Participants:
Series Code: TDY
Program Code: TDY017077A
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00:01 I want to spend my life
00:07 Mending broken people 00:12 I want to spend my life 00:18 Removing pain 00:23 Lord, let my words 00:29 Heal a heart that hurts 00:34 I want to spend my life 00:40 Mending broken people 00:45 I want to spend my life 00:51 Mending broken people 01:07 Hello, I'm Shelley Quinn, and we are so excited 01:09 that you are joining us today. 01:11 Thank you so much for your love and your prayers 01:14 and your financial support of 3ABN 01:16 because we couldn't do this without you, 01:20 you are our partners, 01:21 and we thank you for partnering with us. 01:24 Today we have 01:25 something that we want to bring to your attention. 01:28 I think this is going to be 01:29 a very interesting and inspiring, 01:32 and hopefully something that will encourage us into action. 01:37 Our interview today 01:38 before I introduce our special guest, 01:40 I want to read you something from Isaiah 29, 01:44 and the Word of the Lord says, Isaiah 29:18, 01:48 "In that day the deaf shall hear 01:51 the words of the book, and the eyes of the blind 01:55 shall see out of obscurity, and out of darkness. 01:58 The humble also shall increase their joy in the Lord, 02:01 and the poor among men shall rejoice 02:04 in the Holy One of Israel." 02:08 We want to discuss today a condition is what I'd call it 02:14 that can make people feel very marginalized, 02:17 that can make people feel 02:21 that it's difficult to develop relationships, 02:24 even relationship with the Lord. 02:26 And I just want to ask you this trivia question. 02:30 I don't think I could have answered it 02:32 before this program. 02:34 But do you know 02:35 what is the third most used language 02:39 in the United States? 02:41 It is American Sign Language. 02:44 So we'll be speaking about the deaf today. 02:48 And let me introduce our special guest to you, 02:51 who is Esther Doss. 02:53 Are you any kin to Desmond Doss, Ester? 02:55 Oh, I really wish I was, but I'm not as far as we know. 03:00 All right, Well, Esther Doss 03:01 who is with the North American Division Deaf ministry. 03:06 She is the coordinator 03:07 in North American Division of Seventh-day Adventist Church 03:11 as a deaf ministries, and you're the coordinator. 03:14 But we're today to discuss Three Angels Deaf Ministries. 03:19 And that's actually not associated with 3ABN. 03:23 They're also a 501c3 donor sponsored 03:27 supporting ministry of the church. 03:30 Esther, before we launch into the program, 03:34 we always like to start with music. 03:37 And I know that you're a fan of music. 03:39 I am. 03:40 And so we're going to ask Emily Felts-Jones 03:44 who will be singing for us today 03:45 and she will... 03:47 Emily is a precious woman. 03:49 She is just humble and soft-spoken, 03:54 and I love to hear her sing. 03:56 She is going to sing "Go Free". 04:09 Trembling soul 04:13 Why are you sad and down hardened 04:18 Don't you know 04:21 He doesn't care where you started 04:26 Yesterday can't change tomorrow 04:31 So leave behind all your sorrow 04:36 Go free, go free 04:41 In the name of Jesus, go free 04:46 Child of God, child adore 04:52 Come to the Lord and go free 05:05 Troubled soul 05:09 I know you're so tired of aching 05:13 Don't you know 05:16 There is a cure for that aching 05:22 His hand of mercy and healing 05:27 Can untie the hurt that you're feeling 05:31 Go free, go free 05:36 In the name of Jesus, go free 05:41 Child of God, child adore 05:47 Come to the Lord and go free 05:54 Jesus came to this world to undo the heavy burden 05:57 And set the captives free 06:00 So whatever you're suffering 06:02 Whatever pain or disappointment 06:04 Whatever down to addiction 06:07 He has the balm to heal every wound 06:09 And the power to break every chain 06:11 That holds you today 06:12 He loves you take Him at His word 06:15 Trust in His power to save right now 06:18 And place your life in His healing hand 06:21 And He will hold you tight 06:26 And set you free 06:42 Tempted soul 06:45 I know you're so tired of fighting 06:49 But don't you know 06:53 He sees the wounds you've been hiding 06:58 The battle that rages is so strong 07:03 And you've been a captive for too long 07:08 Go free, go free 07:12 In the name of Jesus, go free 07:18 Child of God, child adore 07:24 Come to the Lord and go free 07:28 Go free in the name of Jesus 07:34 Go free 07:36 Child of God, child adore 07:42 Come to the Lord 07:44 And go free 07:49 Come to the Lord 07:51 And go free 07:57 Come to the Lord 07:59 And go free 08:10 What a beautiful song and a beautiful message, 08:12 and we thank Emily Felts-Jones for that. 08:15 Esther and I were just sitting here saying, 08:17 I don't think either one of us 08:18 heard that song before but it's gorgeous. 08:20 It's beautiful. 08:22 If you were joining us just a little late, 08:24 our special guest today is Esther Doss, 08:27 who is the NAD Deaf Ministries coordinator. 08:31 It's correct. 08:32 But we're talking today 08:34 about the Three Angels Deaf Ministries. 08:38 So okay. 08:40 Wanted to make sure I said that right. 08:42 Esther, tell us a little about growing up? 08:46 What was your world like growing up? 08:49 Well, my parents are both deaf. 08:53 And I thought that was a very normal family, 08:57 a very average family. 08:59 And I learned to sign when I was just months old. 09:04 My Mom and Dad didn't speak and they would sign to me 09:07 as just like a mother would coo her baby. 09:09 She would sign to me. She'd go, "Oh, you're so cute." 09:14 And that was my language. 09:16 And I thought that everyone should know sign language. 09:20 So as I grew up and I was about five years old, 09:24 I went to the kindergarten registration, 09:26 I saw that other people around me, 09:28 all these adults could speak in here, 09:30 and I thought there was something wrong 09:31 with all of those people 09:33 because you should be deaf when you grow up. 09:36 But, yes, my Mom and Dad, they both were... 09:42 My Dad was born deaf, and my mom lost her hearing 09:45 when she was only 18 months old and so that's all they knew 09:48 is their deaf world in sign language, 09:51 and it's a beautiful, 09:52 beautiful heritage for me to also have. 09:55 It is but let me ask you this. 09:57 Did that make it difficult 09:59 for you to learn to speak English? 