Raising support to join DOOR
Children: Evan and Josiah Simons
Jeremy was born Deaf, and grew up in New Mexico, Washington State and Arkansas. He graduated from Arkansas School for the Deaf in Little Rock. Whitney is hearing and was raised in Enid, Oklahoma. Both of them came from strong Christian families and accepted Christ at a young age. While attending college in Tulsa, their relationship with the Lord grew deeper as they were mentored by individuals who loved the Lord.
Jeremy's major was in computer technology. Whitney, who had a desire to work with the Deaf since she was a little girl, obtained a Deaf Education degree. The first Deaf person she ever met was Jeremy. They met at the Baptist Student Union in 1997. In 2001, they were married.
They had the desire to teach the Deaf but didn't have effective tools until they went to DOOR-Europe, in Budapest, Hungary from 2003-2004. After being equipped with training & knowledge of sharing the gospel in the Deaf community, they returned to the States bolder in their walk with Christ, and with a clearer and stronger vision of wanting to serve the Lord.
As they began to lead the Deaf youth ministry, Deaf Impact, the ministry exploded and more and more Deaf young people are understanding the Word of the Lord. The Simons are now eager to learn how to train church leaders and disciple others. They feel like God is leading their hearts elsewhere. So they prayed about the opportunity to serve the Lord somewhere overseas.
They were presented with the opportunity to work and train with the DOOR-Thailand team in Chiang Mai. After much prayer, they decided to serve and train in Thailand. It is an opportunity to see the Lord at work, to learn how to plant churches and mentor believers, and to work alongside Deaf national believers. After completing an internship in Thailand, they are seeking God's direction for their next ministry assignment.