Koch Sept 2020

Painting, sanding, varnishing, social distance markers, sinks by the gate, fort repair, and maintenance have kept our hands busy, but still we wait.

Every two weeks, the Rwandan cabinet meets and decides, “Wait.” So while we wait, we work, plan, and pray, and God has blessed the Village immensely.

What will the students see when they return?

They will see a new upper-primary school building almost ready for the roof! This will allow us to double stream primary classes.

They will see a second primary one class and classroom. With 625 on our waiting list and many kindergarten students well past six years of age, Home Office has given us permission to start another grade one as soon as we open back up.

Preprimary students will find their classrooms very different, with spacing of chairs and mats, and they will discover their breakfast and lunches will be delivered to their classrooms to prevent over-crowding in the dining halls. They will see lunch rooms with more tables and less chairs, foot prints and hearts painted on the floor, and desks separated instead of in groups. Trees that were ankle high when they left are now over six feet tall.

But hopefully, what their eyes will dwell on are the faces of all the people that love them—teachers, missionaries, mamas, cooks, cleaners, and the maintenance team—the Rafiki family together again. What a great day that will be!

Meanwhile, our resident students are continuing to help their families. The rains are coming and it is time to hoe the fields. Some continue to tutor young and older children, others have found jobs hauling water, carrying sand and rock for the building projects, and some herd goats. But when we hear from them, they all mention how much they miss reading the Word of God. So please continue to pray for the students’ safety, and that they will be bold in sharing the gospel, and that we may be allowed to start school very soon.

Naomie in senior four (sophomore), asked for me to send her the Christmas play, and she gave me an e-mail address of a young man who could download it for her. I reminded her that boys were dangerous and she replied, “Hahahahahahahahahahaaaaa. I can never forget that… whenever they bring the moves that’s the first sentence that pops into my head. Thank you Tr. Vicky… we were raised well… we owe God our eternal gratitude. No way I am going to waste a great opportunity to serve him with all the chances I was given.”

Thank you for making it possible to join God at work here in Rwanda and witness His transforming power in His children.

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