How Then Shall They Hear?

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Deaf people are found in every country, culture, and people group. However, many remain uneducated and unreached with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. An article in the Journal of Nepalese Studies suggests up to 500,000 deaf people live in Nepal, but only around 6,000 use Nepali Sign Language (NSL) as their primary language. While some may read lips and use some level of spoken Nepali, it is likely that many of these are without full access to communication. The same is true in many countries around the world.

Romans 10:13–14 says, For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? 

What does this mean for deaf people who have not been educated? Will they never know the Gospel because they cannot hear or read it? Brother D, a deaf BIMI missionary in Kathmandu, Nepal, believes this should not be so. When Brother D meets deaf people, especially those without education, he seeks to help them first to communicate and then to know the Savior.

Dotiram was born deaf in a small village in rural Nepal. By the time he was five years old, both his parents had passed away. At eight years of age, Dotiram found a job in a small tea shop, cleaning tables and washing dishes, to earn daily meals and a small salary. He never had an opportunity to go to school of any kind.

As an adult, he interacted with a few deaf people and learned some sign language. However, he did not become fluent in Nepali Sign Language until he married a deaf woman who had attended school until grade seven.

Soon after he was married, Dotiram observed a co-worker reading a Bible. The man tried to tell him about the Bible, but he did not understand. Twice, when Dotiram faced medical needs for which he could not afford treatment, his co-worker prayed for him. After Dotiram recovered, his co-worker gave him a Bible and instructed him to pray every day. He began copying Bible verses, over time filling notebooks with words he could not read but longed to understand. In 2020, during strict COVID lockdowns, Brother D contacted Dotiram. They talked on video chat for a long time. Brother D shared that he could teach him the Bible in NSL and Dotiram wept with joy. Over the next several months, they met regularly online.

At the time, Brother D was also training interpreters at a Baptist church in Kathmandu where his family attended. By God’s grace, four interpreters were ready to interpret online services when lockdowns began. The local church broadcasted on YouTube and later on Zoom, each service interpreted into NSL.

After every service, Dotiram asked the missionary to explain things more fully. Throughout the week, he called Brother D asking what certain words from the Bible meant. Despite coming from a Christian family, Dotiram’s wife, Pushpa, did not fully understand the Gospel. She often joined the video calls with Brother D and the online services. 

Within a year, Dotiram and Pushpa expressed clear understanding of the substitutionary death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ as well as His ability and willingness to forgive sin. They made clear professions of faith in July 2021 and continued to grow as they participated in online services.

In May 2022, Dotiram and Pushpa traveled 18 hours to Kathmandu to attend the church’s annual missions conference and to be baptized. Both continue to be faithful in their service of the Lord. Dotiram attends online classes led by Brother D several nights a week. The missionary’s wife has also been working one-on-one with Pushpa. Dotiram continues to call Brother D daily and invites friends to online services and Bible studies led by Brother D. Dotiram has learned to read well enough to study the Bible and has even begun memorizing Bible verses.

On September 20, 2025, Dotiram and his wife became charter members of Anugraha Baptist Church of the Deaf (ABCD) in Lalitpur, Nepal. ABCD is the first Deaf Baptist church in Nepal. Brother D’s sending pastor and a team from his sending church attended the opening service of the church.

The inaugural service followed the First Annual Deaf Bible Camp. Seven deaf people from around Nepal, including three others who had also never been to school, attended the event. At ages 50 and 70, two have just begun learning sign language. Brother D was introduced to these deaf individuals a few months ago and now travels to their homes weekly to teach sign language and the Bible. They are excited to be communicating, and it is thrilling to see them begin to understand biblical truth. We pray someday they will fully understand the Gospel and personally trust in Christ for salvation.

It is estimated that only two percent of the world’s Deaf population have been reached with the Gospel. Would you join in this effort? Would you learn sign language and seek to reach deaf people with the Gospel in your community? As you pray for missions work around the world, would you also pray that deaf people in each place would also be reached with the truth of Jesus Christ?

You may contact Brother D by email at contact.abcd.np@gmail.com. He would love to hear from you and to encourage your desire to reach deaf people for Christ.

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