This evening Rev. David Copley and Mary Brennan from the headquarters of the Episcopal Church, USA, visited Msalato. Bishop Mdimi Mhogolo, our bishop in the Diocese of Central Tanganyika, spoke at the end of our meal and summarized how Leslie is helping the Diocese very well. He said that when mission partners come from overseas, it frees a Tanzanian on the staff at the college to go abroad for further education, which in turn helps to improve the quality of the Tanzanian Staff. It also helps the students by “bringing the world” to Tanzania, but the biggest help is in freeing the staff to go on for further studies.

I hadn’t thought of it this way before. I had only thought of Leslie’s direct contribution to teaching the students, which is a real benefit to the diocese, but I hadn’t really thought about the member of staff that is studying in South Africa right now because Leslie is here in his place.

Then the Bishop told David that the Diocese needs computer people like me to help them run the newly forming computer suites here at the college and in town.  I had no idea when I came here that there is almost no indigenous computer expertise here.  Most of the few Tanzanians that have gotten computer training go to Dar Es Salaam because the pay is better.  Also, because the school system teaches rote memorization instead of problem-solving skills, there are few Tanzanians who have been brought up with the mindset to do proper troubleshooting.  The diocese currently has two good IT guys (me and Mark from New Zealand), but we’re both leaving in a few months.  I really hope that David can find at least one person with a good computer background to fill in behind me.  I came here to teach, but while I’ve been here, I’ve come to realize that many people can teach (especially among the types who come to Africa as missionaries), but there are very few missionaries who can set up a network.  The Diocese of Central Tanganyika really needs a few more good IT people to keep the systems running for the other missionaries who use them.