Koch November 2021

“So that all the peoples of the earth may know that the hand of the Lord is mighty, that you may fear the Lord your God forever” (Joshua 4:24).

Old-Testament saints used to make altars of remembrance when they saw God’s miraculous provision or protection for them. They would stack 12 rocks (one for each tribe), to help them never forget His faithfulness, and every time they passed by, they would remember what He did. Don’t you think this was a great custom? If Mike and I were to make them, there would be piles of rocks all over the Village! Come and see where we would place them:

• At the five school buildings, science lab, and the three converted cottages, where 334 students discover the wonder of God’s world around them.
• At the doors of GL10 and GL11, where we have witnessed total transformation of our students by the application of the Word of God to their lives. Teacher Neema is completing her studies for a bachelor’s degree in teaching and doing her internship here, which requires a term of teaching in the upper secondary. She remembers them from her days working with me in Primary One, where erasers were eaten, grasshoppers were pocketed, and piles of sticks became swords or castles, depending upon which book we were reading. She told me with tears in her eyes, “I seriously can’t believe these are the same children!” When she presents an idea in history, they fly with it, asking and answering questions that provoke more research. Last Sunday I heard an animated debate going on in Ephesians cottage, so I peeked in. There was Dadi standing before a whiteboard filled with quadratic equations, challenging a student a grade above—iron sharpens iron!

Vicky teaching Primary 1 in 2012

Young Dadi and his “sword”

Fun at recess many years ago

Now building a chicken coop!

A neat art project from GL10

• Since our last newsletter, the Upper Primary building is a beehive of activity housing primary 4, 5, and 6.

Primary 4

• We have nine new students, seven of which are in secondary school, bringing our secondary student population up to 79.
• We have recently added three new teachers, greatly relieving the workload of the remaining staff.
• Teacher Sarah had a beautiful baby boy, and her husband Sam was able to be with her in Atlanta for the birth.
• Our sports program is once again in full swing, and we are now able to play against other schools.

Epa for the hit!

We stand in awe as we see God at work here. Everywhere there is growth. Growth in numbers, wisdom, behavior, integrity, and spirituality. As we enter into the season of Thanksgiving, please know how thankful and privileged we feel to be witnesses to what God has done. Thank you for your prayers and support. We need another altar of remembrance for you!

Please pray for:

• 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.

Have a very blessed Thanksgiving!

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