Honegger March 2026

“All your children shall be taught by the Lord, and great shall be the peace of your children” (Isaiah 54:13).

The photo below was taken in April 2016; can you believe it has been ten years since I first moved to Ethiopia? In that time I have grown in my understanding of Ethiopian culture, familiarity with Rafiki’s ministry, and my depth of trust in Christ through many challenges. It has also been a privilege to be part of the resident children’s lives, and I would like to share some of the ways the children pictured have grown as they have been taught by the Lord through Rafiki.

With Meklit, Elizabeth, Yordanos, Zerubabel, and Segen in 2016.

Many of our residents have the opportunity to grow musically and use their ability to point others to the beauty of God in worship. Meklit and Segen are learning keyboard and ukelele, and plan to lead us in some hymns during our upcoming Good Friday service.

Meklit with keyboard, and Segen with ukelele.

Likewise, Zerubabel has been teaching himself guitar over the past year, and enjoys writing his own praise songs with lyrics that glorify God and chords that lift beautiful notes heavenward. His music is not merely an end unto itself but expresses his growing spiritual maturity and thoughtful consideration of God’s work in his life.

Songwriter Zerubabel.

Elizabeth graduated from high school last July. She is temporarily filling in for a Rafiki cook who is on maternity leave, and her supervisor says she is learning well and working hard. Pray that God will provide her a vocational program option that both interests her and will equip her with valuable skills for the future.

Elizabeth working in the kitchen.

Finally, join me in praising God for new teammates, Jan and Marty Sanders! They are a long-awaited answer to prayer. Marty has taken over the responsibilities of Headmaster, so my focus is now on the Rafiki Mothers and resident and graduate students as the Childcare Administrator, and I will continue managing the finances and teaching in the high school.

With some of the Rafiki graduates and my new teammates Jan and Marty.

Prayer Requests

• Wisdom in training the Rafiki Mothers to have consistent and loving discipline of residents.
• A restful and encouraging time at the Rafiki Enrichment training conference later this month.
• Twenty people to join Rafiki as long-term missionaries.
• Graduates in university to study diligently for final exams and to pass all their classes.
• Smooth operations at the Rafiki Villages as missionaries are away at Enrichment.

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