A group of women sit cosily over tea at the weekly women's morning at pioneer spot The Poster in Veenendaal. This morning, they talk to each other about parenting. When the women occasionally have trouble explaining what they mean in Dutch, the interpreter comes to the rescue. Then they listen together to the story of Isaac and Rebekah, told by intern Hannah.
Hannah Bout is studying Missionary Work at Evangelical College. 'I am missionary out of a desire for people to come to know Jesus. I am taking this course because I want to be theologically educated for my work in the missionary world. In the future, I would like to approach deaf communities in the Islamic world, but before that I would like to gain some more experience with the culture.'
Telling with gestures
The women's morning at The Poster is a good opportunity to get to know Muslim women of different nationalities and their cultures. During her internship, Hannah rotates with the volunteers on the women's morning. One week sewing and chatting, another week a theme with a Bible story.
As a matter of course, Hannah supports the narration of Isaac and Rebekah's family life with gestures and vivid facial expressions. Sign language is the main language at her home because her husband is deaf. She is also involved daily in her work at Wycliffe Bible translators for sign languages. The women on this morning are not deaf, but the gestures visibly help them understand the story better. "They understand you much better than me!" observes one of the volunteers enthusiastically.
Testifying on an equal footing
'The Poster is a pioneering place, so my main job is to be there for people. That's harder than it seems. You really have to connect, take a genuine interest in the other person. Equality is very important. I learned here that you can really name what you stand for, while still seeing the other person. You don't have to be afraid of questions, you don't have to be frenetic. For example, every other week there is a lunch here where many Muslims come. We pray before dinner and a few Muslims asked if they could also be given an opportunity to pray. From your desire to respect people, you are quick to allow that, but they were not given that space. Of course, if you think about it for a moment, this is not strange at all. In an Islamic prayer house, it is not allowed to say the Lord's Prayer either, they understood that themselves.
Dare
My desire is to get people to know Jesus in the deaf community. For that, I want to do whatever needs to be done, build bridges. I have the conviction that if God asks this of me, He also provides opportunities to do it. It's not that there is then a worked-out plan ready to go, it goes on as it goes, it grows.
If you have met God, something has changed in your life. You are no longer the same and you get to bear witness to that. I honestly cannot imagine not doing so. Dare to spread the gospel, you have news for the world!'
Hannah Bout, consultant Bible use for sign languages i.o., Wycliffe Bible Translators