10:01 That's a very good question. 10:03 And a lot of people have asked me that. 10:05 It was difficult for me 10:07 because both my Mom and Dad signed me 10:09 and all the family around me that could hear and speak, 10:12 they chose to sign to me because I was so cute. 10:16 If you ever would watch a little two or three year old 10:19 or five year old sign, 10:21 they are so cute when their little hands move 10:23 and my Mom would get so frustrated. 10:26 She was a stay-at-home mom. 10:27 She would send me to daycare or babysitters 10:29 trying to encourage me to talk. 10:31 I did not talk, I refused to talk. 10:34 And so Mom, she put Sesame Street on TV, 10:36 hoping that I would learn to speak that way, 10:39 but yet in kindergarten 10:40 I still had to take speech therapy. 10:43 I can imagine that. 10:44 So were your parents, since they spoke sign language, 10:49 did they also, you know, I've never thought about this 10:52 till right now, it makes me a stupid question. 10:54 But when someone, 10:55 when your primary native language 10:58 is sign language, does that put you... 11:03 Would it be like someone else 11:04 who maybe their native language is Spanish. 11:09 Is it harder for them to read English 11:12 is what I'm thinking about. 11:13 Oh, I'm so glad you asked that question actually. 11:16 It is very difficult because in sign language, 11:19 everything is based on visual 11:21 and there is abstract of course, 11:23 but everything is based on spatial relationship to you. 11:28 It is so different than English. 11:30 You know, the grammar is different. 11:31 Of course, it's not a sign for every English word. 11:35 It's its own language. 11:36 And so when you have 11:39 someone who is accustomed to just signing, 11:41 that's what they know, that's their language 11:43 and they try to read English, it uses a different grammar, 11:46 it's linear, it's not a 3D image. 11:49 And so they have to learn what those words mean, 11:51 and how to put it in the right order. 11:53 It is not easy for a lot of deaf people, 11:55 especially if they learn to sign first. 11:59 And so we find that 12:01 some deaf people do not like reading at all, 12:04 and many of them struggle and, or they may feel like 12:07 they are not really good at writing, 12:09 and so they may not be interested 12:10 in running notes with someone 12:12 because they don't want to look stupid. 12:13 They're not stupid 12:15 but they don't want to come across 12:16 as being ignorant 12:18 because they can't write English very well 12:20 and so... 12:23 If you come across a deaf person 12:25 who doesn't feel comfortable writing, 12:26 be aware that, that may be why. 12:28 He may just not feel comfortable 12:30 with broken English. 12:32 To hand you a note with broken English, 12:33 not sure if you would understand 12:35 what they were trying to convey. 12:36 Because even though they may be people 12:38 who were born in the United States, 12:40 to them English is a second language. 12:43 But how did that affect your parents as far as... 12:46 Did they read the Bible? Could they read the Bible? 12:49 Were they Christians? Did they know the Lord? 12:52 My Mom was Adventist when she was in her 30s. 12:56 That's when she was baptized. 12:58 And she learned about the truth through her deaf friends 13:00 who were also... 13:02 You know going to church she really struggled 13:04 because she had a hard time understanding the Bible. 13:07 And when her friends came and stayed with her, 13:12 they would have to explain what those words meant. 13:16 Some of the Bibles were written in a higher grade level 13:18 and, you know, like the King James Version 13:20 uses words that are not used the same way today anyway. 13:24 And then there are other words 13:25 that just doesn't seem to make sense, 13:28 so my Mom, her Bible, 13:31 even today she would take a word 13:33 that she didn't understand. 13:35 She would circle that word and put a definition, 13:37 another word that she does know she would write. 13:40 Her Bible is just covered with those kind of definitions. 13:44 And we've had some books at home, 13:47 different books like The Desire of Ages, 13:49 and she would do the same thing. 13:50 And I now have them and they're precious to me. 13:52 I will never let them go 13:53 because it shows how much effort she put into 13:56 just trying to understand a sentence 14:00 and then to understand what it means to her 14:02 in her life and her spiritual life. 14:05 So, yeah, it was very hard for them 14:09 just to read the Bible. 14:11 So how old were you when you developed 14:14 personal relationship with the Lord? 14:17 You know that I can't tell you 14:19 because my Mom especially was a good teacher to me, 14:23 even though she struggled with what she knew 14:25 in trying to understand the Bible. 14:27 She knew the basic concept of salvation, 14:30 and she just wanted me to know that Jesus was my best friend, 14:34 and I just grew up loving Jesus with all my heart. 14:38 And so I can't tell you 14:40 when that realization came to me, 14:42 and I can tell you when I slipped away 14:44 and came back. 14:45 But that relationship, 14:47 that instruction was always in my heart. 14:50 So I thank my Mom especially for sharing Jesus with me. 14:54 Now you became involved in deaf ministries 14:57 rather young, did you not? 14:58 I did and I volunteered. 15:02 I was sitting in a very small country church. 15:05 There was only 16 people there, very small church. 15:08 And as I was sitting there, honestly I was quite bored 15:12 and I was trying to be blessed. 15:16 And then I got to thinking about my Mom and Dad, 15:19 they were sitting over there trying to quietly sign 15:21 if you will, trying to keep their signs low 15:23 so it wouldn't be distracting to other people, 15:25 and they were signing back and forth. 15:27 And I looked at them and I thought, 15:28 you know, I may be bored. 15:31 But my Mom and Dad can't hear what's being said, 15:33 at least I can, 15:35 and the more I thought about it, 15:36 the more horrible I felt 15:38 because I realized the only reason 15:40 they were at church was so I could go to church. 