In a miraculous turn of events, a Deaf Muslim man embraced Christianity after a friend invited him to a church where he was introduced to a sign language translation of the Scriptures for the first time.
"I know God used my friend to invite me to church today," the man, Ayo, was quoted as saying, according to the online blog of Wycliffe Associates, the world's leading Bible translation organization. "I have never been to a Christian church before. I have grown up as a Muslim. I mostly go to the mosque with my family; I have to, since my family expects me to. But, as you know, there is nothing that I gain by attending the prayers."
Ayo said that while attending services at a mosque, nobody was able to converse with him in sign language. He added that no one at the mosque "cares about teaching me."
"Today I felt at home. I understood everything going on here," Ayo added. "The approach to teaching God's Word has touched my heart. I have clearly seen myself in the life of the prodigal son. God touched me. I feel very much at peace."
After being impressed with the truth of the Gospel, Ayo said he is confident God loves him no matter what his weaknesses are.
"I have made up my mind to follow Jesus Christ, as taught today from God's Word," Ayo said. "I know God accepts me just as the father accepted the prodigal son when he came back home. Please pray for me. I know there will be much opposition from my family and friends."
Ayo's miraculous story brings to mind Isaiah 29:18, which reads, "On that day the deaf will hear words of a book, And out of their gloom and darkness the eyes of the blind will see."
According to statistics, out of an estimated 250 to 300 million Deaf people in the world, only 2% of them have been introduced to the Gospel. In addition, there are 400 to 500 different sign languages around the world - but Bible has not been translated into most of these sign languages.
In its blog post, Wycliffe Associates said: "Each Deaf community has a unique sign language and culture of their own. It's our vision to see God's word reach each of these languages for the sake of people like Ayo. Please pray with us that God would raise up deaf leaders to take on the challenge of translating the Scriptures for their communities."
