Bronke August 2021

“His delight is not in the strength of the horse, nor his pleasure in the legs of a man, but the Lord takes pleasure in those who fear him, in those who hope in his steadfast love” (Psalm 147:10-11).

This newsletter must first begin with an apology. I am sorry it has been so long since you have heard from me, and I thank you for continued prayers and patience. Now, as you can imagine, there is much to tell you about! It has almost been a year since I left for West Africa, and the Lord has used this year to teach me so much. One lesson I continue to learn is that God is not pleased by my accomplishments, my teaching ability, nor how much I cross off my list. (There’s always lots to do in the Village!) He is pleased by humble obedience. Each day, I must simply do what He has set before me and trust He will give me the strength to do it.

As I look back on the events, struggles, and joys of the past few months, I continue to thank the Lord for His faithfulness to me and everyone here at the Rafiki Village Ghana. More and more, He is giving me the heart to be grateful for little moments. They sneak up amid challenges and tackling new responsibilities. If I am not careful, I miss them. But they can be seen all around the Village each day if I open my eyes:

• It’s a senior-high student walking all the way to lunch next to a teacher asking him questions about a topic of interest.

• It’s the sound of eighteen primary students reciting Bible verses and singing hymns by heart.

• It’s the many Bible and theology questions I get from the Rafiki resident children and how they challenge me to go do my own studying!

• It’s one of my students working diligently at writing a thesis statement and the look on her face when she says, “I think I am getting it.”

• It’s national staff who graciously helped me while the other long-term missionaries, the Nelsons, went back to the States on furlough.

• It’s a resident child working quietly each Saturday on Melissa’s (our headmaster currently in the States) yard as we pray her health improves and she can join us on the field again.

• It’s two weddings, a graduation ceremony, many graded essays, and countless football games.

All these are needed reminders that it is God who runs this Village, and He works everything that happens within it for our good and His glory. Thank you for being a part of it.

I thank all of you that have contributed and pray for me daily, however I am still in need of additional funding for my time here in Africa.

To donate online:

• Go to www.rafikifoundation.org.

• Select “Support a Missionary” from the dropdown menu in the upper right.

• Find my photo and enter the amount that you would like to give. (You can make a one-time donation or a recurring donation.) Thank you!

To donate by check, you can send your check to the Rafiki Home Office at PO Box 1988, Eustis, FL 32727 with my name and missionary number (#249) in the memo line.

Enjoy the pictures below of life here in the Village!

Resident students with the soccer ball they made out of recycled materials.

A resident student showing off his drawing at the Drawing Club show.

Two resident young men celebrating their birthdays.

The grade eight class in the masks they made while reading Romeo and Juliet.

The grade eight class after we did a class performance of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Can you find the character who gets turned into a donkey?

The grade four class enjoying the fresh air and a good book with their teacher.

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