15:43 And so I asked my Mom, Mom, may I interpret 15:48 and she looked at me, her eyes popped out 15:51 because I was only seven years old. 15:53 And she said, "Please, you don't need to feel like 15:56 you need to interpret." 15:58 But I wanted to so much but I was also very shy 16:01 and here it is, it's a small congregation 16:03 but I asked Mom, if it would be okay 16:04 if I just stood at the end of the aisle, 16:06 so no one else would see me. 16:08 We were on the back row. 16:10 And I tried to interpret that sermon 16:13 and it was a very difficult sermon. 16:15 I remember this. 16:17 The speaker used huge words, 16:18 I had never really thought about before, righteousness. 16:21 I didn't even know how to sign that word. 16:23 I didn't even know how to spell that word, 16:25 but I tried my best. 16:27 And my Mom, she just sat there 16:28 with tears coming out of her eyes 16:29 because that was my heart's desire, 16:32 and the Lord just spoke to my heart at that time 16:35 and He has just placed that burden on my heart ever since. 16:39 No matter how many times I think, 16:40 well, I'm going to branch out, 16:41 I'm going to do something different. 16:43 I just can't forget my people, the deaf people. 16:48 Now who are the deaf? 16:50 Well, that can be... 16:52 It's a simple answer but it can be complicated, 16:54 the deaf. 16:55 There are two groups of deaf people. 16:57 There are those that lose their hearing later in life 17:00 that may never learn sign language, 17:02 that might just rely on hearing aids, 17:05 they are deaf. 17:06 But then there is the deaf community 17:08 and these people that have adopted sign language 17:11 that go to deaf events, that socialize, 17:16 who make friends specifically intentional 17:19 with deaf people and that's a deaf community. 17:24 And it's not a community based solely 17:27 on their lack of hearing 17:28 but also based on sign language. 17:30 And signing which is one of the most 17:31 beautiful languages on the planet. 17:33 I love to see somebody 17:35 when they're singing who will sign, 17:36 Jennifer LaMountain will do that, 17:37 sometimes sign, it's beautiful. 17:40 But now, you know, we talk about a deaf community. 17:44 I don't think, if you are hearing impaired, 17:48 that's one thing. 17:49 I recently had a viral infection 17:52 that I took for granted, it went into my ear 17:56 and I went into a high altitude situation 17:59 and it ended up driving it in and I ended up 18:01 with sudden sensory neuro hearing loss. 18:05 So it damaged the nerves in my ear 18:07 and that's not reversible. 18:09 And there's a singer 18:11 who sings on 3ABN here locally in the area, 18:14 younger woman, 18:15 who also had this same condition 18:19 and about the same time 18:21 she was a few months ahead of me, 18:23 and I've been praying earnestly for her 18:25 because it was driving her nuts. 18:28 She had severe tinnitus. 18:31 And it was driving her nuts, 18:32 and then when it happened to me, 18:34 I just got this constant roaring in my ear 18:36 and the tinnitus, the high pitched ringing, 18:40 and then I've got this echoing squeal in response to sound. 18:45 So you don't have any idea 18:49 until you have some kind of an impairment, 18:52 and it can happen 18:53 from something as simple as a viral infection. 18:57 You have no idea 18:58 how much we take our hearing for granted. 19:01 So, you know, we see deaf people, 19:03 they look, they can walk around, 19:05 they look pretty much the same as all of us. 19:09 We don't realize how isolated they are. 19:13 And if they come into church, 19:14 your parents just sitting there like, 19:17 they're watching a silent movie or something 19:20 but how difficult is it for the deaf community 19:26 to develop relationships with people who aren't deaf, 19:31 who don't sign. 19:33 It is so hard, so hard because... 19:37 Well, the people who can hear 19:39 often feel very awkward around those who can't hear. 19:42 They don't know what to do. 19:43 And I understand, I can relate to that. 19:45 If I go overseas and, or maybe even visitor 19:49 in my own church that speaks a different language, 19:51 I immediately think, well, 19:52 I'll just let somebody else handle that. 19:54 I understand, I catch myself doing that 19:56 and I get furious with myself 19:58 because I have seen people do that to my parents 20:00 and to other deaf friends and such. 20:04 So I try not to do that, but it can be very awkward. 20:07 And over here on the deaf side, they... 20:10 One thing to remember is deaf people are so used 20:13 to living in a world of hearing people. 20:15 They know how to communicate with hearing people. 20:18 They can write notes, they gesture. 20:19 They can figure out a way and they're not afraid. 20:23 Well, the hearing people may be afraid of saying 20:26 or doing something wrong, it makes them feel nervous, 20:29 but the deaf have seen it all and they're not afraid of that. 20:35 But what we find is some deaf people 20:36 are suspicious of people that can hear. 20:40 They might, they have a distrust. 20:42 Maybe they're going to take advantage of me. 20:44 Maybe they don't care about me. 20:46 Maybe they're just interested 20:47 only because there's a sign language 20:48 but they don't care about me as a person, 20:50 and there's a lot of distrust. 20:52 And so you have distrust over hear and fear over here, 20:55 and just people on average, people walking down the street 20:58 or in a church setting or whatever it may be, 21:00 it's very hard for them to interact. 21:03 There's this wall between the two groups. 21:06 And so, it's simple to break down that wall 21:09 just by simply looking at each other 21:10 as fellow human beings that God has created, 21:13 we're children of God. 21:15 And, so what if somebody can't hear. 21:17 There's other ways around that. 21:19 And whether to learn sign language 21:21 or not be afraid of gesturing and letting deaf people know 21:25 who might write a note that it's okay, 21:28 we'll figure this out. 21:29 Don't worry about your English skills 21:30 if they have a hard time with that. 21:32 But I would imagine that there is a sense of isolation 21:36 even in the family if you're the only deaf person. 