McDaniel August 2024

We are grateful to the Lord for all who have pledged their support for us, both financially and prayerfully! As the Lord continues to clear the path for us on our way to Malawi, please pray that our employment permits will be approved quickly by Malawi’s immigration department—this process can sometimes take six months or more. Our field security training began on June 28, and helped us prepare for emergencies overseas, and our Rafiki Survival Training (training us on our specific missionary roles) began on July 22 and will end on August 2. Even after working at the Home Office for over a year, the Survival Training has given me a much deeper appreciation for everything that Rafiki does to serve our ten host countries and the communities immediately surrounding our Villages. Our prayer is that the training will stick in our minds and give us steadfast joy in our work, and that we would be diligent to prepare ourselves spiritually, as much as we possibly can.

Renovations have begun in the Rafiki Institute of Classical Education Teacher Training College building in our Malawi Village, which is one of the final requirements to have the college fully approved and accredited by the National Council for Higher Education (NCHE). God has provided us with a wonderful partner university, University of Livingstonia (UNILIA), that is walking us through the registration and approval process as a satellite campus under their oversight. A representative from UNILIA was kind enough to invite us to his home for a fellowship meal with his family. This is where I learned how deep-rooted the concept of adoption is within Malawian culture. As he pointed out the faces in the family photos hung throughout their living room, he explained that it is customary for immediate family members to give one of their children to a newlywed couple (he and his wife received his elder brother’s youngest son), so that they learn how to care for a family and think about others from the beginning of their marriage. It is no wonder why this beautiful nation is referred to as Africa’s, “warm heart.”

Rafiki’s RICE sign being installed at our Village

UNILIA staff meeting with Rafiki’s Village staff

Dinner with UNILIA staff member’s family

The two most exciting recent developments in the Mzuzu Village are the purchase of a work truck with funds given by donors, and the formal approval of two RICE Programs! Anna Liebing has been working hard alongside UNILIA staff to get the diploma and bachelor’s degree programs fully approved through the NCHE, and that approval has at last been received! The programs will receive their final and full accreditation after a year or two of observation by NCHE and UNILIA, and we are grateful to the Lord for this huge milestone in our Village. The utility truck is an important asset for a campus of 75 acres and 28 buildings (not counting the sheds and storage containers), because it allows the maintenance staff to move large amounts of materials in a single trip, such as bringing in gravel to repair washed out roads. The flat bed gives them the added benefit of a large, mobile workstation for various tasks like fabrication and welding.

Transporting and unloading gravel is a lot easier with a truck!

We cannot say thank you enough for your continued prayer and support for us, and we would love to discuss missions more in-depth with anyone who is curious about the possibility of serving short-term or long-term. There is so much work to be done and we are thankful that God is growing many of Rafiki’s Villages in terms of their Widows Programs, school attendance, Outreach school partnerships and trainings, and church partnerships— but there are many open spots to fill for that work to be completed with excellence and in a timely manner. Some are called to go, some are called to pray, some are called to support, but all of God’s children are called to the cause of the gospel in some way, whether in a foreign nation, or within your own home. Lastly, we ask for your continued prayer during this time of support-raising, as we are currently at 12% of our goal. If you know anyone who may be interested in supporting a new missionary family and would like to hear more about what we are doing, we would love to meet with them and share the work that God has provided for us. We are thankful to God for you, and we look forward to sharing more about our progress and God’s continued work at the Malawi Village. Please visit our Missionary page at https://rafikifoundation.org/missionary/bryan-and-alexis-mcdaniel-260 to learn more.

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