Graves April 2021

We’re excited about our call to help further classical Christian education and the teaching of God’s Word in Uganda.

What’s happening at Rafiki Village Uganda

• After almost two decades the Village’s 60,000 liter water tank was on the verge of busting at some weak points. We thank God for the provisions to replace it.

• The Village was also able to install a stabilizer to help protect its equipment during the extreme power surges that have become frequent.

• Candidate classes (GL7 and GL13 levels) are taking national exams in April.

• Enrollment in the day school has increased as has the teachers’ passion for classical Christian education.

• The teacher training program (RICE) has been allowed to restart and, under the leadership of current Dean Dr. Kent Martin, is moving in the direction of being run more like a university. Example: compositions must now be typed and submitted digitally for ease of correction and organization.

• Work continues to transition RICE to full partnership with Westminster Christian Institute Uganda which will help teacher certifications be more widely accepted.

• More than 500 Anglican churches in Uganda are using the Rafiki Bible Study on the Book of Matthew as their Sunday School curriculum.

What’s happening with us

After a long and helpful Zoom call with Kent and Peggy Martin who are preparing the way for us in Uganda, we are targeting July 1 as the day we should begin our service in Africa. That will give us a month of overlap with the Martins to help make a smooth transition—and learn more about our jobs! That’s only three months away and we’re working to get things settled here so we can be gone.

We’ve been blessed with your prayers and support. We realize that God calls us to support his work in many ways and a mission like Rafiki’s calls each of us in different ways. If you have a church or group that would be interested in hearing about our call, we’d love to talk to you—in person (we’re vaccinated!) or by Zoom.

Our children are being gracious with us during this disruptive transition. Nathan will be graduating from Trinity Classical School next month. He has received a four-year Army ROTC scholarship to attend either Virginia Tech or Texas A&M. After over a year of online classes from home, Miranda will be returning to campus in New Jersey for the fall semester. Generous friends have offered to house them if necessary for the balance of the summer. We’re thankful God is making provision for them.

Support

We are about 35% of the way to raising the financial support we will need in order to go onto the field in July. Thank you to all of you who have joined with us in this way. If you feel called to contribute, you may do so by logging onto https://rafikifoundation.org/missionary/michelle-and-david-graves-252 and clicking the “Amount” button. You may make a one-time or recurring contribution. Contributing to us directly covers the cost of sending us into the field and allows Rafiki to use all of its other contributions for orphan care, student tuition and its other programs. All contributions are fully tax-deductible.

We meet once a month with a group of friends to pray for the Rafiki mission. If you’d like to join us (in person or by Zoom), please email michelle@boldfacegraphics.com .

Two summers ago, we experienced the joy of studying the Bible with our brothers and sisters in Kenya and realizing that we are truly “one body and one Spirit.” With your help and God’s, we look forward to renewing that call.

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