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On July 24, twenty-two people made their way to Ozark Adventist Academy at Gentry, Arkansas to go to school. That¹s right. School. This was the second lay training program of Deaf people, Deaf Reach 2005.Adventist Deaf Ministries (ADM) sponsored Deaf Reach 2005, with support from the North American Division of the General Conference of Seventh Day Adventists.
This was the second time a week-long intensive training was developed to train Adventist Deaf people on how to talk to their friends about Jesus and what He has done for us. The first one was held last year.
Twenty-two people, from ages nineteen years old to seventy, came from all over the country and other places. We had attendees from Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Maryland, Michigan, New York, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Washington. One came from Texas, whom is involved with Deaf ministry in Mexico. Another came from Toronto, Canada. But our award for most distance traveled would go to a young man from Barbados.
The number was smaller than last year, but this did not deter spirits. Most felt that the small numbers allowed for more questions-and-answers and more one-on-one time. In the feedback, it was strongly suggested that the number of attendees be kept small.
The speakers were Pastor Alfred Griffith from Northern California and David Trexler from Silver Spring, Maryland. Both stressed the need for each one to have a true relationship with Christ and to keep in mind that it is the Holy Spirit that changes hearts, our own and the ones we are witnessing to. There were many things that they presented, which there isn¹t room to list here. Both speakers were Spirit-led and shared much information.To help students remember these precious presentations, each received a notebook with the sermon outlines. Also, some additional information was added for further study.
Both Pastors Griffith and Trexler stressed the importance of a good testimony and how it is our testimony that will touch hearts. Plenty of time was given for practice. Each person gave their testimony, telling what their life was life before Christ, how they found Christ, and then what their life has been with Christ. Each one had an interesting story!Also, between presentations, time was given for another sort of practice, how to approach people and talk about God in the wrong and the right ways. Sometimes this was done in role-play, for all to watch and to give feedback. At other times, there were groups of two or three to practice.
To add to the learning experience, the daily morning worship was led by students. Also there were two Sabbath School classes, both led by students. All were excellent!
Francisca Trexler gave a nightly series on temperaments, to discover what our temperaments are and how to approach people of different temperaments. She gave a test to help all to know their strengths and weaknesses and understand how to better interact with others.
Jim and Bunny Hovey gave all a surprise when they showed up for the weekend. All were overjoyed when they came to give their support.
At the end of the week, which seemed to fly by, Executive Director Jim Hovey gave a vespers program, encouraging us to not be afraid, using Moses as an example. When God told Moses to lead His people out of Egypt, Moses gave many reasons why he couldn¹t do what God asked of him. Many of the reasons were good reasons! But God met every need and Moses was able to be a great leader for the Israelites. Let us not be afraid to do what God asks of us, and to depend upon God.
Then Jim Hovey and Esther Doss gave out graduation certificates. After each person received his/her certificate, they walked over to David Trexler, chair of the ADM board, who gave them their tool kit. The tool kits included materials for personal study or for sharing with others. They received Bibles, sharing books, reference books, Bible marking materials, Bible study guides, DVDs for sharing, and also the Pictorial Aid Study Guide. It was hard for them to carry all this back to their seats! Michael Carrier from Connecticut stated, ³Deaf Reach 2005 was a wonderful experience for me. We used role models several days, which was a helpful tool for me to witness to people who didn't have Jesus in their heart. Also my biggest achievement at 'Deaf Reach 2005' was how to give a testimony before and after the Lord came into my heart. It was like putting a story line together."
If you like statistics, you may find this fascinating. To the best of ADM¹s knowledge there are 330 Deaf members in the SDA church. 41 of those members attended Deaf Reach either last year or this year (or both). This means that 13% of SDA Deaf members have been through this training. We are thrilled! Not only do they go through the training, but also they return home and work in their areas, doing their best to share the gospel message. Now, imagine if the 1 million SDA members in our North American Division had this kind of commitment! That would mean in about one year, 
130,000 of these members would go through a week-long training and then go home and work!
If you want to learn fresh ideas how to reach out to others, improve your witnessing, or just how not to be shy about sharing God¹s love, then you need to go to Deaf Reach! The Lay Training Committee, chaired by Esther Doss, will be making plans for future programs. Keep your eyes peeled for information!