Have you ever really thought about how people who are deaf access God’s Word around the world? For most of them, it’s not through a spoken or written language.

Central attendees Dan and Sarah Eberle joined Wycliffe Bible Translators in 2008 with a rare calling: to research the world’s many sign languages to help Deaf communities receive God’s Word in their own sign language.

Sixteen years later, they continue to serve, now with DOOR International, supporting and empowering people who are deaf to reach their own communities for Christ. Translation in this framework means videos of people signing the entire Bible.
Dan serves as Chief Information Officer at DOOR, and his responsibilities still include language research. They just returned to the U.S. from an extended research project in Southern Asia.

They live quite the nomadic lifestyle. Their 10-year-old son Ezra has been to four continents and been on more plane flights than he can count. He loves to travel!
Of the world’s estimated 70 million people who are deaf, fewer than 2% know Jesus, and there are probably more than 400 sign languages in the world, many needing further study.

DOOR also focuses on developing Christian fellowships and providing training to enable people who are deaf to reach others with the news of Jesus’ love. Much work remains to be done; in the meantime, we can trust what Isaiah 55:11 says: “It is the same with my Word. I send it out, and it always produces fruit. It will accomplish all I want it to, and it will prosper everywhere I send it.” Even to people who are deaf.