Colombian Christian Mission

DEAF MINISTRIES

DeWayne Liebrandt has been traveling to Colombia for several years now working with the deaf ministry in Colombia. Here is his story.

Every time I come to Colombia, I am more and more impressed with the progress being made by the Deaf Ministries at the Normandia church. God is using this ministry to touch so many lives for the cause of Christ, both deaf and hearing.
Dale contacted me back in 1998 to encourage me to come to Colombia to provide a ministry to the deaf. From then on, every time we met, Dale would encourage me to come and help. Finally in early 2006 it became possible for me to visit Colombia to see what the Lord had for us to do. I was so impressed with the spiritual strength of the Churches that Colombian Christian Mission had established and their dedication to reach lost souls for Christ. Dale and I researched what was happening and what needed to be done. We then set out a plan of action which to this day has not varied much. God blessed both of us with so much insight right from the beginning, it is all for God’s praise and glory that any of this has happened! Amen!

The Goals of the Deaf Ministries in Colombia are to:
- Have three Deaf Church Services within the city of Bogota´
- Provide Sign Language instruction within existing churches.
- Provide a Bible College education for William (the deaf preacher) and God’s other chosen leaders within the church.
- Reach into other major metropolitan areas of Colombia as the Lord directs.
- Provide Christian based educational opportunities for deaf children at Colegio Peniel.
- Find creative ways for this ministry to financially support itself from within Colombia.
- Produce and distribute video materials for spiritual growth of the deaf.

To achieve these goals, a ministry outreach seed was planted in 2007. By early 2008, God brought us in contact with William Mora. From then on, the ministry has exploded. Dale and I worked with William to teach him Biblical Christian Doctrine and Theology which when practiced would produce eternal fruit within the deaf community. This William has done with a servant’s attitude. The deaf church was initiated in March 2008. By the time of my next visit in August of 2008, William had a regular group of 20 in attendance. This has grown to the point where in February 2009 there is an average attendance of 30. Lives are being touched and great spiritual progress is being made. For this we Praise the Lord!
Has everything been perfect and rosy? No! There have been bumps and problems along the way. How we deal and learn from those shows our unity, love, and concern for out brothers and sisters in Christ. Each of them are opportunities whereby people grow and become challenged to look beyond themselves for the benefit of the kingdom of Christ. These are growth opportunities that have been grasped and learned from. Each time problems and or sufferings do happen, we need to look at them as opportunities to grow beyond ourselves and take on more of the attitude of Christ. This has been what is being experienced within the Normandia church in Colombia; growth opportunities!

As a missionary who has done deaf ministries overseas since 1989, I Praise God regularly for the vision, dedication, and persistence of Dale Meade in his quest to see a viable deaf ministry in Colombia. I thank the Lord for providing this ministry with such a person as William Mora; a deaf man of deaf parents who has such a hunger and thirst for the Word of God and a deep desire to share the Gospel with each and every deaf person in Colombia. William's passion for evangelism is truly an encouragement for all believers in Christ. It is my prayer that everyone who reads about this ministry will thank God for reaching down to these people. A people group who in most parts of the world is sadly and historically overlooked, but not in Colombia any more. Praise God!

One in Christ,
Dewayne Liebrandt
Assistant Director
Deaf Ministries International

WILLIAM'S ORDINATION

This morning I took Dewayne Liebrandt to the airport for his return to the United States. We finished up what was nearly three hectic weeks of intense activity as we worked diligently to move the deaf church forward to greater maturity and increased autonomy. As the church has grown, so have the new leaders we have been training to lead that church. As the attendance has climbed above thirty deaf members and they are depending less and less on the hearing church, we took the next critical step.

During the time that Dewayne was here, we worked with great intensity in the training and in doctrinal teaching with William Mora, the man who is working as the preacher of the deaf church. He is a deaf individual born to deaf parents. This means that he has learned and used sign language from infancy. This gives him an impressive command of sign language that deaf children born to hearing parents often do not have. He has also shown a sharp intellect and great desire to learn. Teaching classes often go far beyond what we had planned as he questions the implications of what he is learning and as he searches his Bible to confirm the scriptural foundations of these teachings.

After two full weeks of intensive teaching and nearly a year of weekly Bible classes, he has shown significant growth in both his Biblical knowledge and his preaching and teaching skills. There were other new leaders coming along as well and there is now a noticeable participation in the direction of the new church as the growing Christians become more directly involved. We felt the church was ready for the next step: the ordination of the very first deaf preacher in Colombia.

We consulted with the elders of the Normandia Christian Church and they were in agreement. We made plans for the ceremony and informed the deaf community of the significant event. On February 22 we ordained William Mora as the Elder/Pastor of the deaf church and as one of the elders of the larger Normandia Christian Church. He will serve with the other elders and have the primary responsibility of leading the deaf church. We hope to move forward and have other deaf elders as soon as possible, but at the moment, this is a significant step forward.

We moved on faith as there is not yet sufficient support to take these steps and move the deaf church forward so quickly. Yet God is blessing and guiding this work and so we could not put the brakes on it either. The fact that unemployment is over ninety percent in the deaf community, they are not able to cover their own expenses as quickly as it the hearing church. Dewayne Liebrandt and Deaf Ministries International have been providing most of the financial and technical support up till now. We thank them for that as we could never have moved this quickly on our own. But we do ask that you support this important outreach both with your prayers and love offerings as the Gospel is now open to a new segment of the population here in Colombia.

If you would like to support this and other ministries of the Colombian Christian Mission donations can be sent to:
Colombian Christian Mission
Post Office Box 95
Rittman, OH 44270-0095

COLEGIO PENIEL

It’s time to head back to school at Colegio Peniel
It’s that time of year again in Colombia, back to school (their school year are opposite ours, Feb-Nov). With the beginning of the school year it’s time once again for us to start finding sponsors for all of the students. If you would like to sponsor the same student again this coming year let us know, we’ll save them for you. If you would like to sponsor a new student, we can send you some information about our scholarship program. This program is perfect for Sunday School classes, VBS’s and children’s church. Make a difference in the life of a poor Colombian child, give them the hope of a brighter future. Join our Colegio Peniel Scholarship Progam. For more information contact me through the contact form above or at:
CCM Scholarship Program
PO BOX 95
Rittman, OH 44270