PAUL'S STORY
Created by God, not by evil spirits!
I am the third born in a family of six children. I am the only Deaf person in my family; the rest are hearing. I was born hearing, but became Deaf at the age of five. Nobody wanted to accept that I was Deaf, but it was confirmed after examination in a medical hospital.
This meant that I was to attend a Deaf school. It was a Deaf unit in a hearing school. I found many Deaf there and I started learning sign language. When the teachers saw that I was gifted, they transferred me to the hearing school where I became the only Deaf in the hearing class. In the class, I used to copy notes only. I tried lip reading, but it did not work, especially when the teacher faced away from me.
Back at home, our family was a Christian family. We always went to church together, but it was a hearing church. There was no interpreter. I was completely left out, with very little understanding of what was said or sung. I just followed and mimicked what they did. If the congregation stood, then I stood. If they sat, I sat. During the sermon, since it was oral, then I just gazed at the building seeing how beautiful it was and admiring its furniture.
One time, a friend told me about a Deaf fellowship that had just begun in town! When I joined it, my parents were worried about me. They thought I was lost, but that was not true. In the Deaf fellowship, everything was done in sign language. I could now understand the sermon, the music and the testimonies as we fellowshipped and worshipped together. I learned so much and was motivated to know more about God.
The Deaf church is sensitive to the Deaf needs and culture. I am able to understand the meaning of salvation and many other basic Christian teachings in depth. For example, when I was young, during Christmas services at the hearing church, they would put a baby picture at the front. When I asked my brother who the baby was, he told me it was Jesus. I did not understand. On attending the Deaf church, the same sermon of "The Birth of Jesus" was preached. Since it was in sign language, I understood it very well.
I have been working with the "Deep" Deaf Bible translation team for about two years. It was exciting for me to learn that there was translation work going on, to have the Bible in sign language but, in addition, the Deaf church leaders and Bible translators need to know "deeper" about the Bible. If this does not happen, the Bible is likely to be misinterpreted. One example has to do with the Israel culture of taking wine. This can be taken very negatively by the Deaf here, who believe that taking wine is bad. Explaining to the Deaf about Israelites' people's culture helps.
There is so much that I have learned from working here. Whenever I have the opportunity, I share this with Deaf friends, and they are glad to know God's Word at a deeper level.
The Translator's Notes for the story of Jesus healing a man who had an evil spirit that made him mute (Mark 9:14-29) were being tested recently among a Deaf community. This story is very significant to many Deaf because many people, even Christians in Africa, believe that "deafness" is caused either by evil spirits or curses.
The Deaf discussed this story at length, paying keen attention to the content of the story. One Deaf man signed, "This boy who had an evil spirit was suffering a lot. The evil spirit caused him a lot of discomfort and tormented him. This is not the case with the Deaf. God has blessed us. We are comfortable. We eat well, have families, communicate well with each other and are healthy! Deaf people do not have evil spirits!"
Another Deaf man added, "In the story of God calling Moses, God told Moses that it was He who made the Deaf and the blind (Exodus 4:11). The Deaf were created by God and not by evil spirits. If Deafness is caused by evil spirits God would not have said that he made the Deaf!"
The Deaf community looked very happy and liberated by the truth of the Bible. They wished someone could tell other people that they were not demon possessed. They are part of God's plan and can serve God just like any other people.