Live B.I.G

Last year in December I wrote an entry about our Christmas pagent at church. The group that came to video tape our production was Live B.I.G. Live B.I.G is a United Methodist Curriculum and can be purchased at cokesbury. We are obviously featured in this time of advent as we prepare for christmas. For more information you can go to http://ilivebig.com/

Merry Christmas!
Mary

Pay... Pay AT...PAY ATTEN... PAY ATTENTION!... what was I saying?

This semester I have been working with my pastor Rev. Peggy Johnson at Maryland School for the Deaf. Every tuesday afternoon we drive to Columbia and teach religious education to those Deaf kids whose parents give them permission to participate. The class consists of around twenty five kids ranging from age 4-15 years old. Peggy teaches the older kids and I agreed to teach the two 4 year olds.

Peggy and the other volunteers tried to include the two youngest with the older kids the first week but it didn't prove successful. I joined the seecond week when Peg said she needed help and in the back of my head I thought "OH, cute little 4 year old Deaf hands signing things like God, and Jesus, and The wonderful love of my blessed redeemer way down in the depths of my heart!"

What is wrong with me?? I have counseled for two years now at Deaf Kids camp what planet was I living on?

The first week I felt successful just keeping them from pulling out the cords in Peggy's computer. The second week I took them outside and we played on the swings. I told myself that it was still Christian education because I was showing them Christ's love. The third week I felt guilty so I tried to teach them that God had created the World. I brought little toy earth balls to give them and the lesson went like this:

First I chased them around for ten minutes to get them to sit down, then I gave them the earth balls (Bad idea), then while they (of course) were staring at the toys I had just given them I tried to get their attention. Just for those of you who have never tried to get the attention of a Deaf four year old, it is basically like trying to get the attention of a hyperactive fly.

I signed:

"pay!"...then they would look away.."pay At!"...then they would look away..."PAY ATTEN!"...then they would look away..."PAY ATTENTION!"... by this point I was not signing pay attention anymore I was instead doing that Robert Deniro thing from Meet the Parents where you hold up two fingers, glare at them and point at your eyes and then their eyes.

Then once I had ten seconds of continuous attention I signed "God made the world." and I pointed at the toy while they looked at me confused and I realized they didn't know the sign for God or who God was so to them it look like I had given them a toy, made them not look at it, and then signed "Blwasek(insert any made up word here) made toy."

By the end of the semester we had worked with their mom to implement a behavior management plan that worked (HALELUIAH!) and the two Deaf hyperactive four year old angels knew that God made the world, Jesus was God's son, Christmas was Jesus's birthday, and that God was more important than food, fish, cars, toys, etc..

God was present in the whole process, teaching me to teach more effectively using videos and games and rewards. God was in the glue that they would use to make a ridiculously awful mess while watching the videos because they needed to be doing something in order to concentrate and God was in my hands and theirs. Thanks be to God!

I am still amazed everyday at how God Can communicate without langauge in so many ways. The class is over now until after Christmas break. We start teaching again in January. If anyone has any good ideas that are simple and use little verbal or signed communication to express christian ideals I would greatly appreciate the help! Merry Christmas All!

Bread and Justice

O God, just as the disciples heard Christ's words of promise and began to eat the bread and drink the wine in the suffering of a long remembrance and in the joy of a hope, grant that we may hear your words spoken in each thing of everyday affairs:
Coffee, on our table in the morning;
the simple gesture of opening a door to go out, free;
the shouts of children in the parks;
a fimilar song, sung ny an unfimiliar face;
a friendly tree that has not yet been cut down.
May simple things speak to us of your mercy, and tell us that life can be good.
And may these sacrmental gifts make us remember those who do not recieve them:
Who have their lives cut every day, in the bread absent from the table;
in the door of the hospital, the prison, the welfare homethat does not open;
in sad children, feet without shoes, eyes without hope;
in war hymns that glorify death;
in deserts where once there was life.
Christ was also sacrificed; and may we learn that we participate in the saving sacrifice of Christ when we participate in the suffering of his little ones. Amen.

