Deaf but Not Silent: Reaching the Unheard with God’s Word

MAN ON A MISSION

Brandon Gaskin is a young, confident, African American man with a million-dollar smile. He is a successful graphic designer who loves coffee, exploring coffee shops, and taking long walks with his dog. He is a Christian who exudes a joy and peace rarely seen in today’s Millennials. Brandon is also Deaf, but that has never slowed him down.  His latest project is very close to his heart.  His mission? To bring the Gospel to the most unreached people group in the world; his own community, the Deaf.  Brandon says, “98 percent of the Deaf community have never heard the gospel!”         

BRANDON WAS HOME GROWN WITH STRONG ROOTS

Brandon was raised in a family where everyone could hear but him.  They always encouraged his uniqueness, and his mother searched for the best schools to ensure her son succeeded. In Brandon’s case, the best school was not a Deaf school, but a public school. He calls it, “going mainstream.” He was also taken to a “hearing' "church.  He says, “I knew about Jesus and God and the Holy Spirit, but I never fully comprehended the Gospel found in the Bible.  Yet, he believes the freedom to go “mainstream” laid a good foundation for him later in life. Brandon had some hearing in his right ear and a hearing aid to improve it.  He explains, “I could hear sounds, I could hear the teachers talking, and the chatter of other students.” Fortunately, he was never bullied, but he did feel different and a little excluded from some activities. That is when his mother decided Brandon needed to experience another culture.  She enrolled him in a school with a program for Deaf students. There, Brandon learned sign language, and some surprising things about the deaf community. For example, they distinguish themselves as either a capital “D” deaf person or a lower case “d” deaf person. The former is heavily involved in the culture, the values, and the “language” of deafness. The lower “Ds are not as educated in the culture of deafness, nor do they want to be. Brandon learned there is some bias against a person, like himself, who has minimal hearing, in one ear, and went “mainstream.” “The deaf community thinks you are trying to act like a hearing person, but you are deaf. That is offensive to them,” he shares. After interacting with the deaf community for several months, Brandon began to question his identity.        

IDENTITY FOUND WHERE HE NEVER EXPECTED 

When Bradon was in high school, he was invited to church by an interpreter. He explains, “I went to a Deaf church for the first time in my teens. I saw God’s word in sign language. It changed my entire life. Everything was in sign language. I was blown away. I thought, ‘I want to be here, I want to get involved.’ The more I learned about Jesus through sign language, the more I fell in love with Him.”  Brandon read the scripture of the exchange between Moses and God in Exodus 4:11. It's part of the burning bush encounter, where God calls Moses to lead the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt. Moses expresses his reluctance and self-doubt to God, claiming he's "slow of speech and of a slow tongue." God responds, "Who has made man's mouth? Or who makes the dumb, or Deaf, or the seeing, or the blind? Have not I the Lord?"  Brandon was struck with the Love of God—knowing that God created him the way he is and that the Lord can use him to reach others. 

When people ask Brandon about himself, he says, “I tell them I am a Christian first.” Brandon also learned different facts about the Deaf community and some very sobering statistics. Around 80% of the Deaf population live in low to middle-income neighborhoods. Many are socially isolated because of stigma and prejudice.  Often, the children of the Deaf are language-deprived. Many Deaf adults are unemployed or underemployed because they were excluded from the education that could have landed them higher-paying jobs. Yet, Brandon was most shocked to learn that 98% of the Deaf have never heard the Gospel. He says, “That’s when my identity, mission, and calling became crystal clear.”             

BRANDON NOW ON A SUPER CHARGED MISSION

Brandon became a voice to hearing world churches. He told them, “We must make reaching and engaging the Deaf a top priority. Don’t relegate the Deaf to a tiny corner of the church.” After 20 years, the Deaf community in America finally has a Bible completely in sign language. Brandon says, “We must teach them how to study God’s word and apply it in their lives. We need to make Deaf disciples who go forth to make other Deaf disciples.”

Brandon is quick to point out that four hundred Deaf people groups worldwide do not have a full Bible in their heart and sign language, though some have half or parts of the Bible. Brandon exhorts the hearing church, “Embrace the Deaf community. I do not need you to pray for the healing of my ears, I need the church to come alongside me to help.”

He's excited that there is now a movie called “Jesus” completely in ASL; a film made by the Deaf, for the 
Deaf with more spiritual resources in sign language in the works.

For more information on the Deaf Millennial Project click the LINK!

CREDITS
Founder and Executive Director, the “Deaf Millennial Project;” Global Deaf Catalyst, Converge  
International; International Speaker, graphic designer, and social media spokesperson.