Upton March 2023

“I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living! Wait for the LORD; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the LORD!” (Psalm 27:13-14).

A lot has happened since my last newsletter! Over the past year, I have occasionally shared prayer requests for some health concerns. Unfortunately, those health concerns continued to worsen and had become a significant problem by the end of the year. As many of you already know, Rafiki Home Office made the call to bring me back to the States on medical leave at the beginning of January to hopefully get some answers. So I am writing this letter from Tennessee where I am staying with my brother and his family, resting, and working with doctors to find the best course of treatment.

Christmas crafting with the Rafiki kids

Since I have started from scratch with new doctors, the process is slow because it takes time to get referrals, schedule appointments, have tests run, etc. I am very grateful for the medical professionals I have connected with so far who have given helpful advice and treatment for symptoms while we work to find the underlying issues. At this point, I am not sure how long it will take to sort everything out.

It was hard to leave my students from the RICE teachers college on such short notice, and I miss my Rafiki Liberia family. I have been greatly touched by my students’ concern for me and have received reports that they pray for me regularly at morning Bible study. The Lord helped work out staffing to cover my absence, and one of the teachers from the lower school who is a RICE graduate was able to join our Dean, Christie, and national assistant, Abraham, to help with the teaching workload. We took in new students at RICE in January, and from what I have heard, they are doing well, adapting to the program and eagerly participating in Bible study.

My hope and prayer is that I will be able to return to Liberia at some point this summer, but I have not been able to make any concrete plans for that yet. Although the sudden transition back to the U.S. was difficult in many ways, I am deeply grateful for the Lord’s comforting presence and the ability to rest and trust in His sovereignty and care in this season as every other. It has been a precious time for doing a lot of “soul work” and growing in my relationship with Him.

Prayer Requests

• God will bring revival to Liberia by His Spirit and through His Word.
• God will continue to provide for the needs of the RICE students so that they can succeed in the program and positively impact their country.
• God will guide my doctors to find the best treatment for my health issues, and I will be able to return to Liberia this summer.
• I will continue to trust the Lord’s wisdom and daily grow in my dependence on Him .

New bikes at the Village!

Thank you so much for your faithful support and prayers. It is deeply humbling and encouraging!

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