21:39 Is it not? Yes, absolutely. 21:43 Working with deaf people for my entire life really, 21:46 I have met many, many people 21:48 who are resentful to their parents, 21:50 maybe because their parents didn't want their children 21:53 to learn how to sign. 21:55 Maybe physicians have told them, 21:56 "Don't let them learn to sign 21:57 because they'll never learn to talk." 21:59 And they want their children to be as "normal" as possible 22:04 so they don't teach them sign language, 22:06 and they resent that because when they grow up, 22:08 they realize what they had missed 22:10 and they want to sign. 22:13 Also sometimes people will sit around the table 22:16 and three or four people are talking back and forth, 22:18 they're laughing, telling jokes 22:20 or a funny story whatever it may be. 22:22 And this one deaf person may say, 22:23 what's going on, and nobody is telling them. 22:26 And so, finally they'll say, wait a minute, wait a minute, 22:28 I've seen this a thousand times if not more, 22:32 just a moment, just a moment, 22:33 and when they get done, they say, 22:36 "Oh, it wasn't important." 22:38 And like well, it was... 22:40 It doesn't matter if it's important or not, 22:43 it's part of fellowship and so they... 22:45 So they feel very marginalized I supposed. 22:47 They do. They do. 22:49 And at family events whether it's a reunion. 22:51 My Mom herself when I go to family reunion 22:54 because she says, it breaks her heart 22:56 that she sits there, she hasn't seen 22:58 many of these people for a long time 22:59 that they'll hug her because they do love her. 23:02 You know, they hug her and tell how good it was to see 23:04 or ask her a couple of questions, 23:06 and then they move on, 23:07 and she'll sit there all by herself. 23:09 And she said, it hurts too much to go to reunion. 23:13 So how many deaf people... 23:16 Tell us a little bit about where the deaf are here 23:20 in the United States and even I don't know 23:22 if you know world statistics 23:24 but, since you're with the North American division, 23:27 tell us about the deaf people 23:29 and the challenges they have in hearing... 23:35 Well, hearing, in learning the gospel... 23:37 There you go. 23:39 And the challenges they have in developing 23:43 that relationship with Christ? 23:45 Well, in North America we estimate 23:49 that there's about two million deaf people. 23:52 We don't know for sure. 23:54 Years ago in 1800 say actually we do a census 23:57 and they would say blind, deaf and they even had a category 24:02 and it's horrible but they called it idiot, 24:05 but I have looked, you know, 24:06 when I did my family tree research. 24:09 I saw that 24:11 and it was actually kind of helpful 24:12 'cause I could try to trace our lineage to see 24:14 if there is any deafness there. 24:16 But today the census does not ask if you're deaf, 24:19 so we estimate that there's about 24:21 two million people in North America 24:23 and around the world we're not really sure. 24:25 Some countries has a high rate of deafness, 24:27 whether it's because of genetics 24:30 or because of unsanitary conditions 24:32 where they lose their hearing because of infections. 24:35 But there's millions around the world. 24:38 Statistically there are more deaf people 24:40 than blind people around the world. 24:44 And as far as learning the gospel, 24:47 in North America, 24:48 here we have a whole section in the United States, 24:50 it's called the Bible Belt, right? 24:52 And we have access to Bible all over the country. 24:58 We live in the land, you know, 24:59 some people call a Christian nation, right? 25:01 We should be able to have many deaf people 25:03 come to know Jesus but we don't. 25:06 Only, in North America only 2 to 4% of deaf people 25:09 go to church of any kind, 25:12 Catholic, Lutheran, whatever, Baptist. 25:15 And what they're finding is that fewer and fewer 25:18 deaf people are going to church. 25:20 Years ago... 25:22 Well, if they're going in there... 25:23 First of all, even if there's an interpreter, 25:25 they're probably not getting the entire message. 25:27 Absolutely not. 25:29 And then they have the difficulty 25:32 in creating a relationship with someone, 25:36 so they're missing out on fellowship. 25:38 There's just so many challenges that I've never thought of, 25:41 you know, you're sitting here saying, 25:42 there's more deaf than there are blind, 25:44 yet they must do pretty well 25:48 at kind of staying in the background 25:52 because I don't really, I worked with a deaf woman 25:56 and that's why she lip read lips 25:58 and that's my move my lips very distinctly 26:02 because I was used to talking with her and... 26:08 But I can't think of, you know, 26:11 when you're talking about two million, 26:12 I can't think of any deaf people that I know 26:15 which is interesting. 26:16 So that means they're not coming to church. 26:18 They're not. 26:19 And I haven't thought, I mean God forgive me, 26:21 I thought about this. 26:22 Well, you know, and that's okay. 26:23 There's a lot of things I haven't thought about 26:25 until it's brought to your attention and... 26:29 Deaf people, you've mentioned it earlier, 26:30 there's, they look like everyone else. 26:34 You can't see hearing loss. 26:37 You can see if someone is maybe in a wheelchair, 26:39 a blind person because they may have 26:42 the walking cane or whatever, 26:45 but deafness, you know, unless they're wearing a shirt 26:48 that says, you know, 26:50 they went to deaf school or something, 26:51 you wouldn't know. 26:52 And so it's very easy. 26:54 You probably have seen many just passing the hallways, 26:58 there's aisles in the grocery store. 27:01 In fact I've had many experiences 27:03 where I did not recognize a deaf person 27:06 until later and I was just like, 27:07 well, if I can't recognize a deaf person, 27:10 then I'm sure a lot of other people would neither, 27:12 but it's very hard years ago, 27:15 Thomas Scalia dad brought sign language to North America. 27:20 He went to France, learned how to sign 27:22 and brought back a deaf teacher to North America. 