Kropf November 2021

“Then Jesus told His disciples, ‘If anyone would come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me’ ” (Matthew 16:24).

Hope this newsletter finds you well. We are doing well and wanted to give you an update on the Rafiki Village Kenya and what’s going on with us. What a joy it has been for both of us to serve in Nairobi. We both have been busy plugging into various roles and helping where needed. Del has continued to head up the maintenance in the Village. Some highlights of that work have been renovating many of the childcare cottages and dorms. This involved painting, plumbing, and general repairs. He also had the workers doing a lot of grounds work. Trimming trees and bushes, laying gravel on the roads, digging new walkways to buildings, and fixing the electrical in the dining hall. Amid that there is always an emergency that pops up that needs to be taken care of. God has used Del’s knowledge from his past to serve the Village here in many different areas.

New path Del’s crew made to the primary school

Del and national staff plant maintenance team

Del has also been working with the Village finances. His past business experience and knowledge has been such a blessing to him as he helps in this area.

I have been continuing to work with the Rafiki Widows Program in Nairobi. I have been busy coordinating buying and shipping products that the widows make. The widows have been so grateful for the income and are eager to make products. The widows groups also use the Rafiki Bible Study (RBS). I have been connecting them with the RBS and providing them with copies of it. The widows have been very appreciative of these studies and are using them each week as they meet.

A widows group and their handmade baskets

I have been organizing and doing a lot of tutoring within the primary school as well. It has been a joy to meet with some of the students and help them with reading and math. Here too, there are always different needs that pop up that I am thankful I can help with.

For now we are back in the States due to Del’s health issues. It has been hard for us to leave our work and ministry in Nairobi. Del’s kidney function has decreased and so we came home to get it checked out. We have learned through the tests here in the States that his kidney disease has returned in his new kidney. He is a kidney transplant recipient from 2004. The doctors are saying that it could be about two years before he will need to go on dialysis or need another transplant. Based on this information we are returning to Nairobi to continue to serve there as long as God allows. Even with this setback we believe God has called us to follow Him back to Rafiki Kenya and continue to serve.

Prayer Requests:

• That Del will have the energy needed to perform his duties in Nairobi.
• For smooth travel back to Nairobi and transition back into our roles.
• Continued ministry opportunities with those we serve there.
• 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.

To donate online: go to www.rafikifoundation.org, select “Support a Missionary” from the drop-down menu in the upper right, type our last name in the search bar, and it will bring up a link to our personal page, you can then enter the amount that you would like to give or go browse our page for information and newsletters.

To donate by check: send your check to the Rafiki Home Office at PO Box 1988, Eustis FL 32727 with our name and missionary number (251) in the memo line.

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

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