Newton November 2024

“The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein” (Psalm 24:1).

The Rafiki Mothers, some former Mothers, Sarah, and I set out for some hiking at Nyungwe National Forest. They wanted to do the canopy hike. I told them it is scary, but they wanted to do it. And yes, some of them were scared. They truly enjoyed it, though. The next day was the waterfall hike. One said, “oh, I am not sure if I can do another hike.” I encouraged her to go, or she would have regrets. When she returned, she was beaming with joy. They had a blast.

We have some former residents who are attending boarding high schools near Rafiki. Once a month there is a visiting day at these schools, so we try to go visit. Innocent was so happy to see Serge and Adam. He is in a teacher training high school. When he graduates, he will be qualified to teach sixth grade and under. Innocent is standing next to me.

We have two former residents at a vocational training high school. Julie is studying food and beverage, and Aline—this is so bizarre—the government assigned her electricity to study. She wants to be a schoolteacher. By paying a little more in tuition, she was able to switch to tourism. She wasn’t allowed to attend a teacher training high school. I asked Aline how she has kept her English strong these years she has been away from Rafiki and in a mostly non-English speaking environment. She told me she had access to books and read a lot. Aline is wearing a skirt and Julie is third from the left in the black and white pants. It’s wonderful to see the care the students still have for those who were moved far from Rafiki.

Our multi-purpose court is finished. The resident students are enjoying night basketball. No, they do not stay out late playing ball. It is dark here around 6 p.m. I am not sure if all the funding came in for the court, so donations are still welcomed.

During our school break, Adam’s granny fell and broke her hip. The medical system here for the type of insurance she has is not easy. While she was in the local hospital, it was so good to hear about how the teachers supported Granny with bringing the evening meal, sending Adam money so he can buy her food, visiting her, and helping with pain medication which had to be purchased privately. It was encouraging to see the hands and feet of Jesus in the Rafiki employees.

A quick update for two of our university students. Donatha is first in her class in studying law, and Epa is doing very well in software engineering.

I am so thankful for all you do for all of us here. Lives are impacted in so many meaningful ways.

Happy Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year!

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