27:25 He wanted deaf children in America 27:28 to have the ability to learn and go to school, 27:32 and the basic reason was he wanted them 27:35 to learn about Jesus. 27:38 He's a pastor, he was a Presbyterian minister 27:40 and that was his goal, 27:42 and many of the schools around North America 27:44 that started were Christian schools. 27:46 Lutherans and Catholics especially started 27:47 many schools for the deaf. 27:49 And so we thank them for that 27:51 and because of that Christian heritage, 27:54 many deaf people went to church. 27:55 Well, if they stayed at the school 27:57 all year round come, you know, one day a week, 28:00 they would all go to church together 28:02 and so Christianity became a very big part of their life, 28:07 but over the years... 28:11 There was this, there was all kinds of things 28:13 that happened but it's changed, 28:15 the dynamics have changed, 28:17 and it's gotten to the point now where... 28:20 God is the God of the hearing. I hear it all the time. 28:23 I hear it all the time, listen, I'm not any different than you. 28:26 But deaf people come up to me 28:28 and say, God, enough hearing, that's there's. 28:34 You know, not need, I'm deaf. 28:37 And I said, "No, you need God. 28:39 God is for you too and you're his child." 28:42 But it's just so easy for them, they feel so disfranchised, 28:46 I can't even say the word. 28:48 They distant from God, the God who made them. 28:50 And, that is so, so sad here in North America I see that. 28:56 So if only 2 to 4% 29:00 are Christians, how do we reach? 29:05 I mean, you can't if they have difficulty reading 29:08 because English is the second language, 29:10 so tracks aren't going to be very effective. 29:13 You can't give them a CD or a DVD 29:16 unless it's closed captioned which I will say 3ABN, 29:20 our programming is all closed captioned. 29:23 Praise the Lord. Amen. 29:26 But how do you reach on that, maybe an idea 29:31 is just carry around your little 3ABN cards 29:34 and hand them out, write on there closed caption 29:36 and they know to turn to this channel but... 29:40 Tell us about the ministry, 29:43 I mean you are the coordinator for deaf ministries at AND. 29:48 But tell us about Three Angels North... 29:52 No Three Angels Deaf Ministries? 29:56 Tell us what are they doing to reach the deaf? 29:59 Do they minister to the deaf community? 30:02 Does a deaf community have churches of its own that 30:07 where they can fellowship and have relationship. 30:09 Tell us about that? Okay, great. 30:12 Three Angels Deaf Ministries does two things, 30:15 one it reaches out to those who are not Christians. 30:18 They try to share the gospel with them. 30:20 And then over here on the other side, 30:22 they try to minister to those who are 30:24 and try to bring them 30:26 into a closer relationship with Jesus 30:27 and help them to understand the Bible. 30:29 We find that many of the outreach materials 30:31 that we use to reach out 30:33 to those that are not Christians, 30:35 the ones that are say, 30:36 I don't know anything about the Bible. 30:39 I want to also study the Bible. I also want those DVDs. 30:43 I also want too, and so we find that 30:45 some people who have been baptized 30:46 previously are re-baptized 30:48 because they feel like they didn't know 30:50 who God really was 30:51 or what His teachings in the Bible are, 30:52 and so they want to be baptized again. 30:55 And so, yeah, so there's two things. 30:58 I do have some pictures. Well, I'd love to see them. 31:01 Yeah, and I'd like to start out by telling about camp meetings. 31:04 There are camp meetings, I think there's four now 31:07 in the United States and... 31:10 There is a very large one this year in Oregon. 31:15 It was held at Milo Adventist Academy. 31:18 And there was 143 people, most of them deaf, 31:21 and it was just an amazing experience to see 31:24 so many deaf people together learning about God. 31:27 There is so much study on the Bible. 31:30 They spent all day studying and working together 31:34 and doing fun activities. 31:37 Now the next photo will show you 31:38 the Lord's Supper or communion. 31:41 And this is in the church and it was so amazing. 31:44 Is this the Deaf Community Church? 31:46 This is out... That's a good question. 31:48 It is at the deaf camp meaning. 31:49 It is put together by a deaf group 31:55 that's what I'm looking for a deaf group 31:56 that's at Portland, Oregon. 32:00 And so they put together this camp meeting. 32:02 They actually were celebrating 40 years 32:05 of having this camp meeting. 32:06 It's a grassroots movement. 32:08 People said, "We need to get together once a year." 32:10 And so they just said, "Let's do a camp meeting. 32:12 The hearing have a camp meeting, 32:13 we can have one too." 32:14 And so they have special speakers, 32:16 not all of them are deaf, some are. 32:19 It's just like a regular camp camping. 32:21 They have their speakers, they have their activities, 32:23 they have fun, food and fellowship. 32:26 So what I love about camp meetings is that 32:29 the deaf people can participate in worship service. 32:33 They do the special music. They do the scripture reading. 32:35 They pick up the offering. 32:37 And the picture of the Lord's Supper is my favorite 32:39 because I can see them participate in that 32:43 where they kneel in prayer, where they lead out. 32:47 You have the ushers that distribute 32:49 the bread and orange. 32:52 And to see the choir get up there 32:53 and sign their song, it's all deaf lead, 32:56 and it gives them a chance to own the program 32:59 instead of just being a bystander. 33:02 So another feature about 33:03 the camp meeting is the baptism. 33:05 And that is the special event at the camp meeting 33:09 because we want to see souls come to know Jesus 33:11 and make a commitment to Him. 33:12 And in this picture there's quite a few. 33:14 All those in white are baptized at this event. 33:18 And many of them are re-baptized again 33:21 because they did not fully understand 33:25 what they were committing to. 33:26 They wanted to follow Jesus. Yes. 33:29 But they didn't know who He was. 33:31 And so as they studied with Three Angels Deaf Ministries 33:33 through our Bible school program 33:35 that we have, 33:36 they were just enamored with what they have learned. 