Can Deaf People Serve LDS Missions?

Recently, I received a Facebook message from an LDS Bishop serving somewhere in Europe. He contacted me asking me if a Deaf member in his ward can serve a mission.

People with a hearing loss of any kind CAN serve a mission. I am hard of hearing and I served as an American Sign Language (ASL) missionary in the New York Rochester mission. 

However, just because someone has a hearing loss doesn't mean that they will serve as a Sign Language missionary. There are many Deaf and Hard of Hearing missionaries who have served in other countries and have learned to speak other languages. 

Sometimes, an individual with a hearing loss will be called to serve in their own country but will serve a foreign speaking mission. For example, I know of one Deaf missionary who has been called to serve in the United States and to preach among those who speak Mandarin. A lot of us were surprised when she was called to a Mandarin speaking mission because we all expected her to serve as a Sign Language missionary.

Given that there isn't a whole lot of information for branch presidents, bishops and stake presidents located outside (and inside) of the United States to review, I've decided to compile information to help people understand that any worthy young adult who is Deaf or Hard of Hearing can serve an LDS mission.

Can A Deaf Young Adult Serve On A LDS Mission?

Yes.

Any Deaf individual who wishes to serve a mission can serve a mission just like any other young adult who desires to serve. A Deaf person must go through the same process of going on a mission by first meeting with their bishop or branch president. The ecclesiastical leader such as a will give the young Deaf man or woman access to the Missionary Online Recommendation system. 

 How Does a Deaf Individual Prepare To Serve A Mission? 

A Deaf or Hard of Hearing individual must prepare for a mission just like any other young man or woman will. They must prepare spiritually, physically, mentally, emotionally and financially. 

Spiritual Preparation

Spiritual preparation means that they should be studying the scriptures and from Preach My Gospel prior to serving a mission. They should be engaged in serving others. They should be attending all of their classes at Church and actively participating in those classes. Be aware that The Church does have materials and resources for Deaf and Hard of Hearing people in American Sign Language but they do not have resources and materials for sign languages in other countries. Perhaps someday in the future, there will be materials created for people who speak sign languages in other countries. 

If possible, have the Deaf or Hard of Hearing youth work with the Sign Language missionaries in your area. If there are no Sign Language missionaries in the area, reach out to the Mission President and ask him to prayerfully select two missionaries who are willing to work with the individual in sharing the gospel.

If you know of a member in your branch, ward or stake who knows sign language, they can work with the youth in learning the gospel. Most Deaf individuals need extra preparation in learning the gospel because they are often not taught the gospel in their first language which is Sign Language.  Deaf people can also watch Church videos that are captioned in their native language of their country. 

Finally, be aware that some Deaf people will receive extra doctrinal preparation in the MTC from those who have already served Sign Language missions and are fluent in Sign Language. 

Personal Worthiness

They should be able to meet the personal worthiness standards requirements to serve a full time  mission because in order to share the gospel, they must  have the Holy Spirit with them. (see D&C 42:14). If there are any unresolved issues that they need to inform their ecclesiastical leader about, they should be encouraged and supported in meeting with their local Church leaders.  

Physical Preparation 

A missionary can be physically prepared for a mission by exercising everyday. Most missionaries walk or ride bikes every day for long periods of time. A missionary must be able to walk an average of six miles (10 km) per day and ride a bicycle 12 miles (19 km) per day. The best way to prepare is to walk or ride a bike everyday. They can also go to a gym and work out. 

However, most ASL missionaries in the United States are assigned cars because Deaf people do not live in close proximity to each other. Thus, they will spend a many hours driving around the city or country side. Yet, being physically in shape is essential when serving as a sign language missionary. 

Emotional Preparation 

It is hard to be emotionally and mentally prepared to serve a mission. Most missionaries work long hours everyday without financial compensation. A typical missionary day begins by waking at 6:30 a.m. for personal study. The day is spent proselytizing by following up on appointments, visiting homes or meeting people in the street or other public places. Missionaries end their day by 10:30 p.m. In addition to working long hours, they must deal with stress, rejection, living in a new area and meeting strangers and working with another missionary. 

Missionaries will have to learn to how to deal with limited contact with friends and family. They are limited to letters and emails and occasional phone calls to family at special times. They must cope with having their social life drastically reduced since they will spend most of their time teaching the gospel or serving others. They cannot use social media or play on computer games during their time on a mission. They are also expected to know that a mission is not a time to date other people or develop romantic relationships. They are expected to work for Heavenly Father. 

There are specific and unique hardships that ASL missionaries will face. They will have to deal with other missionaries and Mission Presidents who do not understand how to properly proselyte among the Deaf and Hard of Hearing. Mission Presidents are not prepared in the MTC of how to lead Sign Language missionaries or how Sign Language missionaries proselyte. 

They will have to confront missionaries who might be unkind or rude towards missionaries with a hearing loss. I have experienced this many times on my mission. I know that other Deaf missionaries have experienced this as well.

