MAY 29, 2006

Today was relaxing. We woke up late, 8am, ate breakfast, took long hot showers complete with spiders, then sat down in the sun on the courtyard in front of our rooms and planned the presentation we are going to give tomorrow. This week Hilltop UMC will be putting on an event they are calling "Deaf Week". Each night different presenters are coming and then this weekend we will be a part of the frist Deaf conference ever held at Hilltop UMC and as far as we know, the first Deaf ministry conference ever held in all of Zimbabwe.

Since today was slow I will take the time to give you the history of Deaf minstry in Zimbabwe. In 1999 Carol Stevens traveled to Zimbabwe with Bishop May and members of the cabinet from the Baltimore/ Washington conference to check out what was going on in Zimbabwe for the Deaf. They attended a church service at Hilltop UMC and Carol interpreted the service for a Deaf member of the team that had traveled. At the end of the service a man named Amos came up to Carol and said that he felt called into Deaf ministry. Amos joined the team for the next two weeks as they went all over Zimbabwe looking for the Deaf.

Now 7 years later Carol and Amos have set up a Deaf ministry at Hilltop Church. Amos currently is serving as the pastor. They set up a Deaf club called Sangani that meets to socialize and make things to generate profits for the Deaf which is great in a country where 80% of the hearing residents are unemployed. Amos has also been very strategic about where he wanted the Deaf ministry. He set it up at Hilltop UMC because it is the place that practically all of the seminary student interns go to before recieving their own churches. He is essentially planting seeds for the other Deaf minsitries. Also Amos has started setting up groups of interpreters that not lonly interpret but also go out into the communities and train other interpreters.

So there you go you are now up to date.

This evening just as the first ngiht of Deaf week was about to start the load shedding cut off the electricity in Sakubva the extremely poor area where the church is located. A hearing man told me that they do this in order to save electricity for the downtown area of Mutare. Who cares about the poor anyways right? This left us with 6 candles and one flashlight to light a sanctuary that can hold 500 people. AND it was a DEAF presentation so being able to see is pretty important. It pretty much cut off all communication for the Deaf that attended but because this was the week specifically set aside for the Deaf, the show went on and aboslutely no one complained. I can't wait to get home and listen to people gripe about the LCD projector no working on a sunday morning.

Dear Lord,
I know I have only been in Zimbabwe for 3 days but please help my transition home. Lord I have heard it said but now I am experiencing it myself. The people here have nothing, no jobs, money that is worthless, no electricity yet they are still grateful, they are still satisfied because they have you. I am in awe of your presence on the earth. help us to be wise with our money in the states help us to not be ashamed and guilty but to not be wasteful and wanting. The people in Zimbabwe need your help too God. The average age expectancy is 29 years old. Help them to find health and jobs and prosperty without losing year. Thank you for all that you already do. You are precious and amazing Lord. Amen.