Maggio Dec 2017

“Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has visited and redeemed his people and has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David” (Luke 1:68-69).

Greetings to you all from Zambia,

The Christmas season is here and it is a good time to reflect on the events of the year and also what God did 2000 years ago in sending His Son to come into the world as a child, and to live a perfect life and die a perfect death for His people. May your Christmas traditions be joyous, wonderful, and truth and Spirit filled.

We embraced the grace of God this year and are thankful for many blessings and even some trials. Lusubilo has persevered in working on her Master’s Degree in Economics and is in the final stages of preparing her research project for the review by the University of Zambia faculty of Economics. She has struggled with some chronic illness but has taken advantage of the reduced mobility to improve her daily routine and personal reading and reflection on the Scriptures. God does graciously use our trials for our good! This is a very opportune time to experience His mercy this way in the midst of the 500 years’ celebration of the Protestant Reformation! Our local church also presented special programs and our dear Pastor Conrad Mbewe, known as the African Spurgeon, was invited to speak on the BBC about the Reformation and it’s impact on Africa.

We enjoyed traveling together to the U.S. for Enrichment meetings in Florida at the Rafiki Home Office. From there we traveled in Florida, Texas, Oregon, Washington, New York, and Pennsylvania visiting family and friends. We were encouraged and blessed by everyone’s hospitality and interest in Rafiki’s work in Africa.

Dan and Lusubilo at the Ranch

Long Island cousins

Portland Maggios

Towala and Steve, Lusubilo’s sister’s wedding

Our ministry to college aged Zambians through Rafiki’s teacher’s college (Rafiki Institute of Classical Education or RICE) received a big boost with the sending of new Reformation Study Bibles donated through the Rosemary Jensen Bible Foundation. Also our church partner, the Reformed Church in Zambia, accepted the RICE Program into their University system and extended accreditation to RICE. Our now seventy RICE students have settled in to their new building. Five hundred years after the start of the Protestant Reformation has seen the opening of a teacher’s college in Africa with a curriculum grounded in reformed theology. To God alone be the glory!

RICE students with their new Bibles!

The most senior of our seventy-five children are preparing to complete ninth grade. They took their national exams and are awaiting the results which are due any day now. Sam Shonga is one of our Rafiki children who has been at Rafiki for ten years now. He persevered through some difficult circumstances with a speech impediment, fear of speaking in public, and chronic stomach pain. On a recent field trip to the annual Farmers’ Fair, the ninth graders stopped to listen to a Zambian band. After the performance the lead singer asked if anyone in the crowd would like to come up and sing a song. Before he had finished offering, Sam had jumped up and positioned himself behind the mic and proceeded singing a solo acapella version of Amazing Grace. God is working in the lives of these children!

Sam singing Amazing Grace

We were grateful for the opportunity to meet with so many friends of Rafiki on our trip and we are thankful for all of you. Thank you for your prayers, support, and encouragement to us. We wish you many blessings this Christmas season and the year to come.