Serving the Deaf Community in Ireland:

An Interview with Missionary Michael McCabe

I was raised in a devout Roman Catholic home in Dunboyne, County Meath, just north of Dublin City, in the Republic of Ireland. I'm one of 9 children and the only one who is deaf in my family.

My parents were both in the medical profession: my Father was a G.P. (doctor) and had a local practice in our community with a dispensary attached to our house, my Mother was a nurse. My Mother died when I was 5-years old, and my Father died when I was 19. My Dad remarried when I was 8-years old, and my Mother (step), Roisin, lives in Blackrock, County Dublin.

That's easy . "Do you read lips?" Sorry, not unless there is sign language being used at the same time. I usually carry paper and a pen with me for those times I meet people who don't sign or there isn't an interpreter available. English isn't my first language, so my sentence structure can be a bit of a mystery for (hearing) people when we do write notes back and forth to each other.

What do you consider your first language?

Irish Sign Language. I'm actually multi-lingual because I am fluent in Irish Sign Language (ISL), British Sign Language (BSL), and American Sign Language (ASL), plus I read English. I don't know Gaelic (Irish) since it's not taught to Deaf people.

There's a difference between Sign Languages?

Yes! Every country has its own Sign Language. When I came to study at North Central University's Deaf Cultural Ministries program, I was taking classes in ASL, and it was totally foreign to me. It took me about a year to get fully comfortable with the finger spelling and signs used here in the States. Think of it like this -do English and German sound the same? That's how different sign languages can be.

Were all your family signers?

No one in my family knows sign language. The education system in Ireland was, and still tends to be anti-sign language pro-oral education. I learned sign language from older deaf boys in the school playground -all very secretively -to be able to communicate with my school chums. If we were caught signing at school we were punished (even at home it wasn't allowed). My family and I 'communicated' through my attempts at lip-reading and writing tons of notes. I feel blessed that my wife and son both use sign language -and now my Mother and Eileen, one of my six

sisters, has been taking ISL -for when I return home to Ireland.

What are your hobbies?

My passion is sports ,football to be exact! Not the American football, but soccer. For 15 years I was the goalie for the Deaf football team that played in a hearing league. Football, and going to the pub (tavern) afterwards for a few pints of Guinness (Irish beer), was my life. I also enjoy woodcarving -my enjoyment of working with wood I believe came from my previous career as a carpenter and cabinet-maker.

How did you come into a personal relationship with Jesus?

A friend of mine was dating a hearing girl who is a Christian. For about a year, Ann Bird (Scanlon) would tell me about God -about Jesus. I didn't think it was for me. Although I felt emptiness inside, I was 'content' to fill my life with football and visiting the pubs with my mates. Ann invited my friend and me to a special conference being held at The Point Theatre in Dublin. We finally agreed to go with her on the last night. I'll never forget that Sunday -it was the first time I had ever seen 'worship' interpreted for the Deaf, and it was the first time the 'salvation message' was presented to me in my language -Irish Sign Language. God, by His Holy Spirit, touched my emptiness that night. I gave my life to Jesus when Luis Palau invited those who wanted a personal relationship with Jesus Christ to come and meet with someone who would personally introduce them to Him.

How did you grow in your relationship with Christ Jesus?

Three months later I was told there was an interpreter at a church in Dublin city-center -St. Mark's Family Worship Centre, an Irish Assemblies of God church. When I walked into the morning worship service there was the interpreter who had interpreted the worship at the Luis Palau Conference. There was also a deaf man I knew -we had played football together. I started attending the Bible study for deaf people in the home of the interpreter -I couldn't get enough of reading my Bible. Although I struggle reading other books, the Bible, God's Word, comes alive for me.

Through the conviction of the Holy Spirit, I knew I had to make a choice between playing football on Sundays or becoming a regular member of St. Mark's. I made my choice for time with Him. A few months later I proposed to the interpreter -and she accepted!

How did you know you were 'called' into the ministry?

