Kathryn Donahue

Ministry Focus

Kathryn is a missionary at Signs of Love. Signs of Love strives to bring language and the love of Christ to the marginalized Deaf in many countries, including Honduras, Peru, and Argentina. She is based in Trujillo, Peru, where she works to empower Deaf Leaders there. The vision for Trujillo is not to build a dependence on outside leaders, hearing-centered gatherings, or interpreted ministry. The vision is to cultivate a deeply rooted, Deaf-led Christian community where Deaf believers gather regularly, grow in Scripture together, disciple one another, and multiply visual, relational, story-based discipleship among Deaf and language-deprived beloveds throughout Peru.

Faith Story

Kathryn has been involved in the church since she was born. Her family worked hard to expose her and her siblings to the Gospel and God's divine plan for their lives as early as she can remember. Growing up, she knew and believed that God loved her - however, she constantly felt as if He were out of reach. She developed a passion for missions and for those who did not have access to Jesus as early as high school. Even before she fully knew what it meant to follow Jesus, she had a fire in her heart for the unreached. During her sophomore year of college, she attended a Wednesday night worship service in which the Holy Spirit revealed to her that she could never reach God under her own power, but that Jesus came to her, and all she had to do was say "yes" to follow Him. She fell in love with Jesus that night, and decided to follow Him wherever He would lead her. Since then, she has served the church in different capacities, but mainly with the Deaf and language-deprived. She feels especially connected to God when she is pouring her heart out in sign language to His beloved Deaf. She believes He has called her to serve and teach them as long as He sees fit. She is now married and has three children, and they are beginning their journey overseas as a family for the first time together She is excited to see how God will use them to serve the Deaf of Peru.

Education

Kathryn has a Bachelor's Degree in General Studies, with an Emphasis in Education EC-6 from the University of Mary-Hardin Baylor (2011). After graduating, she worked for two years in Honduras, one of which was spent teaching at the local special needs school where the Deaf and Hard of Hearing students attended. She also spent one year working and planning curriculum for the Deaf in villages surrounding their city. Moving back to the States in 2013, she worked at the Texas School for the Deaf in the special needs dorm for high school-aged Deaf girls. She has also worked as a paraprofessional at Austin ISD in the Deaf Education classroom and substitute interpreter/teacher at Round Rock ISD. In 2016, she returned to Honduras with Signs of Love for one year, and then led a team to Cajamarca, Peru to work with Deaf locals for two years more. She married in 2019 and moved back to the States, where she became a certified Deaf interpreter. In 2020, she received her alternative teaching certificate and began her career as a Teacher of the Deaf. She spent two years teaching elementary students, and then the last three as a self-contained middle-school teacher of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing. She and her family live and breathe anything for toddlers and babies, and love anything that has to do with Sign Language. She loves to watch people interpret and learn different ways to sign, including songs, sermons, and advance subjects like Ted Talks. Her closest friends are also involved in the Deaf community, and they all enjoy discussing and being a part of that world.