McMahon October 2020

Greetings from Tanzania! Many of you have been asking and wondering how I have been these past weeks, and I am happy to report that I am doing very well! Tanzania is a beautiful country and I encounter new sights and sounds every day.

My days here are full, mostly working in the school. Since I am not certified to teach in Tanzania, I instead get to coach teachers with lesson planning. Naturally, the music teacher here and I have gotten to know each other best. She and I work together daily to prepare her music classes from preprimary through sixth grade from the Rafiki music curriculum. The outcome is three-fold. First, she gets to improve her own skills as a musician and a teacher. Then, the students get to experience the fullness of varied classical music classes. Last, but not least, I get to witness and participate in the music curriculum in action, so I can be prepared to teach it on my own when I arrive in Ethiopia.

In addition to preparation as a teacher, I am working with the ChildCare Administrator here and attending her meetings with the Rafiki Mothers. I also attend team meetings and get to glean wisdom and experience from the other missionaries living here.

I am also immersing myself in the Rafiki Bible Study (RBS) which is truly the lifeblood at a Rafiki Village. The truth is, while over sixty percent of Tanzanians are Christians, many of them have never truly studied the Bible on their own, which leads to misunderstanding about what the Bible teaches and what they believe for themselves. The goal of the RBS is to counteract this by discipling every employee, student, and resident through daily Bible study. If you were to spy on us any weekday around 8 a.m., you could witness up to thirteen separate Bible studies ranging from three-year-olds through adults!

My three months here is already quickly coming to an end! The current plan is for me to fly back to the Home Office in Florida on October 25 to work there while my Ethiopian visa is finalized. And no matter what happens, I have great peace that it is all in God’s hands, and He continues to prepare me for what lies ahead.

Join me in prayer:

• For daily discipline in personal Bible reading and prayer.

• For finishing my time here well.

• For my visa processing to be swift and uncomplicated.

• For my friendships that have already become so meaningful here and the goodbyes that are coming.

• That God’s good work started here at Rafiki Tanzania will continue.

Thank you for all your work to get me here! I simply could not be here without your continued financial and prayer support.

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