MIDDLE EAST: Bringing Scripture to Unreached Deaf Communities

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.

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