wfn.org | TCN: First hearing-impaired seminary graduate speaks at Deaflympics carnival

["Taiwan Church News" <enews@pctpress.org>]

>      Taiwan Church News

>3003 Edition

>September 14-20, 2009

First hearing-impaired seminary graduate speaks at Deaflympics  carnival

>Reported by Chen Wei-jien

>Written by Lydia Ma

During the Deaflympics held from September 5-15 in Taipei, a  carnival was

organized in Taipei Arena so that people could have a closer look  at deaf

>people’s culture and lifestyle.

One of the guest speakers invited to this carnival was Bo-Ai Sign  Language

Church’s Rev. Wu Hsin-chang because he was the first  hearing-impaired student

and graduate from a Taiwanese seminary. Event organizers invited  Wu to share

his personal testimony in hopes of encouraging other  hearing-impaired people to

be optimistic about their own futures and proactive in their  lives.

Carnival organizers invited Wu to speak to audiences from United  States,

Germany, Austria, and more in Taipei Arena’s audio-visual  room. To ensure that

audiences understood his testimony, organizers arranged for  translators to

translate his sign language speech into Mandarin and then into  English,

Taiwanese sign language was also translated into international  sign language

and translations into other languages were also provided.

According to Wu, he never liked to study as a child and also  suffered from

epilepsy. However, God saved his life during a serious seizure. He  hasn’t had

any seizures since childhood after praying for healing. Wu  accepted Christ

through a campus missionary from Japan. After becoming a  Christian, he

realized he would much rather receive a zero in an English exam  and apologize

to his English teacher afterward than cheat his way out.

In the end, Wu graduated from a school for the hearing-impaired  with a fourth

place finish. He decided to enroll in seminary to serve and help  people with

hearing disabilities just like himself. Though he was unable to  hear what

professors were saying and couldn’t participate in student  discussions during his

time in seminary, he strived hard and was later accepted into a  seminary

graduate program. His wife also quit her job at one point to serve  as his

>translator while he attended classes.

When people ask Wu what he would most like to hear if his hearing  were

restored one day, he always answers he’d most like to hear  his wife’s voice. His

words are reminiscent of the old saying that behind every  successful man is a

>woman who stood by him.

On a side note, Wu’s former English teacher was also a  volunteer at the

Paralympics. Upon finding out that Wu would be speaking, she  decided to attend

the carnival. Wu and his English teacher were reunited during the  carnival.

According to Wu, schools for the hearing impaired not only open  students’ ears,

but their hearts as well. Once a student’s heart has been  opened, he will be

receptive to the gospel and learn to love others. As a pastor of a  sign language

church, his main task is to help hearing impaired people know  themselves and

accept themselves. Another important church ministry is to help  hearing impaired

people with parenting and communicating with their children.

According to event organizers, the carnival has invited successful  people from all

professions and walks of life who are also hearing impaired so  that they can

share their life experiences with others through either recorded  presentations or

>personal presentations.

Wu was invited because he was the first hearing-impaired seminary  graduate in

Taiwan holding a master’s degree. Furthermore, he currently  serves others who

are hearing-impaired in his work, thus giving him enough  credentials to speak on

life as a hearing-impaired person and use his stories to encourage  others.

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