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Today we chat with Laura King, the Dean of Students at Veritas Scholars Academy, about an exciting mission opportunity coming up in 2025. The Rafiki Foundation is giving VSA families the opportunity to come partner with them as they provide classical education to children at their Kenya campus (one of 40+ classical schools they’ve started in Africa!).
The Rafiki Foundation has been instrumental in building a robust classical Christian curriculum and network of schools across 14 different African countries. They are caring for orphans, training teachers, and providing biblically-sound educational resources to local churches and communities.
Tap here to learn more and submit your application to join the mission trip: https://veritaspress.com/extracurriculars/mission-trips
Episode Transcription
Note: This transcription may vary from the words used in the original episode for better readability.
Marlin Detweiler:
Hello again, and welcome to another episode of Veritas Vox the Voice of classical Christian education. Today we have with us Laura King. Laura functions as a teacher at our online school, Veritas Scholars Academy, and she is also the Dean of students. Laura, welcome.
Laura King:
Thank you. Good to be back on the show again.
Marlin Detweiler:
It's nice to have you back. As a refresher, tell our folks, our listeners, and people watching a little bit about yourself personally, and then we'll jump into the reason that you're here.
Laura King:
Okay. Of course. Well, thank you so much. As you mentioned before, I am a teacher with Veritas Scholars Academy. I'm actually in my 14th year. It is hard to believe that it has been that long since our interview.
Marlin Detweiler:
Not a day over 13!
Laura King:
Oh, yes, of course not! Just thinking back fondly on our interview many years ago over the phone. I never knew how God was going to use all of this to bring us to where we are today. So I've been with Veritas full-time since 2021. I had stepped down as headmaster of a local classical Christian school and just was praying for a long time about the opportunity to come to Veritas full-time. And God allowed all of that to fall into place. So I'm very, very glad to be here.
Marlin Detweiler:
And that school is in Albuquerque, correct?
Laura King:
Southern New Mexico. So we're actually in Alamogordo, near Holloman Air Force Base.
Marlin Detweiler:
Good. Very good. Well, one of the things, well, before we get there, tell everyone what you teach at Veritas.
Laura King:
So currently, I teach Literature 5, Literature Transition, Grammar and Writing Transition, and Omnibus One Secondary. I have also dabbled in Pre-Algebra and other Omnibus courses. Composition One, Composition Two. My goal would be to teach from each department before I end up retiring way down the road, but I'm not so sure about that one. I kind of like where I'm sitting right now.
Marlin Detweiler:
Yeah, yeah, but I knew that you had taught a lot of different things. You've been very helpful and flexible that way. But as the Dean of Students, one of the things that you have the pleasure of doing is to help plan and promote things that we do for students in the summer. We currently do one major field trip a year and one mission trip.
Tell us– I know we want to talk about the mission trip mostly today, but let's talk for the sake of our listeners, maybe touch on some of the things that we've done as field trips over the last couple of years and what we have planned.
Laura King:
Okay, fantastic. I know prior to Covid, which is where all of the world travel completely ceased for a little while, the school had gone on a tour of the British Isles. They've been over to Germany, especially around the celebration of the Reformation anniversary. We've also been over...
Marlin Detweiler:
2017, by the way, 500 years.
Laura King:
Yeah, that's exactly right. When we were able to pick up school travel again in 2023, we went to Israel, and we had the opportunity of spending 17 days on the ground in Israel, just traveling through the Holy Land and being able to put, I guess, feet to faith as we went from location to location and saw how that related to Scripture.
Marlin Detweiler:
That was a year when the window of opportunity was fairly small. We obviously didn't know that it would close again shortly after being there, and we were there at a very safe and enjoyable time. But it's not the kind of thing we could do today for sure.
Laura King:
I know, it's disheartening and just heartbreaking in general to see how all of that has changed. We actually returned to the United States almost exactly two months prior to the war breaking out. So, grateful to see God's sovereign hand in all of that. That year, we only had the field trip to Israel.
As we were just kind of getting our traveling feet back underneath us. This past summer, Dr. Cannon was one of the chaperones, and the group went over to Greece and Rome. They spent some time looking through old sites, thinking about mythology, and considering all of those ancient places we learn about in many of our Omnibus and history classes.
And then we had a mission trip to the Dominican. So while the group was over in Europe, shortly after they returned, another group went to the Dominican to serve with a church and school there.
