The Ministry of the Adventist Deaf in Spain is established as a Global Mission project, belonging to the Inter-European division, whose objective is to reach Deaf people with the message of the Gospel, and achieve their full integration in their churches, breaking the communication barriers through the formation of their community and personal work with them.
The Deaf have, because of their deafness, a particular culture; a way of understanding the different world and a different form of communication. It is as if they were citizens of another country, but they live among us in every region, city and town in the world.
When Christ said to his disciples (message that also comes to us today) "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit" (Matthew 28:19). ) was including Deaf people. They also have the right to Salvation, and we have the duty to bring them the Gospel.
St. Mark 16:15 says it in another way: "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature." And Revelation 14: 6 reminds us in more detail how to do it. "I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven, who had the everlasting gospel to preach to the inhabitants of the earth, to every nation, tribe, language and people."
The Ministry of the Deaf in Spain, in the figure of its director Taida Rivero, dedicates its efforts to attend this group, and not only in the spiritual part, but also in the personal, caring for the personal needs of each Deaf and his family.
There are many difficulties that Deaf people must face, not only in the church, but also in society, so that the Ministry of the Deaf in Spain, in the figure of its director Taida Rivero, besides giving Bible studies; prepare evangelism campaigns specially designed to reach Deaf people; train the churches, and the deaf themselves who need it, in LSE (Spanish Sign Language); raise awareness among pastors and churches of the needs of Deaf people and train them in the correct way to meet and interact with them so that they feel comfortable in the church and do not abandon it; train volunteers to work with Deaf people; interpret cults and national events of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Spain, also those of education and health; encourage sports teams to motivate Deaf people, etc. has helped the Adventist Deaf, and supporters, in tasks as complicated and necessary as assistance in childbirth, to help in the communication between the Deaf mother and the doctors, which causes so much stress for the mother because of the inability to communicate nor understand what they say; has served women who have experienced tragedies such as abortion, and has helped them find peace in Christ; and has developed an extraordinary work of family orientation in the case of hearing parents with Deaf children and vice versa.
The Deaf need special and specialized attention. Pastors, churches, and even families themselves, need LSE and Deaf culture training to access Deaf people and love them as they need; to be able to bring them closer to Christ, as they deserve and allow them to be part, integrated, of the Adventist churches in Spain.
As agents of God, we are called to collaborate in the salvation of all people, also of deaf people and those with other disabilities, using all possible tools, and being aware that the workers for this ministry are still few. The Ministry of the Deaf in Spain only has the figure of its director, since the voluntary collaborators, who she forms and trains, respond to the extent of the responsibility and the individual capacity of each one of them. Despite this, Taida Rivero continues to work with enthusiasm for and for the Deaf, with a special emphasis on young people, the present and the future of our church. That is why he devotes part of his effort to involve them in activities for young people, especially in sports, such as volleyball or soccer rallies held at the CEAS (Sagunto Adventist College). It should be noted that it has been 3 years in a row that a large group of girls and boys who are deaf participate in these sports activities, in addition to the formation of two teams, one male and one female.
The interesting thing about these activities is that Deaf people are mobilized in an extraordinary way to call their deaf friends to participate in the championships, apart from the beautiful teachings that these activities leave in their hearts: The first, that winning is not the important thing , but participate and sensitize the listeners that the Deaf can play in equal conditions, (is admirethe strength with which they struggle to achieve this goal). Second, the desire to be examples of fair play. The teams of Deaf Ministries, every year, win the fans by their way of playing honestly and humbly. And third, and therefore no less important, the hope that springs up in the heart of each of those who participate, and of the Adventist hobby itself, which shows the character of Christ and his love for others. This is why, more and more, there are more Deaf people who know the Lord, and the Seventh-day Adventist Church, and more and more visits are being made to Deaf people who want to know Christ. Let us continue to pray, and support, this Ministry as important as it is necessary.
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