33:39 They said, "We want to really serve Jesus." 33:41 And they asked to be baptized again. 33:43 Praise God. 33:45 So you were asking about different deaf groups. 33:48 There are a few deaf, I won't call them congregations 33:51 but deaf groups. 33:53 There is two official congregations. 33:55 There's one in Silver Spring, Maryland, 33:58 that's an Adventist group. 34:00 And there's one in Collegedale, Tennessee area 34:04 that is as well, 34:05 and both of them actually do live streaming 34:07 of their services. 34:08 So deaf people all over the country 34:10 can turn in and watch that live. 34:13 And I think that's just a great opportunity. 34:16 So where if somebody, repeat those, 34:17 because somebody is watching is going to want 34:20 to write that down for a deaf friend, 34:22 where would they go, so it's... 34:24 There's two. 34:26 One is easy to remember if you don't have a pen ready. 34:29 It's 3ADM, not 3ABN. 34:33 The 3ADM.org. 34:36 And the second one is DeafChurchOnline.org. 34:41 And both of them are very good. 34:45 Praise God. Yes, and it's... 34:48 It gives the deaf people 34:49 something to watch in their own language. 34:51 And you mentioned interpreters. Interpreters are so important. 34:54 We need many more interpreters in our churches. 34:57 But the problem is that you're only getting 35:00 everything second handed 35:01 and not everything translates very well. 35:04 And sometimes the interpreters are not very skilled either. 35:09 Into that becomes your deaf ministries, 35:12 the interpreter and the people who are filling the pews 35:15 that are deaf, it may be one person 35:18 but with these congregations that are deaf, it's wonderful 35:20 because they are a family 35:22 and they interact with each other as family. 35:25 And so if you have a deaf person in your church, 35:29 and you are not a deaf group or a congregation, 35:33 be sure that you understand that 35:35 they need that fellowship. 35:37 They don't want people just to hug them, 35:39 although that is very important 35:41 but they need, they need friends. 35:43 And I know a lot of people are busy and they tend to say, 35:45 "Well, I don't know sign language 35:47 that makes me feel awkward." 35:49 There's an interpreter, they're fine. 35:52 Well, they're getting the information 35:54 but they need family. 35:56 And, you know, when you're feeling discouraged, 35:58 it's not always the sermon that blesses you, 36:01 it's often that friend that's sitting next to you 36:03 in the pew or someone down the foyer 36:06 that hugs you and he's like, you know, 36:08 I'm really glad you're here today, 36:10 as you dialogue, they find out your troubles 36:12 they promise that they'll pray for you, 36:14 maybe pray for you right then. 36:16 And that's the blessing that they need too. 36:19 But deaf groups are few and far in between 36:26 and they tend to be in large cities 36:28 where there is more higher deaf population 36:31 that might come. 36:32 So does Three Angels Deaf Ministries, 36:36 do they have resources available for the deaf? 36:42 Yes. Yes, we have... 36:46 Let's see. 36:48 I'm trying to think of how to best go about it. 36:50 We have a, for the outreach, 36:54 we have a deaf Bible school 36:57 that people can study on the internet or by mail 37:01 and also in sign language. 37:03 When you say it's a deaf Bible school, 37:04 that's interesting, if it's on the internet. 37:05 So do we... 37:07 Do you have materials on there that might... 37:10 How can I say this? 37:11 That might simplify, I mean, if their language 37:15 doesn't accommodate most of those words, 37:17 are you taking that and writing it in English 37:21 in such a style that 37:24 it's easier for them to understand? 37:25 Yes. Okay. 37:27 Yes. It is in simpler English. 37:29 We have several different tracks. 37:31 One for example is Amazing Facts. 37:34 We've taken their studies, they've been very gracious 37:36 and allowed us to simplify it to much easier English 37:39 but they still struggle, some people do. 37:42 And so what they want to do is study in person one on one. 37:45 And so we have Bible instructors 37:47 that will actually use a video phone 37:51 which is, you know, is just mainly on laptop 37:54 with, you know, it basically looks like a laptop. 37:56 It's just a monitor 37:57 and they'll dialogue back and forth face to face 38:00 and they'll study the Bible together. 38:04 They find that that's how they can best understand 38:07 but the ones that feel more comfortable with English, 38:10 they will go ahead and use the website or do it by mail 38:14 because some people just prefer it that way. 38:17 We also have created DVDs. 38:20 Closed captioned, no doubt. 38:22 But actually we have subtitles some, 38:25 but they're all in sign language. 38:26 Oh, they're on sign language... 38:28 They are in sign language. It's wonderful. 38:29 We have created quite a few. 38:32 I think we have some pictures of... 38:35 There I am. 38:36 I'm signing a presentation actually with creationism 38:40 and whether or not there are evidences of God 38:42 creating the earth or at least the flood. 38:46 And so we're looking at some layers there 38:49 and there's not a resource for deaf people 38:52 on evidences of the big flood or evidences of, 38:58 you know, the God's design. 39:00 And so, you know, 39:01 I was thinking about one day... 39:03 I said, there's nothing up there for deaf people 39:04 and so we use that topic and put it on DVD 39:08 and we distributed it and it was really surprising 39:13 at how many people enjoyed that particular program 39:15 because they had never seen anything like it. 39:17 It is more scientific but we have done 39:19 many different topics on... 39:22 Of the one that was just up on that DVD, 39:24 Signs of God's love. 39:25 Right. That's a great title. 39:28 That a great title. 39:30 And, you know, God has given us the gift of language 39:33 in order to convey God's glory. 39:36 And so that's what we wanted to do was sign 39:38 about God's love and tell people about it. 39:41 So we have created a number of DVDs 39:43 in sign language about different topics 39:45 and then we go to different events 39:47 such as deaf expos. 