January 2013

"Come and see what God has done: he is awesome in his deeds toward the children of man" (Psalm 66:5).

The Blue Ridge in fall color, the dry heat of a wood stove, the babble of the creek on our property. The ping of a canning jar as it seals, the sound of an F-250 on the gravel driveway, the rustle of leaves as a white-tail deer steps through laurel. And don’t get us started on the cabin’s porch swing heavy-laden with kids and grands or Old Glory backlit with summer sun! As we prepare to leave for Zambia people keep asking, “Won’t you miss ____?” Well, you fill in the blank, and, yes, we will. But we respond with, “Wouldn’t you like to see ___? Aren’t you looking forward to hearing about ___? Wouldn’t you love to help with ___?” You should try to fill in those blanks too because we will keep sending you regular updates as long as you like. For the million questions we can’t answer yet, there are a few indisputable and confirming things which consistently show us the God who “is awesome in his deeds toward the children of man.”

The Right Time? Who leaves a good job at this stage of life, or an addition just weathered-in, or a few months after joining a new church? The grandkids have all gotten hooked on fishing and are at sleepover stage! Yet this is the moment when God has chosen to restore health, to stir a passion which propels us, and to open a door of opportunity that seems custom-fit.

The Right Tools? No, not Gehrig’s collection, though he’s sorting through it now for plant manager duties. The right tools aren’t ours at all but will be for our use in Zambia. In God’s sovereignty the Rafiki Foundation had developed four programs to assist our ten African countries: the ChildCare, Education, Widows, and Training Programs. The housing, schools, staff, and facilities of our sixty-acre compound are a tool shed of sorts for distributing Christian classical education materials and teacher training, practical support and the Rafiki Bible Study to local widows, care and education for our resident children and day students, encouragement to neighboring churches, and economic aid through purchases and the employment of national workers among other things.

The Right Talents? We all like the parable of the talents in Matthew 25, especially the “well done, good and faithful servant” part. Greater obedience is required though to get to the next phrase—“Enter into the joy of your master.” We are thankful for the privilege to obey and share in the Master’s joy in serving Africans. It is an honor to invest His resources in meaningful work. We are common enough in our abilities, but have been with Jesus long enough to know the skill sets we do have belong to Him (Acts 4:13). Our varied employment backgrounds, past service with Rafiki, and the current needs at Rafiki Village Zambia line up beautifully.

Proverbs 25:25 states: “Like cold water to a thirsty soul, so is good news from a far country.” Letters from Rafiki missionaries have refreshed our souls and drawn our hearts for many years. These servants of Christ have shared their lives with us and have allowed us to partner with them in many tiny ways. Their fidelity to God’s Word and God’s people has strengthened us. We have seen glimpses of God’s glory and have been trained up in prayer until our hearts ache to be more actively involved. “Come and see what God has done” has become a command for us to keep as well as a prayer of petition we raise regarding you. Come along! As we have this opportunity to serve and report back to you, we pray you will be strengthened as we have been, that you will become even better patriots and parishioners were you are allowed to serve now, and that you will be emboldened to speak in ways that cause others to want to come and see this great God, too.

Please pray for:

• Survival Camp February 4-8, our pre-field training at the Rafiki Home Office in Eustis, Florida

• Godly wisdom in daily decision-making

• That we will finish well the work, writing, building, and packing

• That we would be faithful stewards, particularly of time

• Opportunities to share which will line up well with Gehrig’s rotating work schedule

• That difficulty and delight would be equally embraced as opportunities for training

• That God will use us even now to be of true aid to our ROS teammates, Home Office staff, national workers, Rafiki Mothers, and children!

God has been awesome in His deeds toward us. One of those ways has been through you, in your past care for us and in your recent prayer support and giving. We are humbled. Please respond to doveswithrafiki@gmail.com if you would prefer to be removed from our mailing list or to receive these updates via email. We continue to welcome opportunities to speak to your family, organization, or church though the calendar is tightening quickly.

God bless you,

Ronda and Gehrig Dove