A year after Debra and I were married, I was invited to join a mission's outreach team going to Estonia. I joined two deaf brothers from Northern Ireland for the trip. Deaf Christians from around Europe flew in to Tallinn. We teamed up and traveled around the country meeting deaf people and sharing the love of Jesus through testimonies, mime, drama, and preaching of the Word. At the end of our 3-week trip, we celebrated with a water baptismal service.  Since I hadn't been water baptized yet, I also followed the Lord's example. When I came up out of the water I was filled with the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. A man came up to me a few hours later and said he believed God wanted me to go to Bible College, become a minister of the Gospel, and reach the Deaf Community in Ireland. The next morning, this man came up to me again, handed me a business/prayer card of the former director of DIBC (Deaf International Bible College at North Central University). Signing he said, "God wants you to go there to get training to become a missionary." I felt the Holy Spirit's touch confirming it. When I arrived back in Dublin, I asked a friend to go with me to see our Pastor. Pastor Gary (missionary from Oklahoma, USA) and the Elders/Deacons of St. Mark's also believed that God had put a call on my life. A few months later we arrived in Minneapolis so that I could start attending NCU.

You mentioned receiving the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, can you explain that experience?

Wow! When I came out of the water my hands starting signing in a language I've never seen and my mouth was moving to a language I'd never heard. I knew it was a different spoken language because I had years and years of speech therapy. A few hearing people were there and confirmed that I was 'speaking and signing in tongues' like in the Book of Acts in the New Testament. And it wasn't a one-time experience, because I've been enjoying the power of the Holy Spirit on a daily basis -what a blessing!

What are your plans now that you've been appointed an Assemblies of God Missionary Candidate to the Republic of Ireland?

We are blessed that the Minnesota District is a Missions-minded district. Pastor Wes Vagle and Sue Adams have been wonderful to help us set-up a proposed itinerary to visit as many churches as possible with our passion to see Deaf people come into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. We are doubly blessed in that our brother-in-law, Ron Conroy, has felt led by the Holy Spirit to help us too. He will be following up with scheduling services or windows of time with Pastors in Minnesota (and California), since most (hearing) people aren't familiar with how a TTY works (deaf telephone) which is what I use to make phone calls. We have been given a huge budget to raise because the cost of living in Ireland has climbed dramatically over the past six years. Our budget is set for $7,000 a month with a cash amount of $11,000 needing to be in our account before we can leave for Ireland. Our personal goal is to be in Ireland in January 2003 -but that would mean churches would start supporting us without our even coming to their church. Stranger things have happened in this walk with God! We will be on the pastoral staff at St. Mark's when we return as Pastors of the Deaf Community.

Why Ireland? I know you are Irish, but isn't it a Godly country?

Religious, yes, Godly, no. Religiousness is what I'd call a 'tradition' in Ireland -rather than a personal, life-changing experience with Jesus Christ at the center of your life. There are deaf people in Ireland who have a wonderful relationship with God, but for the majority of deaf people they have no idea that there is only one way to Heaven -and that's through Jesus Christ. Debra and I plan to use the Alpha Course as one of our primary tools of evangelism. Our Christian Deaf friends in Northern Ireland started using Alpha about two years ago and they have seen tremendous results for the Kingdom of God through this evangelism tool. Over 40 deaf people have accepted Jesus Christ as their personal Saviour in just 2 years! Praise God! They have strongly encouraged us to use this method in the Republic when we return. They have been praying for the Deaf in the Republic of Ireland for years -so we cannot wait to get back and reap a harvest of Deaf souls for His Glory and Kingdom.

Tell me about your immediate family?

Debra and I have been married for 8 years. Actually, we were married twice! Debra was a MAPS worker in Ireland for six years, so we planned our marriage to happen at the end of her third two-year term in Ireland. She was offered a unique opportunity to work at The Linguistic Institute of Ireland as the Sign Language Interpreter/Office Coordinator for the first research project into Irish Sign Language. The Project Manager was Deaf, but the Linguistic experts were hearing -so Debra became the interpreter for the project. In order to take the job, she needed to be married to a member of the European Union (this Irish person). Our wedding date had already been set for 7th January 1994, and Debra's family couldn't come from the States (MN & CA) before that date. We decided to get married in the Registry Office in Dublin. Our 'first' wedding took place on 29th October 1993. We walked with the Justice of the Peace from his office to St. Mark's for another wedding that was going to take place there. When Pastor Gary saw us, he came right over to us and said, "Just remember, you are only married from the neck up!" I stayed living at my Mother's while Debra moved into the home we would be sharing -after our 7th January wedding.

