July 23, 2008 by Stephen Day.

I have just learned that at the most recent meeting of the Commission on Ministry and Standing Committee of the Episcopal Diocese of West Virginia, which took place more than three weeks ago, that they will not be interviewing me for Candidacy for Holy Orders, ever again. This ends the path that I have been on since 1999. I now must try to discern what I will do with the rest of my life. I will almost certainly have to leave West Virginia in order to get a full-time job with benefits. I would appreciate your prayers for me and my family during this time.

Also, please pray for the students who will be coming to Msalato for the new semester in a week or so. The new term begins August 4. Thank you for your prayers and support.

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July 13, 2008 by Stephen Day.

I have finally found the time to edit and post hundreds of photos from the past month. I still have about a thousand pictures from my safari that I need to sort through, but these are the key ones from Msalato.

Pictures from a goodbye and thanksgiving party from a wonderful missionary who has been here for a couple of years. View them at http://stephencday.com/RobynParty/.

Pictures from the blessing and gifting of bikes to graduating pastors from this diocese. See them at http://stephencday.com/bikes/.

Also, you can view somme pictures of the staff and students of Msalato cleaning up the front entrance to the college. Check these out at http://stephencday.com/fire/

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July 13, 2008 by Stephen Day.

Here are three links to videos I took while on safari with my father in Ruaha National Park. The best way to view these is by downloading them to your computer and then viewing them with either Quicktime 7 or VLC (aka Video LAN Client). To download them right-click (or whatever the equivalent is on your computer/operating system/internet browser) and select save.

http://stephencday.com/leopard.m4v
http://stephencday.com/lion.m4v
http://stephencday.com/zebras.m4v

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July 6, 2008 by Stephen Day.

Sorry for not blogging in a while, but things have been quite busy. The term has ended at Msalato and the graduating students have graduated and some are being ordained right now. On Wednesday, June 25 my father arrived in Dar es Salaam. We came to Dodoma on June 27 and then left for Iringa on Monday, June 30. We then went to Ruaha National Park and stayed at Foxes Lodge on July 1, 2, and 3. We returned to Iringa for one night and then got back to Dodoma late yesterday. So I will blog today or tomorrow about all of that. But until then I would like to invite a special guest blogger - my father. He will be leaving Dodoma tomorrow and flying back to the states Monday night EAT.

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It’s hard to imagine that almost two weeks have past since I first set foot in Africa. While awaiting my luggage (nearly the last pieces to be presented) I spotted Stephen outside the arrival area. He was sporting his new “shaved” head haircut. At night, Dar es Salaam seemed like many other large cities - lots of traffic (driving on the left), lots of people and buildings, bad roads, etc. Upon awakening, I discovered a crystal clear sky, an infrastructure outgrown by population, a vibrant commercial center, and a nation of friendly folks. In the section of Dar in which we were shopping, business is transacted from a series of 10 ft. store fronts. Looks like you could find most of what one might want - just no Wal-Marts or anything approaching 1% of that size. Interesting names too. I remember “Mississippi Grocery” for example.

Next day, we traveled by bus to the interior (Dodoma, where Stephen’s school is located). I had known this was a 6 hr+ ride. What hadn’t occurred to me is that that’s almost as long as the flight from Detroit to Amsterdam (7:01). Dodoma is much smaller than Dar, dustier, same lack of up-to-date infrastructure, same store fronts, same friendly people. Stephen’s school, Msalato, has just graduated its class and the campus is quite quiet. The staff still on site seems genuinely interested in its mission of training folks of all ages for various aspects of life in Tanzania (including training for the priesthood as well as other church leadership positions). The facilities are generally well built and maintained. I can tell that there’s often a lack of funding to complete all the physical plant expansions that have been attempted over the years. From what I gather, funding of operations is an ongoing area of concern.

Within the first two days I was here, two faculty members prepared dinners for us as well as extended family/friends. I was touched.

By means of a couple of 8-hr bus rides plus a pair of short 2-3 hr. hops in a 4 door pick-up (at twice the posted speed limit), Stephen and I were able to enjoy three days on Safari. However, I’ll let Stephen fill in any details regarding the Safari as he chooses.

I’m impressed with Stephen’s work, his dedication, and the folks I have met in Tanzania. The infrastructure shortcomings are to be expected in a developing country and can be overcome as development continues.

Phil Day

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