It is frustrating when you’re only given a small amount of information, but you need and want so much more. Imagine not having any gospel access in your language. That is how the Deaf in Marcam*, an Asian country, lived before encountering DOOR International.
“Our options were basically Jehovah’s Witnesses, The Family, Hinduism, or Islam…Deaf people pursued (or were born into) one or more of those different avenues, but none of them were really clear,” shares Himmat*, a Deaf man who came to know Christ through DOOR’s work.
“The Family basically had one year’s worth of teaching to offer. They went through exactly the same teaching every year, over and over. So, people would go for a year or two, but then they left. Other groups would provide materials for the Deaf that were very limited.”
Then DOOR came to Marcam
When DOOR began work in this region, Gospel workers shared about Jesus in sign language – the heart language of the Deaf. Himmat came to know Christ as his Savior, and began helping DOOR translate God’s Word into his native sign language using Chronological Bible Translation.
We finally have gospel access! I am so grateful DOOR is helping us. We are getting access to the fuller story, which we never had before. The concept of having access to the whole story is deeply valuable to Deaf culture.
The Faithfulness of God
The Lord is faithful to answer the prayers of His people. Himmat and other Deaf translators from this restricted region completed a 110-passage study Bible in their heart language!
“I learned that there are more passages in the Bible than just the 110 we translated. I hope and pray that somehow, we will be able to translate all of them,” signed Himmat.
Praise God for the dedication and hard work of these translators, and for the faithful support of donors who gave to see this project completed. Pray for the salvation of Deaf individuals who will learn about Christ through these sign language Scriptures.
This translation is accessible to the Deaf people living in this region of Marcam through YouTube, DVDs, microSD cards, and other platforms. DOOR’s disciple-making teams work closely with Deaf churches and leaders to get the people life-saving gospel access.
*—names changed for security purposes