Sometimes missionaries will get angry that the ASL missionaries are in their area teaching Deaf people. They insist that THEY should be teaching Deaf investigators because they live in THEIR area. I have to make it clear to many missionaries on many occasions on my mission that my companion and I are called to preach to the Deaf and our coverage area is not limited to any area within the mission. 

Those who will be serving a Sign Language mission will have to prepare to preach the gospel to people who are Deaf and Blind or have other disabilities other than a hearing loss. Sometimes, missionaries don't have the resources and materials they need to share the gospel and will have to be creative in how they teach investigators. Many Deaf people have other unique challenges such as poor education or difficulty reading because English (or the native language of that country) is not their first language. 

Since Deaf people rely heavily on technology such as email, Facebook, Videophone, and TTYs to communicate with one another, Sign Language missionaries must rely on communication technology to connect with Deaf members and investigators. During my mission, it was really frustrating that we could not use these technologies as part of our missionary work. 

Financial Preparation

Like any other young individual, Deaf and Hard of Hearing individuals should also prepare financially for a mission by finding a way to earn and save money for their mission. They can also prepare by paying tithing.

What If a Deaf Person is Not Eligible to Serve a LDS Mission?

A Deaf or Hearing who desires to serve a mission but cannot serve a full time mission can still serve as a Young Church-Service Missionary. If you feel that it would be better for them to serve as a youth service missionary, they must meet the following requirements:

Be worthy to hold a temple recommend.
Meet the standard mission age requirements (18-25 for young men, 19-25 for young women).
Be honorably excused from a full-time proselyting mission (applies to young men only).
Be physically, mentally, and emotionally able to fulfill the specific call and its related duties.
Provide their own transportation.
Be responsible for their own financial support, including living expenses and insurance.
Be responsible for their own medical and dental needs, including eye care and prescription drug expenses.
Be endorsed by bishop and stake president.

If you have questions about Church Service Missions, you can contact the Church Service Mission Office.

LDS Sign Language Missionaries Benefit The Most From The LDS Church's New Missionary Program

Today, the LDS Church held a historic broadcast to announce some bold new changes in its missionary program. The best part is the announcement that missionaries would be spending time on social media networks in an effort to improve missionary work.

Elder (L. Tom) Perry also announced changes Sunday in how missionaries will spend their time finding people to teach. Because many people prefer to connect online, missionaries will use the Internet and digital devices in their ministry, Elder Perry said. He noted that missionaries will use “mormon.org, Facebook, blogs, email, … text messages” and other platforms to reach out to people. “The Church must adapt to a changing world,” Elder Perry said.

Speaking earlier in the day to new mission presidents, Church leaders said that missionary use of the Internet and digital devices such as iPads will begin in phases and only in designated missions for the rest of this year. The Church anticipates these tools will be available to missionaries throughout the world sometime next year.

For me, this announcement should have been made a long time ago. I served as a Sign Language Missionary in the New York Rochester Mission from 2000-2002. The reason why this policy would have been helpful to me as a ASL missionary is because Deaf people communicate using different social media sites and other electronic communications devices. Most Deaf people I knew in Rochester communicated via text messages, e-mail, or used a number of social media sites to communicate. They also used videophones to contact one another. But we couldn't use any of these methods of communication which made it difficult to set appointments or get referrals or talk to them about Church related issues.

While many people are excited about this policy, I believe that American Sign Language missionaries will benefit the most from this program. When I got back from my mission, I continued to do missionary work with the ASL missionaries in San Diego and Anaheim. I frequently met with the Mission Presidents to advise them on how to improve the missionary work for Deaf missionaries. I also met with Church leaders in Salt Lake City to discuss way to improve the missionary work nation wide. One of the recommendations that I consistently suggested was allowing ASL missionaries to have access to the Internet and to be allowed to do missionary work online. 

I believe that ASL missionaries are the most creative and innovative missionaries the Church has. We are constantly looking for new ways to share the gospel and for new ways to improve our lessons so that the Deaf people who investigate our religion will truly understand what they are learning. We constantly think out of the box. However, in my experience as an ASL missionary and in working with other ASL missionaries after my mission, other missionaries and Mission Presidents had difficulty in accepting the unique ways we tried to share the gospelrc. Now, with this new policy, I think it will be much easier for ASL missionaries to proselyte among the Deaf and to really let our creativity and passion for the work explode. 

In addition to the new policy in allowing missionaries to use the Internet, the LDS Church is making a renewed efforts to get everyone in on doing missionary work and doing in on a united front. The LDS Church has been working hard to get members involved in the work. The Church has encourage members to join in on the missionary work online and unvieled new pass along cards for members to use that has a QR code that will link them to a website if the person scans the code on their smart phone or tablet. 

