Dafoe Feb 2019

“Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it” (Proverbs 22:6).

Community students ready to enter Rafiki Village for a day of school

Greetings! It is not too late to say, “Happy New Year” is it? May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope!

I am abounding in hope in the promises of our faithful God! And this is why:

• 224 children from three-year old preschoolers to grade eleven, and thirty-nine college students being taught God’s Word every day in school

• Many are hearing and receiving the gospel

• God’s faithful provision for all material needs of operating this Village

• Financial provision for the families of our eighty national staff

• Funding, construction, completion, and outfitting of the senior secondary school

• Books on their way to fill our libraries

• Study Bibles donated and shipped for us to share with our teachers, students, and pastors of our partner churches

• Children God brought to Rafiki have grown up under His teaching and in in less than two years, some will be ready to move on to university or vocational training!

There are so many more reasons for hope, but let me show you in a few photos. As the students from the community eagerly await entrance for another day of school, our resident orphans are also prepared and excited to start the day!

A few Grade 3 boys, having finished their morning devotions and off to assembly

We are happy to send off our second class of senior secondary students. See how far the Lord has brought them! What a change has been wrought in the cute four-year olds from eleven years ago, to the scholarly grade ten! By God’s amazing provision, they are joining grade eleven to learn in a lovely new building.

Four-year-olds in gazebo

Tenth graders

Koko Yao of ChaoChao Construction and James Sakala, Rafiki plant manager doing finishing touches

As you can imagine, the work is great! However, God has been blessing us with more hands in short-term missionaries. Two have come and gone already this year and we have hope for another six in March, and more in July! We have prayed to the Lord of the Harvest and He is answering! God called Sarah to help us in January after she had just been here for a month last September. Wouldn’t you love to experience the excitement you see on Sarah’s face? Check into ways you might do that at https://rafikifoundation.org/opportunities!

Irene, Sarah, and Rose

I am forever grateful for you, my partners in God’s work in and through Rafiki Village Zambia! Your faithful prayers and encouragement are not taken for granted!

And I pray “that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge” (Ephesians 3:17-19).

I love you!

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