Jehovah Rewarded the Work of My Hands

I grew up with my older sister and brother in the English countryside near the town of Bicester in the United Kingdom. There, my parents rented a farm cottage. When I was 19 years old, I followed my siblings into the pioneer service. Later, I was appointed to serve as a special pioneer in Scotland. Then, in 1970, at the age of 23, I was invited to serve at Bethel in London. While there, I “discovered” sign language. That experience set my life on a new path, one that proved to be very rewarding and satisfying.

Learning Sign Language

At Bethel, I was assigned to the Mill Hill Congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses, where I met several Witnesses who were deaf. I did not want the language barrier to make me a foreigner to them. So I decided to sit with the deaf brothers and sisters at the meetings.

Back then, there were no sign-language congregations in Britain. The deaf attended English-language meetings, where hearing brothers and sisters interpreted the program by using signs that followed the English language and grammar almost word for word. However, as my deaf brothers and sisters patiently taught me to sign, I realized that their language had its own grammar and word order. English was, in effect, a foreign language to them! When that reality dawned on me, I loved and respected my deaf friends even more for their faithful attendance at Christian meetings. I also intensified my efforts to master sign language.

In Britain, the official language of the deaf is British Sign Language, or BSL. Over time, the interpreters at our meetings learned to use this highly developed language rather than what is called Sign Supported English. As a result, the deaf began to benefit much more from the meetings. They also became more united with their hearing brothers and sisters. Now, looking back over five decades, I have seen Jehovah richly bless the sign-language field. Let me tell you about some of the main developments in which Jehovah allowed me to have a share.

The Sign-Language Field Blossoms

In 1973, about a year after I was appointed to serve as an elder, a deaf brother named Michael Eagers suggested that we hold some meetings in BSL. With branch approval, another elder and I arranged for monthly sign-language meetings to be held in Deptford, southeastern London.

The results were amazing! Deaf Witnesses from London and other parts of southeastern England attended the first BSL meeting. At last the deaf brothers and sisters and interested ones received spiritual instruction in their own language. Following the program, we shared experiences and enjoyed refreshments. I also had the opportunity to provide some much-needed shepherding.

Later, sign-language meetings were also held in the cities of Birmingham and Sheffield. A number of hearing brothers and sisters who wanted to learn BSL attended the meetings. Many of those willing ones later helped to expand the sign-language ministry nationwide.

I Find a Lifelong Partner

In 1974, I met a beautiful sister named Stella Barker, who served as a special pioneer in a congregation near Bethel. We fell in love and got married in 1976, after which Stella and I served together as special pioneers. Our congregation was in Hackney, North London. There, Stella joined me in supporting the sign-language field. Looking back, I can say without a doubt that our pioneering together as husband and wife got our marriage off to an excellent start.

Before long, Stella and I were invited to serve as Bethel commuters. We had a busy life! I also did substitute circuit work, conducted Kingdom Ministry Schools for elders, and later helped organize sign-language interpretation for English-language regional conventions. The days were tiring but joyful and refreshing.—Matthew 11:28-30.

In 1979 and 1982, our two sons were born, Simon and Mark. This added the joy of parenthood to our responsibilities. How did we manage? Stella and I decided that whenever my theocratic assignments took me away from home, we would go as a family and also enjoy some recreation. We wanted our boys to see that serving Jehovah makes us happy! The result? As our boys grew up, they not only learned to sign but also began pioneering. Then, about 40 years after my parents’ calf began its “Bethel service,” Simon and Mark began theirs. We were thrilled!

Meeting the Needs of the Deaf

As late as the 1990’s, there were no deaf elders in Britain, but there were some ministerial servants. As a result, hearing elders who could not sign had to determine if any of these brothers were “qualified to teach” and serve as overseers. (1 Timothy 3:2) One of the deaf ministerial servants, a brother named Bernard Austin, was in a local English-language congregation. He was a highly respected brother who truly cared for Jehovah’s sheep. How thrilled I was to learn that Bernard was appointed an elder! In fact, he was the first deaf elder in Britain.

