Koepke December 2023

“And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19 ).

Merry Christmas from Nigeria!

We praise God for the way He is working in the lives of each of the children who are growing up at our Rafiki Village! God is using Joy to impact and help babies and families in and around Jos, Nigeria.

Joy is a graduate from Rafiki Nigeria’s first class of high school graduates and was recently interviewed. The following statements are excerpts from that interview. “I have spent more than half my life at the Rafiki Village in Nigeria. I came here in 2003, when I was seven years old. I grew up as a very loved little girl at Rafiki and came to know the Lord at a tender age. I was brought up to be truthful and honest, no matter what the cost. I’ve learned God’s work done in God’s way, will never lack God’s supply.”

Joy graduated from Bingham University in 2019 with a bachelor’s degree in accounting and is currently serving with a Christian ministry called Carry Them Ministry. They provide nutritional support to malnourished infants and educate families with babies. She weighs the babies weekly and encourages the families. She says, “The joy on their faces as the babies improve makes my day.”

Joy and one of the babies

We recently traveled to Ethiopia to help the Rafiki Village. Ethiopia is famous for greeting guests with a coffee ceremony, and we were accorded this honor when we arrived. Coffee beans are roasted, ground with mortar and pestle, brewed in front of the guests, and poured into small coffee cups for each person (think espresso!). The ceremony typically involves the use of frankincense to make the room smell nice. As Doug is not a coffee drinker, Carolyn helped him finish his serving! This ceremony made us think a bit deeper about how we greet guests.

Coffee ceremony

One of the privileges extended to us was participating in nightly devotions in each of the children’s cottages. Cana cottage has some of the youngest resident children in Rafiki’s care. Even so, they are all teenagers! Some of the older children in another cottage will be in Rafiki’s first Ethiopian graduating class. They are busy studying for the in-depth national high school exams. They will be tested on the subjects they have taken in secondary school, and the results will either qualify or disqualify them for university. Not surprisingly, there is a lot of effort being expended in preparation for these exams. As a point of contrast, Rafiki Nigeria has graduated nine classes of resident students to date.

Cana cottage boys

Carolyn did medical checkups for the resident children, mamas, and other staff. She identified several children who need glasses and/or a trip to the dentist. Everyone got their blood pressure taken, along with their health questions addressed. Doug installed an irrigation system around one of the houses that has many cracks due to expansive soil. The irrigation system is designed to maintain a constant soil moisture level year-round, which should eliminate soil movement. Repairs to the house can begin now that further cracking will not occur.

Children at play at Rafiki Ethiopia

Ethiopia teaching staff

Rafiki Institute for Classical Education (RICE) held its first official graduation ceremony in Nigeria. Each of these young men and women have completed a 3-year program that qualifies them to teach students from early childhood through primary school. This diploma program is under the auspices of MKAR University. MKAR is putting the final touches on a 4-year degree program. Some of these graduates will return to pursue a full bachelor’s degree, which will qualify them to teach secondary school as well.

RICE graduates

Praises

• A very successful mission trip to Ethiopia, and many new friends made there.
• Nigeria’s first RICE graduation brought glory to our generous God.
• That God would bless and keep every person who impacted this ministry—from the U.S.A. and Nigeria.

Prayer Requests

• Christ-filled visit for our Nigeria children when they go on homestay for Christmas.
• Strengthened economy, which is suffering from runaway inflation, so that people will be able to afford to feed their families.

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