Bev Warmington asked me a long time ago to write my testimony for Living Water and she has waited patiently - at last I have written it down. I was the youngest in a family of five. My mother was an Anglican, my father grew up in a strict religious home and did not go to church. He always said, “You don't have to go to church to be a Christian.”

The midwife who delivered me was a close family friend and she was a medium, a Spiritualist - so talk of “guides” and “messages” were entertaining and familiar. So, I grew up with these spiritual influences and teachings.

I went to the Anglican Church and I thought I was a Christian, got married and life seemed good. Then my whole world turned upside down - two of our three sons were born profoundly deaf. No-one in our families were deaf, we knew nothing about deafness, had not even met a deaf person. We were young and ill-equipped and the challenges ahead seemed enormous. The God I had learnt about in my church I understood to be distant and judgemental. Yet, instinctively I knew I needed Him but how could I reach Him, find Him?

So my search began:

- I continued to go to church

- read many books

- listened to many people

- Spiritualism - and of course the deceiver never misses an opportunity and this became the greatest explainer of deafness - karma and reincarnation and messages of encouragement.

Then God intervened “stepped into my life.” I left the Anglican Church and joined Rosebank Union Church, heard the message about being “born-again.” In 1976 God opened the way for me to go on a Church Pilgrimage “In the steps of Paul.” The tour ended in Israel. On 13/9/1976 as I knelt and prayed in the Church of Gethsemane in Jerusalem I met Jesus - in an instant I understood who He was and why He had died and He loved me. On the 15/9/1976. I was baptised in the Sea of Galilee.

Special times that will live in my memory forever.

What followed was the power of God in operation -
- INNER HEALING He broke the wall of sorrow and sadness and feelings of failure in me and the tears collected over the years poured out.
- DELIVERANCE out of Spiritualism, which is diabolical (demonic) bondage that only Jesus Christ has the power to break.
- RESTORATION He allowed me to serve Him among deaf people and in doing that He brought good out of my greatest crisis.

I cannot speak for Stephen and Dionne and what it has meant to them to be deaf - they will each tell their own story. They have been a great blessing in our lives and Dries and I thank God often for the privilege of having them as sons and for Dennis, our hearing son, who took on so much responsibility in watching out for them as they grew up energetically together.

Deafness is hard and there are many challenges - for those who are deaf and for the hearing parents of a deaf child. I thank God for each deaf person I have met, those who have shared friendship with me and have enriched my life in every way. I feel so blessed.

By Olwen Venter (H) - Amanzimtoti, KZNatal

THE NATURE OF EVERYTHING INVOLVED IN THE LIFE OF GOD IN US IS ONLY DISCERNED WHEN WE HAVE BEEN THROUGH IT AND IT IS IN OUR PAST. (Oswald Chambers)

Editors' Notes:

Olwen along with the concerned hearing parents of deaf sons started a church for the Deaf more than 30 years ago. Olwen led Women's Fellowship for many years in Johannesburg and East Rand and we were all greatly blessed by her. Dries retired and both moved to live in a Retirement Village in Amanzimtoti in March 2003 - she still leads Women's Fellowship there. She has 2 hard-of-hearing grandsons and 4 hearing grandchildren. We must not forget where we came from otherwise we won't know where we are going, giving God thanks for establishing D.C.F. in 1980 when many Deafies came to know the Lord as their Saviour.