Source: IMB Commission Stories, November 8, 2015
From a distance it was hard to tell why Felicity was off by herself while other Filipino students played outside. A closer look, however, revealed she wasn’t just standing and moving her hands about—the 7-year-old was practicing sign language.
This eager-to-please, playful child [is] only one in her family who is Deaf, and sometimes it’s just a little easier being herself around other Deaf.
“She’s in her element and can really relate and open up,” said IMB missionary Dave Daggett, who has served 15 years with his wife Ivette in the Philippines.
Because God worked in the hearts of these church planters, Felicity will grow up with opportunities for Deaf community beyond her school. The Daggetts helped start a Deaf church right in her home.
Dave and Ivette [who have a Deaf daughter] met Deaf people within two weeks of arriving in the Philippines. Although they came with church planting among the hearing population as their focus, God has used them to also start numerous Deaf churches throughout their province. [Their] approach to church planting [is] the same as with hearing churches—[to see people] disciple other people.
» Read full story and watch a brief video about this ministry. See also the IMB’s Deaf Peoples website.