Kumpe Mar 2020

“For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen” (Romans 11:36).

Happy 2020! It is a whole new decade and a lot to be thankful for in 2019, and many things to look ahead to in 2020.

We had an unexpected trip to the States midway through January—the beginning of the school term. David was advised to return in order to have hernia repair surgery. God went before us and made the unexpected travel back as easy and efficient as possible. Friends from our sending church in Texas made some arrangements and David was able to have successful surgery less than a week after our arrival in the U.S. We are so thankful for the way God worked out all the details, we are now back in Uganda and David is well on the road to recovery. We have wonderful staff here who handled things well in our absence.

We are rejoicing over the National Council of Higher Education granting the RICE Program permission to be part of Westminster Christian Institute of Uganda as an additional campus of their accredited college/institute. We will now be called “Westminster Christian Institute of Uganda—Rafiki Campus”. We are so thankful for all the planning, coordination, and prayer that went into this process. We are excited to see how the RICE Program will grow now that it is part of Westminster and able to issue certificates and diplomas to our graduating students from a nationally accredited institution.

The new RICE sign design!

We also wanted to share with you some wonderful news concerning one of our residents. Flavia (age 14) has just started senior secondary (grade 8). She is a reserved young lady and she has suffered with an eye condition called Keratoconus—which is the coning of the cornea that greatly reduces her vision and both of her eyes were affected. Earlier in 2019, she had a procedure done on the less-affected eye at an eye clinic in Kampala. This procedure stopped the progression of the disease and Flavia got beautiful purple-framed glasses to further correct the vision in that one eye.

Mama Alice and Flavia

With more of her vision restored, she blossomed and what you will notice the most about Flavia now is her beautiful smile. The only treatment for her other eye was a cornea transplant which is not available in Uganda. The closest location was in Nairobi, Kenya. The Rafiki Home Office and Rafiki Village Kenya coordinated an appointment for her with an eye surgeon in Nairobi. Flavia and her caregiver, Mama Alice, traveled to Kenya for the consultation and a very quick, successful transplant procedure (which was all God’s timing!). These kinds of medical procedures usually do not occur this quickly—especially in East Africa. Flavia is so thankful for her restored vision! She and Mama Alice will have to travel again to Kenya for some follow up visits. Please continue to pray for complete healing for the cornea transplant and travel safety as follow up appointments are completed in Kenya. God is so good!

Flavia one day after the transplant

Post-transplant exam

Flavia wrote a thank you note to our Rafiki Foundation Home Office in Florida. Here is an excerpt from her letter:

“Thank you so much for praying for me, and letting me have this chance. I am really grateful that I can now see very well. I am really thankful for you and your great service to me.”

We continue to be so thankful for God’s provision for all we need and more as we continue to serve here at Rafiki Village Uganda. We thank you so much for your continued prayers and support for us here in Uganda and the mission of Rafiki. Are you interested in serving with Rafiki as a Short-term Missionary, or perhaps God is leading you to consider Long-term Mission work here in Africa? The Rafiki Foundation website (rafikifoundation.org) has all the information you need. Come join us as we witness the transforming power of the Gospel here in Uganda and at the nine other Rafiki locations on the African continent.

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