Koepke November 2025

“I will praise the name of God with a song; I will magnify him with thanksgiving” (Psalm 69:30).

Happy Thanksgiving! What a wonderful occasion to give thanks to God for caring for each of us so completely and so graciously!

We are grateful for your prayers and support over the last twenty-five years. We initially thought we would be serving for two years but my, how the time has flown. In every season of serving God in Africa, your continued partnership has been a constant source of confirmation and encouragement.

God has been our shield and defender despite threats like COVID, Ebola, Marburg virus, carjacking, sick children, and many other challenges along the way. Our God is bigger than any perceived danger, and He is completely faithful to His own. All thanks go to Him!

We are grateful for our family, which has supported us and taken care of us in many ways when we were so far away.

We are thankful for our church family at Pioneer Baptist Church in Abilene, Texas. They have reached out to us regularly and given us many opportunities to share mission field experiences with young and old.

We are so thankful for the Rafiki Board and Home Office team who have given wise leadership to every one of Rafiki’s ten Villages, and the thousands of people who are blessed daily by this Work of God.

Doug doing what he loves

Rafiki has produced the Rafiki Bible Study (RBS), a comprehensive and challenging Bible study that is written at differing levels to accommodate every age. This Bible study has been a constant friend and mentor to each of us.

We have been blessed with good health for twenty-five years of serving God in four African nations—Kenya, Rwanda, Nigeria, and Ethiopia. We had no idea how many brothers and sisters in Christ we would be privileged to serve with. The size of our family has grown exponentially!

Carolyn, with Lisa visiting from the Home Office, and the Ethiopia ChildCare team

We thank God for the faithful women who have undertaken the role of being mothers to the resident boys and girls. Their service has been one of wisdom, compassion, and perseverance.

We are thankful that the resident children are becoming solid Christian examples in their homes and communities. At one local business, a young lady mentioned to our staff member, “I would like to marry a young man from Rafiki. They will be good husbands.”

We give thanks for the many widowed women who have been given training and have received an income through the Rafiki Widows Program. Their handiwork is brought to Rafiki Home Office in Florida and is sold to provide for these very needy women.

And finally, we thank God for the churches we have attended and served in across Africa. Every Sunday, God is worshiped and honored in every time zone across this planet. Sometimes with instruments that are familiar to U.S. churches, and sometimes with only drums, but all “Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth!” (Psalm 100:1).

In early December, we are moving back to Abilene, Texas. Carolyn is officially retiring, but Doug will continue working with Rafiki as Africa Facilities Consultant. He will make trips with Rafiki Home Office to visit the Rafiki Villages about three times a year. And if Rafiki needs us to help at a Village, we would go out together.

Serving with Rafiki has been the most fulfilling experience we have ever had. We highly encourage anyone who has even a hint that God may be calling them to serve overseas, look at Rafiki Foundation and see if this may be your avenue to answering His call. 

The Ethiopian National leadership and our Home Office team

We are pleased to introduce a sweet couple, Marty and Jan Sanders to you. They are replacing us in Ethiopia. If you wish to continue supporting Rafiki, we highly recommend them. Their contact info: Missionary #262, [email protected], and their support page is at the following web address: https://RafikiFoundation.org/missionary-detail/marty-and-jeanette-sanders-262. They have about 50% of their funding in place. 

Marty and Jan Sanders

Again, we wish to thank everyone who has supported us and given us the great privilege of working alongside our African brothers and sisters and seeing the growth of God’s kingdom in ways that we previously only read about or imagined.

Your thankful brother and sister in Christ.

Good-bye Ethiopian style!

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