McDaniel July 2025

“Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God” (Ephesians 5:1-2).

July is a busy month for us here at Rafiki Village Malawi, from preparing for our shipping container’s arrival, to readying everyone for school graduation, every department is running at full steam! God has graciously provided several helping hands over the past month by way of our short-term missionaries, and they are staying busy cataloging books for the primary school library, assisting with construction projects, tutoring secondary school students, improving our kitchen’s inventory and budgeting systems, and taking on many other tasks with joyful attitudes.

We have had issues with our crop production and gardening due to the thirsty bluegum trees (a species of eucalyptus), some of which were quite tall and dangerously close to our water tower and administration buildings, so the Home Office approved a plan to remove two stands of trees from one end of the campus. Due to lumber shortages in many parts of the country at this time, God provided a considerable sum of funds generated from the sale of the timbers that were cut on-site here. From those funds, we have been able to undertake the construction of a greenhouse and two chicken coops, which we pray will be of great help in reducing our food expenses each month.

Bluegum trees

While everyone is staying plenty busy, we are grateful for the occasional chances we have to find some rest and appreciate the beauty to be found here in Malawi. A few local friends have introduced us to tailors, and we have developed relationships with a few merchants at the fabric market in Mzuzu—we hope to have a few sets of clothes made from local fabrics by the end of this month.

Beautiful fabric at the market

A recent holiday allowed for us to spend a few days in Livingstonia where we got to see the most beautiful sunrises and sunsets I have experienced anywhere in the world. Livingstonia is also where Malawi’s missionary history first took root, and we enjoyed getting to learn more about the history of all that God has done here through the many generations of faithful missionaries who have come and gone, each continuing to build on the foundations of discipleship laid by David Livingstone and others.

Lastly, but far from least, we are so thankful to God for your faithful and gracious giving, which has now fully funded our first year of service in Malawi! We are grateful to God for each of you and pray that you would continue to support our work with Rafiki, but we are also inviting each of you to come and see what happens here first-hand, just like our guests over the past two months. We hope that our newsletters are an encouragement to you just as your support is a tremendous encouragement for us, and we ask for your continued prayers for us, our national staff, and the Rafiki children, that we would all glorify God in everything He gives us to do. Thank you all, and stay tuned for more updates on the many projects around the Village that will be completed next month!

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