While attending the Texas District Theological Convocation earlier this May, I had the pleasure to be introduced to a gentleman whose spirit for mission work and reaching the lost was contagious! The interesting thing about this gentleman was the work he does in ministry—reaching deaf people with the love of Christ!
I have become fond of Romans 10:14-15 which says: “How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring the good news!”
Hearing the Good News is difficult for some people, as they are unable to physically hear the Word. However, God still provides for his children, sending someone to preach to them in a language they can understand. In the case of those who are deaf, He sends people like the Rev. Dr. John Reinke and his wife Dacia. They serve as missionaries, training and equipping leaders for the deaf through World Lutheran Deaf Outreach.
Can you imagine being 70 years old and never hearing the Gospel, or owning your own bible? Some statistics say that a large majority of deaf people don’t attend worship and do not know of Jesus’ love for them. Rev. Dr. Reinke and Dacia have heard the call to preach to those who have not heard (or in this case, seen) the Gospel. Through their work others are being brought to the saving grace of Jesus Christ and being trained to share that message with others.
Reinke has assisted with the development of a complete set of training materials called “A Bible Curriculum Deaf (ABCD).” This material leads people through the Luther’s Small Catechism, basic bible knowledge and advanced studies. It is written for deaf people to use in teaching and training other deaf people to become leaders in ministry. Additionally, Reinke has led the establishing of Jesus Signs Workshops with the goal of equipping local congregations to reach the lost deaf people of their communities.
Reinke and his wife travel to Africa, Latvia, Brazil, India, Australia and other countries to share resources and conduct workshops on how to train deaf leaders. They have also conducted these workshops in a number of Texas District congregations.
Your support of Texas Partners in Mission makes funding available for missionaries like Reinke and many others working in the Texas District. Through the Board for Mission Administration 100 percent of your gift to TPIM goes directly to mission work. I encourage you to support and lift up this mission effort in prayer!
By: Lanny Moore
Texas Partners in Mission