Remembering My Friend Eric

Forward this email to a Friend Dear Friends, My first full-time job was in a sign shop in Maine. I worked my way through the ranks, and after five years was promoted to shop foreman. One of my employees, Eric, was a hard worker and eager to learn. In fact, if  you looked in from the outside, you would have thought he was the best worker in the company. However, Eric had a challenge. He was deaf. He couldn't communicate with the other workers, and few of them wanted to work with him. Some feared if he couldn't hear the machinery, the workplace was too dangerous for him. His co-workers often made fun of him. Sometimes he knew they were laughing at him and other times he did not. For the most part he didn't let it bother him, but I could often see the pain and sadness in Eric's face.   For the most part, he didn't let it bother him, but I could often see the pain and sadness in Eric's face. As a young adult, there were times that I found myself joining in the ridicule. I am ashamed to admit it now, and my heart still aches over it. I asked God to forgive me more times than I can count. When Eric's counselor (who was fluent in sign language) came in for his review, I asked Eric to forgive me for the times I had made fun of him and committed I wouldn't do it again. Again, I am ashamed even now to reflect on my past actions. After asking Eric to forgive me, (which he gladly did) we became friends. Like me, he was a Christian. He began to teach me some basic sign language, and I taught him some higher-level sign-making skills. I left the sign company a few years later for full-time ministry with Pastor Wurmbrand and The Voice of the Martyrs. I will always remember the joy of befriending Eric and the pain of my shameful behavior. It is a bittersweet memory. I have not had the privilege of working with a deaf person since.   I will always remember the joy of befriending Eric and the pain of my shameful behavior.   As Christian movie producers, we often forget about the deaf. We add closed-captioning to our films, but words on the screen are not the heart language of the deaf community. Sign language is. In fact, outside of The Jesus Film, I have not been able to find another feature length Christian film that includes sign language! Why are we not reaching the deaf community in their heart language? It is actually less expensive to add sign language to a film than it is to dub into a spoken language. There are an estimated 70 million deaf people in the world, and the vast majority are considered unreached. SIL International has identified 135 sign languages, and there are potentially over 300. We are already in production of The Pilgrim's Progress in the American Sign Language (ASL). This week, we contracted to add the Persian Sign Language "PSL" to the film, and we will continue to partner with ministries around the world to add more sign languages.    There are an estimated 70 million deaf people in the world. The vast majority are considered unreached. When we add a sign language, we look for multiple actors. We place them around the screen in appropriate areas instead of locked in a corner of the screen, and you can see a sample of our format here.  View a Sample of ASL Sign Language in The Pilgrim's Progress Trailer We have also committed to add sign language to iBIBLE. In many countries including Muslim nations, the deaf community can be neglected and discriminated against. We can show them Christ's love in their heart language – Sign Language! Your support helps us translate The Pilgrim's Progress and iBIBLE (once released) into the world's living languages including as many sign languages as possible. If you are interested in sponsoring a sign language, please write to us. Perhaps my time with Eric taught me more than I ever realized. Thanks Eric! Together, we can reach the unreached. Have a Blessed Sunday! Steve Cleary CEO/Founder RevelationMedia Support The Pilgrim's Progress and Receive Two Free DVDs Become an iBIBLE Producer Copyright © 2020 RevelationMedia, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you opted in via our website. Our mailing address is: RevelationMedia PO Box 518 McKinney, Texas 75070 Add us to your address book Want to change how you receive these emails? You can *update your preferences or *unsubscribe from this list.

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