Where are we now?

First, we are back in Tanzania, 4 weeks now. We spend our days doing housekeeping and house maintenance, meeting people who come to the door, preparing more study materials. It is also a beautiful time of the year with jacaranda, bougainvillea, and flamboyant trees in full bloom.
Spiritually, we are grateful for ways God is working in our own lives and also in the lives of others around us.

Emotionally, we are 2 places: here in Africa, and back in the USA with our family. We are happy when we hear that they are doing well, the “little ones” getting bigger and doing the things that “little ones” do. To live in two worlds stretches the mind and the spirit, and sometimes the body, but we are so enriched by the diversity we are privileged to experience.

In our work, we feel like we are in-between –not quite into the next phase of our work, but not removed from it either. Recently Joe has been spending more time than usual with matters relating to the Mennonite Theological College of Eastern Africa (MTCEA). To put it briefly, MTCEA is at a low point in its existence – out of money, few students, poor support from local churches, very little financial assistance from abroad, and a board of governors that seems to be unable to address the issues.

The interim administrator is working hard to find new ways to make the college effective and sustainable, and we have been trying to give him support toward making changes that need to be made to move the college forward. It is an example of the difficulty of bringing a western institution into an African setting and expecting it to work. So often it doesn’t work without input of financial and human resources from the western culture that brought it here. The education provided by the college is critically needed, but the resources to sustain it are not always easy to find.

Chapel of Mennonite Theological College with
Jacaranda trees in full bloom.

The future of the college is related to the larger question of how sending churches should relate to the receiving church, and those relationships seem to be at a turning point. When western missionaries first came, they were in charge, and local churches were dependent on them. Later, there was a move towards independence, both nationally and in church leadership, and missionaries took on a servant role and tried to support, but not exert undue influence in local decisions. It often included financial support, with local decision-making. Now we are ready to enter a new relationship of interdependence. We don’t quite know what that looks like, but here are some suggestions.

One, we will walk together in ownership and governance. Western expertise and experience, even finances, are needed and welcomed, but resourcing and governing should go hand in hand. Two, we will focus on providing people above funding. Providing funds without accountability leads to unhealthy dependency, and that actually hinders forward movement, so it is no longer enough to send money only. It misses the human relationship factor that maintains accountability and energy.

Are we ready for that kind of relationship, where we walk together and deal with the challenges that come out of that? Giving time and energy and expertise is often more costly than giving money. That is where we find ourselves – looking for ways to walk alongside our brothers and sisters in ways that strengthen us all as we move forward together to build God’s kingdom on earth.