Since I was a child, I had wanted to be a 'foreign' missionary. But, until now, God seems to have had other plans.
While pastoring in the Maritimes in the 1960's, God allowed us to have a little Deaf girl who became deaf at 3 months through a high fever with chicken pox.
Slowly our lives changed, and we as a family began to enter another world, the silent world of the Deaf. At first it was only with other deaf children and their parents, but as our daughter grew, and we took a deaf boy to be her companion, our lives became more involved with deaf adults.
Now we have become 'missionaries' to another world, the "DEAF WORLD". The deaf have their own language, culture, manners and way of thinking. We are now involved 3/4 time in 'Deaf Ministry'.
Our Deaf Ministry involves three web sites:
www.tagnet.org/deafministry is one of the largest Protestant web sites and it is an SDA resource center for the deaf and those interested in Ministry to Deaf.
The second is called: "Earth: Theater of God's Universe" and in Easy English, it takes you in 20 short illustrated sections from the beginning to the end of sin. It is found at:
www.tagnet.org/theater [** This site may be of interest to others beside those who are deaf!]
The third is simply a Discover Bible Guides Canada site:
www.bibleschools.com/canada We publish a newsletter for all interested in Deaf Ministry in Canada. We unofficially work toward coordination of SDA Deaf Ministry across Canada. This involves much travel and a Mini-Camp Mt. for the Deaf in B.C. each summer.
Now we are finally involved in foreign work. We are working to raise funds for 50% of the support of two full-time local "Deaf Ministry" pioneer workers in India. We have been working through Mrs. Dorothy Watts. One worker is P.Sathiyamoorthy in the South India Union, and the other brother Rao now in the Central India Union. God is blessing and a baptism of deaf is expected this Fall.
So, we have not yet become foreign missionaries living in another country, but we feel that ministry to the deaf is perhaps the hardest and most difficult SDA ministry. Why? Because every hard group, whether Muslim, Hindu or Native, has within it another, usually neglected group of very hard to read 'deaf'. In many cultures deaf have been (or may still be) treated much like the retarted used to be in North America 75 years ago.
Why are deaf so difficult to reach?
1. They are largely isolated within each society because of a huge communication barrier.
2. We have very little to offer deaf except for some Easy English publications, and now a video evangelistic series in Sign Language.
3. Most of our publications, TV programs and videos in the church will not work with the deaf.
4. How do you fit deaf into a church that has no signing? If the church does not have any signing, deaf will not usually come, and if there are no deaf around, people will not prepare for deaf ministry -- so the neglect goes on and on because people don't understand!
If anyone wishes to get in contact with us, our email is: canadiandm@attcanada.net
Thank you for your interest, and may God bless each of you in your own ministry for HIM!
Sincerely, John Blake, 30 Country Ridge Close, Lacombe, AB T4L 2H1 403-782-4255