Marlin Detweiler:
Yeah. Right now what we are trying to do is, as you put so well, one mission trip each year and one field trip each year. The field trip, of course, is directly related to what students are studying and learning, typically in history through the Omnibus classes and other things as well. It's been a lot of fun to watch these trips come together and hear the feedback from them. This coming year, we have something really special, though. Well, tell us about it.
Laura King:
So, our upcoming field trip, this is our official announcement, I guess. So we're heading over to France and Belgium with an emphasis on the arts and history as well as language. So we're very excited. Will be able to travel through some of the French countryside in central and northern France, and then move our way up into Belgium before we return to the US.
Marlin Detweiler:
Well, I actually meant mission trip, but I think it's okay to expose what our plans are for the field trip because that will be coming out shortly anyway. And it might even be publicized before this episode is released.
The mission trip is also something very special. We have a person that works for us that used to work for the Rafiki Foundation. Well, I'll let you introduce it for us, and then I'll tell my story. That's a good way to go.
Laura King:
The Rafiki Foundation is just a beautiful partnership that has evolved from some previous exposure to Rafiki through Veritas, but also on previous Veritas Vox episodes. I know back in the summer, we had an episode, and that was really where we started to make this connection between this amazing foundation that is doing work on the ground in Africa to connect with the mission trips that we would like to continue doing with the school.
It just seemed like a marriage of the minds in a beautiful way, as they are Christian but also with a classically driven foundation. And it just worked perfectly with the mission that we have here at Veritas.
Marlin Detweiler:
I've had a number of different indirect connections with Rafiki, but one of our staff formerly worked for them in curriculum development for the classical schools throughout portions of Africa. When I saw their table this past summer, the summer of 2024, I went up and met the executive director, and she and I really hit it off. She is a ball of fire and has done wonderful things, and I had her on our podcast earlier, as you mentioned. We just got to talking about the possibility of a mission trip, and it came together very quickly. Tell us about the whole idea of putting it together and how it came about from your standpoint.
Laura King:
We were also able to meet with the executive director. As you said, she is very animated. She has a great personality. She is in love with the Lord. It isn’t just something that she's running as a business. Her faith is just amazing to witness. As we started to talk with her and think about the ways that we could partner with them, they do not normally open their foundation to high schools or to groups like ours.
They focus a lot on young professionals or college groups. So we weren’t really sure exactly what this would look like at the beginning. But the more we talked with her, the more we realized that on both sides, both the Veritas side and the Rafiki side, we were so excited about the opportunities that were put before us.
We immediately started talking about where we could go in Africa because some of their ministries on the ground in Africa cannot host a large number of people. They might only be able to host a half dozen. We were trying to figure out if we wanted to take 6 or 7 different small groups over there and kind of overtake the continent, really. Or did we want to focus on a smaller area so that we could get our feet under us and work the best way that we possibly could with Rafiki? That's how we ended up choosing Kenya. Kenya was the location that had the largest capacity for a group like ours.
Marlin Detweiler:
Remind me and tell our audience how many classical schools they have over there as part of their network.
Laura King:
Well, right now, according to their website, they’re in 14 different countries, and they are developing more and more schools as time passes. My understanding is that they have about 40 schools across those 14 countries.
Marlin Detweiler:
Wow. I didn’t realize it was that many. When you said 14, I was thinking 14 schools, and they really have developed well. Now, one of the things that I have observed in mission trips is that I frequently get a letter from a young child at a church raising money for their trip. They'll typically write a nice letter after they come back, but it always seems to raise the question: What were they really doing on a mission trip other than enjoying the sights and foods and that sort of thing?
When we started the idea of a mission trip, we wanted it to be something that would be entirely or at least substantially about blessing the people they were going to see and serve. Tell us a little bit about what you expect that our students and their parents should be prepared for if they decide to join you on this trip.
Laura King:
Yes, sir. One of the aspects in the decision of choosing Kenya is that the children will be in school while we are there. Sometimes when we think about summer travel, not all school districts around the world are going to be attending school.
Marlin Detweiler:
Because they run a 12-month schedule?
Laura King:
They do not, but they run through June in Kenya, so their break time is a little different than ours. We are planning on traveling June 27th through July 11th, and during that time, their students will be on campus. Our students will have the opportunity to do some tutoring, read with these kids, have some fun after-school activities, and really make that personal connection with the students that Rafiki is serving there.
