My name is Britney Garstka, and I became a disciple on March 15th, 2008. I had spent one short semester at the University of Toledo where I was reached out to by Nino Bradley. I moved back home and transferred schools and continued to attend the Cleveland Church of Christ and was finally baptized in Cleveland. It was an eventful night! I had grown up as what I thought was a Christian. My mom had gone to seminary school and raised me and my 3 sisters up in accordance with the bible. We would have family fellowship at home most of the time, which was led by my mom. Occasionally we did attend church and I remember going to Sunday school a few times. I remember church being boring and more for grown-ups than for kids. When I started studying the bible in Toledo, I came to learn much more about the Bible than I had ever known before. The hardest lesson for me to learn was about baptism and how people become saved. My mother had always taught me that if I believed in my heart and confessed with my mouth that Jesus is Lord, then I would be saved. I did not learn about baptism and studying the Bible and living out the scriptures until I was in college. I ultimately decided that Jesus himself got baptized, so how could I be exempt? I desired to wash all my sins away and to be sure of my salvation instead of doubting it.

I had an interest in sign language early on in my life. I remember teaching myself the manual alphabet and memorizing it when I was in elementary or middle school. When I was a senior in high school, I finally had the opportunity to take ASL as a foreign language class. I loved it! During my short time in Toledo, I had discovered that I could pursue sign language even more and chose to change my major from nursing to become a sign language interpreter. I love the variety of places I go and the people I meet. I am forever learning new things and I love the opportunities and challenges that I am presented with.

I met my husband, Cliff Garstka, at the Ohio Valley Youth Camp in 2010. We were both camp counselors for the teens and although we barely spoke at camp, we found that we shared a love for the outdoors. After camp, Cliff considered taking me on an encouragement date. We are 7 years apart, and because of our age difference, he almost did not ask me on a date! He thought I was too young, and I thought he was too old. He decided to encourage me anyways, and we both hit it off immediately. We began dating after our 3rd date! We were finally engaged in December 2011 and married on May 5, 2012. We continue to serve the youth in the Cincinnati church and are now leading and ministering to the “Pre-teens”, which are our 7th and 8th graders.

Although we work with the youth, my time is divided between the kids and the Deaf ministry. Cyndie Imfeld is a sister in the Cincinnati church who also signs. She and I studied the bible with Robin, a deaf woman, and baptized her this year! We are excited to see answered prayers and growth in the Deaf Ministry. My first dream as a baby disciple, was to be involved in and to lead a deaf ministry. After a few years, that dream started to fade, but God is faithful! My husband, Cliff, has adopted my dream for a Deaf Ministry as one of his own, and is pursuing taking sign language classes. With the help of Cyndie’s husband, Kevin, Cliff has had a few studies with a deaf man who has been visiting. We both wonder what God’s plan is for the Deaf Ministry as well as for us. Maybe one day we will no longer be leading the youth and will be leading a Deaf Ministry! In the meantime, I am working as an interpreter and I also serve by interpreting on Sundays at the Cincinnati Church of Christ and for other church events.

I am encouraged to see the Deaf Ministry grow and pray for it to continue to grow! I love meeting new people and learning more about their lives. I hope to be able to share the gospel to deaf and hearing alike, and to grow the Deaf Ministry!

My favorite scripture is Proverbs 19:21, “Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.”

My name is Cyndie Imfeld, and I help interpret at the Cincinnati Church of Christ. I
became a disciple in the summer of 1982. While taking summer classes at the Cincinnati
Conservatory of Music in my hometown of Cincinnati, a classmate, Robyn Church, reached
out to me and invited me to a commuter bible talk. I noticed immediately that Christianity
was real for the students in this bible talk. They shared openly about their lives and how
they were putting the scriptures into practice. I wanted what they had, and I expressed to
Robyn how Romans 7:15 described my life completely (…what I want to do I do not do, but
what I hate I do.) After about 3 weeks of personal bible study, I was baptized into Christ.

