Hello! I would like to introduce myself. My name is Kathryn Montoya. I am originally from Manhattan Beach, California, but have lived in Burley, Idaho for the past several years. In the fourth grade I read a story about the famous Deaf-Blind woman Helen Keller and fell madly in love with the Deaf and the Deaf -Blind. I began to learn American Sign Language at age 9 and continued on through college. I began to minister to the Deaf in our local church, Calvary Baptist, and started doing research on Deaf Ministries throughout the U.S. and foreign countries as well. Ray and I then began to see what ministries for the Deaf were offered through our nation and found very few. This is when we heard God calling us to reach out to the Deaf through CB Deaf Ministry and help churches begin Deaf Ministries. We are going to begin doing this in the North West region and hope to expand it throughout the United States soon. We would also like to see missionaries for the Deaf in foreign countries such as Mexico, India and the Philippines. We realize this is a big undertaking, but we know that with God, all things are possible.

American Sign Language is the third most used language in the United States today (English and Spanish being the first and second respectively). There are over 300 million Deaf people in the world yet only 2% of them claim to be Christian. If all of the Deaf were put together they would form the fourth largest unreached (or unevangelized) people group in the world. Just like other missions, they have their own language and culture, but they live in our neighborhoods. People don’t have to move to a third world country to reach one of the largest unreached people groups in the world!

We would like to quote one of our Deaf newsletters; "There are 24,000 mission organizations and 5,104,000 people in full-time ministry… How many full-time people are in Deaf ministry? The numbers are grievously low! Ten years ago at a Deaf conference one speaker shared that there were only 300 full-time worker in Deaf ministry around the world". These numbers are shocking! But they are true, so many people in the United States either misunderstand the Deaf or just ignore them. This just should not be so within our churches. Hearing people need to realize the need for the Deaf to "hear" the gospel, the Good News of Jesus Christ!

I would like to close by sharing a sad story with you. A few weeks ago we visited a Deaf ministry in a Southern Baptist church in Salt Lake City, Ut. The people were wonderful and the church is very supportive of this ministry. They informed us however, that their ministry is very challenging. Because services are very scarce for the Deaf among Christian churches, many of the Deaf have gone to the Mormon church where services and fellowship is ample for the Deaf. In Salt Lake City alone there are four wards (Mormon churches) with well over 250 Deaf people. Many of these 250 Deaf people were raised in Catholic, Baptist, and other faith backgrounds. Many of these people have no choice, but to attend the Mormon church, if they want to attend church because the only church in their area with services for the Deaf was Mormon. We have seen this happen to families from Christian backgrounds where we live in Burley.

Several years ago there was absolutely no Christian church with a Deaf ministry in this part of Idaho, so they went to the Mormon church where the services were offered. They are now so indoctrinated (and their children too as they did not have a Christian upbringing) that reaching out to these people is very difficult. First Baptist Church in Burley, Idaho is the only church offering services for the Deaf in the two counties of Cassia and Minidoka where over 50,000 people live. This situation is not uncommon throughout the United States. If CB Deaf Ministry can equip other churches to begin deaf ministries we will be allowing the Deaf of several communities the chance to "hear" the truth!

"For God so loved the (Deaf) world that He gave His only begotten son, and whosoever believes in Him, will not perish, but have everlasting life" John 3:16 God has commissioned us to give the Deaf the opportunity to have everlasting life! The chance for them to hear the truth is literally in our hands ! The Lord said "what so ever you do to the least of my brother that you do unto me."

Please pray for this ministry and seek God’s will for your life and your church regarding the Deaf. God bless you all!

Christ’s servant,
Kathryn Montoya