“Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.” Psalm 19:14
I didn’t come to Christ until my early 40’s. After attending a Bill Gothard Seminar, I purposed to read the Bible from cover to cover. I started in Genesis and went through to Revelation in a year. I did that for three years running by getting up 15 minutes earlier each day, time well spent. My last tour in the US Navy was in San Diego where I attended BSF and then again in Atlanta, Georgia where we lived for two years with my first post Navy job.
I was internally transferred from Atlanta to Vidalia, Georgia, a small southern town. Bible study was limited so I started a Bible study at my church using a modified BSF model where I wrote daily questions and discussed and taught on them weekly. During this time my wife Donna became the Teaching Leader of a BSF class in Macon, Georgia. Once a week she made the 100-mile trip, conducted Leaders Meeting, spent the night and then taught the class the next day and then drove the same 100 miles home. It was during this time that Donna attended a BSF meeting in Florida and came home talking about how Rosemary had told the group how hungry Africans were for God’s Word. Even to the point of saving old lessons that had been used for packing paper. That got Donna and me to thinking we could go overseas but we had over-built a house in Vidalia that would be difficult to sell. God solved that problem in 1996 by promoting and moving us to Birmingham, Alabama and the company purchased the house. Donna and I started talking about going overseas with BSF/Rafiki. I think it was 1999 when Donna was at another meeting with Rosemary and she asked, “How old can you be and still go overseas?” For those of us who have worked for Rosemary and love her, she gave a classic Rosemary response; “How old are you?”. We were not too old.
In early 2000 we came to San Antonio for an orientation meeting. I wanted to test the idea first by going on a mini-mission, but Donna said if we are going to do this we should go all in. We volunteered to go, and God again confirmed our calling by providing our funding in about 2 months. I retired from Southern Company, and we arrived in Kenya in August 2000. I was given the assignment I wanted and loved, Construction Manager and Children’s Center Director. Through my Navy and Southern Company experiences God had prepared me for a start-up assignment. I relished it! Starting up the Rafiki Children’s Center (RCC) had numerous aspects including finding children, construction, outfitting, and staffing. One of my favorite stories was when we interviewed a potential Child Care Mother in her well-kept slum home. We were discussing the aspects of being a Rafiki Mother when she turned to me and said, “I’m not working for you.” I quickly wondered how I had turned her away but then she continued, “I’m working for God.” Perfect outlook! Susan was a wonderful Mother to the children.
By early 2004 the RCC was essentially built, and children were coming in. I was reassigned and another team member was assigned as RCC Director. I was assigned to the Girls Center as a teacher. I consider myself as an average teacher, but I don’t enjoy teaching. My mistake was not saying anything. Donna was the Area Advisor for BSF and by 2005 it became obvious we could not adequately do both BSF and Rafiki, so we opted to leave Rafiki and go full time with BSF in Kenya. We left Kenya in 2012. We have been back to Africa with Rafiki three times since then, from 6 weeks to 6 months, once to Rafiki Village Uganda and twice to Malawi. In each case it was to cover for one of the regular staff who was on sabbatical. I would probably return but I realize I no longer have the physical stamina to do a proper job.~Dennis
P.S. from Rosemary: This story makes it obvious that Christians may change jobs, but they never retire!
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