During my last year of college I took an ASL class for a language credit. Not long after
I graduated, a sister, Cindy Schneider told me that she had Neurofibromatosis, a disease that caused tumors to grow inside her body. Two of those tumors were in her ears and she knew their removal would cause her to be completely deaf. Together we took several sign
language classes to help her to transition into the deaf community and me to learn how to
interpret for her at church. Through the years we met and studied with several deaf people
and at least two became disciples. One, a deaf-blind woman named Donna LePiors, remained a faithful member of the Cincinnati Church of Christ for more than 20 years. About five years ago she moved to Michigan for health reasons but remains in contact with us. Cindy Schneider passed away around 2006. For several years we had no deaf ministry. This past summer, I reconnected with a deaf man, Charles, who had come out to church several times when I was first learning sign language. I hadn’t seen him for nearly 20 years but noticed him at a “deaf take-over” event downtown and invited him to visit church again. He came and liked it so much that he told his sister’s friend, Robin Edwards about it. Robin was new to Cincinnati and looking for a church. She showed up one Sunday in November and was baptized in March. It brought tears to our eyes to look up and see Robin rise out of the water. There were hundreds of arms waving in deaf applause and praise from the congregation!

After being in the singles ministry for several years, I married Kevin Imfeld, in 1989.
We recently became “empty nesters”. We have two daughters who are both disciples. Our
oldest, Stephanie, 21, was married to Kyle Pollock in December, and our youngest, Samantha, is 19 and active in the campus ministry at the University of Cincinnati. Kevin has learned some sign language from me and is enrolled in an ASL class to begin in May. Samantha has also taken an interest and is enrolled in ASL class next semester at U.C.

What inspires me most about the  Deaf Ministry ICOC is being able to go to a seminar  anywhere  in the country and enjoy an instant connection with deaf disciples and interpreters.  It’s not a connection based on a common language, but one based on a common relationship with Jesus Christ. I love how God has allowed modern technology to strengthen our communication.  Skype, Face Time and texting make it even easier for deaf disciples and interpreters to encourage one another.

One of my favorite scriptures is Ephesians 3:20-21: “Now to him who is able to do
immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.” Because of God’s power, I believe that the Cincinnati Church of Christ Deaf Ministry is going to grow tremendously in number, in faith and in unit. I also believe that there will soon be more interpreters and deaf people of all ages and backgrounds praising God in ASL! To God be the glory!

1.WHO REACHED OUT TO YOU?

I was talking to a friend from Michigan on Video Phone and asked her if she knew of a good church in Cincinnati that I could attend. I was new to the city. She helped me get in contact with her brother who lives here to get his advice. When I talked with him later, he said that he was currently visiting a good church called the Cincinnati Church of Christ. He suggested that I try it.

2. WHY DID YOU DECIDE TO BECOME A DISCIPLE? WHEN DID YOU GET BAPTIZED?

I learned from Britney, Deb and Cyndie as we talked about God, discipleship and how to follow God. We got together regularly to study the bible. I was amazed when they told me about light and darkness. I realized from that study that I was in the darkness. I learned that to become a disciple I had to hear, believe, repent, confess that Jesus is Lord, and be baptized. That is what I needed to do to go from darkness to light. New life. That’s what I wanted. On March 17, 2013, I was baptized into Christ. I feel so good! I am the new Robin.

3.  HOW DID YOU BECOME DEAF? WHEN DID YOU LEARN ASL?

I would say “unknown” based on a few different comments from my aunt, uncle and mom. I was very young, but I have no idea exactly how I became deaf or when it happened.  I was 4 or 5 when I learned sign language.  I learned it when I went to Kendall School for the Deaf on the campus of Gallaudet University in Washington DC.

4. WHICH BIBLE STUDY WAS YOUR BIGGEST CHALLENGE? WHY?

ACTS 2:38

Peter replied, ” Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit”. WHY? Because it was challenging to learn that I was still in my sins. I needed to repent and be baptized. I wanted to be in the light and have a new life. I always want to be learning about the Bible and God. I understand that I still sin today, but I am so thankful for God’s forgiveness and this exciting new life!  I want to continue to gain understanding and faith in God.

5. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE SCRIPTURE?

1 PETER 2:9-10

“But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation and God’s special possession that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness and into His wonderful light. Once you were not a people but now you are the people of God. Once you had not received mercy. But now you have received mercy.”

WHY?  Because being on the dark side means you’re not a Christian and many things are blocking you from having a relationship with God. When I became baptized, I came into the light. I shine as a new person to God. I am God’s daughter, full of blessings from God!!

6. WHAT IS YOUR VISION FOR THE DEAF MINISTRY AT CINCINNATI?

I want to see deaf people in Cincinnati come to God as disciples and know how good it feels to have new life. They need to understand about the Bible and God.  They need to believe in God.