Staff

International Ministry Council

We believe that Deaf people should be the leaders and providers of Deaf ministry. To that end, we formed our International Ministry Council (IMC): a majority Deaf strategic group hailing from various continents and areas of ministry.

This team works together to help set vision and strategy for reaching the Deaf worldwide, as well as evaluate outcomes from ongoing ministry work.

To learn more about the involvement of the International Ministry Council, we invite you to contact us with your questions.

Donor Supported Staff

Julia has been involved in Deaf ministry with DOOR International since 2000, serving primarily in the role of hospitality coordinator. Countries where she has served include Hungary, Kenya, Thailand, the Philippines, and other South Asia locations.

Recently a need with SIL International has arisen that Julia is well-suited to fill. Thus, DOOR International will be seconding Julia to SIL to serve the Global Sign Languages Team (GSLT) in Eurasia and Africa as an Administrative Assistant to the Regional Director…

Camille Beckham has served with DOOR for over 25 years, including 10 years of living overseas (in Hungary and Thailand). She currently serves in several significant roles in DOOR International leadership.

She provides cultural and historical orientation to new staff, giving them a sense of the ethos and values behind all that DOOR does. She’s also part of providing training for Deaf and hearing translation consultants, who then assist Deaf translation teams from various countries. She is beginning a member care program at DOOR, and often interprets for our Deaf staff to speak and participate at various national and international gatherings…

Josh and Audra Cadd, along with their two children, have served with DOOR International since 2012. They are currently working in Kenya. As a translation consultant Josh works with Deaf translation teams and ensures that their translations of scripture are exegetically accurate and communicate effectively. He discusses problem areas with the teams, makes suggestions for solutions, and finally approves translations for publication.

Cindy Knakal has been serving with DOOR International since the fall of 2014. As a hearing individual, Cindy supports Deaf Christian leaders in the U.S. by assisting with leadership training and establishing Deaf Chronological Bible Study (CBS) small groups. Cindy also supports the Deaf as they plant Deaf believers’ fellowships, and she teaches the hearing community about Deaf culture and DOOR’s methodology.

After losing her husband, George, in 2009 to a 19-year battle with cancer, Cindy earnestly sought the Lord’s guidance in the next chapter of her life…

Ron works closely with the Deaf translation resource development team to create essential resources to better support Deaf sign language translation teams worldwide. Prior to working on this project, Ron led the ASL translation team in translating 119 Bible passages in partnership with Deaf Harbor, and still volunteers part of his time to translate even more Bible passages.

Prior to joining DOOR in November 2015 and moving to Minnesota, Ron worked at a Deaf school in Oklahoma.

Bobby is a third generation missionary married to Krysta, a second generation missionary, and they have a passion for Deaf people coming to know Christ. Both are Deaf, and they have two Deaf children, Timothy and Sienna.

Bobby works with DOOR’s translation resources development/training team to develop training for sign language translation teams worldwide, while Krysta contributes her skills in video editing and graphic design to DOOR’s communications…

Rob and Michelle Myers, along with their four children, have served with DOOR International since 2014. Rob helps lead strategic planning for the organization, encouraging and promoting Deaf leadership in all areas of the ministry. Although based in the United States, Rob travels extensively to support DOOR’s international programs, and he advocates for Deaf Ministry and sign language Bible Translation needs with national organizations and leaders on the field. 

Prior to joining DOOR, Rob served as Dean of Sciences and an Associate Professor of Mathematics at Bethel College in Mishawaka, IN…

John and Jennifer Samson joined DOOR International in 2019 and have been serving in Kenya since 2021. John works as a Translation Consultant in Training (CIT), working with the translation teams to ensure the quality of the translation by making sure it is accurate to the Greek and Hebrew, is linguistically natural, and is acceptable to the Deaf community. 

Jennifer grew up in the Deaf community and is a certified interpreter. She previously worked as a missionary with International Students Incorporated (ISI)….

Whitney was the first to serve with DOOR International in 2008, using her graphic design skills to create various DOOR staff newsletters. A year later, 2009, the entire family moved to Kenya to serve on the campus of DOOR Africa for 7 years. They relocated back to the USA in March 2017 due to medical reasons.

In his current role as Project Technology Coordinator, Jeremy provides consulting, training, and support to co-workers around the world in the areas of computers, video editing, and camera equipment….

Mark and Lyndalou “Lulu” Sorenson, along with their seven children, have served with DOOR International since 1999. Mark is responsible for overseeing all the translation projects for DOOR International. With experience working in Europe, Latin America, Asia, and the United States, Mark brings a lot of cross-cultural knowledge and years of ministry experience to his role as the International Translation Director.

Prior to joining DOOR, Mark worked as an Architectural Designer.

Stuart became hard of hearing when he was 4. When he was 18, he lost the rest of his hearing and discovered the Deaf world. Stuart and Linda have served both deaf and hearing churches, a community non-profit, and several organizations in the sign language Bible translation movement. Stuart is a certified translation consultant and linguistics consultant and has worked with a number of sign language translation teams.

Linda is a certified American Sign Language interpreter and has interpreted in a variety of contexts. She has worked at a school for the Deaf and with programs for Deaf youth. She enjoys hospitality and encouraging others…

Rob works with fellow missionary Cindy Knakal to reach Deaf people in the United States for Christ. He is supported by his wonderful wife, Arlene.

As a Deaf 2-by-2 member, Rob leads/teaches CBS (Chronological Bible Study) groups. He also identifies Deaf Christian leaders, teachers, and evangelists, equipping and empowering them for ministry. Rob is shepherding the very first U.S. Deaf believers’ fellowship.

Prior to joining DOOR, both Rob and Arlene were deeply involved in Deaf ministry in their home state of North Carolina.

Dan and Sarah served full-time with Wycliffe Bible Translators and SIL International from 2007 before joining DOOR in 2017. They worked for several years in language survey, working with deaf communities in Ecuador, Portugal, Romania and Italy. They also have supported sign language translation projects in Eurasia in several ways, including technical support for video editing and studios and project setup and planning. Dan and Sarah have also spent several summers on teaching staff at SIL International’s linguistics program at the University of North Dakota. They hold master’s degrees in applied linguistics…

Jojo and Wendy are two of the longest-serving members of DOOR International, with Wendy joining in 1994 and Jojo in 2000. Jojo works daily alongside DOOR’s global Deaf leadership, providing guidance, support, and encouragement in planning, training, curriculum development, and ministry supervision. Wendy assists the Vice President and helps foster communications with DOOR’s global Deaf teams. She also encourages DOOR staff and wives through mentorship and teaching.