Liebing November 2025
“Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up! Again, if two lie together, they keep warm, but how can one keep warm alone? And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him—a threefold cord is not quickly broken” (Ecclesiastes 4:9–12).
As many of you know, I have been in the States since September, and I have been so grateful for the opportunity to travel around a bit and visit many dear friends and supporters face to face. You all have warmly welcomed and generously entertained me, from Cincinnati to Michigan, to the Appalachians, to Savannah, and to Seattle. I have especially enjoyed the time I have been able to spend visiting several classical Christian schools, telling them about my work in Malawi and getting caught up on what is going on in the classical world on this side of the Atlantic. Thank you for being so kind to me—it has been soul-satisfying to spend time with so many of you who regularly pray for me and support me while I am on the field.
Furlough means that the whole family got to take a little mountain trip together!
However, my absence does not mean that life slows down in the Malawi Village! Everyone continues to work hard across all the departments, and the school opened its new year in September, chugging full-steam ahead while I am away. The Lord has provided a team of missionaries and nationals who have shouldered the extra load and made it possible for me to be away for this time. I have told you all in previous newsletters about the make-up of the missionary team in Malawi, but I thought I would take the opportunity here to introduce you properly to some of my dear Malawian brothers and sisters who work side by side with me at Rafiki!
Emmanuel Mwakitalo
Meet teacher Emmanuel, my Assistant Headmaster and invaluable right hand. He started volunteering with Rafiki more than twelve years ago and was quickly identified as a strong teacher, faithful man, and a promising leader. He has done just about every job you can think of in the school, including serving as interim head of school when there was no missionary Headmaster on campus for two years. During Covid, he was one of the core members of our Malawian team that made it possible for the Village to stay open and functioning when all the missionaries got stuck outside the country. He knows the school, our resident children, and the Village backwards and forwards—I cannot imagine doing my job these last four years without him. He is my first call on all school issues, frequently keeping me on track with details. When I leave the country, I do so peacefully because I know he is there! He now has a daughter in first grade and a son who will be old enough to join the pre-primary soon, so his ministry with Rafiki is well on its way to being multi-generational! Emmanuel says of his work at Rafiki, “when I was joining Rafiki…I thought it was just a job. Little did I know that God had just called me for a missionary work.”
Teacher Emmanuel presenting at Rafiki’s New Old Way conference
Salem Ndovie
Close to teacher Emmanuel’s office, you can find teacher Salem, Head Teacher of the junior secondary school and the leader of the language arts department. She has just completed her ninth year with Rafiki, spending most of those years as the core teacher of our upper school language arts curriculum (which any teacher will tell you is quite a challenge to master!). Two years ago, she was appointed as head of junior secondary, and she also does quite a bit of work with our guidance counselor. She received her degree at African Bible University, so she is one of my best trained teachers in English skills and worldview understanding, which is such a blessing to her students and fellow teachers. I love when she comes to my office with ideas for how to disciple our girls or how to better implement our literature lessons, and when she offers thoughts during our Bible study, I always know they will be insightful! She also has a son who has entered the pre-primary school and is learning classical Christian education from the ground up! She believes, “I am working at Rafiki as an assignment from God…teaching, counseling, and preaching God’s Word.”
A graduation selfie with teacher Salem
Pusikani Munthali
Teacher Pusikani is the father of our Head Teacher team, having completed a full career teaching in government schools before finding Rafiki in 2017. With that background in government teaching, he recognized right away when he came to Rafiki that “our approach to different subjects is quite different from the way teachers in other schools do, whether government or private.” He started teaching as a normal teacher in primary classes, but it was not long before his experience and skills made it clear that he was well fit to be the Head Teacher of primary. His section of the school is actually the largest now, and growing year by year as we double stream the primary grades to help accommodate more of our waiting list! He faithfully deals with all the logistics of those roughly 200 grammar school children and their teachers (giving me reports frequently punctuated with my favorite “Pusikani-ism,” a firm “yes, madam, and that it how it is”), and his knowledge is also invaluable when we have to deal with government issues.
Lekani Gondwe
Finally, down in the cutest section of the school, teacher Lekani leads the pre-primary. Lekani is one of the most veteran members of the entire Rafiki Malawi staff. She became part of the Rafiki family when she joined the Rafiki girls center, before the physical Village, Orphan Care Program, or the school even existed! When the Village was built and the school opened, she was one of our first teachers, and she has been here for over eighteen years now. She knows every routine, every student, and if the staff is ever shaky on learning a new song, I always look to Lekani for help! For the past six years, she has served as head of pre-primary, capably training her teachers in the curriculum and pedagogy of Rafiki’s classical Christian education. With her experience and teaching skills, she has also become a great asset as we train partner schools who want to adopt our curriculum. She has two adopted daughters in the school, and dozens and dozens of three to five-year-old students who look to her as a mother figure in pre-primary as well!
Teacher Lekani and I celebrating Kindergarten graduation
These are the men and women who work most closely with me as I lead the school, and I (and the whole school) rely heavily on their hard work, wisdom, faithfulness, and friendship. I am grateful to the Lord for this team of national partners, and I miss them as I am far away! Please pray for the Lord to continue strengthening them in love for Christ, unity as a team, godly leadership of their staff, and passion for the vision of classical Christian education in Malawi.
Occasionally, we go off campus to have lunch and discussion in a quiet place where students can’t find us
As the writer of Hebrews would say, “time would fail me” to tell you about the other dear brothers and sisters across the Village. Madam Martha heads the ChildCare Program and has spent countless meetings with me discussing how to love and disciple our resident children. Uncle Wisdom quietly manages the kitchen, feeding the Village around 1000 meals each day. Uncle Geoffrey leads the Plant, Maintenance, and Grounds crew and responds to every emergency call with a smile. Mr. Boniface, the Assistant Village Administrator, manages 100 vital administrative details daily and patiently helped me stay afloat during my year as Village Administrator. The list could go on. My role exists to serve and equip these people—they are the ones who know Malawi best and who have embraced Rafiki’s work of Bible teaching, discipleship, and education for their own people and nation. I am privileged to work with them, and I wish you all could know them too! Perhaps some of you will feel the Lord tugging at your heart to come and meet these dear brethren and serve the kingdom of Christ in Africa, short-term or long-term? Many of you may meet them only in heaven, but oh, how grateful I am that we serve the God of eternity, the God who binds all believers together as one body of Christ across all time and space. I pray that you feel deeply the beauty of that truth and will continue to praise the Lord for His work in all places!
Head teachers gathered for a typical weekly meeting in my office
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