May 31, 2006

Africa University Yea!

This morning we woke up bright and early and headed to Africa University. Kirk preached at the chapel service and there was a certain flavor of reverance in the air that is hard to describe. Also ironically enough, Kirk chose the same scripture passage that the Deaf preacher chose on Monday, 1 Peter 2:9-10. He talked about being chosen by God. He idn't know he had chosen the same scripture because Monday was the night the electricity was cut and we were trying to watch the Zim sign language through one candle.

After the Service a young man came up to me and asked me if I was from Indiana; there was a VIM group from Indiana there also. I explained to him that I was actually from Michigan and his eyes lit up. he said "really? I lived there!" So I said "WOW! no way! small world! Where?" assuming that his answer would either be Detroit or someplace I didn't frequent. "Boyne Falls" my jaw hit the floor. I grew up on Lake Louise. That has been the only constant place I have ever been able to call home. It turned out that he had been a camp counselor at camp Kinawind on Lake Louise. Now this small world of mine has turned int a small petree dish sized world. Praise God for connectionalism.

After I picked my jaw up off the ground we went to meet the Vice Chanciler of Vice President of the university and butter him up about the idea of Deaf ministry courses. Then we did the same with the director of education. One thing led to another and Kirk got a job. He will be teaching the first ever Deaf ministry course at Africa University.

Thank you Jesus, Amen
(a shona song sung by the Hilltop Deaf)

Africa University is in the process of preparing for their first blind student. All the higher ups expressed a desire to have AU be recognized as a school that specializes in special education. It was a mind blowing experience to be invited in on conversations about how to best set that up. It felt to me like that first sip of Vernors on a hot summer day. All the bubbles travel up into my brian and tickle the insides of my cheekbones.

After the second meeting a man led us into a small room where Laurel and I got to read a few passages of a text book into a tape recorder so it can be given to the blind student in August. And wouldn't you now it, I read the roman numerials wrong. That is one of those things that I am sure I said "When am I ever going to need to know Roman Numerials?" ... Well there you go. Today in Zimbabwe, at Africa Univesity, I did.

I must admitt that the biggest frustration on this trip, which is a minor frustration, is the language complications. I am still learning ASL, I have yet to take my last ASL class. I get to Zimbabwe and I am now trying to switch back and forth between Zim Sign and ASL depending on whether or not there is a Zimbabwian Deaf person in eyesite. I am also trafing back and forth between two spoken languages, English and Shona. I have obviously not picked up a lot of Shona but I have learned "See you tomorrow" "Jesus Loves you" "Hello" "thank you" and "I Love you" and.. that is it.

Our evening Deaf week services are crazy, tonight Kirk who uses ASL as his native language was Signing Zim sign, Carol was voicing in English and the Pastor Dzobo was then translating into Shona. It was a little bit like this:

Kirk: Sign, Sign Sign.. Wait
Carol: Voice, Voice, Voice ... wait
Pastor Dzobo: Shona, Shona, Shona... THEN the congregation would laugh. or atleast the hearing people would laugh.

so actually I guess it was more like this

Kirk: Sign, Sign, Sign...wait
Zim Deaf: Laugh
Carol: Voice, Voice, Voice... wait
Laurel and I: Laugh
Pastor Dzobo: Shona Shona, Shona... then everyone else would laugh. and the whole process would start over with the next phrase.

Thank you lord for making us different and Thank you for making it possible for us to communicate wiht one another. I will never understand it. I am so grateful I didn't have to create a universe. I can't even draw stick people. Amen.

May 30, 2006

last night as I was locking the door to our bedroom I broke the teeth off of our skelton key. We had to find the "hotel" employee, Teddy, and search around for the spare, when we couldn't find the spare we decided to change rooms which was suprising to Carol when she came to wake us up this morning.

Today we went back to Libby's school, Nzeve, to observe Sangani in action making things to sell. We also participated in pre-school classes. The ambulance came today and the for the most part were ecstatic. One boy though, was beside himself with fearful tears because he had been run-over in the streets a few years back and I was suddenly aware of how scary an ambulance can be.

In America an ambulance for the most part is a sign of help and care, but in a country full of aids and malaria and cholera and death before 30 the ambulance can easily turn into a hurse in the eyes of children who are the only ones left in their family. One of the interpreters two days ago told me that he and his youngest sister were the only two left in his entire family. The interpreter, Albert, is 17 years old.

Kirk told us that in Zimbabwe when parents die and grand parents are already gone it happens often that the children, no matter how old, are left in their empty parentless homes to fend for themselves.

Lord,
These stories hurt my heart.

In the afternoon today we met the distrit super intendent. We sat down with her to talk about Deaf ministry at Hilltop UMC. It isn't right, but as Americans, people take our opinions seriously here. Also, the fact that we had traveled all the way from Maryland to see the lowest and most marginalized group of people here says something.

The D.S's eyes were opened; she had never even considered coming to the Deaf conference and was a little embarrassed when we flat out said "we look forward to seeing you this weekend!" She said it was a great and humbling challenge.

Monday night our preacher for the Deaf week event signed in his sermon "Before we were not people, but NOW! we are people!" The Deaf ministry here has given life and support and jobs to people who before did not consider themselves to be people.

Praise be to God

I am going to sleep now to think of the 6 year old boy who was eating bread by himself in the kitchen at Nzeve this morning and, as cheesey as it sounds, whose smile melted my heart like butter in a microwave. I also hope to dream of Colin a a6 year old boy at Nzeve whose favorite toy is a dingy old tire. This afternoon when we came back to the school he saw the huge tires on our truck and he hugged them in the sunlight for a beautiful minute. Praise God. Amen.

AFRICA PICTURES FINALLY!

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