Ministry partners are using sign language to help deaf children learn about Jesus in their own language.
The Gospel message wasn’t clear to Zahira until it was presented to her in her own language—a dialect of sign language the Cuban girl uses in the Dominican Republic.
At age 14 she was invited to an Operation Christmas Child outreach event led by a local church that has a ministry to the Deaf community. Interpreters used sign language to tell the children about Jesus Christ, God’s Greatest Gift. That made the Gospel accessible to Zahira in what is called her heart language, a core way of communicating that produces a high level of comfort and understanding.
She watched intently as the story of Jesus’ sacrificial, redemptive love expressed on the cross was explained in sign language during the event. In the following weeks, she attended La Gran Aventura classes, a follow-up evangelism and discipleship program for Operation Christmas Child shoebox gift recipients. Through each lesson, also communicated in sign language, she began understanding God’s love in a way she hadn’t before.
“I didn’t know about Jesus,” Zahira said. “I had no clear idea.”
She realized that sin had separated her from God. She began to cry, feeling shame and regret. But she had hope after learning that Jesus had died and rose again to give new life to those who repent of their sin and turn to Him.
Zahira gave her life to Jesus, finding a Savior and His provision of a welcoming church community where she could find friendship, fellowship, and encouragement to grow in her faith.
She was overjoyed to receive a Bible as part of her graduation from the 12-week discipleship course.
“Step by step, I kept moving forward and learning more each day.”
“When I accepted the Lord, I first began to prepare myself and learn,” Zahira said. “Step by step, I kept moving forward and learning more each day.”
Zahira began sharing the Word of God with family and friends. Her mother as well as a friend gave their hearts to Christ. Zahira said La Gran Aventura equipped her with the knowledge and confidence to tell others about Christ.
“The whole plan was teaching us step by step,” she said. “And I want to keep growing. I don’t know the Word of God deeply yet, but I’m taking it step by step—growing, accepting, and learning.”
Caring for the Marginalized
There are multiple versions of sign language within a country or language group, with their own grammar and structure that can differ from culture to culture or community to community.
To help Operation Christmas Child ministry partners share the Gospel with deaf children in their communities, Samaritan’s Purse is piloting the development of selected resources that make the content more accessible for translation into their local sign language. These elements will be especially helpful for presentations or talking one-on-one.
This is part of a wider Operation Christmas Child initiative to bridge communication barriers to reach often marginalized children, including the deaf and hard of hearing, blind and visually impaired people, oral-based learners, those with disabilities and special needs, as well as those displaced because of forced relocation and war.
