49. Tonny

by Pastor Andrew

“It happened in a matter of days. I wasn’t sick. I hadn’t been doing anything dangerous. I just woke up one Monday morning and noticed that I couldn’t hear anything in the distance. The next day I woke and found that I was having trouble hearing even the sounds and voices near me. The morning after that I woke and could barely hear a thing. The loss came only at night, I don’t know why. By Friday I was completely deaf. I was just 8 years old.”

Tonny Eyoku leans across the desk in his office as he signs this to me with a gentle smile and kind eyes. A thoughtful and wise man, twelve months ago he was chosen to be the new Director of Deaf Action Uganda – our most senior worker in the country.

I wonder what journey led him here. 

He was born into a loving Christian family. The second of 8 children, his father was a pastor and his grandfather before him was a pastor. His mother lost 4 other pregnancies. They were dirt poor. Living barefoot and often hungry, they farmed to survive. It was not an easy life. And then he lost his hearing.

Though a clever boy, Tonny stopped going to school and lost contact with his friends. He also stopped going to church and would look on with envy at his family and friends as they headed off on a Sunday morning. He just couldn’t understand what was going on anymore, but remained close to his family and became a proficient lip-reader.

At that point Tonny thought he was the only Deaf person in the world. It was that isolating. He would rise at 4:00am every morning with his father and together they would work the land, hoeing and tilling. “We had no oxen,” he tells me. “We were the oxen.” Toiling all day under the hot sun, he wondered what his future would be.

But God didn’t wonder. He knew. 

One day Tonny was told about a new Deaf school. The teacher recognised potential in him so introduced him to some visitors in the hope that he might find sponsorship. One of those visitors was DMI’s Rev Bulime who saw the same potential and agreed to take Tonny under his wing. He arranged sponsorship and accomodation for him and truly mentored him. Rev Bulime could see that Tonny was a good and effective worker in the church. He began to send him off on missions to serve in other churches, equipped with nothing but a letter from Rev Bulime, a little cash, and a small but keen faith. Tonny was Timothy to Rev. Bulime’s Paul, and he loved it. 

Tonny graduated from school, then spent two years volunteering with UNAD (Uganda National Association of the Deaf) as a sign language instructor before going on to tertiary education, obtaining a Bachelor of Education. He chose this because he wanted to help Deaf children and the education system in Uganda allows for preaching in schools. He also studied theology. Combining education with the gospel was a dream for Tonny.

But then COVID hit and he was left without work. He was hoping to marry his sweetheart Kenoel at that time, too, but couldn’t. He went back to Lira and began to farm again, wondering what the point of all his study and training had been.

But God didn’t wonder. He knew.

At that time, Deaf Action Uganda (DAU) advertised for the position of Director. This involved oversight of the educational, employment and pastoral objectives of DMI’s work in Uganda – a perfect match for Tonny’s training and skills and he was given the job. As if the role itself wasn’t challenging enough, DAU at that time was wracked with division and tensions.

In the last twelve months I’ve watched Tonny work through the issues. I’ve met with him, laboured with him and am deeply impressed with the masterful ways he has handled conflict and challenge. He has a heart for the gospel. He has a vision for the future of DAU. The Board has made the right choice in Tonny. So has God!

Tonny married Kenoel. They hope to have 4 children, live in their own home, and minister together. They wonder what their future as a family will look like. 

But God doesn’t wonder. He….oh, you get it.

If you would like to support Tonny and our ministry in Uganda, please give here: https://deafmin.org/donate/ or click on the red button below.