Harbick November 2021

“O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever!” (Psalm 118:1).

Greetings from Nigeria! God has been gracious and merciful to us here in Plateau State. Since in the United States November is the month we celebrate Thanksgiving, I want to share some of the many things for which we give thanks to our God.

Above is a drone photograph of the buildings of our Village. (Those in the lower right corner belong to our neighbor and her chicken ranch from where we purchase between thirty-five and fifty crates of eggs per week.) Our grounds staff have worked diligently to get much grass planted and many trees planted along with clearing the tall bush for security reasons.

We give thanks for the crops have been harvested and peace prevails over the Plateau. Even though inflation is eating up the margin of profit and food costs are climbing the people give thanks for what they can provide their families. Here at Rafiki we continue to give balanced meals to our resident children and to the day students for breakfast and lunch. We give thanks to you for your support of Rafiki, the orphans, and now our day students.

We give thanks for the school has begun a new year and has enrolled over 300 students. It is always great to see forty new three-year-old, wide-eyed children arrive for the first day. We were able to fill some of the vacancies in the other grade levels as well. One of my favorite times of the day is to be out when they arrive or depart the school and to be able to greet the parents and others who bring their children. It is usually a joyful time of reunion and laughter and sharing of what was accomplished in school that day! We also give thanks for the great teachers God has brought to Rafiki School. They work very hard to communicate truth to the students as well as to be examples of God’s love. A surprise the teachers gave the children one morning was to sing the hymn for the week to the children. It was a sweet moment of unity among the teachers.

We give thanks for our wonderful national staff! They love the Lord, they love each other, and they see themselves as part of the ministry. I caught myself smiling this week as our entire maintenance staff were out on the football pitch preparing the lines on the field for a school tournament competition with other schools. They worked for days to get the lines measured and straight and marked with white cement. Then they found some old white paint that they mixed up and re-marked the field so that the lines would be brighter and a little more permanent.

We give thanks for our kitchen staff which continues to produce the meals for the students and residents. They work diligently to keep the cost down by serving foods that are currently being harvested and available and to eliminate any waste. They are great to remember the national holidays and to serve foods that are special for the children to have on those days.

We give thanks that we are blessed to assist some of the church and private schools who are using the Rafiki curriculum. One of these schools first approached Rafiki over three years ago to ask for the curriculum and just this year were able to purchase and use it in their newly relocated school. Here is what the head teacher just wrote:

My heart is full of gratitude for the partnership and support we have been receiving from the Rafiki community. It has not only set us strongly on the right path, but we are seeing how delighted are our students in learning about God and His creatures. The strong biblical themes of the curriculum are ensuring that our students’ minds and hearts are set always to God’s work beautifully displayed around them. My team and I have never been more excited to be classical Christian educators.

This has been repeated by many of the schools who are using the Rafiki curriculum. We are praying for many more schools to become interested and to desire to have this experience and help as well.

We give thanks for the Rafiki Institute of Classical Education and the wonderful future teachers that God has brought to study here. Their maturing process as young adults, growing in God’s Word, and becoming classically trained teachers is a privilege to watch and know that we have played a part in that wonderful process.

We give thanks for the addition of a new group to our widows’ work. They produce quality sewn fabric materials and are a great addition to the group who has been working to produce a different type of product.

We give thanks for the wonderful mothers and resident children who remain here at the Village. They are wonderful examples of God’s Work within them.

I give thanks for my fellow missionaries serving here. They work hard and have sacrificed much for everyone who comes to the Village.

With my fellow missionaries, Shakiyla Solomon Ishaku and Doug Koepke, at graduation ceremony in September

Praises

• God’s protection and provision as the unrest surrounds us and cost of living skyrockets.
• Wonderful staff and students who love learning and helping around the Village.

Please pray for

• Wisdom for Nigeria’s leaders as costs for everything continue to rise.
• Discernment of God’s plan for all of our students/graduates and for us to follow what He reveals to us.
• All 250 Rafiki Day Students to have sponsors and be fully funded soon.
• For generous giving to the Africa Expansion Campaign. Rafiki is entering a season of exponential growth. We anticipate the thousands that Rafiki is currently ministering to across our 10 countries will turn to tens of thousands. To meet these new opportunities, we are asking God for a 25% increase over Rafiki’s current annual budget which could increase Rafiki’s impact 10-fold.

Note : Rafiki is now able to accept non-cash gifts such as real estate or estate bequests. Contact Rafiki@RafikiFoundation.org for more information.

I give thanks for your prayers! They have been felt and so appreciated. Safety here is found in the center of His will.

Thank you!

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