Two years ago, there was no evangelical, Deaf church in Slovenia. The Bible didn’t even exist in Slovenian Sign Language. But International Mission Board missionaries Mark and Vesta Sauter, who lead the IMB’s church planting efforts among the Deaf, understood that there’s a direct correlation between church planting and Bible translation. They set out to translate Scripture into Slovenian Sign Language. Now, there’s a growing church plant in the country.   

Ray, a Deaf man who grew up in Communist governed Yugoslava and moved to Slovenia as an adult, had questions about the faith. Why were Bibles forbidden in his home country? What truth, if any, was in them? Once the wall came down, his family aligned with the Orthodox church. Still, with no Deaf church or no Bible in his heart language, questions swirled.   

Ondrej Klofac, a Deaf church planter from Czechia, attended the Global Senders Forum in Asia. The forum helped sending organizations understand the importance of planting Deaf-led churches among the world’s global Deaf population.

“I kept an imaginary notebook in my back pocket all my life,” he later told his missionary friends. He filled this imaginary notebook with weighty questions like “Who is God?” “What does it really mean to follow Him?” “What purpose does He have for me?”  

But with no Scripture in his heart language, it was hard to get answers.   

When he met the Sauters, everything changed. He saw the gospel upon the hands of the missionaries and understood it. 

They’d long had a burden to reach the Deaf in Slovenia, as well as the other Balkan countries. Without a clear starting point, they sensed God’s call to share Bible stories, translate Scripture into local sign languages, and hopefully see a Deaf-led church there someday. They began translating Scripture into Slovenian Sign Language. 

IMB volunteer Kevlasha Humphrey translates Bible stories into sign language at an event in West Africa. IMB Photo

The missionaries and their partners from other European countries hosted a Bible translation event. At this event and others like it, people from the local Deaf community were invited to come together to learn, in their heart language, what the Bible had to say. Even though they weren’t believers, the local Deaf were enthusiastic about being involved out of sheer curiosity for a religious text being translated into their language. Later a handful of those interested were recruited to help the missionaries and partners workshop how best to tell the Bible stories in Slovenian Sign Language.  

After Ray attended the first training, he realized he’d gotten answers to his questions.   

The missionaries walked him through concepts like Jesus being the Bread of Life, the Way, the Truth and the Life; and the Water of Life. They use pneumonic devices to demonstrate that a believer must build his or her life on the Rock — Jesus. Starting with basic gospel principles and building on that foundation, the missionaries marry evangelism and discipleship as they work on finessing their translations.   

And, as they worked on translations together, through Bible stories, Ray knew he needed a Savior. And that Savior was Jesus.   

“I trust Jesus now! I know Jesus now!” he told the missionaries. He pulled out his imaginary question-ridden notebook, pretended to toss it in the air, and signed, “I found the truth!” He then asked if he could tell these stories to people. That’s exactly what the missionaries wanted.   

Ray’s wife, Rachel, also put her trust in Jesus, as well as their friends, Dasia and Gabor.   

Now, they’re not only involved in the Scripture translation project, but all four new believers have been baptized. They gather weekly to share Scripture with other Deaf, and their group is growing. At another more recent event, two Deaf Slovenian women saw the gospel signed in their language for the first time. They believed and were baptized. This group of new believers continues to gather weekly to study Scripture and is moving to become the first Deaf church in Slovenia. 

Translation of Bible stories into local sign languages remains a focus for IMB missionaries and their ministry partners. IMB Photo

Mark explained, “The seeds of church planting are inextricably linked to Bible translation. Once you get one of them going well and tie it with the other, you can see some acceleration.”

It’s often easy to get non-believers to help with translation projects because, in the Deaf community, a Bible translation offers some “foundation and validity” to their sign language.   

He added, “They feel like they should have a Bible in their own sign language. Often, they’ll get behind it and promote it, even if they are not going to be a follower. It’s a slow process, and you’ve got to really depend heavily on nationals.”   

But the growing fellowship in Slovenia is proof that following the leading of God to translate the Bible into the heart language of the Deaf can lead to new fellowships sprouting.   

Pray for

• the Deaf Slovenian Christians as they set healthy roots for a church and as they reach others with the gospel.  
• Thank God for IMB missionaries among the Deaf and ask God to send more workers, both hearing and Deaf, who will plant their lives among the Deaf cultures. 
• Scripture translations in every sign language so that all Deaf will have access to the gospel in a way they can understand it. Ask God to plant Deaf-led churches among the lost. 

The work of the IMB is sustained through faithful giving of Southern Baptists through the Cooperative Program and the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering®.