Give Thanks !!!

I saw this video and thought it would be good to share. Let me know what you think.

And You Are Doing What?????

Why Wait???

Instead of us being reactive, why not be proactive. Instead of waiting for a change, why not be the person that allows God to work through them to bring about that change.

William Carey, the father of modern missions, said, "Expect great things from God, attempt great things for God."

Let's attempt more than is humanly possible, that way God gets the credit.

Attempt what you say????

How about a gospel witness to the world's Deaf population, in our generation.

Why The Deaf World?

I have had well meaning Christians ask me questions like, “Why do you want to waste your time with the deaf?”

Here is my response to that question and others like it:

1. They need to be saved.

2. They need to have a changed life.

3. They need to grow and mature to become good Christians.

4. They need to learn to share the Gospel with others.

5. They need to have strong families and teach their children to follow God.

6. They need to become godly men and women, teachers, preachers, missionaries.

7. They need hear the Lord say, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant.”

Deaf people can become productive Christians, however they must be taught. They need someone who has a heart dedicated to teaching them.

Some Differences Between Deaf and Hearing Worlds

There are many differences between the Deaf world and the

hearing world. This list is by no means exhaustive, just illustrative.

Deaf humor – Since much of hearing humor is based on word

play, the Deaf do not “get it” most of the time. Many times Deaf

humor is just as “interesting” to our hearing minds. So as to not

feel out of place, many deaf people will laugh when the see everyone

else laughing, but in reality, they did not get the joke.

Deaf language – The language of the Deaf is a visual/gesturebased

language. Deaf have their own idiomatic expressions.

American Sign Language is a recognized foreign language in

many states and schools. It is based on hand shapes, movements,

sign placement and location, facial expressions and their

intensity as well as gestures.

Hearing language depends mostly on tone, volume and the formation

as well as timing of sounds. It also uses expressions and

body language.

Deaf are naturally frank and undiplomatic – They tell

you what they think. Deaf people are notoriously straightforward

in their conversations and expressions. If you ask their

opinion (and even if you don’t), be prepared to get it! Understand,

they DO NOT mean to intentionally hurt or harm with

their words. They just lack the cultural and social graces that we

hearing people enjoy and expect because of our language and

culture.

Deaf are visually stimulated – This is for obvious reasons.

Hearing folks are visually AND aurally stimulated.

Deaf music is rhythm or beat-based – Deaf music has

three elements - timing, flow and coordination. Hearing music

has three elements as well - melody, harmony and rhythm.

Deaf are very cliquish – They tend to be wary of new people

entering their culture. Once in, hearing people are generally

well accepted as long as they maintain their respect for the culture

of the Deaf.

Deaf tend to have difficultly with forgetting wrongs or

offenses even after forgiveness – This is a strong difficulty

to overcome. Confidence is easy to gain, but once lost, it is very

difficult to regain.

Deaf will generally be slower learners - It is the process of

learning that is slower as one of the primary stimuli for learning

is absent – hearing. They can learn the same things as hearing

but depending on the concept being taught, it may take considerably

longer to get it across, especially if it is an abstract concept.

Deaf think differently – The average deaf person generally

does not think in words or sentences but in visual concepts.

Highly educated Deaf however, can and do think much like

hearing people.

Taken from Into the Silence by Bro. Joe Kotvas

Missionary to the Deaf serving in Lima, Peru.

www.efata.org

About Us

Did you know that there are over 250,000,000 deaf or hard of hearing people in the world? Did you know there are over 16,000,000 deaf or hard of hearing people in America? Did you know that over 95% of the world's Deaf population are in other countries? Did you know that statistics tell us that only 2% profess to be saved? Did you know that only 7% of the deaf have ever “heard” (seen) the name JESUS? Did you know that English is a second language for the Deaf and that they don’t have a Bible in their language?

My name is Shane Clements, and my family and I are missionaries to the Deaf. God has burdened our hearts to give our lives to reach the Deaf World. Most missionaries you meet are going to a specific area or specific country in the world. Our ministry is unique in the fact that no matter what country you go to, there will be deaf people there. Our goal is to reach the world’s deaf population in our generation.

Our plan for doing this:

To reach the Deaf for Christ through:
Soul-winning
One-on-one Discipleship
Formal Education
Personal investment in individual lives

To Establish Deaf Institutions such as:
Churches for the Deaf
Ministries to the Deaf
Schools for the Deaf
Bible Institutes for the Deaf
Special Homes for the Deaf

To Train Leaders for the Deaf including:
Pastors
Teachers
Interpreters & Workers

To Challenge Others Regarding Deaf Ministry and Missions Through:
Preaching
Teaching
Edifying
Motivating

If you would be interested in learning more about how you can have a part in taking Christ to the Deaf World, please contact us.