International (MNN) — As more believers see needs in the global Deaf community, they increasingly support sign language Bible translation. Dan* from DOOR International says Scripture distribution – providing Deaf believers with access to the finished translation – is advancing, too.
“It’s an exciting and challenging time in Scripture distribution. Thirty years ago, doing Scripture distribution on video looked like a stack of VHS tapes,” Dan says.
“Deaf people are more connected and more able to communicate with other Deaf people [today] than ever before in history.”
A brand new department at DOOR focuses exclusively on Scripture distribution. “Scripture distribution is the process of getting Scripture into people’s hands,” Dan explains.
(Photo courtesy of DOOR International)
This process involves “everything from logistics to researching new technology, interviewing and networking with the local community to figure out what their needs are, uploading files to the internet …[and] even some local networking options,” he continues.
As you may know, Deaf people need to see God’s Word to make a heart connection, not just read it on a page. Learn why deafness is more than just hearing loss.
“For most Deaf people, spoken and written language is their second language. Most Deaf people grow up using a sign language. Written languages, the writing systems, are based on sound. For a Deaf person who’s never heard those, getting a good handle on those languages is difficult,” Dan explains.
“As Bible translators, we want to make a translation available in people’s heart language. For Deaf people, that’s a sign language.”
Connect with DOOR here to learn how you fuel Scripture distribution efforts. Most importantly, pray. “Pray that we would have wisdom in meeting the needs of people; that we would come up with creative solutions,” Dan requests.
“Pray that technology would continually evolve to make this content more accessible for (Deaf) people around the world.”
*Name withheld for security purposes
Header image courtesy of DOOR International.
