Traveling around here we have encountered a fair number of both detours and speed bumps. The detours are usually because of road construction, so we accept them without complaining, but they do slow us down. Speed bumps seem to be the only way to slow everyone down. Sometimes they say, "speed bumps cannot be bribed."
Our experience here has been a little like that - there have been detours, taking us places we did not expect or plan, and there have been speed bumps that slow down our planning. We recently noted that after being here for over 8 months, we have done a total of 3 training seminars. We thought we would be more than half way finished with the 18 Mennonite dioceses by now. First was the delay with our residence permits, so our seminars were put on hold. But we have heard from those 3 church districts that they have been having training seminars and are ready for the next round of training and materials.
We are happy to say that we have received our residence permits in Tanzania, but just as we received them, we were given a new assignment at Mennonite Theological College and our seminar schedule was put on hold. We have also applied for residence permits in Kenya and have received word that they are nearing completion.
I wrote about the assignment at Mennonite Theological College of Eastern Africa (MTCEA) in an earlier post. I am trying to be patient and a good learner for whatever God is trying to teach me. But to be honest, I feel like I am treading water, can't seem to get my feet on the bottom. I won't go into all the problems here, but just to say that weak leadership over the past few years has allowed an operating style to develop that led to lax enforcement of policies, a significant financial debt, and lower quality of education. Several students are behind on their tuition payments, but allowed to continue their study. Money was spent without following a budget so some obligations remained unpaid.
Some students and staff think my presence will bring some kind of miracle and lift MTCEA out of its problems, others feel threatened by my presence (and some should feel threatened!). So I struggle each day to maintain my own integrity and be clear about policies and procedures.
Because of the problems at MTCEA, a Review Team was appointed by the Board of Governors to explore possibilities and recommend changes. I am looking forward to meeting with them June 25-26 and discussing possibilities. There are 5 persons on the Review Team including me (Joe), two are from Tanzania Mennonite Church, one from Kenya Mennonite Church, and one from a seminary in Nairobi who will bring professional expertise. All of these are mature and experienced in education or administration and I think we have a good team. But I will need to write about the Review Team after we have met. After we meet, next week, we will travel to Nairobi for a meeting of the missionary team and some R&R. Part of that time will also probably be to write up the results of the Review Team meeting.
Again, we thank you for your support in so many ways, including your prayers. We are feeling there is a definite spiritual dimension to the problems we are encountering. There have been some church leadership situations in the past that adversely affected this local community, including the college. One of our prayers has been that underlying negative factors would become known, and we are beginning to see some of the attitudes. We are making it a priority to work with local leaders in that. So your prayers are needed and appreciated.