Rubem Alves, Brazil, 20th cent.
the United Methodist Hymnal pg. 639

A silent Shout out about HIV/AIDS

This is an article currently on the Global Ministries website about my friend Harry. Some of you have heard me talk about how devastating HIV/AIDS is to the Deaf community. enjoy!

Over the past 26 years much has been reported about the rising cases of HIV/AIDS in the US and abroad. However, there’s little known about an extraordinary group of survivors that gather a few times a year at the Quality of Life retreat in Baltimore Md.—the community of the Deaf. Raising awareness with a hand sign and openly discussing their personal journeys of living with HIV/AIDS, this program offers encouragement and hope.
The Quality of Life retreat is a special project of the Baltimore-Washington Annual Conference, and the General Board of Global Ministries’ Health and Welfare unit provides additional support. The retreat, open to everyone hearing and Deaf, empowers participants with life strategies that help them live with HIV/AIDS. The program is facilitated by The Deaf Shalom Zone Inc., Christ United Methodist Church of the Deaf, Baltimore, Md."My experience at the Quality of Life retreat was so great. It helped me to find myself, my inner place, my spiritual home, my peace, my purpose in life,” so signed Rev. Harry Woosley, Jr., the leader of the Deaf AIDS community in Baltimore. “I want to help others to find life like I have,” he continued.Harry was sponsored and provided with interpreters to attend the retreat and is educating three high risk groups about AIDS— Deaf-blind people, a group of Deaf inner-city young people, and Deaf people living in group homes.
A Safe Place
The retreat offers a safe, loving environment in which participants can be themselves, free of fears and inhibitions and can openly discuss their deepest concerns and challenges about living with HIV/AIDS. The retreat offers an opportunity for participants to get away, interact with other HIV-positive individuals and learn effective techniques and attitudes for long-term survival.
Currently, there are an estimated 24,000 culturally Deaf individuals in Baltimore and 300 are reported Deaf AIDS cases. “HIV/AIDS cases are four times higher in the Deaf community than in the hearing community,” according to Carol Stevens, coordinator of The Deaf Shalom Zone. This fact alone demands society’s attention to this often overlooked community.
Case Managers at Work
Agencies that provide services to hearing individuals are often inaccessible to the Deaf, therefore, The Deaf Shalom Zone includes case management services to help the complicated needs of Deaf people living with HIV/AIDS. Case managers help secure individuals who have contracted the disease but have no health insurance, medical care, medication or financial support. Case managers are often the shepherds through the process until individuals gain independence.
The Quality of Life retreats and case management services for Deaf people with HIV/AIDS are just another example of how UMC gifts go to work.

Hands On Closing celebration

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A46m4vxuv20

Hands On last 3 days

Port Huron counselors pose on the steps of the church.









Carol and Colin signing something... I have no clue what though. =)










Everyone creating a work of art for the Shalom Zone office.










Jacob with his Crab Hat

Painting at the Synder's

Me and my dadoo.

Hands On day 4

Last night after a day of hard work Mrs. Laurie invited the group over for a BBQ and a pool party.








The Kids had a good time playing around in the pool.

When we came back to the church the choir members sat down and acted as a Deaf Panel. Hands On participants got the opportunity to ask any questions they had about Deafness and Deaf culture. After the panel the choir sang 3 songs and did a bible drama.

Today after sign language class the groups got back to work on their projects at the church. One group worked to paint the new good pantry.

The Pantry group discusses they course of action.

Jennifer had fun painting the sanctuary. She volunteered to paint the tall peak.

Two other groups went out to work in Deaf church members homes. One group was moving a demolished Shed onto a truck and out to the dump. Another group was working at our choir director's home varnishing a porch. More photos to come tomorrow.

Hands On first 3 days

Saturday afternoon the group from Port Huron arrived around noon and went to the ice cream cottage for lunch after a long drive. Sandusky arrived a short while afterward and the week offically began.








Carol Stevens began the week with the first introduction to Deaf culture while I interpreted to give them an idea of what interpreting looked like.







Heidi and Bobbi watched with tired eyes after leaving at 4am to arrived in time.








Later in the afternoon we practiced the bible drama for the next day. "When a soilder tells you to carry their pack for a mile, carry it for two."





Later that evening we experienced "Fun Drum Rhythm Circles" with the Baltimore Association of the Deaf Blind group. Kathy had a blast and danced away to the beat.








