Nigeria Update-November 2023

“But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons” (Galatians 4:4-5).

Hello family and friends!

As we enter the new year, I find myself overjoyed with gratefulness by the life of our Savior. As Paul wrote to the church of Galatia, “But when the fullness of time had come” I am reminded that our God is not one of erraticism. His will is carefully laid out and we, like diverse pieces of yarn, are meticulously woven into the fabric of His glory. Praise God for Christ came and will come again.

The school is steadily growing. Every new school year we take in 20-30 new students and every school year we focus heartily on how to serve them best. With the student body multiplying, so is our need for teachers. We have 49 amazing school staff but would love for you to join us in prayer for the ones God has yet to send. We are still in need of an English teacher, so pray with us for his provision.

Rafiki Secondary School, Bassa staff

With the closing of the rainy season, we have been able to focus a bit more on construction. The maintenance team was able to completely renovate the ceiling in one of our guest houses. Here we have anywhere from three to four months of constant rain and damage is seemingly inevitable. Ishaku and the guys worked diligently to get the ceiling gutted and re-installed. He also worked side by side with some of our young ladies as they re-painted the interior of the house. The house is coming along beautifully. Pray for the maintenance team’s strength and endurance as they maintain all our campus structures and buildings.

These guest houses are commonly used for visitors from other Villages, guests from town, and of course the Home Office. Most recently though, we housed teachers from five neighboring schools who attended the Curriculum Orientation of the Rafiki Education System (CORE) as a part of our Outreach Program. They learned classroom management, methodology, pedagogy, and of course, effective ways to teach from a biblical worldview. These five schools are among others in Nigeria who are partnering with us in their pursuit to implement the Rafiki Education System at their school. Pray with us that God’s truths will permeate the heart of every child who is taught through this program.

CORE training attendees

I have mentioned before that at the end of each term, we host a recitation where the students share classical Christian presentations. They work on them for the previous ten weeks and eagerly wait their turn to show the school, parents, and community guests. This one was special as we had our first kindergarten graduation. Let me tell you, they did not disappoint. During their presentation they recited over fifteen Bible verses and sang beautiful hymns reminding us of God’s faithfulness.

Kindergarten graduates

Classical Christian Education (CCE) is not the norm in Nigeria, or most places in the world for that matter. Some of you may remember the CCE conference Rafiki hosted in 2019. Well, God provided, and we were able to do it again. This time, I was blessed to bring along my Head Teachers. For all of them, it was their first time out of Nigeria, on a plane, and meeting people from East Africa. They were glowing as they networked with like-minded believers on how to teach God’s truth to thousands of children across the continent of Africa.

The New Old Way Conference, Nairobi, Kenya

We are grateful for the way you have supported the work being done. Lives are changed by the gospel daily and God is being made known in marvelous ways. I pray that during this season, you would consider partnering with me and Ishaku monthly. If you are already a partner, I pray God gives you the words to share this ministry with a friend.

We love you, see you soon, God willing!