Prayer & Praise

Praise God for His provision, faithfulness and the miracles He performs daily
Pray for new sources of support and for us to use it very wisely. May we see God at work in these difficult times
Give thanks for the many DMI outreaches
Continue to pray for the Burma situation and protection for the church there
Pray for all the DMI workers and that they will receive the encouragement to press on during these hard times

Dear Friends and Supporters,

Uganda

Our famous - much prayed for, prayed over, watched and fought over - container finally made it to Uganda. By truck, boat, train and then truck again, the container made its way to its destination city - Kampala, Uganda. Our main concern at the time was that it would successfully sail through the pirate infested waters off Somalia without being hijacked. Many groups of people were praying that all would go smoothly, which it did, until it reached the customs inspection in Uganda. We were informed by the Customs Dept. that a US$22,000 duty needed to be paid for the container to be released. Horror - we did not have that kind of money ! For two weeks our workers went back and forth to government offices, argued, pleaded and continued to pray.

A team of volunteers, lead by Lloyd Osborn from the US, had arrived to put the prefabricated bits together. With the exception of Lloyd who is still there, the team had to return home as there was nothing to put together! Their time was not wasted I am happy to say as they were able to alter the slab and build a retaining wall at the back of the property . When we were finally at wits end, God performed the miracle we had been praying for. The container was released with a ‘face-saving’ payment of US$1,000 - being for duty on the container itself. The road down to the property was impossibly narrow so (as you can see) the truck was unloaded by a group of grateful and happy deaf young men & women who carried the contents the remaining distance to the site. The flat packs are being assembled by another group who have arrived from the US. Hopefully next newsletter will show a photo of the finished product.

Korea

Here we sit with the current leadership of the Inchon Deaf Church and their spouses, dressed for thue occasion in Korean 'Hanbok'.

Pastor Kim Yong Whan (right) with newly ordained elders and family members. Mr Cho Nam Gyu is also president of the Deaf Association in Inchon.

In April Lill and I were treated to a trip to Japan and Korea, by the deacons of the Inchon Church, to help celebrate the 30th anniversary of both DMI and the Inchon Church. We were treated like royalty during the two-week stay in Korea.
It was a wonderful celebration, spread over the weekend, when we could again express thanks to God for His faithfulness and provision over all these years. It was fun looking at old photos and being constantly reminded to loose weight! I was also able to visit Taejon, Chuncheon and Seoul renewing many contacts and friendships. The Inchon Church was filled to overflowing for a special anniversary service. Close circuit TV was set-up to transmit the event to another room for the remainder of the guests.

Kim Kwang Sok

Kim Kwang Sok is now our contact person for DMI Korea. We are blessed to be able to use his office and services as DMI Korea takes off again as a mission organization in Korea. In the days to come we are going to introduce the sponsorship program in Korea and hopefully tap into the many resources there, to get the Word of God to the deaf internationally from Korea.

