Transcription
PRAYDEAF PEOPLES
Rejoice always, pray without ceasing,give thanks in all circumstances; for thisis the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.– 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
I NT E R NAT I O NAL MIS S IO N BO ARD3806 Monument Ave., P.O. Box 6767Richmond, VA 23230-0767 2017 International Mission Board, SBCScripture quotations are from the ESV Bible (The Holy Bible, EnglishStandard Version ), copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry ofGood News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.PRAYDEAF PEOPLES
Every day people around the world wake up andsay, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such andsuch a town and spend a year there and tradeand make a profit.” Yet they do not know whattomorrow will bring, for what is their life? They arelike a mist that appears for a little time and thenvanishes (James 4:13–14).In these pages you will get a broad overviewof the lives of Deaf peoples. You will see whereand how they live. You will read about who theyworship and what they fear. You will be offered achance to join with others and pray for nations tohave access to the gospel soon.Time is not in our hands, but it is in God’ssovereign hands. May these people hear andbelieve the gospel of Christ in their lifetime.
12345678STORYING THE GOSPELSTORYONE CAMPSHENNA PARTIESCOOKING CLASSESDEAF SCHOOLSDEAF WORLD SHAKEDEAF THEOLOGICAL CENTERDEAFGO BIBLEThis guide contains eight themes to help youpray for Deaf peoples around the world. Weencourage you to gather with friends or smallgroups to pray for each need. It is designed to beused at your own pace. You could meet monthly,weekly, or even eight days in a row.It is our hope that as you pray for countries andpeople around the world, your hearts will growtogether in a desire to see Christ exalted in yourown community and among the nations.
STORYING THE GOSPELThe majority of the thirty-sixmillion Deaf worldwide arenon-print communicators.They are usually schooledin the majority language oftheir home country, but signlanguage is the language oftheir community. There areapproximately two hundredsign languages of the world.IMB workers engage the11Deaf with the gospel not byhanding out Scripture but bya method of sharing calledstorying. Workers are able toeffectively and visually clearlycommunicate through signlanguage the truths of God’sWord. Efforts are underway totranslate the Bible into varioussign languages in the world.Discuss what a Deaf Biblewould look like. Would it bea book? A video series?Pray for Deaf believersto clearly communicatehis stories to Deaf aroundthe world.12
STORYONE CAMPSStoryOne camps are an effortof the Deaf Affinity to helpDeaf nationals gain accessto Scripture stories in theirheart language. Camps lastabout one week, and roughlyfifteen Bible stories can becrafted during this time. Theychoose Bible stories that sharefoundational truths about13who Jesus is, what it meansto be his follower, and whatit means to be a church. Thecrafting process is a vigoroustranslation exercise that rendersworks from the original biblicallanguages into their nativesign language, of which thereare more than two hundredworldwide.Discuss different ways thegospel is being shared with theDeaf in your community.Pray for the StoryOnecamps to be well attendedand well led.
HENNA PARTIESDiscuss how you might use artforms such as henna to shareChrist with your community.Since the Deaf best understandthe world through tactile andvisual means, henna partiescan be an effective way toshare the gospel. Deaf teamsare using the skin paint toillustrate stories from Scripture,including the biblical accountof creation and the prodigalson. While one leader crafts the15design in a visual interpretationon the skin, another leadertells the story in sign language.Many Deaf have never seenthese stories signed in theirheart language. The artworkstays on the skin for severaldays as a reminder of the truthsof Scripture.Pray that our Deaf friendsand contacts will beimpacted through this art,and desire to meet andlearn more of his stories.16
COOKING CLASSESMost of the thirty-five millionDeaf people around the worldhave never seen Jesus’s namesigned in their language. Oftenignored and oppressed, theDeaf are some of the leastevangelized people in theworld. In South Asia, a groupof Deaf college students meeteach month for cooking classeshosted by Deaf Christianworkers. The co-eds enjoybeing together and learninghow to make different foods.They also enjoy the novelty ofusing an oven, as food is onlycooked on a stove in manyof their hometowns. After thepreparation, the studentsgather around the table to eatwhat they’ve prepared, andthe leader shares Bible storiesin the local sign language. Thisoutreach is attracting peoplewho have never heard thegospel.Discuss how cooking classescould be used to share Christ inyour community.Pray that more studentswill join the group and forthem to have a hunger forthe Word.18
DEAF SCHOOLSThe World Deaf Federationestimates that seventy millionpeople are Deaf. At least halfof the Deaf people groupsin the world are unengaged,and nearly all of them areunreached. Workers servingamong the Deaf often havethe opportunity to teach in19Deaf schools. As workers buildrelationships with the studentsand fellow teachers, they alsohave openings to share Biblestories with them. Christianworkers are using these opendoors to share the gospel withthe unreached Deaf.Discuss barriers the Deaf haveto receiving and understandingthe gospel.Pray that students andteachers at Deaf schoolswill be open to the goodnews of God’s love. Praythat as God’s Word issigned, his name will bemade great in Deaf schoolsaround the world.20
DEAF WORLD SHAKEDiscuss how the collegestudents at your church or localuniversity can impact the Deafworld with the gospel.Deaf World Shake (DWS) is anopportunity for college studentsto serve with IMB Deaf teams.While on the team, studentslearn three to five Bible stories ina local sign language, developand share these stories throughdrama or “wordless dramas,”21and participate in makingDeaf disciples cross-culturally.Sharing the gospel in signlanguage is one of the mosteffective tools Christians havein reaching the thirty-five millionpeople worldwide who claimsigning as their first language.Pray for students who willparticipate in DWS. Pray forthe Deaf who will see thegospel, many for the firsttime, and for the seeds thatare planted will grow.
DEAF THEOLOGICAL CENTERDiscuss the importance ofhaving a school like this to trainDeaf workers.The Deaf Theological Centeris located near Nashville,Tennessee, and it uses a storybased approach to theologicaleducation. Its methods arevery academic, and the toolsit provides are reproducible.Praise the Father that theopportunity now exists for Deaf23to train and for Deaf to betrained in the context of theirown culture and language.Many hours are spent insideand outside the classroomlearning how to produce hisstories in true sign languagebefore students go on to signand videotape the stories.Pray that the DeafTheological Center’sstudents will be able tolearn, apply, and tell thestories, and train others.24
DEAFGO BIBLEDiscuss the need for theDeaf to see the Bible intheir language.The DeafGO Bible is an iconic,story-based translation of theScripture into American SignLanguage (ASL), throughwhich the Scripture videoscan be viewed doctrinallyand chronologically. TheDeafGO Bible project teamis committed to producing atranslation that is accurate andclear. Getting God’s Word intothe hearts and minds of the25Deaf is a crucial step to takingthe gospel to the ends of theearth. Teams are working tointroduce this tool as a deliverysystem for Bible stories currentlybeing translated into EgyptianSign Language, Czech SignLanguage, Mexican SignLanguage, Thai Sign Language,Hungarian Sign Language,Vietnamese Sign Language,and others.Pray for the ongoingtranslation work anddevelopment ofcorresponding icons withinthe stories.26
Thank you for joining us in praying for Deafpeoples around the world.Did you know we have 8 more prayerguides for the other peoples of the world?To download a FREE copy visit:imb.world/PrayerGuides2728
Rejoice in hope, be patient intribulation, be constant in prayer.–Romans 12:12
imb.org
Deaf people around the world have never seen Jesus's name signed in their language. Often ignored and oppressed, the Deaf are some of the least evangelized people in the world. In South Asia, a group of Deaf college students meet each month for cooking classes hosted by Deaf Christian workers. The co-eds enjoy being together and learning
