International (MNN) — Earlier this year, Progress.Bible and Missio Nexus published a chart showing encouraging news for Bible translation. On a global scale, “the percentage of people who have access to the full Bible [is] very large; it’s over 90 percent,” DOOR International President and CEO Rob Myers says.
However, “if you shift the view, specifically to sign languages and Deaf communities, the numbers change dramatically,” he adds.
“We still have [Deaf] people groups numbering in the millions [without] any Scripture access at all right now.”
DOOR trains and equips Deaf believers to do church planting and sign language Bible translation. Learn more here.
Screenshot from the “how-to” training resource developed by DOOR International and Deaf Harbor.
(Photo courtesy of DOOR International)
Along with traditional translation work this year, “we’ve been developing (training) videos in partnership with Deaf Harbor, a Deaf ministry based out of the Minneapolis, Minnesota area,” Myers says.
These “how-to” resources are meant to help Deaf believers anywhere in the world start a translation project in their sign language.
“These videos give some instructions [for the] initial first steps that you take: how do we bring the leaders of the community together to decide where we’re going to start translating the Bible? What book are we going to pick? Or what passages will we pick? How do I set up a translation studio?” Myers says.
“We desire to see these resources go beyond any place DOOR has immediate reach in so that they would empower and support other Bible translation efforts.”
Only two percent of the world’s 70 million Deaf people know Christ. “Pray for sign language Bible translation partners,” Myers requests.
“Pray God would raise up leaders within Deaf communities who have the skills, passion, and the heart to do Bible translation within their communities.”
Header and story images courtesy of DOOR International.
