Jeff & Melissa Jordan and Noah, Fall 1999

My Testimony - Jeff Jordan, Acworth, GA

It was in 1990 when I received a letter from Union College in Nebraska. I opened the letter wondering if they accepted me to study religion or not. It accepted me! But the letter encouraged me to pick another major where I'd have a promising future. There were only three Deaf pastors in our church in North America. The college was concerned that I'd not get a job as a pastor upon graduation. But hundreds more Deaf pastors were needed to finish the work, I argued.

As I looked back, I was born deaf to hearing parents. When I was a few months old, my Dad watched a TV program about child development. They showed a baby younger than me responding to a bell. The baby's head would turn toward the sound and saw the bell. My Father began to wonder if I had some hearing difficulty because I would not answer to any sound. But sometimes I seemed to answer to sound. For example, my Mother would say, "Jeff, go get your coat." I would run and put my coat on. My parents assumed that I heard them but what they didn't realize was that I responded based on their behavior. I saw them putting their coats on so I copied them.

When I was about two years old, my Mother decided to take me to a certain doctor. The doctor examined me and encouraged me to play with blocks to test my intelligence. So, at home, I loved to play with wooden blocks. I'd stack blocks straight up until it fell down. So my Mother returned to the doctor and told her how well I played with the blocks. The doctor ruled out the possibility of me being mental retarded. The doctor recommended I be taken to a specialist.

My parents took me to an audiologist. The audiologist put me in a sound-proof room with a window between the two rooms. The audiologist and my parents were in another room with the special sound equipment. He turned the sounds on with different decibels and levels to get any response from me. I just stood there not hearing anything. My parents realized that I was profoundly deaf. They cried.

Upon reading a book about faith, my Mother thought that if she had enough faith, God would restore my hearing. So she called a pastor and elders to come and pray over me. They surrounded me and prayed. But nothing happened. God didn't answer their prayer.

Mom thought it was because she didn't have enough faith. What she didn't realize was that God had a better plan for my life. He wanted me to be a pastor to reach the deaf community about His love!

Meanwhile, I grew up attending church with my family. We were fortunate to have wonderful interpreters interpreting for me at Sabbath School and church services. At the age of thirteen, I fell in love with Jesus and was baptized with my brother and three friends. Without the interpreters, I probably wouldn't be here as a pastor today. I owe many thanks to them.

When I was a freshman at a deaf school in California, I noticed that there were several deaf religious groups: Mormons, Baptists, Catholics, etc. I began to wonder if I was the only Deaf in our denomination. One day, the Dean of Students called me to his office. I wondered why because I was a good student and didn't get into trouble. When I entered the Dean of Students' office, there was a friendly man with a big smile. He introduced himself as an Adventist pastor of two Deaf Churches. His name was Fred Griffith, son of pioneer Deaf pastor Arthur. My eyes widened and my mouth dropped open! There are Deaf Christians of our church in the world! I was so thrilled.

Upon graduation from high school, I enrolled at a state university. I was thrilled that there was an interpreted service at the local church near the university. I attended church (if I didn't visit my parents). A year later, the interpreter had to move away. Suddenly the Deaf group just collapsed because the Deaf couldn't receive blessings from the services without interpreters. I became discouraged and quit church.

As I was sitting in my apartment livingroom one Sunday, I began to sense that God was calling me to become a pastor for the Deaf. There are over 25 million hearing-impaired in the United States alone, or over 2 million profoundly deaf like myself. Many of the Deaf do not know the gospel. Many of them never hear the Three Angels Messages. I felt burden on my heart to go out and spread the gospel.

That was when I decided to apply at Union College to enroll in the religious program. With the letter in my hands, I sought God's guidance if I should go or not. I talked with my family, pastors, friends and God. Soon it became clear that I shouldn't go. Instead, I decided to remain and finish school. I didn't understand why the doors weren't open because I felt strongly that God called me to become a pastor for the Deaf. Nevertheless, I put my trust in God and allowed Him to lead my life.

