| Deaf people of Zimbabwe: God is doing amazing things BY CAROL STEVENS  The Deaf mission team from the Baltimore-Washington Conference visited Mutare and Manicaland, Zimbabwe, June 16 to July 1. Everyone involved expressed the same sentiment: God is doing amazing things.
As soon as we landed, we discovered shortages of food and petrol. The unbelievable rate of inflation is proving to be devastating to the people of Zimbabwe. One woman we encountered was buying hooks to hang new curtains. Not long ago, she could buy one curtain hook for 20 cents. Today each hook cost her $20. Staggering. I met with Bishop Herbert Skeete. We shared with him about the situation of Deaf people in Zimbabwe, especially our concern that there is no church of any denomination for Deaf people in the entire country. He was most interested and sincerely engaged. He offered his support and also offered to have the Deaf adults and the families of the Deaf children at the Nzeve Deaf Preschool added to the food distribution list at Hilltop UMC. The concern that preceded our trip to Zimbabwe was a positive thing because it drew our mission to the attention of several church leaders, who once they heard about it, took an interest in Deaf people in Zimbabwe and our ministry. Shortly after our first mission trip in 2000, the first Deaf community organization, called Sanganai, was formed in Mutare at Nzeve, the only Deaf preschool in Zimbabwe. Cur-rently there are 40 Deaf adult members who are meeting and starting to standardize Zimbabwe sign language. While we were in Mutare the new building for the Deaf community was opened. It was built, in part, with a grant that we were able to secure from The United Methodist Church National Committee on Ministry with People Who Are Deaf, Hard of Hearing, Late Deafened and Deaf-blind. It houses a classroom, fellowship room and work project room for the Deaf. We also were able to participate in the beginnings of Deaf ministry at the Sanganai Deaf Club, which is under the leadership of Amos Muyambo. He told us that God has called him to Deaf ministry. We helped him lead workshops on visual worship, banner making, signed-singing and Deaf Bible drama and then we all worshipped together using the new skills developed in the workshops. One of the most exciting parts of our trip was the development of a relationship with Africa Universitys president. I was invited to preach at the university chapel service and used that opportunity to sensitize the congregation about Deaf people. I spoke of the body of Christ, which cannot be truly complete unless all its members, including the Deaf, are part of the body. Three days after meeting with the president of Africa University, it was announced that the school intends to offer special education and Deaf education courses starting in September 2004. It is my prayer that the members of the universitys board will approve this potentially life-changing course of study. It is our prayer that the Holy Spirit will continue to perform wondrous miracles in the lives of the Deaf community. Please keep Zimbabwe and their Deaf in your prayers. The team was made up of Carolyn Sangrey, a professional clown from Pine Castle UMC in Orlando; Linda Mason, an attorney from Browns Memorial Baptist Church in Baltimore; the Rev. Leon Yates Jr. of Magothy UMC of the Deaf, and myself. We would like to thank everyone in the conference for their prayers. Carol Stevens, a member and a 10-10-10 missionary of Christ UMC of the Deaf in Baltimore, led a mission team that recently visited Zimbabwe. | 
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