Jesus gives me joy and hope.
I was born in November 1970 and have been deaf from an early age. I was partially sighted when I was in junior school. I had an unhappy family background, because my parents split up and I was brought up by my mother.
My time at school was not always a happy one but books helped me a lot. I was a shy, lonely person, and timid. I am only four feet eleven inches in height.
When I left school I went to college and, because of my hearing loss, I was placed in a special needs class. A student picked a fight with me for no apparent reason and after that I gradually went completely blind. Though deaf I am able to use my own voice to speak to people.
I went to a special college to learn to live independently. Other students there were disabled – blind, partially sighted, or suffering with epilepsy. During this time I was invited to a holiday house-party organised by the Torch Trust for the Blind. My braille teacher knew about Torch and I went along despite my shyness. I had no idea it was a Christian organisation.
When I got there I found other young people, including some who could see. An interpreter communicated with me through the deaf-blind alphabet. I felt something important was happening through the joyful celebrations, singing, prayers, and the Bible talks. At first I wasn’t interested because I did not understand the importance of the Bible, though part of me was curious. I wanted to know what all the talk was about thanking God for Jesus on the cross.
One day I asked the speaker lots of questions through my interpreter. I learned about Adam and Eve, the meaning of sin, and why Jesus died.
When I began to understand Jesus better, I wanted to become a Christian. So I shyly asked Jesus into my life, not knowing what to expect, but longing for Heaven. My face changed dramatically; I could not hold it still until I broke out into a really big smile! I felt my cheeks burning me!
After I became a Christian it seemed like my life was back to normal except for this renewed hope in my heart. After a year of waiting and searching for the right church, my braille teacher invited me to her Evangelical Free Church and I was made welcome.
Over the following five years, through painstakingly slow communication, I was able to pick out the main themes of the Christian faith. I asked the pastor about being baptised. I still felt a bit confused, but I wanted to be baptised, and he decided I was ready. On the day I was baptised in a pool of water, I was very nervous but highly excited and joyful. I never felt so happy before!
My baptism verse was Philippians 4 verse 4 – “May you always be joyful in your life in the Lord. I say it again, rejoice!”
Many people of all ages came and saw my joy as my heart shouted out that I belonged to Jesus!
After this, it was not all joyous, as being baptised was; but I know it was God’s plan that I should change the way I live after my baptism into a new life. I continue to struggle with this and I am doing my best to grow to love Jesus, by reading the Bible each day. I feel I still have problems, but I look forward to the day when Jesus will come as King!
Reproduced with kind permission from Simon Beaumont and Torch Trust for the Blind.