Bronke Nov 2019

“For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ” (2 Corinthians 4:6).

I often thank the Lord for the opportunity to serve with the Rafiki Foundation, both at the Home Office and soon on the field in Africa. It is a great privilege to serve with a foundation which seeks to meet African people’s physical and spiritual needs well. Sometimes, when seeing the children’s faces at the Rafiki Villages or writing a particularly impactful story for work, I feel especially grateful, even giddy. I try not to burst out with my excitement as I sit typing at my desk. At times, though, I cannot help but smile.

This was true when I recently watched an interview with a Rafiki teacher named Loise. Before becoming a teacher at the Rafiki Village Kenya, Loise had been a Rafiki student. She entered the Rafiki School in the ninth grade. After graduating from high school, she went through Rafiki’s teacher training program, The Rafiki Institute of Classical Education, earning a certificate to teach kindergarten. In the Rafiki School, she was able to “love learning for the sake of learning.” Her previous educational experience, like that of many Africans, consisted of crowded classrooms and learning content to simply reproduce it on a test. At Rafiki, she was given the freedom to be a true learner. As she spoke about her story, I couldn’t help but think, “This girl and I would make good friends!”

Most importantly, Loise became a Christian at the Rafiki School. Studying the Bible every day and learning from a classical Christian curriculum deeply impacted her heart and worldview. In the interview, she thanks the Rafiki Foundation for teaching her about God. When she looks around at other young people her age and sees how they are living for themselves, she feels thankful that God saved her and brought her out of darkness. She continues to be faithful, teaching children at the Rafiki school and growing them in “the knowledge of the glory of God” (2 Corinthians 4:6).

It was when Loise spoke at length about her favorite book—The Lord of the Rings—that I knew we would be friends if we ever were to meet! Loise appreciates that the wonderful books she read as a student at Rafiki always lead her back to the Bible, the world’s greatest piece of literature. When she contemplates the themes in J.R.R. Tolkien’s modern classic, including kingship, loyalty, and sacrificial love, she is reminded of the Bible’s grand narrative of salvation. She says that she loves the classics because they help her think deeply and “see the wisdom and folly of others.” Loise’s training has equipped her to be a passionate, competent teacher who trains her students to make connections between their learning and faith as well.

Through her faith in Christ, Loise shines in her classroom. She loves her students and loves teaching them. She shines with God’s light among her peers, and with her knowledge of God and the Scriptures, she will shine before others in Africa as she seeks to glorify the Lord in everything she does.

“[I]n the end the Shadow was only a small and passing thing: there was a light and high beauty for ever beyond its reach” (J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King).

I need your financial support and faithful prayers to work with students and teachers like Loise for two years in Africa. Will you consider partnering with me? I need both one-time and continued giving by pledges to make my goal; I am presently at about 10%.

Thank you for making it possible for me to go to Africa. Rafiki’s work has everlasting consequences, and you can be a part of it.

To donate:

• Go to www.rafikifoundation.org

• Select “Support a Missionary” from the drop-down menu in the upper right

• Find my photo and enter the amount that you would like to give. (You can make a one-time donation or a recurring donation.) Thank you!

To donate by check:

• Send your check to the Rafiki Home Office at PO Box 1988, Eustis, FL 32727 with my name and missionary (249) in the memo line.

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