An Update and Request for Support

June 15, 2009 by Stephen Day.

Greetings from Tanzania!

As most of you likely now, I have been serving as a missionary for the Episcopal Church and representing the Diocese of West Virginia in Tanzania since October 2007. I will be returning to West Virginia at the end of July. I am eager to return to America and West Virginia, but will miss the people I have met here and the work I am doing. I have been working as a teacher and computer network administrator at Msalato Theological College, which is located ten kilometers outside of Dodoma, Tanzania. Dodoma is about the size of Charleston and Huntington combined and is, technically, the capital of the country.

Classes have ended for the semester and students are beginning to take their exams. In two weeks we will have graduation with a special guest speaker The Very Rev. Ian Markharm, the Dean of Virginia Theological Seminary. He was speaker at last year’s diocesan convention.

During my time at Msalato, I have been able to accomplish a great deal. I have taught for three semesters - teaching courses on Church History, theology, an introduction to the Bible, and computing. I have helped to maintain the college’s computer network and maintain a somewhat reliable connection to the Internet for the campus. Also, with the help of the people of our diocese and St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in Silver Spring, Maryland, I have been able to help contribute to the college’s mission. Together, we have been able to renovate a duplex used by staff members here - painting the interior, replacing the plumbing, adding a ten liter water heater, a refrigerator, a stove. Also, we have been able to purchase a new server for the school and provide numerous other computer/network related items. One of the best ways that we have been able to help is by providing a scholarship for a young woman who faced the possibility of being forced into a polygamous marriage because she had no employment options. That young woman has thrived while being a part of Msalato’s secretarial program. Just today she helped lead a service in the chapel in English, something she could not have done a year ago.

Now as I prepare to leave, I have recently learned that I need to pay utility bills for the past eighteen months. Surprisingly, the water bills are very low (this is surprising because Dodoma is an especially arid region). However, the electricity bills are a bit higher. My total bills for the past eighteen months amount to around $350. I would appreciate any help that can be provided and also want to thank everyone who has helped during the past two years. I would also appreciate your continued prayers as I prepare to return home and seek employment. Please also pray for Msalato and its continued ministry to the church in Africa and for its staff and students. Checks can be sent to the Diocese of West Virginia, PO Box 5400, Charleston, WV, 25361 and include “Tanzania Mission” or “Stephen Day” in the memo line.

Yours in Christ,
Stephen Day

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