of video resources in sign language for translators and translation consultants, resources that … further explain the Scripture, that help those teams translate quickly and grasp the deep meaning.”

Centuries of oppression keep the Deaf isolated and away from the Gospel truth. Prayer helps remove obstacles like these, and DOOR is always looking for more prayer partners. Download the latest DOOR prayer calendar to intercede for Deaf communities and ministry workers.

“This is a significant endeavor. It will require some focused time from our leaders, so we ask people to pray that they can maintain that focus,” Myers says.

When you donate to DOOR International, you help Deaf leaders receive the tools and training they need to fulfill the Great Commission. Consider becoming a financial partner today.

The header image depicts a Consultants-In-Training meeting at DOOR’s Kenya campus. (Photo courtesy of DOOR International)

Like most kids in the United States today, Rob Myers of DOOR International did not grow up in a Christian home. “Christmas, to me, was Santa Claus and singing these songs that had rich meaning, but I had no idea about that meaning until someone shared about who Jesus was,” Myers says.

He shares something in common with the Deaf people he serves through DOOR International. Many Deaf lack the Christian context that makes Christmas more than a retail holiday.

“Because they’re (Deaf people) so visual, they pick up on ‘Oh, it’s Christmas, there’s certain things that we do,’ but they’re missing the background information,” Myers says.

“They might see a manger scene, but they have no idea who the baby is.”

Deaf communities need something other than a traditional print Bible to truly understand the hope of Christ. More about that here.

“If they’re Deaf, they don’t get access to that Gospel unless someone [can] communicate that in their heart language. For many Deaf kids, that’s sign language,” Myers explains.

DOOR equips Deaf Christians to reach their communities through church planting and sign language Bible translation. Visit DOOR’s website to learn more. Pray believers will take advantage of the Gospel opportunities this season presents.

“The need for a Savior requires you to understand sin,” Myers says.

“A lot of times, we see effective presentations of the Gospel end up including both Old Testament and New Testament ideas to get the scope of ‘why did Jesus need to come?’ and then ‘why is His birth so significant?’”

Header image is a representative stock photo courtesy of Luke Southern/Unsplash.

“As we get closer and closer to that moment when Jesus comes back, we want to do everything we can to see as many people as we can worshiping the Lord with us,” DOOR International’s Rob Myers says.

“Deaf communities have long been denied access to the Gospel, and now is the time to see the Great Commission happen within these communities.”

DOOR International teaches Deaf Christian leaders how to share the Gospel, disciple others, plant churches, and translate God’s Word. More about that here.

“In each of those areas, we’re developing resources that help train, empower, and equip local leaders,” Myers says.

DOOR released its sign language Bible translation resources last year. Today, they’ve almost completed evangelism and discipleship resources in several sign languages. Those videos will be available in the first part of Summer 2024.

DOOR’s Translation Resources Development team finished developing how-to videos for translation teams. Now, they are passing on their knowledge and experience to the brand new 2-by-2 Resources Development team.
(Photo, caption courtesy of DOOR International)

Better yet, “We’re making sure that content is released through Creative Commons open licensing so other people can use it and then make it available to their communities with no license restrictions.”

Join DOOR’s newsletter list here and be the first to know when the new resources are ready. Pray for the Deaf every day by downloading DOOR’s monthly prayer calendar.

“If you have a heart for the Great Commission, we would love for you to come alongside the work that DOOR and other Deaf ministries are doing through prayer,” Myers says.

“The Deaf community has faced more barriers than almost any other people group that’s out there.”

Header and story images courtesy of DOOR International.

“24:14 was founded around Matthew 24:14, which talks about how the Gospel will be preached throughout all the world, to every people group and every ‘ethnae,’ and then the end will come,” DOOR International’s Rob Myers says.

“This was the first time that 24:14 had Deaf leaders attend. They (Deaf leaders) had the opportunity to learn standard terms, what things are successful and work well, and also get to share what they’ve seen work incredibly well in these spaces.”

The event provided a meaningful experience to DOOR’s leaders and Deaf Christians in general.

“I never thought that Deaf people could become pastors or leaders,” said *Joseph, a young Deaf believer from *Slibar.
“I realized that God had given us gifts just like He had given hearing people. The ability to access His Word and to fellowship with believers in my language has been life-changing.”
*Pseudonyms
(Photo, caption courtesy of DOOR International)

“The leaders of 24:14 invited Allan Orozco, the director of our evangelism, discipleship, and church planting program, and another Deaf leader to be involved in their global strategy team,” Myers says.

“I know a number of Deaf leaders who, in the past, have applied to missions organizations and had been rejected [after] being told, ‘You can’t be a missionary’ or ‘You can’t be a church leader because you’re Deaf.’”