In 1996, a landmark event took place—the branch approved the formation of the first sign-language congregation in Britain. It was located in Ealing, West London. More advancements followed.

Benefiting From All Christian Gatherings

In the 1980’s and 1990’s, I worked remotely with the Service Department at Bethel, answering inquiries concerning the sign-language field. Brothers sometimes wrote to the branch asking how they could help the deaf to understand the talks given at English-language meetings, assemblies, and conventions. At first, there were no official provisions for sign-language at larger gatherings, and there were no publications for the deaf. So I often had to encourage the brothers—hearing and deaf—to be patient, to wait on Jehovah.

Our patience was rewarded! Before long, the branch took charge of organizing sign-language interpretation at meetings and assemblies held in English. What is more, the deaf sat up front, where they could clearly see both the speaker and the interpreter. The deaf brothers and sisters now felt that Jehovah truly loved them, that they were valued members of his spiritual family.

On April 1, 1995, the first sign-language special assembly day was held at the Assembly Hall in Dudley in the West Midlands. I assisted Brother David Merry, a former circuit overseer, with the assembly organization. Some deaf Witnesses traveled hundreds of miles, from as far away as Scotland in the north and Cornwall in the southwest, to attend the program. I still remember the air of excitement when more than 1,000 turned up for this milestone assembly.

In 2001, the branch asked Brother Merry and me to organize a BSL regional convention for the following year. That involved a lot of work! But Jehovah blessed the efforts of the many volunteers, and the convention was both successful and memorable! Thereafter, I had the privilege of overseeing sign-language assemblies and conventions for a number of years until Jehovah raised up qualified younger brothers to carry the load.

Videos for the Deaf

In 1998, we were thrilled when Jehovah’s organization released the first of a number of sign-language publications in BSL—the brochure What Does God Require of Us?—On Videocassette. Using it, we conducted many Bible studies.

At the 2002 convention, Kingdom songs were interpreted into BSL for the first time. The deaf brothers and sisters could now “sing” the beautiful words along with the signer and also capture the stirring rhythm of the music. I still fondly remember one deaf elder weeping with joy as he “sang along” for the first time!

The 2002 convention saw yet another first. The London Sign-Language Congregation was invited to produce a filmed drama. But how would we do it? We had no experience! Once again, Jehovah came to our aid—this time by helping us find brothers who knew how to make and edit films. The results were a resounding success! Moreover, the experience we gained was most helpful when, between 2003 and 2008, I was privileged to oversee the production of video dramas at Bethel for future BSL conventions.

Stella and I loved being at Bethel with our sons. However, the work was hard! After several weeks of rehearsing and filming, the actors and production team were physically and mentally drained. But the effort was worth it! Our hearts overflowed when we saw Bible accounts come alive to our deaf brothers and sisters, many of whom wept tears of joy.

The spiritual gifts just kept on coming. In 2015, we received the study edition of The Watchtower in BSL in video format. Then, in 2019, the Bible book of Matthew was released in the same format. Now we have the entire Christian Greek Scriptures—and the Hebrew Scriptures are well under way. The deaf brothers and sisters cannot thank Jehovah enough!

As Jehovah’s people, we belong to a spiritual family that reflects our heavenly Father’s impartial love. (Acts 10:34, 35) My family and I still marvel at the time, energy, and resources that our organization puts into helping people of all kinds—including both the deaf and the blind.a

Those efforts have truly been worthwhile, for there are now several BSL congregations in Britain. Sharing in that growth from its “small beginnings” has given me immense joy and satisfaction. (Zechariah 4:10) Of course, the credit rightly goes to Jehovah. He directs his organization. He equips his servants to proclaim the good news to people of all sorts. And he makes the Kingdom seed grow in the hearts of deserving ones.