Sunday evening after a long morning of Sign Language classes, Deaf Bible study, Church services, and Deaf community lunch, We sat down to watch "Through Deaf Eyes" a PBS special about Deaf culture that features our church.




On the first work day (Monday) Bobbi takes down an old speaker that was left from the previous hearing congregation.










Maggie and Katrina spent their time prying up old shelves and cleaning out a hallway to make way for the new food pantry.




Things are going well so far. We are learning lots and sharing together. We are looking forward to the next 4 days.

Our last trip to New York

Recently I spent a week in New York debriefing about what has happened over these past two years as a US-2. It was great to see all my friends who have been spread all over the country. We sat in our New York home, ate our Magnolia cupcakes and talked and talked and talked. We all had a rewarding time as US-2's and can't believe that our time is up. Beth in Jackson, MS will be leaving her placement site but staying in Jackson and working at a YMCA as their aquactic director. Tiffany Stanely who was placed in Denver, CO will be leaving her site and state to travel to Harvard Divinity School on a full-ride (YOU GO TIFFANY!) Laura Ralston who was placed in Albuquerque, NM will be leaving her site at Saranam but stayig in the area and taking on a full-time youth leader position at her local church. Bre McFarland will be staying in Nome, AK and working as a probation officer. Josh Gray, Sarah Reynolds, and Laura McDowell-Bensman are all currently searching for their next adventure.

I will be staying in Baltimore at the Deaf Shalom Zone. I have been recently hired to serve for the next 6-10 years as their Church and Community Worker, another Missionary sent from the GBGM. I am very excited to continue my ministry here at the Deaf Shalom Zone.

As one of my projects as the Development Director I created a mission week called "Hands On" our first annual Hands On week will begin August 11-18 2007. I am very excited about this new program and cant wait to post pictures of all the participants at work!

While in New York the GBGM taped Podcasts of us US-2's talking about our ministries during the past two years. If you click on the link http://new.gbgm-umc.org/work/missionaries/podcasts/index.cfm?i=13011 you can listen to my podcast. and others.

Also Tiffany wrote a great article abotu our journey as US-2's which is on the GBGM homepage the link to that article is as follows http://gbgm-umc.org/global_news/full_article.cfm?articleid=4615 Please check it for more information on the US-2 class I was a part of.
More to come soon!! peace.

"Deaf Ministry: Make a Joyful Silence"

My pastor/boss/co-worker/friend wrote a book. It chronicals her experience in Deaf Ministry just like this blog does for me, although her books includes the last twenty years, like five church moves, murder, AIDS/HIV and the life of community. The book is entitled "Deaf Ministry: Make a Joyful Silence" written by Rev. Dr. Peggy Johnson including a study guide for bible studies and small groups written by Dr. Rev. Robert L. Walker a United Methodist Pastor who has his own vision and hearing loss.

I am making my way through the book excitedly, recognizing the changed names and giggling, then finding myself in tears. I know that evreyone says that about books "I laughed, I cried" but I say it with sincerity. I was so struck by her account that I wanted to share a passage with you all.

"One if the members of the deaf-blind club, Walter, took me on yet another journey into the deaf-blind world, one that is all-too-common to the life experience of the deaf-blind people in this country. Walter, a young, six-foot-four African American man with very dark skin, deserved his nickname of "King Kong." He had Usher Syndrome and in his mid-thirties began to lose considerable central vision. He lost his job cleaning toilets for Good Will Industries in what I considered an act of "bad will" on thier part, simply because he could not see the dirt as well as he used to. Almostover night he became a jobless, homeless, and emotionally wounded from the frustration of not being able to see much of anything. He had not communicated with his family in years and the church was his only source of human contact and help. Walter was quite popular at church because he often led hymns during worship. His massive hands, his expressive signs and the soulful look on his face made him an over-night hit with the deaf choir members and the congregation at large.

After Walter became homeless and jobless, a Deaf church family took him in for free, and he lived in their basement. For the next nine months a number of church workers and I launched a long bout with the Department of Education of the State of Maryland and the Federal Government to get Walter's Social Security Disabilty Benefits. Paperwork was lost several times. Carol Stevens, the interpreter, spent whole days in the Social Security Administration office literally staking out intake workers who seemed to have been holding up his paperwork. Benefits that were expected in 90 days took 180 days. There were never any explanations, no apologies, just blantant inefficiency and endless waiting.

