Sanders May 2026

“Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God” (1 John 4:7).

By the time you receive this newsletter, we will have been back in Ethiopia for two months (following our trip to the U.S.). In that time, we have celebrated Easter and have been moving swiftly toward the conclusion of the school year in very early July. The time has gone fast—very fast. On May 21, we will have been in Ethiopia for six months, though it seems both shorter and longer than that at the same time.

We continue to see our personal ministry opportunities grow. Jan has been tutoring four students in the first grade to help them to learn to read. She has assessed and is now attempting to tutor three groups of four students each from the second grade. Also, she is mentoring a teacher, still working with the Rafiki Mothers for the residents with their English, reading out-loud in various classes to help the students with the language acquisition, teaching keyboard and ukulele, and learning, helping teach six residents Biblical Hebrew with Marty and six of our residents. Jan hopes to engage a tutor for beginning to learn the local and the national languages this summer.

But the activity above is not a simple list of to-dos, rather each personal interaction is a relationship being formed and comes with regular opportunities to share the gospel or disciple someone in their faith. We get questions like, “What is the most important thing, in your opinion, that a young person needs to know?” or “What is the most important thing someone needs to be sure to do every day?”

Marty has had numerous opportunities as well. With Jan at his side, he leads a devotion each week in one of the cottages. He just finished a study in Proverbs 3:5-8 and is leading a study on joy now. He continues to lead daily the teachers’ Bible study and leads the national worker study one day a week, and leads a devotion for all the residents, moms, and missionaries twice a month. Recently, he had an opportunity to teach a session in a church in Addis Ababa on how to read and understand the big story of the Bible, and to preach at that church on the wonder of who God is.

Are you interested in serving with us on a short-term missions trip? We are preparing to offer an English Language Boot Camp this summer for our teachers and others prospective teachers, maybe in August. We should really have more “natural English speakers” to assist in group activities or just to be available for conversation at mealtime. If anyone might have an interest in helping with this venture, please contact us so we can keep in the loop.

All these opportunities have led to deep and meaningful conversations, and new and growing relationships. And you are part of this work. Your prayers encourage and sustain us. Your financial gifts help provide for needs. So, on behalf of all these people, unknown to you, we say thank you.

Prayer Requests

• Pray for wisdom as Jan helps students who are struggling with reading.
• Pray for wisdom for Marty as he deals with student behavior issues.
• Pray for wisdom as new Outreach opportunities come to us.
• Pray for our nine residents who will be graduating and leaving the Village this summer.
• Pray for our English Language Boot Camp this summer.
• Twenty new long-term missionaries to go out and serve with Rafiki.
• All Rafiki children to be fully sponsored.

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