Overseas Personnel in Current Service

• Hamilton Conference
• Serving the Christian Council of Tanzania
• September 2011–Present

Jambo, jina langu ne Tiina Cote. ("Hello, my name is Tiina Cote" written in Swahili). My home is nestled under the Niagara Escarpment and beside one of the many pretty little creeks that tumble down this World Biosphere region. It is here that I nurtured my own soul and raised my two children with my partner, Gerry. My eldest, Kristopher, is nearing completion of his PhD in African History. My daughter, Lisa, is finishing her BA in Child Studies after completing a certificate program in Early Childhood Studies. Both are my greatest resource for staying current with global issues and human development theories and practices.

As I move my heart and head into the call that I received from the Christian Council of Tanzania, I do so blessed by two congregations—Rock Chapel and St. Paul's United Churches, one in rural and the other in urban Dundas, Ontario—and my ministry with Hamilton Presbytery of the Hamilton Conference of The United Church of Canada. I also take with me a wealth of support and learnings from several years of involvement with the Canadian Council's Forum of Global Ministries, the Partners in Mission Unit Committee of The United Church of Canada, and my experiences from an overseas student internship with the Methodist Church in Barbados.

The Christian Council of Tanzania has designated their chaplaincy ministry at the University of Dodoma as a high priority for the newly opened and growing campus in the centre of the country. During the two-year placement, I pray that I will learn to sufficiently assist the current chaplain, whose burdens have increased as the student and staff population grows and spiritual needs develop.

Meanwhile, retreat and workshop opportunities to engage the students and staff of Dodoma University fill me with excitement, deepening curiosity, and apprehension. How will my interest in education and missiology, moulded during the time of MDiv studies at Emmanuel College, shape my observations and inform the conversations? How will my personal faith, which has focused on God's call into "Right Relationships" and "Covenanting for Life," resonate with the new faith stories I will hear? How might bridges be built and existing partnerships strengthened?

I invite you to be part of this unfolding story between the long-term partnership of the Christian Council of Tanzania and our United Church of Canada.

• Visit Tiina's blog