The Department of Rehibilitation Services was another jungle of bureaucracy that was almost unbelieveable in its inabilty to function. It was like dancing with an elephant to accomplish even the smallest tasks. For walter to be assinged a casworker, a complicated application had to be filed. That took several weeks to be reviewed until at last he met with the caseworker assingned to him. Unfortunately she resigned from this job about that same time and his file was left on her desk for three months. Walter started over with a new caseworker who ordered eye exams and an audiogram to document his vision and hearing loss. Both of those tests were preformed by vendors who were contracted by the state. Both sent in results after two months and both sets of tests were lost and had to be redone.

At the second eye exam, Walter was in tears because the retina test was painful. While we were in the doctor's office, the Rehabilitation Services office called. It seemed that the voucher for payment had not been completed, so they were not sure the voucher would get paid and the test would have to be done a third time since the doctor would not do the paperwork until the money was in hand. I asked the doctor's secretary to hand me the phone and let me talk to the Rehabilitation office secretary. My purple rage with her made the board meeting at Friendly Homes look like a tea party. They suddenly had a change of heart and agreed to fax a voucher to the doctor while Walter was still in the office so the appointment would not have to be postponed a third time.

It was decided that Walter should spend a year at Helen Keller National Center in White Plains, New York, a trainging facility for the deaf-blind people of all communication styles and walks of life. There Walter could learn all he needed to know to function independently as a deaf-blind person: Braille, mobility, independent living, job skills, computer, and even cooking class. This was exactly what he needed but it took another three months for the fundingpackage from the state to be approved and an opening to become available at the Helen Keller Center. Finally one golden day we got word that everything was in place. Carol Stevens drove him to the Hellen Keller Center, and he spent over a year there learning many new empowering skills. He even learned to find his way around the crowded New York subway system independently.

The following year the new and improved Walter, complete with new equipment, a white cane, and a button that says " I am Deaf and Visually Impaired" arrived back at the Deaf church. Waves of deaf-blind applause thundered in the church. Deaf-blind applause (stomping feet) is not clapping, nor is it the waving of hands, as neither of them is percieveable by a deaf-blind person. Instead, deaf-blind applause is the thunder of feet stamping on the floor. The thunder went on for over five minutes. Walter smiled, held his hand up to the crowd to still the thunder and began to sign "Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty, early in the morning our songs shall rise to thee." His massive arms, like ebony tree limbs rose upward in song. I believe at that moment he touched a little piece of heaven".

If anyone is interested in reading her book or doing a bible study with your church contact me and I will send you copies happily. peace.

Communion

I wrote this poem after service on sunday. I walked into the bathroom and saw the grape juice in the sink, I LOVED the imagery. peace.

COMMUNION

Jesus lives in the bathroom sink
at Christ church of the Deaf.
Sunday I watched him drip down
the porcelain towards the drain
infiltrating every vein of our sewer system.

Catholics drink and wipe
drink again wipe again
until jesus is devoured.

We dump him down the drain.

Chalice raised high
Prayers signed in remembrance
“This is Christ’s blood shed for you”
Catch it quick
before it sloshes in the sink
and you have to wait until next month,
or rip a piece of the body
and scrape it along the bowl
and taste body and blood and soap,
How appropriate.

Thank God
Jesus doesn’t live in the toilet.

Or does he?
Jesus lives in the toilet on Payson street
where mothers don’t
speak the language of their children.
Jesus lives in the toilet of isolation
The Deaf feel in prison.
Jesus lives.

In the sink at Christ church of Deaf,
in our throats
in our hands
we rip him apart,
drink him in then dump him out
into the sewer system
to continue ministry

Garbage bags full of dreams

Today I walked into the office and sitting on my desk was a nasty, old looking, garbage bag with a note attached that said

" Hi Mary, Let your dreams come alive! Thank You, Mike"

As I stood there and tried to image what dreams of mine might come out of a yucky, dirty, garbage bag I realized...this is my life.

