DAY NINETEEN

Romans 10:14 "How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard?"

We had ventured into the jungle of Los Yungas, La Paz, Bolivia to share at an event that brought a number of churches together. When we were approached at mealtime by a pastor, we had no idea how much this trip would really open our eyes to the need. The pastor heard that we worked with both pastors' kids and with the Deaf, and wanted to share with us about his son. His son, just over 20 years old, is deaf. He asked what could be done about their challenge of not being able to communicate with their son. It dawned on Polly first. If they cannot communicate with their son, does that mean he, though being a pastor's son, had never had access to the Gospel? The pastor confirmed that this was the case. As far as he knows, his son has never had access to the Gospel!

If the son of a pastor has never "heard" the Gospel simply because he cannot "hear," imagine the plight of so many deaf individuals throughout Bolivia. Thankfully there are some ministries reaching out to the Deaf in Bolivia, but they are few and are mainly concentrated in the cities. Not all of the Deaf live in the cities. Unfortunately, many Deaf outside of the cities don't have access to education either, and never even learn Sign Language. Is there hope for them? There is always hope in the Gospel, but only if it is presented to them. We must pray for more opportunities to bring the Gospel to a largely ignored population. In order to do this, there must be more Deaf discipled to do the work. This is the starting point for us. Reaching and raising up the Deaf in the city to go into the unreached areas. This will take time and focus, and a lot of prayers. With God, all things are possible.

Michael Brown - Bolivia

Prayer: Dear Lord, there is a great need for proclaimers of the Gospel in our world today.  Let us be Your mouthpiece to proclaim and Your hands to declare to those who cannot hear the incredible Good News of salvation and life in You. Amen.