Eastup Jul 2019
“If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell? But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose” (1 Corinthians 12:17-18).
Dear friends and family,
At the beginning of June, we celebrated the completion of the first semester of the 2019 school year. Parents joined us for beautiful recitations by our young preprimary three students and standard four students, the giving out of student awards, and parent-teacher conferences. It is truly amazing to look back over the weeks and realize how much the students have grown and learned. It was another reminder of how thankful I am that God has provided us with dedicated teachers who take their role very seriously as they train up and educate these dear students with love and joy.
Mid-year Honor Roll recipients
During the second term, it was a pleasure to visit classrooms and see students excitedly working on projects. Standard five students were tasked with building vehicles that would carry the weight of a Bible as they studied a unit on things that move. They learned many valuable lessons by working with a team and going through the stages of planning, designing, and building. They also learned how to be resourceful by using only scrap materials that were available around the school or their homes. Standard six students performed research and experiments about energy. One of the things that was wonderful to observe through their studies was how everyone in the Village takes it as their responsibility to help these students learn and grow, regardless of their role.
Standard five vehicles
Standard six science group exploring energy usage in the Village
One of our security guards was happy to take the time to explain to a group of students how the backup generator works. A kitchen worker was delighted to explain how energy is used in the kitchen for cooking on the stove and keeping food cold in the freezer and cold room. Some of our construction workers were willing to demonstrate how energy is used for their power tools and how they use energy wisely by always turning them off when they are not in use. I see how God uses so many different people with so many different gifts, skills, talents, personalities, and abilities to accomplish His work. It truly takes a whole Village to raise these precious children.
Pascal, head of security, with student scientists
Additionally, our work is made possible by God providing partners outside of the Village. We have most recently been thankful for a connection with an education technical advisor who works with a Christian organization here in Tanzania that supports church institutions in providing high quality health, education, and other social services. His knowledge about the education system, his connections with government education officials, and expertise in starting and running schools are helping us proceed with the school registration for both our secondary school and the teacher training college. The path often seems dark and unknown, so we are very thankful for local partners to help us navigate. We see how God provides in just the right ways at just the right times.
Phil and I at a meeting with Joshua, our education technical advisor
The science labs continue to progress very nicely. The biology lab is complete, and the chemistry and physics labs are not far behind. Now all we need are students to gather around the tables. The big praise is that the quality assurers came out and gave their stamp of approval on the labs. This was an important step toward achieving registration. Please continue to join us in prayer for God to cause the remaining steps of our secondary school registration process to move along quickly and reach completion very soon. We are ready to have our secondary students back on our campus!
Completed biology lab
Our work is also made possible by God providing partners like you from all around the world. I am daily thankful for each person who has prayed for us, donated resources, given financially, and visited us on short-term trips. Each person is part of teaching these students, training these teachers, sharing the Bible with countless individuals, building these facilities, and maintaining the strength and encouragement needed to carry on the work. Thank you!
A cherished sighting of Kilimanjaro in June
Copyright 2022 by Rafiki Foundation • Design by WMTEK & Powered by Site Stacker • Privacy Policy || Donor Privacy Policy