“Those who were not told about
him will see, and those who have
not heard will understand.”
Romans 15:21
We hear about unreached people groups all
the time in the church, and many times we
may think these unreached peoples are high
in the mountains of Asia or far in the jungles of
Oceania. Sometimes, we don’t realize that one
of the largest unreached people groups is right
in front of us, invisible. They could include the
woman in the grocery checkout line, a Kenyan
marathon runner, or a Thai rice farmer. Yet, if
we walked past a deaf person on the street,
we wouldn’t notice. We wouldn’t know they
are part of this large unreached people group.
The fact is, there are 70 million deaf people
worldwide, and less than two percent know
the Gospel.
Why are they so unreached, even though
some of them live in countries with many es-
tablished churches and ministries? Through-
out history, deaf people have had no access
“I don’t have any electronic devices on
which I can watch the Bible in Burundi sign
language. I don’t even own a DVD player, so
traveling the two and a half hours roundtrip to
Gatoto’s house is the only way I get access to
the Bible in my heart language.
“Before I met the church planting team, I
would only go to church on special occasions.
I attended a hearing church that did not have
an interpreter, so I would miss everything that
was going on. Skipping services was the easy
thing to do.
“But now, I am learning about God and his
plans for me, and I have rededicated my life to
him. I was baptized, and my passion for God
keeps on growing. I feel so at home with other
deaf people as we learn God’s Word and fel-
lowship as believers.
“For the past two years, the team has been
training me to become a leader here in Burundi,
and I know that I need to continue to watch
and learn God’s Word so that I can grow in my
faith and become a better leader.
“I pray and look forward to a time when I
will be able to watch God’s Word anytime and
anywhere. I pray for a more accessible and
convenient way to receive the Gospel in my
heart language. In the meantime, I am deeply
grateful for the access I have now that I did
not have before.”
to the Gospel through their heart language—
sign language. There are 350+ sign languages
worldwide, varying from country to country
and from region to region.
DOOR International seeks to increase
that two percent by bringing the Gospel in
sign language and reproducing Christian fel-
lowships for the deaf. We do that through a
twofold ministry: Bible translation and church
planting. We train deaf leaders to reach more
deaf people in their native countries. Enjoy
this testimony from a deaf man in Burundi:
“I cycle an hour and fifteen minutes one
way to be able to learn and understand God’s
Word. I do this at least twice a week. I am so
glad I can learn the Bible in my heart language,
and it is worth every bit of sacrifice on my part.
Editor’s Note: DOOR International is a Billion.Global
coalition partner, dedicated to giving deaf people
access to the Gospel in their heart language of
sign language and helping reach our goal of giving
a billion people the opportunity to hear, under-
stand, and believe the Gospel message.
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