Gozé November 2026

In Liberia, there are two seasons: rainy and dry. Because the temperature perpetually rests at a slightly sticky 80°F, time is harder to track; there are no autumnal leaves and pumpkin-spiced recipes to remind myself that another month has passed. Instead, I am sweating in the work God has for me today, not realizing how fast time is going by.

The rainy season is coming to an end, so the flowers are deciding to bloom!

Cooling down with a mobile AC unit against my face

October began with preparations for Rafiki Village Liberia’s fourth graduating class. Fifteen students graduated from Rafiki Classical Christian School, and we celebrated this event well with neon cupcakes, decorations, and fellowship. Two short-term missionaries stayed at the Village for a couple weeks to help us prepare for graduation. Whenever short-term missionaries come to visit Rafiki Village Liberia, I am always encouraged and renewed in my decision to serve on the mission field because I get to observe someone else’s excitement to serve in Africa. The short-term missionaries and I stayed up late baking cupcakes in the dining hall kitchen, we discussed life and shared jokes over casava leaf and rice, and we also held on dearly to our purses as we navigated a crowded and muddy Liberia market area, trying to find souvenirs to bring home to the States.

Taking a photo with a short-term missionary after the graduation ceremony

As the graduates proceed in the background, a Liberian woman wears a festive hat in celebration of the event

During the weeks following graduation, I modelled the Rafiki Curriculum methods for three different teachers. These methods often consist of leading a class discussion, reading primary texts, or learning about something in society by practicing it, i.e. pretending to be lawyers at court presenting an argument to the jury. An effective way to encourage the teachers in these methods is to demonstrate them myself. I then allow the teachers to practice the methods while providing instruction on how to improve. For some, this process works well, but for others, I am learning how to communicate graciously and assert myself better when offering feedback.

I wear a judge’s robes as I hold court in the grade level eight history class

Besides learning how to communicate well with the teachers, this opportunity also strengthens my courage to teach and shows me how much I need to rely upon the Lord when leading a class. I never quite understood how different Liberian culture is from my own until I stood in front of sixteen seated students and tried to lead a Socratic discussion over indoctrination versus critical thinking or the Julio-Claudian emperors who ruled Rome. Students will always have moments in class where they try to create humor by sharing a funny comment or where they fight against the sleepiness that settles over them after a large lunch; however, these moments become harder to navigate when I struggle to understand a different dialect and social cues. I remember how in the grade level eight history class, I led the students in a mock court trial based upon a court case from Rome. One of the students gave a speech pretending to be a lawyer in the case. I was trying to be attentive, generally following the ideas he shared in his speech. Suddenly, however, the whole class broke out in laughter. I reigned in the classroom chaos through a reminder to respect those who are presenting by refraining from laughing at them. I did not realize until later, because of my failure to gauge social cues and understand Liberian English, that the student delivered a joke in his speech and succeeded in his efforts to entertain his audience while I remained clueless.

The Lord offered me rest from the responsibility of teaching near the end of October. My brother got married, and I traveled back to the States for a little over week to be with him, his wife, and my family to celebrate. I also found out while I was there that I needed some dental fillings as well…

Now, I am back in Liberia, fighting jetlag, but continuing my work in coaching teachers on curriculum methods and leading grade level twelve in their senior thesis project. In their last year at Rafiki Classical Christian School, the grade level twelve students are challenged to reflect upon the value of their education and apply it to their personal life or a societal issue. Right now, they are brainstorming their topic ideas for their paper, but I already recognize how important this paper is in allowing these students to use their education to recognize the interconnected reality of three things: their identity in Christ, their education, and the country of Liberia. I pray that the Lord will use me to provide encouraging and equipping feedback that guides these students towards the Lord’s love for them as they grow to be godly contributors in their country.

As I continue in my work, please pray for a sense of comfort from the Lord as I try to be uncomfortable in learning to communicate well with those who do not share the same cultural customs as I. One of my desires as I am on the field is to learn to adopt prayer as a daily habit in my quiet time and throughout my day. Please pray that the Lord leads me in this desire through self-discipline and community. Pray also that the teachers who I work with will be encouraged and clearly understand how to teach the Rafiki Curriculum. Praise the Lord for the opportunity Rafiki gifts me with by being able to learn about classical education and mission’s work in Liberia!

A lizard hangs out above the door frame

Learn more about Rafiki’s expanding opportunities.

Visit our newly designed website RafikiFoundation.org to learn how to:

Purchase the Rafiki Bible Study for small groups for your church or neighborhood
Serve as a missionary with Rafiki
Sponsor a child with the Rafiki Foundation to bring God’s Word and the best education in the world to some of the neediest children in the world in Africa.

Explore the Rafiki Foundation YouTube channel.

Visit (youtube.com/@RafikiFoundation) for videos from Rafiki children, teaching at our annual Enrichment conferences, and the teaching at our African classical Christian conferences.