How Hands With Words Started
The Hands With Words ministry was founded in 2006 (as Talking Hands) by close friends Lisa and Lynn. The ministry was created to love, serve and uplift the Deaf community into being a part of God’s Kingdom on earth.
Before establishing Hands With Words, Lisa, who is hearing, spent most of her years teaching in schools with special needs children. Her last few years in the classroom involved teaching Sign Language to profoundly Deaf children at Mary Kihn School in Cape Town. This is also where she met and taught with her hearing friend Lynn and her Deaf friend Agnes.Through her years of teaching, short-term mission trips to a school for the Deaf and Blind in Namibia, friendships were formed with the Deaf and relationships were built with hearing pastors.
God used these relationships to call Lisa to minister full-time to the Deaf and to create awareness and support for the Deaf amongst the hearing. God has given her a deep joy and immense love for the Deaf. Lynn helped Lisa grow the ministry by teaching the Bible to Deaf leaders and assisted as interpreter for the Deaf in a hearing church, St. James, Kenilworth, Cape Town.
Lynn’s responsibilities have shifted and she is now serving on the Board, is a signatory for Hands With Words and assists in the facilitation of the South African Sign Language Bible translation from time to time. Lisa continues to lead this ministry with the support of some full-time staff, volunteers and those passionate about helping the Deaf.