Jackson Jan 2019
By God’s great love and grace, on November 25, 2016, I met this woman, Karen Elliott on my flight to Florida. I had no idea how my life would be changed from this encounter or how God would use Karen to water my heart for missions. Karen Elliott is a former missionary and the Executive Director of the Rafiki Foundation.
The Rafiki Foundation is an organization dedicated to Training Africans to Transform Africa for Christ. The purpose of the Rafiki (which means friend in Swahili) Foundation is to befriend orphans and widows in their distress (James 1:27). To accomplish this mission, Rafiki established Rafiki Training Villages within ten African countries. The training Villages provide living accommodations and education to orphans and widows through their five Rafiki programs: Bible Study, Education, Teacher Training Program (college), Orphan Care, and Widows Care. The webite address is www.Rafikifoundation.org.
After sharing my experience traveling overseas with sports ministries and how God transformed my heart and mind for His Kingdom, Karen explained the need for athletic directors in the Rafiki Villages; people who could implement the Physical Education programs for prek through twelveth grade and for the teachers college. She asked me if I would consider the position, that with my background in athletics I would be a perfect fit. At the time I was silently and secretly feeling called to mission work full time. My interest was piqued, my spirit was rejoicing about the opportunity, yet I responded that I would pray about it and my feet did not move forward.
Almost exactly two years later, November 26, 2018, I received an acceptance later from the Rafiki Foundation to go serve overseas as an Athletic Director in one of their Villages. Over the last two years, I have been praying hard about this call to missions that the Lord has placed in my heart. And every time I pray I get the words GO. Most of you know that I have taken several short-term missions trips over the summers, yet my heart continued to scream “GO, live life abundantly”, “don’t be afraid, GO, I will be with you”. This year I really pressed in to the Lord’s call to GO and live life abundantly. For me that looks like sharing His transformational power with others and not being afraid to go. Jesus transformed my life, softened my heart of stone and adopted a sinner like me into His family, His kingdom, and now I am free. Now my heart’s desire is to share that with others, with the lost, broken, hopeless, orphans, and widows. So in May, when I was praying and waiting after asking the Lord “GO WHERE?”, silently through the wind in the trees, He spoke Africa in my heart, and again told me not to be afraid and my spirit rejoiced again. This time I would take the next step forward.
I am confident in the calling the Lord has for me and have committed to serving in the Nigeria Rafiki Village from August 2019 to December 2020 as an Athletic Director. Nigeria is the most populated country that Rafiki serves, with the highest population of orphans and widows, and one of the lowest percentages of Christians. Thus, they have an increasing need for teachers. I am saying yes to the opportunity to Train Africans to Transform Africa for Christ. To take this next step in faith, I must raise funds for sixteen months of living, housing, travel, medical, visa, communication, and salary expenses. Thus, I will need your support, and I ask you to prayerfully consider partnering with me as a one-time financial partner, a monthly financial partner (for sixteen months) and/or a prayer warrior partner. I need all three types of partners to go on this mission for the Lord. I ask that you prayerfully consider partnering with me to further God’s Kingdom by Training Africans to Transform Africa for Christ.
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