Espinosa September 2025

Thou art good when thou givest, when thou takest away,
when the sun shines upon me, when night gathers over me.

I am writing to you one last time from Mzuzu, Malawi before I embark on my voyage back to the United States, the country of my birth. Lord willing, I will be nearing port as this letter reaches you. I am looking forward to seeing you soon, and I trust the Lord has blessed you as He has blessed me through you. I struggle to find words to express my gratitude to every one of you who supported and encouraged me over the past fourteen months. Many of you cannot imagine the incredible experiences that I have had because of your giving, but I hope and pray that I will be able to articulately convey my time here in an illuminating way. I will not attempt to do so now, as words on a page will surely fail to bring to life how the Lord has been working in this country over the past year.

Farewell to the Pastor of Christlike Reformed Baptist Church

I have been kept very busy since my previous letter in May. In June and July, we received two groups of Short-Term Missionaries (STMs). I was dubbed the “Short-Termer czar.” One of my primary responsibilities was assisting with any and all of the STMs’ needs, making sure they had food waiting for them when they arrived from the airport, showing them around the Village, overseeing their work assignments, taking them into town whenever the need arose, and going with them to the wildlife reserve so they could come back from Africa talking about how they got to see elephants. Their exemplary work ethic and desire to serve was a great influence on me as I began to feel a lack of motivation so close to the end of the school year, a blight that has plagued me my whole life. Each of these STMs were so helpful and encouraging to have in the Village, and you could be too! 

Farewell to me from the residents

July 25 marked the last day of the school year. Anna Liebing’s most recent August 2025 Newsletter has some great details about the end of the school year and graduation festivities, visit https://RafikiFoundation.org/blog-detail/span-stylecolor-2b585ebliebing-august-2025b to read more about it. Suffice it to say, there was no shortage of errands to run and things to prepare for. Having a driver’s license is rare in Mzuzu, so as one of the handful of people in the Village with one, I had the privilege of running a lot of errands. Making last-minute supply and snack purchases for the commencement ceremony, taxiing teachers back to their homes, and picking up diplomas (for both twelfth graders and kindergartners!) from the print store, are some of the ways I was utilized. The end of school does not mark the end of work for the Headmaster though, and in turn, it did not mark the end of work for me.

CCAP 150 Years celebration with the Nkhandwe’s and Anna Liebing

There was plenty to do in preparation for the start of the next school year which begins September 22. Another cottage needed to be converted into a pre-primary classroom building to match the ever-growing school and shrinking number of residents. I mentioned that I got to help with cottage renovations when I first arrived, and now I get to help with the same thing right before I leave. I also mentioned that back in October, our 2024 container arrived (months overdue), and I got to help unload it. Well, now in August of this year, our 2025 container arrived (only one month overdue!), and I got to help unload and distribute packages again this year. We received dozens and dozens more boxes of books—just after the STMs helped sort, stamp, and label all the other books we received on previous containers that I had been in charge of—and so the process begins again. I have also continued to do shopping trips, organize and inventory school curriculum, and stamp books.

Me back unloading the container

The second container unloading during my stay

But my dear reader, I do not mean to impress upon you that my life has been all work and no play. At the beginning of August, I had the privilege of going on a Safari in Zambia. The wonder I felt at beholding God’s creation—creatures great and small, the mighty baobab trees, the sun setting over the Luangwa River—cannot be transcribed. We had the opportunity to observe zebras grazing with antelopes and warthogs, a leopard perched in a tree hunting a troupe of monkeys, a pair of lions eating a buffalo, and herds of elephants in search of food and drink. It occurs to me how inadequately I have known my Creator, the One who made me, in addition to these marvelous works of beauty and majesty. Truly, He is greatly to be praised.

Me back on Safari

A beautiful moment from the Safari

How can I conclude my letter when there is so much left unsaid? I look ahead with joy to the days when I will be able to share this chapter of my life with anyone who has a mind to listen. Have I previously expressed my inability to find words adequate to the amount of gratitude I feel? If so, indulge me as I once again attempt to thank you for your support. I could not have come here without your financial support and your encouragement, which was greater than I could have imagined. I am humbled by how the Lord worked through my church, my friends, and my family to bring me here. I do not expect to ever know all of His reasons for bringing me here, but I am confident that my time here will have not been in vain. I thank you.

Please be praying for a smooth start to the school year, especially as three new primary school teachers will be joining to replace three who just quit in August. Please also pray for growth in our RICE Program (growth in the number of students as well as growth of love for classical Christian education). Finally, please always pray for our residents, that they would be role models in school, that they would love one another, and that they will always seek the Lord.

I have the honor to be your obedient servant

Joshua M. Espinosa Jr.

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