Opunu Sag - Kene Dennis - Testimony

Bacolod 10th Anniversary

I was born in September 1978. The actual date is not known because my parents did not have the capacity to keep records of this nature. Born in a small village of Amolari, Bar-yao parish, Omoro sub-county, Otuke County, in Lira District, along Kotido Road. It goes without saying that I am Langi, and therefore Ugandan. I am the second born in a family of 5, 3 boys and 2 girls. My late parents were Mr. Okello Jackson and Amolo Lilly. I was born normal and without any defect. I started my primary education in 1985, in one of the orphanage schools called Olaka Boarding Primary School. I am told that I was very intelligent and doing very well both academically and in extra curricular activities at school. One night while I was asleep, I was attacked by cerebral malaria and I was rushed to Lira Hospital in critical condition, and quickly admitted. I spent a considerably long time unconscious and all this time I was being fed through the nose. After recovering from the malaria, I developed some complications. I could not talk well, could not hear and I got paralysed on my right side. I could not walk for almost two years. I was, however, able to narrate my experience to those around, although, through much difficulty. On that fateful night, I dreamt that I was fighting with some evil powers and was only rescued by the angles of God. In the dream I saw spirits of some of our dead relatives, all skeletons and were trying to pull me towards the grave. I shouted “Jesus, Save my life from the grave”. Eventually I saw angels dressed in white and armed with swords coming and chasing these evil spirits away. These evil spirits continued to come back telling me that they wanted to take me with them to save me from suffering, because my parents had both died. The angels continued to control my life until I lost my hearing sense. I realized after about two months that I was in hospital with all the complications, I have up till now. One night I had a dream where I saw a person dressed in white. He came to me and stood beside me, then he woke me up and called me by my nickname, “Night”. This is the name that I am known by, at home. This man asked me, “do you walk; are you interested to go back to school and continue your studies? Sir, I replied. It is almost two years since I last walked and am about to die. What will I benefit from walking?” I asked. “As for my studies”, I replied, “My family is the poorest of all the people around here. We even do not have money to buy food, where will I get money to go back to school”? The man said, “Don’t worry. God knows why He is leading you through this. He knows all your problems. Don’t worry because you lost your parents. It is true that loosing your parents is painful, and parents are the sole source of family. Night, soon you will walk. You will even go and study abroad where your parents could not afford to support you even if they were still alive. Do you believe?” He asked. “Yes, I believe”, I replied. After some years I showed a lot of interest in continuing with my studies. This interest was however met with a lot of financial hardship. This was compounded by the fact that there was no School for the Deaf in the Lira District. One month later, this mans words were fulfilled. I started to walk with both legs although limping due to the paralysis on the right side. The Lord miraculously brought me into contact with Rev David Bulime, The director of Deaf Ministries International, Kampala, Uganda. As I was stranded at home nursing my sorrows, a friend of mine came over one Sunday and encouraged me to go to church, which is a very short distance from home. This church to my surprise is for the deaf but I had never found out. Nobody ever told me so. The land was donated by the Bishop of Lango Diocese. On this miraculous day, there was a reverend from Kampala who was ministering there. I did not want to go there at first but with much encouragement of my friends I accepted. I enter and met this man of God who was making gestures with his hands. I came to learn that this is the sign language for the deaf. After service my friend introduced me to this reverend who happened to be Rev David Bulime. As a result, when I recalled how God rescued my life from death, I decided to surrender my life to God through faith in Jesus. I started attending prayers at the Anglican Church in the area. Later I joined Ngora Boarding primary School for the deaf. After finishing my primary section I enrolled in a secondary School for the deaf in Kenya. After completing form 4, I returned to Uganda and later was enrolled for a course at Immanuel Bible Training Center for the Deaf. Makerere, Kampala. All this time I desired so much to realize my dreams of preaching and teaching the Word of the Lord. Rev Bulime is still pursuing this dream through the guidance of God. He is very interested in my education and I know this is not human wisdom or desires but only God in action. I pray that God may help and enrich Rev. Bulime who took care of me from the time I was very young up till now. All this time my tuition have been sponsored by churches and missions abroad through Deaf Ministries International Australia through the very able and kind hands of Rev. Neville. I can only pray for them that God may reward and bless them greatly. As authorized by myself, Opunu Dag - Kene Dennis.

Typed and edited by my beloved pastor, John AO Okumson

Sadness and rejoicing

Asia

Over the last months we have lost two vital and lovely people who have served God and DMI faithfully for a long period of time. Moon Yong Ja was one of three sisters who started to attend our church in Chuncheon many years ago not long after we started the work there. The three sisters were deaf as well as suffering from a deteriorating muscular disease which eventually crippled them and took their lives. They faithfully attended every meeting they could and actively took part in serving in the church as much as their bodies would allow them to do. There was always a smile, rarely a complaint and never any bitterness or anger because of their affliction. During the days of our sewing workshop in Korea, we set one up in their home where they could work and not have to travel anywhere. As their bodies began to deteriorate even more so, this had to be discontinued as they could no longer cope with the machines or equipment.

The youngest sister died first, soon after we returned to Japan. Myong Ja and Yong Ja then moved into a small flat together and somehow managed. Their father and family deserted them and their mother could not cope with their handicap and condition. The Chuncheon church took responsibility for their care. So it went on for years until just a few months ago when Yong Ja passed into the presence of God. Pneumonia took her in the end. Myong Ja moved into an old people’s home where she is the only deaf person. The guys from the church come each week and carry her out to the car to take her to services, out for lunch and help in as many ways as they can. We laughed together thinking of Yong Ja and her sister dancing before God’s throne in heaven, something they could never do here on earth.

Australia

While we were in Korea we were shocked to hear of the passing of Aaron Creswell, a member of our church in Melbourne. Aaron died suddenly of a heart attack at the age of 45. He is survived by his wife Kym and step-children who adored him, Jessy and Jamie. Through the trauma and loss, Jessy recently put her trust in Jesus, so some good has come from the loss. Kym is multiply handicapped and has had a very difficult life but, we have been amazed at her strength and faith through this trial. She has been an inspiration to us all. I know that Kym would appreciate your prayers as the family adjusts to the loss. We miss Aaron’s cheery smile and positive attitude. He was a great supporter of DMI.

Thank you for your continued support during these difficult times.

God Bless, Neville and Lill