It's my life here at the Zone to put on a superwoman costume and jump around during the sunday service signing how to be spiritually healthy... It's my life to walk into church and take inventory over what is here and what is missing "Do I need to call the cops today? Did we get robbed this week?" It's my life to drive ex-cons home after church, and to teach the youth that internet porn and sex at church is not healthy or good or appropriate.

What is in this garbage bag that could make my dreams come true? Outcomes! One garbage bag that we are working with right now is the foster care system in Baltimore. The current system tells us that they don't have any Deaf kids but, we can smell their trash and we personally know 15 Deaf Children who have been placed in homes that don't sign. The dream in the bag that we will get to one day, after sifting through banana peels and old batteries, is a theraputic foster care program that will place all Deaf Children and CODA's (Children of Deaf Adults) in homes where there foster parents sign. These will be homes where the foster parents recieve specific help for raising Deaf children or parenting classes for Deaf adults. That is one dream of mine that is wrapped in a garbage bag but will not be thrown to the curb and will sit and ferment and mature in my office.

This is my life, garbage bags and all and I love it. peace.

I am purposely not telling you what dream was in the bag, but I will tell you it was wonderful and tasted delicious.

Americorps

All I have to say is, the program may have its faults and difficulties BUT being an americorps member just paid off $4,725 of my student loans! Oh Man that is a good feeling!

Being a US-2, Americorps member, Jesuit Volunteer, any of these kind of programs not only gives you one to two years of experince right out of college (needed for most jobs) but it also pays off your student loans through educational vouchers! I encourage all undergrads to look into these programs it will change your life! peace.

Who has faith?

On sunday a well meaning hearing man took my pastor aside after church and told her that he felt sorry for the Deaf and would like to come and hold a healing service to heal them from their Deafness.

"Deaf do not have enough faith." the man said "That is why they are Deaf."

My pastor stood politley and listened to the man and then said "Sir I am Blind in one eye and have a glass eye. I have prayed many times for my eye to be healed. I went to a healing service when I was a teenager where they laid hands on me to heal my eye. I took out my eye and placed it on the altar for the lord to heal me, and I am still blind. Do I not have faith?"

The man told her that he did not want to answer that question and he insisted that she allow him to have a healing service. My pastor is wonderful and she did not want to answer for the Deaf of the church so she brought the issue up at our board meeting that day. She asked the Deaf members how they would like her to respond.

oh, man! the hands were flying!

"There is nothing wrong with our faith! We know the lord and understand God's love!"

"I like being Deaf, I don't want to be hearing!"

"He was wearing glasses! where is his faith?"

The deaf memers decided to write a letter to the man thanking him for his concern and explaining about Deaf culture and their faith.

Is God's power that limited that God can only communicate with those who can hear or do we limit God ourselves? We don't know why things happen; we don't know why people get sick, why people die, why some are blind, some have C.P, some have mental issues, some are Deaf, and some wear glasses. We don't know and that is ok. It is not our job to know, it's God's job. Our job to to understand God and love God despite our own personal issues because we better believe God loves us! =) peace

Stories

From Jan 3-14th we at Christ UMC of the Deaf hosted 16 seminary students for a Deaf culture immersion class. Two intensive weeks where we taught them all there is to know about Deaf Culture. We visited the Deaf school, we taught them sign language every morning, they visited the mental hospital and prison where we teach bible studies, they visited the MD relay center, and we had plenty of talks about issues such as CODA's (Children of Deaf Adults), parents with Deaf children, cochlear implants, Deaf with AIDS, Mental health issues, etc...

This was the second year that I have been involved with this immersion class we offer and each year I have learned a lot. I am doing the work, and I am involved with the culture but it is different when you take that information into a classroom to teach others; it is surprising how much I learned that I never knew.

one story I heard this year broke my heart. There are only two counselors in the city and pretty much the state too that know sign language and Deaf culture issues. One of those counselors came to speak about her job and things she has seen. She told this story about a young man.

