"Since our son enlisted, I’ve found out there are a number of deaf people who are either parents of a soldier, children of a soldier, or even a spouse of a soldier."
by Suzanne Clothier, Deaf Biblical Counselor
Since our son enlisted, I’ve found out there are a number of deaf people who are either parents of a soldier, children of a soldier, or even a spouse of a soldier. Because deaf people don’t speak the same language as the hearing do, there can be much lost in the translation that can compound the challenges of dealing with the military culture. But there is hope! In the same way we used the letters to keep in contact with our son, we believe everyone can overcome their own challenges and connect with one another.
Most of the New Testament consists of original letters written to either a specific church or a specific person. In an age where most correspondences happen via text messages or emails, letter-writing may strike one as quaint and old-fashioned. However, the apostle Paul’s epistles were a source of inspiration and comfort to the receivers, even when they contained loving rebukes from him. His epistles were not only pastoral but also apologetic, which is useful for building up the reader’s faith. For this reason, God gave us the Bible in the form of a printed book, not a text message or an email. Likewise, writing letters to your soldier can be very valuable, edifying, and comforting to him in his journey, no matter where he or she may be.
Our son, Harold, had a burning determination to serve his country . He enlisted in the Army and was shipped out from Bellevue, Washington, to Fort Benning last October. Just before he shipped out, we felt it was important that he knew Bible stories about people walking in faith. We did an impromptu study of Joseph’s life and the three men cast into the furnace by King Nebuchadnezzar, using those stories to emphasize the importance of trusting in God even if the circumstances didn’t look as though He would come to the rescue. We were following the example Paul provided when he comforted the Ephesians, reminding them, "And now I commend you to God and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified" (Acts 20:32 ESV).
For a long period of time after he left, we had no contact with Harold until we finally got a letter from Fort Benning with information about his assignments and his mailing address. We were able to text him for a very limited period of time. He asked us to pray for him. There were many men who for various reasons had quit and left within the first few weeks.
"Because deaf people don’t speak the same language as the hearing do, there can be much lost in the translation that can compound the challenges of dealing with the military culture. "
We later learned that he would have to get up at four in the morning, train all day doing calisthenics such as sit-ups, push-ups, burpees, and even run twelve miles. He still gets physically exhausted, but the verses we share with him through our letters have kept him going. He started by memorizing Joshua 1:9 and Philippians 4:13. During his downtimes, he takes up his Bible and reads and asks many questions in his letters to us. We try to answer his Bible questions as completely as we can, and sometimes our letters sent to him with care packages stretch from two to twenty pages. He has told us repeatedly that he looks forward to getting the letters, as this is his only contact with the world while he works through the boot camp. He keeps all the letters and reviews them to help him appreciate more fully what the Bible has to teach him. As Habakkuk 2:2 shows, writing things down so they can be recorded and shared makes the teaching very useful for edification and instructs in ways that cannot be done through other mediums.
Even though he may earn the privilege of calling us on a Sunday for a period of time, those calls can be short and rushed. That is where the letters are useful. He may not have the phone available all the time, but he has the letters handy and is able to read them whenever he has downtime, day or night.
During the Christmas season, Harold surprised us by coming home at midnight. Of course, I screamed and probably woke up the entire neighborhood with my excitement. I could not believe he had come home for the holiday. He gave us big hugs, and we were all so happy to be together for a while. By God’s grace, when he came with us to the church service for the New Year’s weekend, a couple had their Army son there as well. The two young men instantly connected and talked for an hour or longer. It was great for Harold to connect with someone else who understood what he was doing in Army. Even the church pastor had those two Army guys help out illustrating the point about doing what was right in the sight of the LORD but not with a perfect heart as the pastor exposited about Solomon’s building of the temple in 1 Kings 6 . During the holiday break, we saw how valuable letters were to him—they were transforming him into a Christian soldier.
"But there is hope! In the same way we used the letters to keep in contact with our son, we believe everyone can overcome their own challenges and connect with one another."
Harold also told us about one church service he attended on the Army base where they told a story about an Army Ranger who was a Christian. During a combat tour, their vehicle hit an IED that firebombed the vehicle.
The Christian escaped unscathed but realized there were seven buddies still stuck in the burning vehicle. He went back in and saved them one by one, getting burned so badly that his skin and clothing melted together. Though treated, this Christian later died from his burn injuries in a hospital. One of the seven men he had rescued came to know the Lord Jesus Christ because of his fallen comrade’s sacrificial love. He was motivated to become one of the top Army Rangers. Whenever he is asked what motivates him, he answers that he knows God, that He saved him and wants him to share His gospel with others everywhere. This was an inspiration to Harold.
Since Harold’s return to an army base, he has become a prolific writer, asking many questions and sharing his experiences. This thrills us because it gives us an opportunity to stay in contact by mail, even if letters aren’t instantaneous like text messages. The letters are very important, and we keep writing back to keep him in the loop about what we are doing and continue supporting him biblically. We sent him a discussion about the whole armor of God depicted in Ephesians 6:10–18 and the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22–23. This helps him during the challenging and enduring training and encourages him to keep going regardless.
Harold has been reading the Bible, starting at Genesis. At the time of this writing, he is somewhere in the middle of Kings. He prays often and tells us about prayer songs he has learned in the Army. He shares the gospel , telling about the message of hope and light even in the midst of difficult times.
"Deaf Biblical Counseling partners with Fallen Soldiers March."
We are firmly convinced that God has used our letters to Harold as a way to really get into the meat of good theology that would be easily skipped over if it were done in a real-time conversation. We believe that even if he had the privilege of phoning us anytime, we would still write him letters as long as he is away because it helps point him toward God. Even more importantly, it helps him point others toward God.
The format of letters makes it easier to grapple with hard questions that shouldn’t be answered with a single Bible verse. We are following the apostle Paul’s pattern for his epistles: he drew on the Scriptures and built his case for a particular doctrinal position to help exhort the believers toward not only correct thinking but also correct behaviors in living out the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Paul told young Timothy that the scripture is "profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness" (2 Timothy 3:16). Letters to soldiers help encourage personal application of the instructions from the Bible (2 Timothy 3:17).
Since our son enlisted, I’ve found out there are a number of deaf people who are either parents of a soldier, children of a soldier, or even a spouse of a soldier. Because deaf people don’t speak the same language as the hearing do, there can be much lost in the translation that can compound the challenges of dealing with the military culture. But there is hope! In the same way we used the letters to keep in contact with our son, we believe everyone can overcome their own challenges and connect with one another.
This is the reason why Deaf Biblical Counseling exists. We have twelve certified deaf counselors and are training more.
We counsel deaf Christians to help them to connect with the gospel, understand the Bible in their native language, live for God, and walk with Him. We also provide biblical counseling training for churches in ASL.
Deaf Biblical Counseling will be partnering with Fallen Soldiers March to provide support for veterans, active duty military, and first responders dealing with hearing loss, including those with deaf children or deaf parents who have adult children who are veterans, active duty military, and first responders.
Click below for more information on our partnership:
https://fallensoldiersmarch.com/deaf-biblical-counseling-partnership
If you know any other people dealing with the hearing loss challenges, encourage them to reach out to us and we can help!
by Suzanne Clothier, Deaf Biblical Counselor
Deaf Biblical Counseling © 2023
Current student at Southern Seminary, MABC
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