Translating the Bible into Sign Language
The Carpenters’ Son Foundation board members Fred Doeze Jager and René Kolsters, together with his son Thomas, travelled to Jordan at the end of June 2021 to meet people from the foundation’s network, and to make an inventory of potential projects. Below you will find the fifth part of their travel report:
“Today we are visiting the Peace Dove for the Deaf. This club for the Deaf was founded by Sahel, a former student of the Holy Land Institute for the Deaf (HLID). Brother Andrew taught him a lot about the Bible and with that knowledge he went on to translate the Bible into Sign Language through the translation company he founded. They have also released the ‘Jesus-movie’ in a special Deaf translation. And they are currently working on translating the Gospels to Sign Language as well.
In creative ways they try to make Bible texts more accessible to the Deaf. For example, they are now working on the color Bible, which indicates in color who says what and what kind of subject the words refer to. This makes it easier for Deaf people to better understand the written language that is usually difficult for them.
In addition, they also organize camps for the Deaf, where there is room for relaxation, but above all knowledge is shared. Sahel’s son Yousef also works in the company. Two years ago, The Carpenter’s Son also visited the Peace Dove for the Deaf. The passing of Brother Andrew has only strengthened the bond between us. In any case, we are going to investigate what we can do for each other”
“We are going to investigate what we can do for each other”