Maggio May 2018

Dear friends in Christ,

We bring you greetings again from Zambia, from our children, staff, and students at Rafiki Village Zambia. We are just about to end our Easter Break from school and begin a new ten-week school term. We had a nice celebration of the Lord’s Resurrection. Some of the children were able to spend time with their extended family for a ten-day home visit. Many family members of the children came for a visit which we hold two times each year. The children who stayed at Rafiki were able to play a lot of sports, do some reading, and most especially climb on the new playground set which was donated by one of our supporting churches in Houston, Christ Evangelical Presbyterian Church.

The children LOVE the new playground set

A quick basketball game

A service project for the students

We had a visiting missionary, Brad Wilkins, to do the assembling with the help of some of the boys. Brad came with his wife Wendy and daughter Libby to visit their other daughter Kate, who has been serving as a teacher with the teacher training college and working with the widows’ groups.

Kate, Libby, Wendy, and Brad Wilkins with Tom and Lusubilo

Lusubilo and I enjoyed a few days at a local resort which offers both animal viewing and golfing. So if there are any of you who would like to visit Africa and cannot bear to miss golfing, here is the solution for you. You might have to be a bit patient if you want to play through.

Golf green at the Pa-Zuri Outdoor Park

Lusubilo and I are in a time of transition and we would ask for your prayers for us. We are preparing to travel to the U.S. to seek medical help for Lusubilo who is struggling with joint and muscular pain which affects her standing and walking tolerance. Tom will also be taking a sabbatical. Since we plan to be away from Rafiki for a significant time, Tom will be transitioning out of the Village Administrator position to a different staff position. We are initially planning to be in the U.S. for eight weeks to return to Zambia in early July.

We thank God for your faithful support. Your donations, prayers, and encouragement are affecting the lives of our seventy-five resident children, 130 day students, sixty-seven teachers in training, and seventy-five employees as we share God’s truth and help them to know the Lord and improve their standard of living. 

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope” (Romans 15:13).