Category: Lottie Moon

THE GREAT PURSUIT AMONG THE DEAF

Two years ago, there was no church-planting movement among the Deaf in Slovenia. The Bible didn’t even exist in Slovenian Sign Language. Before a church could be planted, Deaf Slovenians needed a Bible translation they could understand. International Mission Board missionaries know how important this is, and much of their focus is on Bible translation for Deaf people groups.

Shortly after the Slovenian Sign Language translation was completed, Deaf Slovenians responded to the gospel and Deaf-led worship and Bible study began.

Ray, a Deaf man who grew up in communist governed Yugoslavia and moved to Slovenia as an adult, had questions about the faith.

“I kept an imaginary notebook in my back pocket all my life,” he later told his missionary friends. He filled this imaginary notebook with weighty questions like “Who is God?” “What does it really mean to follow Him?” and “What purpose does He have for me?”

But with no Scripture in his heart language, Ray couldn’t find answers.

When he met IMB missionaries who work among the Deaf, he saw the gospel communicated through their hands and faces. Now, he could understand.

The missionaries and their partners from other European countries hosted a Bible translation event. At this event and others like it, people from the local Deaf community were invited to come together to learn, in their heart language, what the Bible says.

“I trust Jesus now! I know Jesus now!” he told the missionaries after a season of Bible study. He pulled out his imaginary question-ridden notebook, pretended to toss it in the air, and signed, “I found the truth!”

Ray’s wife, Rachel, also put her trust in Jesus, as well as their friends, Dasia and Gabor.

Now, they’re not only involved in the Scripture translation project, but all four new believers have been baptized. They gather weekly to share Scripture with other Deaf people. This group is moving to become the first Deaf church in Slovenia.

IMB missionaries among the Deaf are seeing similar response to the gospel, once people understand it in their heart language. They are also witnessing Deaf church planters and Deaf believers taking ownership of reaching Deaf in other cultures. Though different people groups speak different sign languages, many Deaf Christians recognize their unique giftedness to reach others with the gospel.

• Pray for the Deaf Slovenian Christians as they set healthy roots for a church and as they reach others with the gospel.
• Thank God for IMB missionaries among the Deaf and ask God to send more workers, both hearing and Deaf, who will plant their lives among the Deaf cultures.
• Pray for Scripture translations in every sign language so that all Deaf will have access to the gospel in a way they can understand it. Ask God to plant Deaf-led churches among the lost.

THE GREAT PURSUIT IN CENTRAL ASIA

The smells are familiar as Gary Warrior and his friends enter the small restaurant. A large cast iron pot of plov, rice pilaf that is popular throughout Central Asia, cooks on an open fire at the entrance. Gary asks to sit in a booth, a place where he can pull a curtain and speak to his friends with a little privacy. The booths are often used for business discussions, but Gary will center his conversation on the Bible. Gary orders extra kabobs for his friends, who don’t often get to splurge on meat. The drink is tea, always tea.

In this booth, with the scent of onion and grilled meat lingering, the men discuss their faith in Christ, truths from the Bible and how these truths affect daily life.

These kinds of meetings are important to the men who are growing in their faith, but they are also important to Gary. After more than 20 years living in Central Asia, he spends much of his time supervising missionary teams and sharing his knowledge and experience concerning missions in Central Asia.

Even as he leads others, he says, “I want to keep my hand on the plow.” Staying involved in evangelism, discipleship and church planting will always be his personal call from the Lord.

Over the years, Gary and his wife, Ann, have seen God work to fulfill His purposes among Central Asians. Every new believer and transformed life points to God’s work among the lost.

Frank is one of those believers. As a new Christian, Frank was more than eager to learn all he could about Jesus. He was also bold about discussing his faith with others. Frank was quick to invite friends to talk with Gary about stories from the Bible, and more have come to faith.

“Don’t waste this time! Tell us the next story,” they’d say. “They were so hungry to hear,” Gary remembers. In the restaurant, in a private booth, they’d talk for a couple of hours.

After a time when the Warriors were back in the U.S., they wondered if the men were growing in their faith and sharing with others. When they returned to Central Asia, the men reported, “We think about 10 people in the village are ready to be baptized. We’d like to start a church.”

Gary and his team members are now working toward the baptism of new believers and praying about local leadership in the mountain region where Frank lives.

“One day there will be a church in that village,” Ann said confidently.

“Yes, there will be!” Gary responded without hesitation.

They’ve watched God work in Central Asia for more than two decades. They know He will continue His good work.