In Cuba, a long-term partnership is making the gospel accessible to an often-overlooked language group – the Deaf community.
The project began fifteen years ago, when Bob Van Zyl, a Mesa worker serving in Latin America, led a training process on translation principles for a group of Deaf Christian leaders and interpreters. Equipped for service, this team of Cuban translators set out to bring God's Word to life through sign language videos. Over the years, this local team has worked tirelessly to reach Cuba's Deaf community, overcoming numerous obstacles along the way.
When God opened the door for Bob to return to Cuba and provide more support to the Cuban team in 2024, he witnessed their unwavering determination to produce a translation of the first three chapters of Genesis. Together they used their God-given creativity to find innovative ways to transform abstract concepts into visual representations that would resonate with their audience. Phrases like “the Earth was without form and covered by water” and “the Spirit of God was hovering over the water” required new signs.
Another challenge requiring creativity was learning to operate without reliable electricity. Sometimes the team huddled around a couple of computers running on batteries or resorted to working in the early morning and late night when power was available.
During one power outage, Bob gave the team an overview of the rest of the book of Genesis, and the team decided they wanted to translate the entire book. Bob finished his visit, satisfied because the team achieved their goal of revising and approving the translation of Genesis 1-3, and inspired by their vision to take the project further.
We celebrate the fruit that has come from one equipping trip to Cuba 15 years ago and the local leadership that has carried the ministry forward. With God's provision and their unwavering dedication, the Cuban Sign Language Translation Team is bringing the hope of the gospel to life one verse at a time.
Stories from the Field