She said that she had been working for a few months with a young man around 12 years old who was Deaf. The boy had hearing parents who did not learn sign language because they wanted him to be forced to lip read so that he could be "normal". The boy was having issues and the parents could not communicate with him so that brought him to the counselor. While he was in counseling he was focused on the fact that he was going to die. When the counselor asked him why he was so certain he was going to die soon he replied

"All Deaf people die before they grow up. That is why there aren't any Deaf adults"

In the parents effort to make their child hearing they had never introduced him to any Deaf adults. The boy lived in constant fear that he was going to die because his parents didn't know how to communicate with him to figure otu what was wrong.

That story isunfortunately not uncommon. Parents often want their children to be like them and they experience so much pain when their child is Deaf that they make poor decisions due to denial.

Dear God,
please be with all the families that are experincing this kind of pain. Be with all the Deaf children who think they are alone because no on ewill communicate with them. Help the hearing parents to have wisdom and make good decisions. amen.

Christmas pagents galore

On saturday 20 of us from my church drove to a mega church outside of the baltimore county line for "the Splender of Christmas". This church had all the bells and wistles from live llamas and shaggy dogs, to real flying angels suspended

30 feet above our heads. The church had been kind enough to pay for two interpreters so that we could attend and the Deaf loved it because it was so visual. There were about 500 people at the preformance and it was a struggle to get out of the parking lot.

The next day after church while 20 little kids, 3 group home clients and our sunday school teacher were running around dressed as angels with dollar store wings and I was lifting the giant paper-mache' camel head that we had rented for our own pagent a wise man behind me voiced "same story! Yesterday!" It sounds silly but that is when it really hit me that we were actually putting on the same story. Granted our story was done in sign language and instead of a real cow had a 40 year old Deaf man walking around giggling and trying his hardest to voice "Moo!" but yes, it was the same story.

Just as the 3 kings and the lowly shephards both visited Jesus in the manger. The mega church and the Deaf, group home, mental hospital patients, visit together also. That really touched me.

By the way, a group from nasville is coming next week to video tape our pagent for a dvd that will be given to UMC sunday school classrooms next year. Look for us under the section of how the Deaf celebrate christmas. peace.

My soon to be sister in law showed me this on thanksgiving and it has been stuck in the back of my head ever since. I cried at a U2 greenday video and felt silly for that, but how great would this whave been. I am sorry this is not about Deaf culture, but it is about our culture in the states and I think that it is quite poignant. peace.

My Friends are on TV

Last year PBS came and shot footage for a special they were doing on Deaf Histroy. they spent two days shooting at my church. Finally today I heard news about the exact dates that it would be on tv. below you will find all the information if you would like to watch. I am very excited about this. I can't wait to see how they honored the Deaf in our community. Three of my friends were chosen to have one on one interviews Stephon, Sandy (Lasander is her full name, they might use that on the show) and Peggy my pastor (many of you have met her)

I encourage you to check it out! I will post my reactions to it once I have seen it myself or "eyes myself" as the Deaf say. also if you strain your eyes and look very very closely you might see me walking around in the background, but don't hold your breath.

I am pledging from now on to write one blog entry a week since I have been falling behind lately. Blogging helps me to center my own thoughts as well as inform others of what I have been up to lately. Peace.


Remember TO MARK THIS DATE: March 21, 2007

PBS documentary explores 200 years of deaf life in America“Through Deaf Eyes,” a two-hour PBS documentary exploring nearly 200 years of Deaf life in America , will air early next year. The film was inspired by the exhibition, “History Through Deaf Eyes,” curated by Jack R. Gannon of Gallaudet University .The documentary will air nationally on PBS on Wednesday, March 21 at 9 p.m. ET (check local listings).The film presents the shared experiences of American history – family life, education, work, and community connections – from the perspective of deaf citizens. Interviews include community leaders, historians, and deaf Americans with diverse views on language use, technology and identity. Bringing a Deaf cinematic lens to the film are six artistic works by Deaf media artists and filmmakers: Wayne Betts, Renee Visco, Tracey Salaway, Kimby Caplan, Arthur Luhn, and Adrean Mangiardi. Poignant, sometimes humorous, these films draw on the media artists’ own lives and are woven throughout the documentary. But the core of the film remains the larger story of Deaf life in America -- a story of conflicts, prejudice and affirmation that reaches the heart of what it means to be human. Major funding for “Through Deaf Eyes” is provided by the National Endowment for the Humanities, Corporation for Public Broadcasting, PBS, The Annenberg Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts. Private individuals have also contributed to the funding of this project. The extensive outreach campaign is funded in part by Sign Language Associates. Outreach partners are the National Association for the Deaf, Gallaudet University , the National Technical Institute for the Deaf at Rochester Institute of Technology, and California State University-Northridge. As part of the outreach campaign, numerous local organizations, some in association with their public television stations, will mount events and discussions exploring the issues raised in the film.A comprehensive Web site, found at www.pbs.org, accompanies the film. The site includes interviews with the deaf filmmakers whose work is featured in the documentary, while also inviting viewers to submit their own stories, photographs, and films. These will become part of the archival collection of Gallaudet University . A companion book is being published by Gallaudet University Press.