I would like members invovled in the missionary work among the Deaf. We need your help. It is just as easy as doing regular missionary work online and you help out with the work internationally. I would like to recommend a few ways you can be invovled in helping share the gospel with Deaf people online. The LDS Church has great websites. Also, many members have already jumped in creating online material that you can suggest the Deaf people you meet to lean about the gospel. Below are some great sites: 

•  A website developed by a member of the LDS Church dedicated to helping Deaf people find their local LDS Church: http://www.deaflds.org/
•  A facebook group for open for Deaf, Hard of Hearing, CODAs or people who communicate in some form of Sign Langague: LDS & ASL!!
• The LDS Church has made it so that Deaf people can attend institute online: https://studentview.ldschurch.org/Home.aspx/Home/64357 

Although there are not too many websites dedicated to sharing the gospel to Deaf people, I think that with the new policy of allowing missionaries to use the Internet, more people will be involved in creating websites and social media sites to reach out to the Deaf. 

Deaf Mormons Excited About The Announcement of 58 New Missions

Ever since the announcement of lowing the age of eligibility for male and female members of the Church to serve missions, it has increased the numbers of missionaries going out into the field. As a result, the LDS Church has announced the creation of 58 new missions to accommodate the rapid growth of missionaries. 

Ever since the announcement, many Deaf members of the LDS Church are wondering if this will have an impact on the Church's efforts to proselyte among the Deaf. Many Deaf members are hoping that the creation of these new missions will also mean that more Deaf missions will be created which will give more opportunities for Deaf members to share the gospel with others. 

The announcement will have an impact on the following American Sign Language Missions with the new missions in parenthesis: Oregon Portland (WA-Vancouver and OR-Salem), Washington Seattle (WA-Federal Way), Idaho Boise (ID-TwinFalls and ID-Nampa), Illinois Chicago, Missouri Independence (new KS-Wichita), Virginia Richmond (VA-Chesapeake), Arizona Phoenix (AZ-Gilbert and AZ-Scottsdale), California Anaheim and California Los Angeles) ( Irvine, Bakersfield and Rancho Cucamonga). 

I hope the LDS Church will consider adding more American Sign Language missions. As someone who has served an American Sign Language Mission and has worked with many ASL missionaries, I know that there is a huge need for Sign Language missionaries in the US and around the world. For example, in Southern California alone, there is a a need for ASL missionaries around and between Orange County and San Diego in places like Oceanside, Carlsbad, Long Beach and Arcadia. Many members live outside the boundaries of the California Anaheim Mission and the California San Diego Mission and there are people who can be taught in those areas. 

Many Deaf people are excited for the announcement of new missions because it is seen as an opportunity for the LDS Church to increase their efforts to reach out to the Deaf people. They hope that more Sign Language missions will be created in America and around the world so that more Deaf people will come unto Christ. 

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LDS Church Unveils New Tech Savvy Pass Along Cards

Recently, I got the Ensign in the mail and I was surprised to find out that the LDS Church has new pass along cards that missionaries and members can use. The LDS Church is integrating technology known as QR Codes into the pass along cards so that people who receive them can scan them with their smart phone and be taken to an official Church website in which people can learn about specific topics about the Mormon Church. 

The LDS Church provided a supplement to the October 2012 issue of the Ensign or English Liahona that contained a page inviting members to join Mormon.org, the new pass along cards, and a page explaining how the new pass along cards work:

The Mormon Church did a trial balloon of pass along cards in 1999 and unveiled it to the entire Church in 2000. It did not contain QR codes or invite people to a social media website. The old pass along cards invited people to receive a free copy of the Book of Mormon, Bible or video by contacting the Church via phone or a website.  With the new pass along cards, its giant leap forward in how the LDS Church shares the gospel. The LDS Church saw how successful and easy it was for missionaries to share a simple message about the Church. With social media sites and technology, its makes it even more easier for us to share the gospel with others. 

I expect that these new pass along cards will be the subject of at least one or more General Conference talks. The Brethren have been been encouraging us to share the gospel online using social media such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Google+, Pinterest and other websites for a few years now. Although these speeches haven't been given yet, I hope we will be open to what they have to say with regards to how we can best share the gospel with others.

The LDS Church is becoming very bold and creative in terms of marketing, advertising and message sharing. A great example of how confident the Church is sharing the gospel is when it placed advertisements inside the Playbill of the theatrical play, The Book of Mormon Musical. See below: 

Personally, I love what the LDS Church is doing in promoting the gospel. They are being bold, brave and tech savvy. It also provides an example of how we, as members of the Church, should go about in sharing the gospel with others.

David Archuletta: I Will Be Serving A Mission For The LDS Church

David Archuletta has announced that he will be serving an LDS Mission soon. Watch the video below:

David has already been a good ambassador for our faith by using his musical talents and serving a mission will add an extra dimension to his experience in helping people become familiar with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

Sad News: Two LDS Missionaries Pass Away In Romania

It is always heartbreaking to hear of LDS missionaries who pass away on their mission. Here is the sad news report: 

Two missionaries serving for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Romania have died. One of the missionaries was from Utah.

According to the Church, Elder McKay Choy Burrows, 20, of Highland and Elder Jace Davis of Logandale, Nev., passed away in their Bucharest apartment overnight from apparent accidental natural gas asphyxiation.

Church leaders have notified the families of the missionaries.
In a statement, Church leaders said, "We extend our love and sympathy to the elders' families and friends. We pray that the Spirit of the Lord will bring them peace and comfort at this difficult time."