“Like water spilled on the ground, which cannot be recovered, so we must die. Yet God does not take away life but rather, he devises plans so that a banished person may not remain estranged from him.”
This description of the heart of God written in 2 Samuel 14:14 is one of my favorite verses in the Bible. A powerful military commander and a wise old woman concoct a tragic story and devise a dramatic plan, complete with a script, a broken-hearted widow, black mourning clothes and fake tears to change the heart of a king and bring his beloved son back home.
God schemes. He creates designs. He devises plans so that banished people do not remain outcasts from him.
This is true for Mrs. Peace.*
Mrs. Peace is Deaf. She lives in Jade Star City,* a very large Southeast Asian metropolis, home to bustling markets and numerous parks and lakes. Tens of thousands of temples and towering pagodas dot the landscape, some dating as far back as the 6th century.
This country boasts more than 100 diverse ethnic groups, each with their own unique dress, dance, art and food. Mrs. Peace is part of one of those ethnic groups, but she also belongs to another very unique group that is invisible to most onlookers. She belongs to a group of an estimated half-million people in her country who cannot hear any audible sound around them. Unfortunately in their county, Deaf are often overlooked, discriminated against and considered not capable of doing jobs hearing people can do.
Jade Star Sign Language Bible Translation Team
But Mrs. Peace is also part of another very unique group that is doing something about that misconception. She is a member of a young, dynamic, Deaf team who have committed their lives to translating the Word of God into their own unique Jade Star* Sign language.
For the past ten years, in addition to their translation work, the Jade Star Bible translation team has been going on annual mission trips to various cities in their country to reach out to the Deaf and share newly translated Bible videos. This past March, for the first time ever, a team of thirteen travelled to Mother City,* in the centre of the country.
Outreach in Difficult Places
In Mother City, there are no known believers among the Deaf. The Jade Star team’s goal was to introduce Jesus to about 31 Deaf people through a four-day Deaf Arts workshop . The team has become well-known among many Deaf communities all over Southeast Asia for their engaging Deaf poetry, songs and drama.
Mrs. Peace shares, “When the time really came, I was nervous and my heart was pounding.” She continues, “Prior to our trip, the Deaf Arts team came together and prayed to commit the workshop to the Lord. The people in Mother City have a big influence on the rest of the country and have a reputation for spreading rumours about Christians. So we were worried about their strong opposition as we shared about Jesus.”
As they prepared, the team also had concerns about safety as they travelled. The civil unrest raging in their country for the past three years has resulted in many restrictions. Travel has become increasingly dangerous and they would need to pass through many checkpoints.
Excellent and Almighty
“I praise God who leads us,” Mrs. Peace shares. “He is excellent and almighty! Our trip was smooth and all the participants arrived safely to the church venue. I was grateful to see so many Deaf people welcoming us. During the workshop, we didn’t hesitate to share the Bible stories because we believed that it would honor God, and we can be a witness of Jesus as we translate the Bible.”
Miss Flower*, another Jade Star team member, shares, “The Deaf showed interest and actively joined all the activities. In particular, I witnessed a hunger to find out who God is and who created the world. We are not aware of any Christians among the Deaf people in this city. I feel we have just started to sow the seeds of the Gospel. I believe the seeds will grow in their hearts, and we will have a harvest! Please pray with us!”
One participant signed at the end of the workshop, “When I look up to the sky, I always think about the earth, the sun, the moon, and everything. I am always wondering how they can be kept in balance and unchanged. I searched online for answers but I still don’t understand. There is no one whom I can approach to ask these questions. Through these teachings I learned about how the earth came into being and who the Creator is. This is my first experience and I felt amazed when I learned about this explanation.”
Ripe for Harvest
On the last evening, the team distributed SD memory cards with Bible videos and other Christian resources installed. The next morning, the participants enthusiastically shared how clear the onscreen signers were in the videos. “We were attracted to watch more and more!”
One Jade Star team member exclaimed, “These responses made me speechless. I thought they didn’t want to hear about Jesus Christ before we came. It touched my heart, and I was encouraged to share more of the Good News with people, because they are ripe for harvest.”
“The workshop was so good!” another participant shared, “I could not sleep after the workshop because I was so excited about what I learned and continued thinking about it… This was so different from any other teaching I have experienced.”
The team concluded, “We are so happy to see their joy after the workshop. It seems they connected with us so well through the Deaf Arts workshop because they don’t feel like they are being forced to receive another religion. We have a responsibility for the spiritual harvest there! We are amazed by His great plan. Even though we all thought it would be tough to reach out to the people of this city, God made a way and did it!”
And the timing? It was perfect.
Perfect Timing
One week after their return to Jade Star City , a powerful earthquake struck Mother City. Mr. Drawing,* one of the lead Deaf Bible translators writes, “It was really bad. Mother City was devastated. Many buildings were destroyed and collapsed. I was so surprised that God protected us in this way. If we had gone one week later we would have been in trouble. Praise God, we have not heard of any deaths among the Deaf in Mother City. We don’t deserve it, but God loves us and protects us. Please pray for our country to be restored by God’s grace and mercy from this tragedy.”
Story by Derryl Friesen
*Pseudonyms used due to sensitivity
Would you consider supporting sign language translation projects this summer?