Okoth August 2026

“O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water” (Psalm 63:1).

We have gone several months without rain here in Uganda. Although the landscape is still green, everything is covered with a thick layer of dust. According to our agriculture lead, we are now entering the rainy season. He is looking forward to harvesting the maize planted at the beginning of the year. Once milled into flour for posho, the harvest will help reduce kitchen costs and feed the whole school. Even in the dryness, there is hope for what is to come. Our agriculture lead has no sure way of knowing whether rain will come in the months ahead; he usually says, “They said it is going to rain.” I do not know who “they” are, and they are often wrong. But in the Lord, we have certainty. We can trust that all He has promised will come to pass, for great is His faithfulness. The rain came earlier than the agriculture lead thought and made a mess at our front gate, but we are grateful.

Front gate entrance covered in mud, look closely at the guard’s feet and see how deep it is!

Apart from the thirst for literal water, there is a deep thirst for God’s Word in Ugandan villages. Recently, we had the opportunity to distribute 250 Global Study Bibles and Romans commentaries to pastors and lay leaders in Mpigi, a town in western Uganda. Each year, one of our partner ministries gathers leaders from more than 250 churches for a conference. Through the generosity of Crossway and Ligonier, we were able to help by providing biblical resources for those attending. These pastors and lay leaders come from many different churches and backgrounds, with varying beliefs and levels of training. This makes the conference a meaningful opportunity to share the true gospel and strengthen those who are eager to teach God’s Word faithfully. Early in Paul’s work here in Uganda, one pastor told him, “We teach this because it is all we know. We have zeal without knowledge.” His words still capture the great need before us: there is hunger for God’s Word, and we are privileged to place these resources into the hands of zealous men and women who will help spread the Word of God to the ends of the earth.

Handing out Bibles and commentaries

Conference attendees

We are grateful for your partnership with us as we continue serving here in Uganda. We look forward to greater opportunities to serve the Lord and His people in whichever direction He leads. The hunger for His Word never ends. Paul is planning on delivering some children’s Bibles toward the end of August, which is always a highlight for me because he loves seeing the joy a personal Bible brings to children and adults.

At home, all is well. Zuri Elizabeth turned one month old recently, though it feels like she was just born yesterday. Anaiah loves her little sister a lot. We thank God for two healthy babies.

God answered our prayer, and we have finally received a visa appointment at the U.S. Embassy. We have an interview scheduled for September 23. Thank you for all your prayers. Please continue to pray that the interview will go well and that we will have all the documents needed. Paul looks forward to seeing you all in person if all goes well. An additional prayer request is that God would provide more donors, as we are currently facing a deficit in the amount we need to raise now that our family has grown. Finally, please pray that God’s Word would continue to be proclaimed faithfully in the schools using our curriculum and in all the churches that have received His Word.

Learn more about Rafiki’s expanding opportunities.

Visit our newly designed website RafikiFoundation.org to learn how to:

• Purchase the Rafiki Bible Study for small groups for your church or neighborhood
• Serve as a missionary with Rafiki
• Sponsor a child with the Rafiki Foundation to bring God’s Word and the best education in the world to some of the neediest children in the world in Africa.

Explore the Rafiki Foundation YouTube channel.

Visit (youtube.com/@RafikiFoundation) for videos from Rafiki children, teaching at our annual Enrichment conferences, and the teaching at our African classical Christian conferences.

Listen to our podcast for current discussions on Rafiki’s work in Africa.

truenorth.fm/show/the-rafiki-foundation-podcast/

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