During the remaining year, I became actively involved with the ministry as a lay leader for the Deaf group. The Deaf members came back to church. I taught church study classes and preached occasionally at the Deaf Church. Hearing volunteers took turns typing notes on the computer screen for the Deaf to read during the worship services.

It wasn't long until two lovely young ladies took over to interpret. It was in January 1992 when I first met them. These two sisters moved from North Carolina to enroll in the interpreter training program. They had the desire to interpret at local churches and schools for God. A year and half later, I married one of the sisters!

It was awesome that God brought my future wife to me from NC! That was reason number one why God didn't want me to go to Union College. What an amazing God we serve! As He knows what's best for us. I graduated in December 1991 with a BA in Deaf Studies with an emphasis in teaching.

I got a job teaching American Sign Language at two community colleges. I loved that job. But in the back of my head, I felt a strong urge to go into the ministry full time. Let me share two passages with you. In Matthew 28:19, 20, Jesus commanded His people to go and make disciples, baptize them, and teach them. Jesus said to reach all nations. The Greek word for "nations" is ethnos. It means "people group." What is a people group? It has two things: language and culture. In North America, there are many Native American groups (i.e., Navajo and Sioux). These two Indian tribes are two different people groups because they speak different languages and have different culture. So, the Deaf is called a people group because American Sign Language is their language and they have their own culture. Therefore, the gospel needs to reach the Deaf people group! The other passage is Romans 10:14, 15a. Paul asked, how can people hear the gospel if no one reaches them? My question is How can the Deaf know the gospel if no one reaches them? They need to hear by having someone tell them! These two passages penetrated my heart to get into the ministry full time.

One day, my brother and his pastor-friend came over to visit us at our apartment. Durrell White asked me, "Why don't you go and establish a Deaf Church?" I answered, "No. Because I don't have any training and my knowledge is limited." He immediately had an idea and told me about the seminary at Andrews University in Michigan. He got me interested.

He immediately made contact with the proper authorities at Andrews and they sent me an application. Within two short months, in the summer of 1994, we found ourselves taking seminary classes at Andrews. The doors were opened wide! During that time there, I taught Deaf Ministry classes. Many thanks to my degree in teaching! That was reason number two why God wanted me to stay and finish school! What an amazing God we serve! I learned to submit to Him and allow Him to lead my life.

Upon graduation in December 1996 with a M.Div. degree, I wasn't hired by a conference. For six months we were without a job. Surely God won't just lead us and then drop us off in Michigan. Surely God had a place somewhere for us. Finally, in May of 1997, a local Conference of our church in the Southern USA called us to plant a Deaf Church in Atlanta! We were so thrilled and moved to Atlanta. When we got there, there were no Deaf members of our church in that area. We had to start with nothing to build a church! An enormous job to do for the Lord.

In the fall of 1999, I conducted my first full evangelistic series for the Deaf in the South. At the end of the series, two Deaf souls were baptized. Now, we have about seven attending regularly. In addition to this, we have a "big" Deaf Church service once every month to meet isolated Deaf members from different southern states (Florida, North and South Carolina, Tennessee, Alabama, and Georgia). Attendance averages 25 people monthly. The Lord is truly blessing our work.

As I look back, I learned to walk in faith. Walking in faith means to totally surrender ourselves to Him and let Him lead us even though we do not see what's ahead of us. We continue to trust Him and believe that He will bless us by a growing church. Proverbs 3:5, 6 promises us that "Trust in the Lord with all your heart. Do not depend on your own understanding. In all your ways remember him. Then he will make your paths smooth and straight" (NIrV*).

[NOTE: Jeff also has a set of Bible Study Videos

recorded 'live' at the Holiday Inn in Marietta, GA, in Fall 1999.]

See jordvid for details!

[*Text from New International Reader's Version by the International Bible Society -NIrV]