Day: September 4, 2019

1. ERITREA: “We Will Not Negotiate Our Faith”
2. ESTONIA: Theology Degree to First Deaf Student
3. MIDDLE EAST: Bringing Scripture to Unreached Deaf Communities
4. THAILAND: Deaf Start a Church Where You Can’t Fake It
5. HONG KONG: What Do the Protests Have to Do with Missions?

Source: Open Doors, September 1, 2019

“We will not negotiate our faith and will continue following Jesus.”

The bold words of six Christian government employees in Eritrea came on August 16 when officials pressured them to recant.

The incident is part of an intensifying crackdown on Christians in the East African country. Since the end of June, 150 Christians have been arrested in Asmara and Keren, Eritrea’s second-largest city approximately 56 miles northwest of Asmara.

The first arrest took place on Sunday, June 23. Security officials rounded up 70 Christians (35 women, 25 men, and 10 children) from the Faith Mission Church of Christ in Keren. This is the only church that has remained open there. They also closed the church-run school.

We know that the group arrested in Keren is being kept in very harsh conditions in a prison complex called Ashufera near the town of Hagaz about 15 miles from Keren. The complex consists of underground tunnels and is far from the main road.

This means that anyone who wants to visit loved ones there must walk a minimum of 30 minutes to reach the entrance. Inmates are said to be forced to dig additional tunnels when officers need extra space for more prisoners.

The intensified government action has sent other Christians from Keren into hiding.

» Read full story and see Eritrea: The Korea of North Africa.

» See also At Least 150 Christians Arrested in Eritrea Clampdown (World Watch Monitor). Eritrea has also closed down all Christian-run health centers (Premier).

Source: One Mission Society, August 23, 2019

Riho [is] the first Deaf Estonian to earn a degree in theology! For three years we had sign language translators for our classes, working with Riho to complete his studies. In the 1990s Riho planted a Deaf church in Tallinn that has sent missionaries to work with Deaf people in China, Jordan, across Russia, and beyond.

His courage and commitment are incredible, but Riho recognized the need for in-depth teaching to help him take his congregation deeper in their understanding of God. Teaching Riho was a real honor. Pray that God will reward his hard work with much fruit among the Deaf community!

» Read full story. Let’s pray that God continues using him to raise up missionaries and pastors for the Deaf in many nations. A bit more sleuthing suggests Riho graduated from the Baltic Methodist Theological Seminary, which serves the United Methodist Church in the Baltic countries of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, and also in the neighboring countries of Russia, Finland, Ukraine, and Moldova.

Source: Mission Network News, August 22, 2019

Of the world’s more than 300 sign languages, not one has a complete Bible. DOOR International is now working with local Deaf communities to begin sign language Scripture translations in the Middle East and North Africa.

Only one (sign language) has the New Testament right now. And, only about 30 have any published Scripture at all,” says DOOR President and CEO Rob Myers.

“When you get into a community where even Christians typically have much more difficulty accessing Scripture, when you add deafness on top of that it makes it very, very difficult for…people to have any sort of gospel access at all,” Myers says.

The number of unreached people is vast, Myers explains. Though individuals using sign language as their first language make up one percent of a typical population, among populations in the hundreds of millions that one percent represents more than a million people. That number can be even higher in communities in Eastern Africa and the Middle East due to higher levels of inter-family marriage. In some Muslim countries, that Deaf population is closer to five percent.

In the Middle East and North African region, DOOR has partnered with local believers to translate Scripture into sign languages.

» Read full story and several more MNN stories about Deaf ministry: Deaf Bible Society Empowers Sign Language Bible Translation and Deaf Christians in Africa Learning to Engage Scripture.

Source: International Mission Board, August 23, 2019

Sombat Apichai understood only 50 percent of the Thai Sign Language interpretation of the sermon at his church in Chiang Mai, Thailand. The sermon was translated into what is known as word signing, making the translation choppy. To complicate things further, Thai religious vocabulary is hard to understand, even for hearing Thais.

Sombat and other Deaf Christians were unable to truly connect or intimately worship God because they didn’t fully understand and were never discipled. They didn’t really have a way to contribute or volunteer at church. They felt disconnected and isolated from the hearing members of their church.

Sombat and Alisara said Deaf Christians often feign understanding in mixed congregations of hearing and Deaf Christians because there isn’t usually time to ask questions, and if there is an opportunity to ask, there aren’t many hearing church members who are able to communicate the real meaning in Thai Sign Language.

» Read full story to learn about a new Deaf-led church that creates an environment where Deaf people are not left behind but empowered and transformed by scripture. Something we all need! The details are pretty interesting.

» Also read about a young girl in India who was healed of her deafness but disowned by her family after following Jesus (Open Doors/Christian Post).

Source: The Missions Podcast, September 1, 2019

Between 1-2 million people have been taking to the streets in Hong Kong—even singing Christian hymns—in peaceful protest over a new extradition law representing China’s continued aim to tighten its fist and squelch political and religious liberties in the semi-autonomous region. What can believers learn from this complex situation?

In this special episode, [host] Alex Kocman and Scott Dunford—a former missionary in Asia—discuss the situation on the ground, the history, and implications for believers seeking to boldly engage the surrounding culture both on the mission field and at home.

» Listen to the podcast (46 minutes long). The Missions Podcast comes from a Baptist ministry, ABWE International.