Honegger November 2025

“And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up” (Galatians 6:9).

During the rainy season a few months ago, we planted 500 young fruit trees around the Village. Since trees generally take many years to bear fruit, we do not expect to harvest the mangoes, avocados, and papayas for a while. But we have planted the seedlings in faith, believing that God will cause the growth if we provide the trees with water and protection from damage.

Likewise, it can take many years to see the lasting impact of a classical Christian education. As Aristotle said, “The roots of education are bitter, but the fruit is sweet.” At Rafiki Village Ethiopia, we now have two classes of graduates living outside the Village, and most of our remaining residents are in high school. As the students mature, we are now seeing more of the fruit that fifteen-plus years of living and learning at Rafiki has cultivated in their hearts and minds. Taste and see that the Lord is good through the “fruit salad” shared below.

Yordanos (Class of 2024) worked as an English tutor for a local nonprofit over the summer break. Before sessions started, she created a schedule of the grammar topics she would cover based on what she had studied in Rafiki Language Arts and submitted it to her supervisor. The supervisor was amazed, saying no one had ever submitted such a schedule before, and offered Yordanos additional work with more responsibility in the future.

Nahom (’24) was the only student in his university class to resist peer pressure to cheat on a midterm exam last semester. He is also the CTO of a startup web development company endeavoring to provide online hotel, property, and vehicle rentals. I call it the Expedia of Ethiopia!

Mehiret (’24) is part of the Bible Study Coordination team in her university fellowship, which she joined after seeing how much the Rafiki Bible Study helped her grow in her walk with God and desired to help other people be transformed by Scripture.

Hana (’24) was unanimously nominated by her student fellowship peers to be a small group leader and mentor to incoming freshman after witnessing her strong faith and kindness.

Beniyam (’25) wrote an original song as a goodbye message to his classmates and blessed us with a performance during their final night at the Village.

Gadissa (’25) began studies at Hawassa University in October. He proposed a daily cleaning schedule to his roommates to keep the dorm room clean, which they eagerly agreed to. They wondered whether he had spent all summer planning this schedule, to which he explained that it was easy to make because he grew up with a schedule!

The graduates returned for a meeting and time of encouragement before the new school year.

Four of our graduates took a special entrance exam and were accepted into Addis Ababa University, widely considered the best public school in Ethiopia!

Yeabsira, a current senior, started a bimonthly youth group for Rafiki residents to fellowship and share a short devotion and time of worship. He, Kalkidan, and a few other young men are blessing both residents and local churches with their guitar playing.

Gelane, Dagim, Beniyam, and Biruk prepare to register at Addis Ababa University.

Yeabsira and Kalkidan leading worship at church.

Leul (GL10) and Yeabsira (GL9) have been working hard to establish beehives, and the whole Village gets to enjoy the resulting honey (usually harvested in the evening when the bees are sleepy)!

Boys diligently digging the foundation for the new chicken coop.

Yeabsira and Leul with their bounty of honey.

In these and many other students, we see the virtuous fruits of truth displayed in wisdom, academic excellence, and faithfully sharing God’s Word; goodness demonstrated in perseverance, diligent work, and integrity; and beauty shown in music, organization, and web development. Fruits are not only for the growth of the tree but are meant to benefit others with their flavor and nutrition, and we are grateful to see the same characteristics in our Rafiki residents and graduates as they live out faith in Christ.

During tiring workdays or periods of opposition to our efforts, it is the sweetness of seeing God’s Word at Work in these youth that helps us persevere.

Prayer Requests

• New graduates to adjust to university, do their best academically, and continue growing in faith.
• The Sanders, a new missionary couple, who arrived on November 21, to adjust well to their new home and job responsibilities.
• Twenty new missionaries to join Rafiki as Long-term Missionaries.
• For all orphans and day students to be fully sponsored. 

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