Our Work is "For the One" - Eric

At The Human Impact, we recognize the deep human need to be understood and to belong. When we spend time with our friends—both housed and unhoused—we see how healing begins when someone feels truly seen, known, and worthy of connection. Following Jesus’ example, we seek out the one who others may overlook or who faces challenges that make connection difficult. And as we seek, God faithfully leads us to the one person He’s placed before us.

Almost everyone has experienced the stress and confusion that arises when trying to communicate with someone who speaks a language you don’t understand and vice-versa. You search their face for clues, gesture with your hands, and hope your tone conveys what your words cannot. Frustration can creep in and meaning gets lost in translation. Yet underneath the awkwardness is a shared human desire: to be understood and known, to connect and find common ground.

Recently, our Lead Friendship Advocate, Alyssa, had a beautiful opportunity to connect with one of our friends through the shared language of signing. Years ago, while on a mission trip to Haiti, Alyssa learned American Sign Language (ASL) from a Haitian friend who was deaf and eager to teach her. That gift came full circle when our team was visiting friends at a partner agency and met a man named Eric* who is deaf. While others chatted and played games, Eric sat more on the sidelines—engaging through facial expressions and body language—but staying quiet. When Alyssa noticed, she walked over and immediately began to chat with him using ASL. In that simple, grace-filled moment, a barrier lifted, and connection was made.

As they talked, Eric opened a sign-language app on his phone and graciously sat with Alyssa, helping her to remember the language she hadn’t practiced in years. It was obvious there was a kindness in Eric that he didn’t always get to express so tangibly. He told Alyssa that he became deaf as a child after an illness took his hearing, and that no one in his family had ever been able to learn sign language with any proficiency. Alyssa and Eric were able to chat for about 45 minutes, before joining the larger group. 

As the conversation continued, Eric began to open up more—laughing, joking, and even teaching the group a few funny phrases in ASL. He invited Alyssa to visit his church, where the services are conducted all in ASL. Something had clearly shifted in him. Through that shared connection, Eric found common ground and began to feel more at home in the group. And we know moments like that aren’t coincidences. God placed Alyssa and Eric in the same place, at the same time, to meet through kindness, grace, and a desire to meaningfully connect. God used a language Alyssa hadn’t practiced in years to connect her to the one He wanted her to see that day.

Of course, it’s not just sign language—our friends speak many languages besides English. Among our team are staff who know Spanish and a few other foreign languages, but what matters most isn’t the literal translation. It’s the effort to see someone, to acknowledge the barrier (whatever kind it may be), to show grace, and to reach out anyway. Because Christ’s love is the universal language that we can all speak.

*name changed for privacy