The Bible promises in Romans 8:28 that ‘God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them’ (NLT). I did not understand the depth of this promise until God led us on a journey we never expected. In 2015, my parents arranged my marriage to a young woman who loved the Lord. A year later, God blessed us with a beautiful daughter, Suzannah. As new parents, we were overjoyed. I dreamed of the day I would speak to her in English, tell her stories, and watch her grow into a confident young woman. On her first birthday, her first word—’Ami’,meaning mother—filled our hearts with excitement. We believed many joyful conversations lay ahead. But God had a different plan.
The Bible promises in Romans 8:28 that ‘God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them’ (NLT). I did not understand the depth of this promise until God led us on a journey we never expected. In 2015, my parents arranged my marriage to a young woman who loved the Lord. A year later, God blessed us with a beautiful daughter, Suzannah. As new parents, we were overjoyed. I dreamed of the day I would speak to her in English, tell her stories, and watch her grow into a confident young woman. On her first birthday, her first word—’Ami’,meaning mother—filled our hearts with excitement. We believed many joyful conversations lay ahead. But God had a different plan.
One day, while playing with my father, Suzannah did not respond when he called her. He noticed she did not react to any sounds. Doctors discovered infections in both ears, and for an entire year, she was treated with antibiotics, yet nothing improved. Finally, an audiologist confirmed the devastating news: Suzannah was almost completely deaf, hearing only loud sounds above 100 decibels (such as power tools or construction jack hammers). Our dreams were shattered in a moment. We searched desperately for treatment, hoping the infection was the cause, but slowly we had to accept this new reality.
Watching them share God’s Word in sign language broke something open inside me. I wept, feeling the first spark of hope for my daughter.
From 2017 to 2020, we walked through the darkest valley of our lives. Raising a deaf daughter in Pakistan—where girls already face many challenges—felt overwhelming. We constantly wondered: How will she survive? Who will understand her world?
In 2020, God opened a door for me to study orality in the Philippines. The Philippines Deaf Bible Translators visited our class. Watching them share God’s Word in sign language broke something open inside me. I wept, feeling the first spark of hope for my daughter. I returned to Pakistan believing that someone, somewhere, must be helping deaf people here too. But after a year of searching, we found no such organization. Instead, I heard heartbreaking stories of deaf individuals rejected by society, abandoned by family, and even converting to the majority religion simply to find a community that welcomed them.
When no helper could be found, God planted a surprising thought in my heart: What if Language Recording Institute/Global Recordings Network, Pakistan (the organization I work with) began translating Bible stories into sign language? On 9 January 2021, we held our first meeting with a small group of deaf individuals. Their bright smiles encouraged us deeply. I soon learned that their hand movements were not simple gestures—they were a complete and rich language: Pakistan Sign Language.
‘Through [Suzannah] we discovered a community forgotten by society but precious to God.’
We began translating the Good News (a summary of the Bible). Soon after, while my wife Sonia and I prayed, God gave us another vision: starting a church fellowship for the deaf. What began with six people has now grown into multiple sign language fellowships across every province in Pakistan. Now we are the Pakistan Sign Language Network (PSLN), serving the deaf with training, translation, leadership development, awareness programs, and interpreter training.
Today, we no longer cry over Suzannah’s deafness. We now see clearly that God chose her and us for this mission. Through her, we discovered a community forgotten by society but precious to God. In serving them, we have found purpose, joy, and the peace that only He can give.
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Praise the Lord! PSLN Achievements:
We praise the Lord for many wonderful achievements through the ministry of the Pakistan Sign Language Network. Highlights include establishing eight deaf churches, including several where the deaf are leading.
It has been very encouraging to see more parents accepting their deaf child as a different language speaker, rather than a disabled person who cannot do anything.
We have trained 14 Pakistani deaf trainers, who are now training other deaf people on the Word of God. We have also mentored over 20 deaf worship leaders and begun translating Bible stories into Pakistan Sign Language. It has been very encouraging to see more parents accepting their deaf child as a different language speaker, rather than a disabled person who cannot do anything.
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Each of these stories was recorded in the Storytelling Booths at the Fourth Lausanne Congress in Incheon, South Korea, in September 2024.