June 1, 2006

I debated only telling one story about today so that I could really give it the attention it deserved but I decided against it due to its depressing content and my extreme optimism.

Today Laurel wore a shirt that she made with her campers at Deaf Kids camp last year. The front was plain and the back was covered in handprints. Of course nobody thought anything about it, amongst our team. In the car, well, piled in the back of the truck, on the way to dinner, after a long day at Nzeve Rick* turned to Laurel and said. "Laurel, do you have a jacket?" Laurel, kind of quizical replied "Yes." and Rick* said "If you would please, you might want to consider wearing it until you arrive home this evening." Which was Shona culture for put on your jacket and do not take it off until you arrive home tonight! Don't take it off if your life depended on it! Shona culture is very "round about."

What was happening is that we had been at Nzeve all day which is a sort of compound, so it didn't really matter, but when we went into downtown Mutare Rick decided to let us know that the open hand symbol was a sign of the opposition party to the government. That T-shirt alone could have landed our whole team in a Zimbabwian jail or gotten us "politically disappeared" which is a phrase meaning visited by the military officals at night and never seen again. I am censoring this entry because I do not know the readers of my blog and you don't need to hear the horrors I heard today.

*___________________*

Political rallies are completely forbidden in Zimbabwe and 2 people can technically be considered a rally, so even if you are just waving to your friend you can be put in jail for using the open hand shape.

On our trip we are not allowed to take pictures of, or even have cameras out in front of policemen. We are absolutely forbidden from saying anything political in fear that someone might hear it. *______*

Dear Lord in that moment today, I was scared and on the 12th I get to leave. Please be with all the Zimbabwians *______* I don't understand it Lord, help me understand. Amen.

Okay now the heart warming stories about cute babies and deaf toddlers. Today we thought we were going to get to sleep in, but Libby called last night and said she had an unexpected meeting so she needed us to come to Nzeve and teach the Deaf Pre-schoolers all day. We didn't even have a lesson plan, but it was a blessed day. We taught about feet and the letter "F." We took off our shoes and passed a feather around the circle in between our toes and I laughed and ignored the ring worm and aids scabs on the children because they were smiling. At tes a toddler with CP and Deaf, of course, was sitting at the table next to me. We said our prayers and began to eat. Then this boy that I had not seend make one facial expression all day, turned to me, twenty seconds after the prayer finished and when half of the kids had their sandwiches as mushy peaunut butter pulp shoved in their cheecks like chipmunks. The boy turned to me, struggled to get his hands to meet one another and he signed "A......men." Then my melted butter heart ripped out of my chest and slapped on the table with my jaw.

God provides success through great struggles. This boy lives in an extremely poor area of Zimbabwe, a country where the inflation rate has gotten so buy that it costs 1.3 million Zim dollars to buy 3 ice cream cones. He is Deaf which means most likely he will never have a job or be thought of be hearing people as equal and he has Cerebral Paulsy so he has to be carried everywhere he goes, but today he accomplished something that made him proud of himself (and me, and god, and the universe and beyound)

Just like the struggles the Zimbabwians are having with their poverty and oppression *___*, I am sure they will accomplish great things they can be proud of and we can all join together and cheer and cry and sign "A........MEN!"

http://www.aslpro.com/cgi-bin/aslpro/aslpro

* indicates name change

*________* indicates material removed because it was too dangerous to post it on the internet.

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.