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Jehovah’s Witnesses over the weekend will hold their first in-person sign language Regional convention in Bulawayo after two years of virtual meetings.
The Convention will attract more than two hundred Deaf from Bulawayo, Gweru, Beitbridge, Kwekwe, Zvishavane, Victoria Falls, and surrounding areas. The theme of the convention is “Exercise Patience”! In Zimbabwe alone, more than 60 conventions will be held across the country in different languages such as Shona, Ndebele, English, Venda, Tonga, and Zimbabwe Sign Language.
From Friday through Sunday, six convention sessions will explore the quality of patience, highlighting its modern-day relevance through Scriptural examples. A live baptism will be performed following the Saturday morning session and a prerecorded drama will be featured in two parts during the Saturday and Sunday afternoon sessions.
Clara Matamande who travelled from Chiredzi to attend the convention said “I have no words to express my thanks for all the effort our brothers put forth so that we could enjoy the program in our own language. Being patient is something that a lot of us find hard to do, the convention comes at the right time.”
Prema Mapendani also said “It will be heartwarming to see and hug all my friends from other congregations after such a long time, This convention will teach us how patience affects every aspect of our lives.’’
JWG Regional Spokesperson, Witness Gama said nothing can replace being together in a large group setting.
“While our online conventions reached millions around the world and kept our communities safe, we long to get back to our joyful fellowship at these large gatherings,” Gama said.
“Patience is a beautiful quality that all Christians desire to display in their daily lives. Despite our good intentions, however, maintaining patience in the face of life’s many challenges can be a daily struggle. Spending three days exploring aspects of this quality will be very timely for all of us.”
‘Social inclusion is a concern of Jehovah’s Witnesses. We have been producing publications, videos and holding meetings and other events in Zimbabwe in Sign Language around the country for many years. Jehovah’s Witnesses branch in Zimbabwe is also making efforts to translate all the Bible books into ZSL. So far, they have completed nine books of the Bible in ZSL, which are: Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Romans and Galatians, Ephesians, One Corinthians, and Two Corinthians, and can be accessed on our official website jw.org. This was a milestone for the Deaf community in Zimbabwe.’’
The convention is open to the public and no collection is taken.
For more information on the program or to find other convention locations and dates, please go to www.jw.org and navigate to the “About Us” tab.