The Unreached

I started this blog almost seven months ago and am just now getting to write my second post. Fall semester I was extremely busy with being in the school of music and trying to keep up with the massive amounts of work and practicing required of us. It was ridiculous.

However, over Christmas break I decided to change my major to Deaf Education. Before this switch I was extremely stressed out. I was having a lot of panic attacks and really struggling with my grades. Since changing my major, I have not had any academic related panic attacks and I have been able to actually enjoy some of my classes, not to mention the fact that I was actually able to have a social life. I say all this to emphasize that I really feel that I am finally doing what God wants me to do.

This journey for me has not been easy. I have been a “Christian” since I was 11 years old, but it has only been recently that I have felt a real connection with God. Throughout middle school and high school my dad has dealt with many illnesses. It all started with migraines, diabetes, bipolar disorder, depression, several cases of pancreatitis, apparently un-diagnosable stomach pains, and more. Having to see my dad go through all of this, having to help my mom raise my brother and sister, and having to deal with the horror that is middle and high school was extremely hard for me. I mean, I sucked it up and did the best I could. I played the stereotypical Christian “goody-two-shoes” role during high school, and most people believed it. However, what most people didn’t know was that I really was ignoring God. I was mad at Him for a really long time and am still working through that even today.

Since I started college, I have been able to really find myself and evaluate what exactly it means for me to be a Christian. This new freedom along with the help of people at FBC Greensboro and UNCG’s most recent campus minster, I have been able to discover and connect with God on a much deeper level than ever before. It is the most amazing feeling knowing that even though I ignored and shunned God for so many years, He is always there calling out to me and waiting to receive me with open arms. I love it!

Because of my deepening relationship with Christ, I have been able to get more excited about future ministry opportunities. I feel that God is calling me to eventually go overseas and minster to deaf people in other countries. When I think about the possibilities I am just overwhelmed.

The other day I was researching deaf ministries and I came across some incredible information. There are over 300 million deaf people in the world. If they were all put together, they would form the fourth largest unreached people group in the world. Only 2% of them claim to be Christians. Wow – only 2%. When I look at these numbers, I am devastated to know that there are so many deaf people who don’t know Christ, but I am also challenged to help change those numbers.

There are a significant amount of resources for deaf people in the United States, but what about countries where Christianity is looked down upon or even punishable by death? They have to depend on missionaries that we send to share the gospel with them. Now, just think for a minute. How many missionaries do you know or have heard of that can communicate with deaf people? Not many. It’s hard enough for hearing people to hear the gospel, but when you throw in the inability to hear period, the situation becomes even more challenging.

God calls us to “go and make disciples of all nations,” not just the most convenient ones. What have you done to answer God’s call? Although, I feel God has called me to go overseas and reach those people, that does not mean that I can also ignore the people on my campus, in my neighborhood, and even in my home. A lot of times we tend to overlook what is right in front of us, whether it’s because we are too scared or because we just don’t recognize it. We have to remember though, that even though some of us are called to go overseas as missionaries, many of us are called to be missionaries right here at home. So I challenge all of you to really evaluate your current situation. Are there people around you who need the love of Christ? If so, what are you waiting for? God did not say “go tomorrow,” He just said “go” and that’s what we should all do – go and do as God has commanded.