Debra has been involved in ministry for a number of years.

For two years Debra was secretary to the former Minnesota District officials, Superintendent Herman H Rohde and Secretary/Treasurer Kenneth Freiheit. After completing her first two-year MAPS assignment in Ireland, she worked with Bernhard Johnson Ministries at Bethel Church of San Jose, California as assistant to Bernhard & Doris Johnson and Bruce & Karen Braithwaite. After four years with the Johnsons and Braithwaites, Debra returned to Ireland to work with Missionaries Gary & Wilma Davidson (OK) at St. Mark's Family Worship Centre. She was responsible for setting-up the church's administrative department, training and developing children's ministry outreaches, mentoring single mother's, developing a single's ministry, and starting the Deaf ministry at St. Mark's. During that time she also took three years of Irish Sign Language and became a qualified ISL interpreter. Since our return to the States (Minnesota), Debra has been working on the American Express account with the real estate firm Trammell Crow Company. Debra and I believe God provided this wonderful employment that financially enabled us to prepare for the call God had placed on our lives.

We have been wonderfully blessed while being in the States with the gift of our son. About eight weeks before Zachery was born, his birthmother asked Debra if we would adopt the baby boy she was carrying. We did! Zac will be 3-years old on 23rd May. He's a delightfully happy little boy with a ready laugh. He loves running, jumping, swinging, sliding, tumbling, biking, and balls of every size and color! His favorite songs are Jesus Loves Me and the Alphabet Song. His favorite stories are Daniel and the Lions Den and Tom Rabbit. Zachery's favorite food is milk! His best friend is Katrina -who says they are going to get married when they grow up. Since her parents, Ann and Rob Mayes, are special friends -we already know the in-laws and approve!

Only my oldest sister, Siobhan Beatty, and my Uncle, Father Diarmuid O'Farrell, have met Zachery. They blessed me by coming for my graduation last year from NCU. I'm looking forward to introducing our son to my family and all our friends in Ireland.

Any final words?

Thank you for praying. Please keep Debra, Zachery and me in your prayers as we travel -wherever that may be Minnesota, California, wherever. Please pray for Ireland and the hearts of the Deaf Community with whom we will be sharing the Good News when we return. We don't know where we'll be living when we get to Dublin or what school Zachery will be attending -those are also items that we covet your prayers regarding. And last, but not least, that our budget will supernaturally come together in record time.

We have a wonderful home church and pastor in Summit Avenue Assembly of God under the anointed ministry and leadership of Pastor Ed Tedeschi. We thank God for our church family and Pastor Ed who have nurtured, encouraged and blessed us during our journey of fulfilling the call God has placed on our lives.

We'd also like to thank Debra's family for their part in blessing our lives with their love and encouragement, their joy and their laughter, and most of all for their Christ-like example in all that they do and say.

Update: September 4, 2008

Now Michael, Debra, and Zachery have been serving as missionaries to the Irish Deaf for the past five years. They still have services for the Deaf at St. Mark’s in Dublin and have expanded their outreach to the north in Bailiebourgh, Cavan, Ireland. Their home and offices are located there and Michael is working among the northern communities among the Deaf. A building has been donated to the Deaf in the community of Navan, and many Deaf are attending social activities there. We hope that church services can be added to their activities soon.

The economy in Europe has not been kind to the American dollar. The cost of living in Ireland is expensive. This makes it hard for Michael, Debra, and Zachery, since their money all comes from American. They would appreciate any help that you can give them.  Donations should be sent to:

The General Council of the

Assemblies of God

World Missions

1445 N. Boonville Ave

Springfield, MO 65802-1894

Enclose note:     For Michael McCabe - Ireland

    Ledger: 600001

           Subledger: 2656692

Michael attended the National Deaf Culture Fellowship convention in Oklahoma recently and had the opportunity to see Sam’s Club yesterday. Wow, he could not believe his eyes what is available here for much cheaper prices than in Ireland.

Michael flew yesterday to London and then on to Dublin. As I type this update, Michael is still on his way home. He will be glad to get back home to see Debra and Zachery again.

Update by Rev. Lloyd Couch