Sixteen-year-old Ankur is the only Deaf person in his Muslim family. His transformation could lead to his family’s salvation.
Family and neighbors knew Ankur as an angry person. He fought with anyone who crossed his path. Ankur’s parents and three siblings always struggled to accept him. Resentment grew over the years, especially between Ankur and his father.
Religion meant nothing, and he resisted anyone who tried to share the Gospel with him.
Transformation begins
A couple of years ago, a Deaf friend invited Ankur to a Bible study led by one of DOOR’s Deaf church planters. It was completely different from anything Ankur had ever seen. The Deaf man leading the Bible study communicated in Ankur’s heart language: sign language. The information was crystal-clear because everything was signed.
Ankur began attending these Bible classes on a regular basis. He met one-on-one with the Deaf church planter, and the man encouraged him with sign language Scripture. Seeing Peter’s denial in Matthew 26 affected Ankur the most. Shortly thereafter, he accepted Christ as his Lord and Savior.
Accepting Christ brought positive changes to Ankur’s life. He stopped misbehaving and began loving his family members and friends. Nonetheless, his family strongly opposed his faith — even though it was the cause for his transformation! Ankur’s father used to beat him when he tried to share the Gospel message.
Then God intervened.
Learning patience
Ankur was frustrated by his father’s beatings and his family’s suspicion. He couldn’t understand why the positive changes in his life were met with such resistance. Then the Deaf church planter taught him what God’s Word said about patience. It helped Ankur deal with the hurt and continue loving his family.
This reaction made Ankur’s father curious. He recently attended a Sunday service and saw Ankur gathering peacefully with other Deaf people. Starting that day, he stopped bothering Ankur and began learning Scripture. Please pray for his salvation.
According to DOOR’s Deaf church planters, transformation happens when the Deaf encounter God’s Word in their heart language. You can help provide training and resources here!
