Tokpah August 2025
“For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38–39).
These last few months have been filled with times of both joy and sadness for our Village, yet God has been with us through both the mountains and the valleys.
We had a wonderful training of teachers from the Gbarnga Lutheran Training Center. This is a school about four hours from our Village where two of our teacher’s college graduates are teaching. This school is now adding more grade levels that will be using the Rafiki Education System. It was a very fruitful time. Those who attended had open minds to learn new things, and the time they spent with our own teachers, talking to them about the use of the curriculum, was especially meaningful in equipping them to use it themselves.
Teacher training
Soon after the end of that training, we were shocked and filled with sorrow to hear about the death of our dear Mama Annie, who had been battling stomach cancer for six months. During her illness she was filled with peace and hope. She was someone who was kind, generous, and had a quiet strength. She will be missed so much, and we are grateful for her loving influence on our resident orphans, especially to those who lived in her cottage.
Mama Annie
At the school, our primary school students were excited to take part in some educational field trips. Third graders visited the airport, while fourth graders went to a farm and were able to see animals, and even experienced a ride on a horse. The fifth grade learned about tapping trees and rubber production when they visited Firestone Liberia. The sixth grade learned about the history of Liberia in the national museum and visited some monuments in downtown Monrovia. The students had a wonderful time, and everywhere they went those who interacted with them remarked about how well-behaved and inquisitive they were.
First president of Liberia monument
As the school year ended, we rejoiced with our seniors as they completed their national exams. They have since left the Village and are with their families to await both their results and registration for university. They were so excited to begin the next stage of their lives, and yet there were tears as they left on their new adventure.
In early July, we were thrilled with the arrival of a container of much-needed supplies from Home Office. God brought it before the start of the new school year, so we were able to have our needed curriculum just in time.
We have also been blessed this year with many who visited and helped short-term, many of whom helped out at the school. We are so thankful for those who leave their comfort zones to come to share their talents. Perhaps you would like to serve with us on a Short-term mission trip?
Recently, it was a wonderful experience for us to take part in the Bible distribution at a church partner conference in Nimba County. The pastors who received Bibles were overjoyed as they left their seats and began praising God. We are thankful to Crossway for donating these Bibles to the church.
Handing out Bibles
Finally, Peter and I are thankful for time away together on vacation. We are also praising God that our immigration petition has been approved by USCIS and has now been transferred to the U.S. Department of State. More paperwork must be filed, and we have more waiting ahead, but we are grateful that the process is continuing to move forward. We are praying for Peter to be granted a visa that will allow him to attend the annual Rafiki Enrichment Conference, and also to visit our supporters in the U.S.A.
Thank you for your prayers and financial support. Please continue to pray for God to give us strength and joy in our work, and for His protection. Please also pray for the immigration process, which is long and takes much patience.
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