Intersecting People for His Purposes

Since 2014, Christar staff have prayed diligently for workers willing and equipped to take the gospel to least-reached Deaf people groups. For even longer, God has been moving in the hearts of His people to prepare them to answer this request.

God gave Lacy* a desire to learn sign language and a burden for the Deaf seven years ago, while she was a sophomore in college. She worked through a conversation with her dad and her own research as she prayed for guidance regarding her academic path. “I realized that the Deaf population in general is the third most unreached for the gospel,” Lacy recalls. This realization solidified in her mind that the Lord was leading her to use sign language to help bring the gospel to the Deaf.

At the same time, God was working in the heart of Kevin, a young man with a heart to share the gospel with those with little or no chance to be introduced to this good news. “I realized that there are a lot of people with really minimal exposure to Jesus,” Kevin explained. “They didn’t follow Jesus because they’ve never heard a clear explanation of the gospel … and that just blew me away.”

Kevin and Lacy got married three years ago, and Kevin credits Lacy with making him aware of the needs of the Deaf.  “[Lacy] brought the Deaf culture to my radar,” he says. As he sought to learn more about Deaf communities, he was struck by the fact that 98% of the Deaf worldwide don’t know Jesus.

Since their wedding, their goal has been to prepare themselves for service among the Deaf. Both attended classes in American Sign Language (ASL), and Lacy started a two-year sign language interpreter program. She has just one more semester to go.

At first, Kevin and Lacy planned to minister among the Deaf in Canada. But, roadblocks related to moving to that country prompted them to seek opportunities where they, especially Lacy, could use the ASL they had studied.

However, the more they narrowed their search, the more the Lord made it clear that they needed to look for opportunities more broadly. “So we just continued to widen our search as God closed some doors,” Lacy recalls.

God had an open door in mind—one that He revealed through Christar worker Andrew. In January, this mobilizer spoke at a Perspectives Class, mentioning in passing that Christar had recently begun ministering among the Deaf. Lacy’s dad was part of that class and, knowing his daughter and son-in-law’s desire to serve among the Deaf, was quick to connect Andrew with them.

After meeting with Andrew and his wife in person, Kevin and Lacy had couple of Zoom conversations with Trent and Angie, who are currently serving with Christar among the Deaf in Albania. Since then, Kevin and Lacy have begun the application process with Christar, and they’re working toward being sent by their home church to join Trent and Angie’s team.

At first, the idea of moving to Eastern Europe and having to learn a new a sign language was rather scary for Lacy. But, she says, “Just knowing all the possibilities and what God can do through our faithfulness diminishes the fear.” And, she is eager to see what God will do through her and her husband as they seek to establish a Deaf church with a Deaf pastor in Albania.

Kevin shares that he would love to see Deaf people gain greater confidence. “I would like to be able to make the love of God relatable to them,” he says. He adds that he really admires Christar’s emphasis on creativity and bi-vocational work, and he looks forward to seeing what roles he and Lacy can play in the community once they get to the field.

“God has clearly been guiding and directing them through their whole process,” Andrew says. And, he sees how the Lord has also led and worked through him to sovereignly draw people to serve among the least-reached. “This isn’t the first time and hopefully won’t be the last time that God gives me a word or even a sentence to say that He uses to impact somebody and move them toward the next step that they’ve been looking for. … I’m just in awe at how God works sovereignly to intersect people and places at the right time to move them toward accomplishing His purposes.”

Participate by Praying:

• Praise God for moving in Kevin’s and Lacy’s hearts to plant the idea of serving Him among the Deaf!
• Lift them up as they continue through the mobilization and sending process, asking God to provide for all their needs and bless them with His peace.
• Lift up the mobilization staff as they walk alongside and invest in those whom God is calling to cross-cultural work.