Pray collaborative church planting efforts between Deaf and Hearing networks will accelerate. Ask the Lord to advance His Gospel among the world’s unreached Deaf communities.

“I would call it a significant moment for the Hearing and the Deaf church combined because God created us as a body. God’s given every single one of us specific gifts and callings to support His global mission,” Myers says.

Support Deaf-led ministry efforts here through DOOR International.

Header and story images courtesy of DOOR International.

For example, did you know that before any translation work begins, you must first survey the language needs of a community?

“There are different kinds of surveys,” says Dan* with DOOR International, explaining how sign language survey works in Deaf communities.

“Some are what we call ‘rapid appraisal’ where you go to a country and figure out how many languages are here, where Deaf people congregate; are two languages similar enough that we can make one Bible translation?”

(Photo courtesy of DOOR International)

DOOR is among the few Deaf-led Christian groups doing sign language survey work globally, and the needs are overwhelming.

“We have a small body of staff doing this [throughout the entire] Bible translation movement. There are at most 15 people qualified to do this kind of work,” Dan says.

“We are 40 or 50 years away from having the bandwidth to do frontline research in minority sign languages. We have to work our way down several hundred languages in this list [first.]”

Less than two percent of the world’s 70 million Deaf people know Christ. More about that here. Pray the Lord will connect DOOR with qualified helpers.

“We need workers for the harvest. It’s a specialized field, and it’s a tough position to fill,” Dan says.

*Name withheld for security purposes.

Header and story images courtesy of DOOR International.

Through an interpreter, DOOR International’s Deaf leader Mark Sorenson explains, “A lot of times, Deaf people will look at a spoken textual language Bible, and that creates a hearing God for them because they don’t have a way to communicate or to access God and His Word in their own language.”

DOOR International connects the Deaf to Jesus through sign language Bible translation and Deaf-led church planting. More about that here.

“When I go to conferences and present to an audience, a lot of the times people don’t realize what a need the Deaf community has – 70 million Deaf people in the world, and less than two percent of them know Christ,” Sorenson says.

“The Deaf population globally is one of the most unreached people groups.”

(Graphic courtesy of DOOR International)

English, or any other spoken language, is a second language for people born Deaf. More about that here. When a Deaf person sees God’s Word in their heart sign language, it changes their life.

“Deaf people [see] that [they] can actually connect to God in their heart language and realize that God is for them, too,” Sorenson says.

There are enough barriers already between the Deaf and hearing communities. You can remove some of those barriers by learning more about the Deaf and their spiritual needs. Start the process by exploring DOOR’s website.

“People don’t seem to know that the Deaf have their own cultures and language,” Sorenson says.

“When we take the medical perspective that they need to be fixed, we are stripping them of that identity and the opportunity to be Deaf and learn sign language, interact in the Deaf community.”

Header and story images courtesy of DOOR International.

ASL and English “have different grammar structures [and] use different syntax,” Deaf leader Mark Sorenson explains through an interpreter. As part of the senior leadership team at DOOR International, Sorenson guides sign language Bible translation and Deaf church planting efforts.

“ASL uses a different word order to create meaning. One of the most common examples is the word order of object-subject-verb, whereas English uses subject-verb-object.”

This principle applies to sign languages globally – they’re distinctly different than the spoken languages around them. That’s why Deaf communities need to see Scripture in their heart sign language rather than read it on a page. More about that here.

“There are 350 different sign languages globally [and only] one has a full Bible translation,” Sorenson says.

(Photo courtesy of DOOR International)

DOOR works with the Forum of Bible Agencies International (FOBAI) to guarantee all translations meet the same high-quality standards.

“FOBAI [is a coalition of] over 22 Bible translation organizations that try and establish a standard for Bible translations to use across the globe. FOBAI has different subgroups, and one of them is called the Deaf Development Group, or DDG,” Sorenson says.

After discussing the latest FOBAI standards and developments, Deaf leaders on the DDG “take those standards, bring them into the Deaf community, and work on sign language Bible translations at a standardized level.”

Standardizing the sign language Bible translation process helps prevent miscommunication or misunderstandings about God resulting from poorly done translations.

For example, “If you [signed the Bible text] word for word, it’s not natural or acceptable. You can lose meaning in that poor translation,” Sorenson says, describing part of the CANA process used by Bible translation organizations like Wycliffe USA.

“[It’s] important to ensure that the Deaf community can trust the translation.”

Approximately 68 million Deaf people worldwide have no access to the Gospel. DOOR is on a mission to change that, but they need your help.

“It’s an incredible feat to translate the entire Bible, and there are so few certified translators; we’re trying to find more, and we need help,” Sorenson says.

Find your place in the story here!

In the header image, a Mozambican Deaf man signs “translate.” (Photo courtesy of DOOR International)