Season 5 of The Go and Send Podcast kicks off with Mike and Cody sitting down with Lindsay Stork, a missionary with Ripe for Harvest World Outreach who serves one of the largest unreached people groups in the world: the Deaf.
Season 5 of The Go and Send Podcast kicks off with Mike and Cody sitting down with Lindsay Stork, a missionary with Ripe for Harvest World Outreach who serves one of the largest unreached people groups in the world: the Deaf. With roughly 70 million Deaf people worldwide and about 4 million in the United States, this is a mission field many of us overlook, even though it may be right next door.
Lindsay traces her journey from a kindergarten classroom where she first learned sign language, to Bethel College, to a missions training school in the bush of Mozambique, where she heard God's call to an unreached people group she never expected: the Deaf in America. Along the way, she opens up about health struggles that seemed to stand in the way, the moment she was freed from the pressure to become an interpreter, and how she stepped into full-time ministry and support raising. In one of the episode's most remarkable moments, Lindsay shares a story of provision that began with an act of faith halfway around the world.
Lindsay also gives listeners a rare look at the challenges Deaf people face, from isolation to language deprivation, and explains how she shares the gospel through relationships when words alone aren't enough. She offers practical ways the church can welcome the Deaf community and talks about how new tools, including the Bible and a feature film in American Sign Language, are opening doors. If you've ever wondered who is still waiting to hear about Jesus, or whether you can answer God's call one step at a time, this episode will challenge you to see the unreached in your own backyard.
Contact us at goandsend@sonsetsolutions.org
Resources & Links:
• Ripe for Harvest World Outreach: https://www.ripeforharvest.org
• HopeSIGNS: https://hopesigns.org
• JESUS: A Deaf Missions Film: https://www.deafmissions.com/jesus
• Bill Vicars (ASL University) on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/billvicars
00:00 -- Cold Open: "Misunderstood, Misrepresented, Overlooked"
00:35 -- Meet Lindsay Stork: Serving 70 Million Deaf People Worldwide
01:45 -- Why the American Deaf Are an Unreached People Group
03:19 -- Is American Sign Language Hard to Learn?
05:20 -- A Kindergarten Pledge and Three Years of High School ASL
07:27 -- Bethel College and a Degree She Didn't Plan
09:05 -- "You'll Never Become an Interpreter"
10:23 -- A Revival, a Push Out of Her Seat, and Two Words: "I Doubt"
12:20 -- Discerning the Voice of the Enemy From the Voice of the Lord
14:48 -- The Year Her Hands Gave Out
16:38 -- A Mozambique Missions School and a Call From a Hut in Africa
18:30 -- Walking Out in Faith to Florida: A Pastor's Couch and a Surprising Missions Trip
21:09 -- Wrestling With the Call: One Foot in Front of the Other
23:11 -- Freed From the Interpreter's Code of Conduct
25:11 -- Finding a Sending Organization: Ripe for Harvest
27:33 -- Support Raising: Fears, Advice, and Why It's Ministry Too
34:04 -- Reaching Up to Heaven for a Check
35:20 -- A Welcome-Home Party and a Perfectly Timed Surprise
36:29 -- Obedience: God Provides for His People Through His People
38:22 -- The Unique Challenges Deaf People Face
40:06 -- Why 90% of Deaf Individuals Grow Up in Families That Don't Sign
40:51 -- Would You Attend a Church With No Interpreter?
41:27 -- Language Deprivation and Explaining the Love of Jesus
44:02 -- Deaf Schools, Weekly Bus Rides, and Hearing Aids
45:54 -- The Student Who Pushed All the Buttons
47:20 -- How Do You Share the Gospel With a Deaf Person?
50:01 -- Vision for the Future: More Workers for the Harvest
51:16 -- Technology and the First Complete Bible in American Sign Language
53:07 -- 70 Million People and Less Than 2% Reached
53:50 -- Lindsay's Challenge to the American Church
55:34 -- Learning Sign Language and Why You Shouldn't Shout
57:22 -- A Movie About Jesus Told Entirely in Sign Language
58:07 -- Cochlear Implants and Deaf Culture
1:02:03 -- Encouragement for Anyone Considering Ministry
1:04:21 -- Where to Learn More About Ripe for Harvest and HopeSIGNS
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Website: https://www.sonsetsolutions.org