Grass Feb 2019

We at Rafiki Village Malawi are jumping for joy in response to the workings of our marvelous God in the growth and change He is producing in our Village. From the abundant rainfalls growing our many crops and plants to the physical growth of our resident children, we are daily seeing the fruits of God’s grace. Most importantly, the staff, students, and missionaries are daily growing in their relationship with the Lord. In light of all of the growth and positive change that has taken place over the past month, I would like to share three areas in which I have seen my students make significant jumps as they learn more about becoming Christian classical educators.

A Jump in Enrollment
I am excited to report that at the start of the school term in January, we were able to double our enrollment by adding ten new students to our Teacher’s Training College. These new students are hard at work strengthening their math and English skills, as well as studying extra-curricular areas such as computers and physical education. I thoroughly enjoy teaching the Christian Education Basics course. Students have been memorizing Scripture, learning praise songs for preschoolers, and most importantly, learning how to teach the Scriptures to young children. It is exciting to watch these students study and train to become the future educators of Malawi. We praise God for allowing our enrollment to grow so that the movement for bringing Christian classical education to Africa can continue.

The students enjoying our Valentine’s Day party

Jumping Into the Classroom
Three of our teachers in training are participating in a practicum experience this term. They are studying under a trained and experienced teacher in our own Rafiki Primary School and are developing and teaching lessons under the guidance of the mentor teacher. I have seen these three students grow in their lesson plan development, creativity, classroom management, and overall confidence as teachers. Through our Rafiki Primary School, they have experienced a radically different educational environment than is typical of a Malawian primary school. Our class sizes are significantly smaller, our teachers are well trained in the content and are genuinely interested in their students. A love of truth, beauty, and goodness are evident each and every day. Most importantly, these practicum students are practicing the priceless art of connecting general subjects such as Math and Language Arts to the creative work of our God. I am so proud of these three students and ask that you join me in praying for them as they graduate from our college in a few weeks to begin their teaching careers.

A Jump in Our Knowledge of God
Over the past few months, I have watched my students increase in their knowledge and love of God and His Word. We have been studying 1 and 2 Thessalonians in our daily Bible study and have been reminded that we must stand firm in our study of God’s Word if we want to grow in our walk with Him. Leading the Rafiki Bible Study is my favorite part of the day. I love singing the great hymns of the faith with my students, followed by a time of reading the Scriptures and discussing how we should apply it in our daily lives. Not only have I seen my students grow in their knowledge of God, but I myself have been challenged to walk closely with the Lord as I continue to jump into all of the service opportunities He has for me here in Malawi.

Thank you for your continued prayers.

If you are viewing this on our website, please click here for a printer friendly version of this newsletter.