The first Sign Language DTS in Europe was launched on January 24th, 2020 in Constanta, Romania. It has been a dream come true. After a few years of preparation and getting a deaf staff team together, it was with great joy that we started this brand new DTS. Thanks to the incredible support of the YWAM community in Constanta and with great staff from all over the world, we were able to welcome a wonderful group of deaf students into our school and YWAM ministry.

What makes this school unique is that all the teaching, community living for the staff and the students, and the outreach is carried out in sign language. This ensures a full experience for the deaf students and allows them access to free communication at all times. This is something that a deaf student attending a regular DTS with interpreting would not fully receive. 

Our heart and vision for the school is to train, disciple and equip deaf believers to have a deeper understanding of God’s Word and His heart for them, empowering them to go out and be witnesses to their Deaf communities and beyond. In this DTS we have witnessed how powerful this full access has been as our students have experienced new levels of freedom and fresh revelation in their relationship with the Father. 

We have been pressing into all that God has for this group, fully confident that He is not just drawing them closer to Him on personal level, but also raising up future disciple-makers for His kingdom from among the Deaf people.

The verse in Romans 10:14 sums up the need of discipleship for the Deaf community perfectly, “How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching?” The first need is of preaching and teaching in a language they will understand!

Unfortunately, due to the Corona virus we had to take pause the SL DTS and our students were released to return to their respective homes until the crisis has passed.  We hope to continue the lecture phase and outreach in the Autumn. 

Please be praying for the Deaf community of Central Europe, in your location and around the world. If you have friends or know people within the Deaf community who are seeking to grow in their faith and to network with other Deaf believers please let us know and we will do our best to reach out to them with support and encouragement.

-Brent (England) and Eleonora Allen (Romania) together with their two sons, Tobias and Lucas, moved to Romania in 2015 to work amongst the Deaf community here in Constanta. Brent is Deaf and Nora is hearing and their passion and dream is to disciple Deaf people and empower them to believe that they can do great things for God. They completed their DTS in December 2017 and staff at YWAM Constanta and they wish to pioneer and run sign language DTS’s for Deaf believers from all over the world.