39:49 There's been quite a few over the years. 39:51 Usually there's about 15 a year somewhere in the United States, 39:54 a big metro areas 39:56 and deaf people from all over will flock. 39:59 Sometimes there's as many as 5,000 deaf people 40:02 at such an event. 40:03 Sometimes not that many but we have a booth 40:05 and we distribute those DVDs for free. 40:07 We give them out to as many as we can. 40:09 And every year we usually have a new one. 40:12 And sometimes those repeat. 40:14 I mean, some of those booths we're at repeat cities. 40:17 It is so wonderful because I started developing 40:19 some relationships with these people. 40:21 And they'll come and they'll get so excited, 40:23 they said, "I love your DVDs." 40:24 They've even copied them personally 40:26 and distributed it among their friends. 40:28 And it doesn't matter what faith they have, 40:32 they are just so excited, 40:34 they don't care if they're Baptists and I'm not 40:37 or if they're Lutheran and I'm not. 40:40 They're just so excited that 40:41 there are materials in sign language 40:44 because those resources are very few. 40:47 And so they will share it with their friends. 40:50 So that's an opportunity that we have, 40:52 we can give it to one and they'll share it 40:53 with others. 40:57 And... 40:59 I'm trying to think of... 41:02 In as I mentioned the deaf members, 41:05 they need nurture too 41:07 because they need someone to support them 41:09 and that's something that we do as well. 41:10 Or using baptisms through 41:12 Three Angels Deaf Ministries Outreach? 41:14 We are in every... 41:16 This ministry is a ministry that reminds you of 41:19 how precious each person is. 41:23 And I think that sometimes we get swept up in the numbers, 41:26 you know, 10,000 baptized over here 41:28 or 100 over there, we get so excited 41:31 but these baptisms remind us the value of one person 41:35 and that's what I love about deaf ministry. 41:40 We have a speaker director at Three Angels Deaf Ministries 41:44 and he goes around the country from time to time 41:46 and he does evangelism meetings, 41:48 trying to bring people to know who Jesus is. 41:50 And, yes, we have had seen some baptisms. 41:54 I think of such an event in Fresno, California 41:58 and three deaf people were baptized 42:00 and some people may say, "Oh, that's not a large number." 42:03 But we're thinking that's three souls 42:05 that have come to know God. 42:07 And I had the picture of this man being baptized 42:12 and he comes up out, you know, he is just so happy... 42:14 Oh, look at that joy on his face. 42:16 Oh, he is so happy. 42:18 And he's been such a faithful Christian ever since. 42:21 I mean, he just loves God with all his heart. 42:24 And that's what it's all about. 42:26 Amen. Amen. 42:28 So who is your donor base for Three Angels Deaf Ministries? 42:34 Three Angels Deaf Ministries is donor supported 42:37 and most of those donors are deaf themselves. 42:40 It shows you their appreciation for your ministry. 42:42 Absolutely. 42:43 They see the value of that ministry 42:45 and they do appreciate it as well. 42:47 And they think if I can support this ministry, 42:50 I can help my friends know who Jesus is. 42:52 And that is something that we notice. 42:57 We also work very closely 42:58 with the North American division. 42:59 There are some projects that they have funded 43:01 and we deeply appreciate that relationship 43:04 because North American division while I do work 43:07 for the division as the coordinator. 43:10 My position is very new, 43:12 and we don't have those types of resources, 43:14 so we can work with Three Angels Deaf Ministries 43:16 who do provide those things. 43:18 Now you also work with, I mean, personally you work 43:20 with Three Angels Deaf Ministries as... 43:22 I do. I do. 43:23 What marketing or...? 43:25 I do public relations. Public relations. 43:27 Okay. Okay. 43:28 So if people, 43:31 you are a non-profit organization, 43:36 tax exempt, donor supported 43:39 and you are supporting ministry 43:41 of the Seventh-day Adventist church 43:44 so we are going to put their address up 43:46 in just a moment. 43:48 If you want to get in touch with them or make a donation, 43:51 we'd like to make that information available 43:54 but our time is kind of winding down. 43:58 I'd like you to spend these few moments 44:02 telling us what we can do as Christians, 44:08 hearing Christians? 44:10 What can we do to reach out? 44:13 Because, you know, when you said that, 44:15 "If a deaf person comes and you hug them 44:18 and show him you love them," 44:20 but if you can't communicate... 44:22 Do many people that are deaf read lips or...? 44:26 Some do. Okay. 44:28 And some... 44:30 Some do very well and some do some. 44:32 And so they may tell you that they can't 44:35 because they don't want people to feel like, 44:37 "Oh well, then we'll just do this, 44:39 you just read my lips" 44:41 because some don't feel comfortable. 44:42 Only 30% of English is actually legible on the lips. 44:46 See that's what when the lady I worked with went deaf 44:50 when she was about a year old 44:52 and her parents were among those who, you know, 44:55 they thought it better not to learn to sign. 44:58 Right. And they... 45:00 She was totally deaf but she did speak, I mean, she, 45:04 her sister actually became a speech therapist 45:06 but she spoke pretty well. 45:09 I mean, she would go through... 45:12 What you want to say, refresher courses 45:14 in speech therapy each year. 45:16 So that she could maintain her speech 45:19 and she was married to a hearing man 45:22 but most Americans, even the Europeans 45:26 will say that we have lazy lips. 45:29 You know and dump, so I learned to really enunciate 45:35 and move my lips almost in a dramatic fashion 45:38 which I can't, I can't quit doing that. 45:41 It's just ingrained in me now. 45:43 But what can we do because if you don't feel 45:47 you can communicate it is off putting to... 45:53 I don't want... 45:54 It is off putting, I'll just leave it that way. 45:57 It is. It's very difficult. 45:59 One thing that some people can do 46:01 is go ahead and contact Three Angels Deaf Ministries 46:04 because we'd like to help people 46:06 to give them ideas 46:08 because everybody has a different scenario 46:10 and we can share some ideas and some resources 46:12 that might work for them. 46:13 So that is one thing that can be done. 46:15 Secondly is... 46:19 we have to get past the fear. 46:20 One thing I think that as Americans 46:22 talking about our culture here, is we have been taught 46:26 to not stare or point at someone 46:29 that we think is different than us. 46:31 And so what has happened is 46:33 that we've learned to avoid them 46:35 and there is a difference between gawking and avoiding. 46:41 And so what we need to do is break down that fear 46:46 because perfect love caste it out all fear. 46:49 And so we need to get past that 46:52 and recognize that person is a child of God 46:54 who needs a friend. 46:55 And just figure it out. 46:59 You know, just ask questions, deaf people as I said 47:02 are so used to living in a world that hears. 47:04 And so what you do is just ask them. 47:06 What, do you read lips? 47:09 Would you want to write? 47:12 You know, some people actually use their cell phones, 47:16 you know, they sometimes they can text on that 47:18 or, you know, how do you want to communicate, 47:20 ask them and they will tell you. 47:22 Okay. 47:24 And just, you know, 47:26 if you have a deaf person in your church, 47:29 don't be afraid to invite them to your home for a dinner. 47:32 Invite them to events, some parties or games, 47:34 whatever it may be that the church does 47:36 as a group or privately in homes. 47:39 Go ahead and include them because 47:40 they are part of the church family. 47:42 Amen. Amen. 47:43 I was just thinking that. 47:46 I make it a point to... 47:50 I had injured my foot once 47:53 and I was in a wheelchair. 47:55 And it was interesting because I had to fly out to speak 47:59 and being wheeled from, you know, the ticket counter 48:04 to where you were going to board the plane, 48:07 I was interested in how people would avoid looking at you. 48:11 Wow! 48:13 And so I've made it a point 48:15 to really make people in wheelchairs 48:19 feel noticed and say hi. 48:22 And I'm surprised how often they thank me for that saying, 48:25 "thank you," because they do feel marginalized 48:28 and you're right, we have been taught 48:31 not to gawk at those who are different 48:35 but we also need to remember that everybody is human 48:38 and needs a human touch in their life. 48:39 Indeed, and how much they can bless us. 48:42 You know, when we are afraid to make friends with people 48:46 because of whatever reason. 48:48 We miss out on the blessing of that relationship 48:51 and it can be a huge blessing that we're missing out on. 48:55 And so that's something that... 48:58 All my life I've been a bridge builder 48:59 trying to help hearing people and deaf people 49:02 to come together. 49:03 And it's been an interesting experience 49:06 because sometimes that's difficult 49:08 and other times it's not as hard as some people think. 49:10 So it's been a fun life, long journey. 49:14 Well, what we want to do is put your address up 49:18 because surely many of you who are watching 49:21 know someone who is deaf 49:24 or may be just severely hearing impaired 49:26 and having a difficult time in their spiritual life 49:30 because of it and I'm just thinking of Isaiah 29:18, 49:35 where it says, "In that day that deaf shall hear 49:38 the words of the book." 49:40 How blessed we are to be able to hear the words of the book. 49:45 How blessed we are that we have so many resources 49:49 available to us but maybe you need to get in touch 49:53 with Three Angels Deaf Ministries 49:56 and check out some of their resources, 49:58 talk to someone there that they can give you advice 50:02 on what to do in your church situation. 50:05 And do you whole sign... 50:08 Is there American Sign Language training sessions anywhere? 50:12 How do people even learn that? That's a very good question. 50:15 Right now our ministry doesn't actually 50:16 provide training 50:17 but we are still working on putting religious signs 50:21 on our website. 50:22 So that way people can go there and learn 50:23 how to sign certain words. 50:27 The best way to learn sign language is in a... 50:31 One on one setting 50:33 like a deaf person could teach you 50:36 how to sign the classroom setting. 50:39 I love a classroom setting because it seems like 50:41 all the barriers are brought down 50:42 and as you, if someone makes a mistake 50:45 then everybody remembers that mistake 50:47 and they learn from that, and in a classroom setting 50:50 there is no such thing as mistakes. 50:52 There's a learning process and it's a lot of fun. 50:55 Trying to learn from a book is the worst way 50:58 to learn how to sign. 50:59 DVDs are a little bit better. You can go online and get DVDs. 51:03 You can actually go online and there's free programs 51:06 that are available. 51:08 You can just Google online American Sign Language 51:11 and you'd be surprised at what will come up. 51:13 Okay, wonderful. 51:15 Well, we need put up their information 51:17 if you feel that you'd like to contact them 51:21 or perhaps the Holy Spirit is impressing you 51:23 to support this ministry. 51:25 Here's how you can get in touch with them. 51:29 Three Angels Deaf Ministries shares Jesus with deaf people, 51:33 teaching them what the Bible says 51:35 and nurturing deaf church members 51:37 to be true disciples of Christ. 51:39 They also work to educate those who hear 51:42 about deaf ministry and culture. 51:44 Visit their website 3ADM.org. 51:49 Or call them at (301)-850-0542. 51:55 You may also write to them at Three Angels Deaf Ministries, 51:59 PO Box 1946, 52:03 Greenbelt, Maryland 20768. 52:14 You know, perhaps you want to contact them 52:16 and ask for one of their speakers 52:18 to come out to your church. 52:20 There's just... 52:21 It's a wonderful source for materials, 52:25 for the deaf and support for the deaf. 52:27 So what we're going to do now, Esther, 52:30 is we're going to take a quick break 52:32 and go to a news break 52:35 and then we'll come back with a final thought. |
Revised 2017-12-18