For our parents that might travel with us, if they have any particular skill set, they might be able to help with some on-the-ground repairs or any construction projects that they might have. That isn't to say that our students can't handle a paintbrush and roller, but the focus, depending on the dynamic of the group that we take over, is that our families will be able to spend time with those kids, sharing the love of Christ and just helping to support their classical Christian mission that they have over there. And the beautiful thing is we'll be able to see how that parallels with what we do here at Veritas as well.
Marlin Detweiler:
Yeah, they had, you know, you go into a culture that's so different from our Western culture, especially the American expression of that. There are adaptations to the idea of classical Christian education that make good sense. And so it'll be an interesting thing to hear feedback from the students as they get together with the students and see the education come about, be able to make some comparisons.
What does a win looks like for people like us? What makes them say, this is exactly what we needed from you?
Laura King:
Well, as we considered, again, this looking different than what their standard short-term mission project looks like, I think it is that personal connection with the kids. They've got the students that live in a very different culture than what we see in the United States. Very different economically. Their family structure is very different from ours.
And so to have us go over with that desire to serve them in any capacity that they feel will benefit them, it teaches their students that there are people all around the world that love them as they love Christ. And so I think that's the biggest connection that we can see with them.
Marlin Detweiler:
Are the schools all K-12? Do they arrive in a similar grade structure to what we have in America?
Laura King:
I do not believe that. I don't have that answer with regard to all of their schools, because each one of their different communities within those countries is slightly different. Tanzanian schools are going to be structured a little differently than the Kenyan schools. Rwanda, just Uganda, all of them are going to be a little different and actually run a different season of the school year.
So some of them, that is correct. Some of the schools will have gotten out in May. Some of them go through July. It just depends on the actual culture within that country.
Marlin Detweiler:
And is Kenya a K-12 school?
Laura King:
I do not have that information. I would have to find that out for us.
Marlin Detweiler:
What do you think our students will come away with? Obviously, you know, the biblical principle of being more blessed to give than to receive creates an incredible sense of blessing and joy. So I get that. But what do you think they'll experience?
Laura King:
I think that the shock of culture will be something that they'll carry with them for the rest of their lives. I know when we were on the ground in the Dominican Republic, the students that we took with us remarked on that, just like we've never known that other parts of the world live this way. So we see pictures online, we hear stories. But until you're actually there in the midst, we don't really have a concept of what that's like. So I believe culturally they'll have a huge learning curve. They'll be able to see that not only do people around the world truly live differently than we do, but also that in many ways, they're also similar to the way we are.
The kids over there are going to love to play just like we love to play. The educational similarities between them and us are going to be a big impact. But I really think that is understanding what it is to serve. And you touched on that. They understand that it is better to give than to receive.
And we know that in our minds. But until that connection is made between the mind and the heart, it is just a concept. So I think they're going to come away with some really life-changing experiences through this whole process.
Marlin Detweiler:
You mentioned that there's a real capacity concern at some locations, and Kenya is the place that can handle the most. How many people do you hope will go on the trip?
Laura King:
We are hoping to take 20 in addition to our chaperons. And the way that their camp is structured, they don't have it where it's like a dormitory where everyone can stay in the same location. So there are security and safety issues that Rafiki wants us to honor. That's why we've limited our numbers so that we don't have pockets of students spread out throughout their whole compound.
Marlin Detweiler:
I am fascinated by what the Rafiki folks have done. Of course, they're based here not too far from where I am in Orlando, and have been very successful in doing things fast and thoroughly. They have a get-it-done, can-do type of organization, and those are the kinds of people I really enjoy working with, and they've been a real pleasure. I haven't done as much as you have now. I made the introduction, and you took it from there. How would you describe the character of the organization? Do you get the same feeling that I do that they are no holds barred, get to work hard and fast for the kingdom?
Laura King:
Absolutely. Anywhere from their mission all the way down to the logistics of travel. They have everything set out, and their experience is actually something that I'm excited to learn from, to see how they put everything together. But they want to make sure that they have a very clearly stated standard and that everyone who goes onto their campuses also upholds that standard.
So the sense that I get from them is that it's not just about having people come who can paint a wall or play soccer with the kids. They truly want this to be a kindred feeling between the people who have accepted Christ there, the sense of the Holy Spirit, and the bond that we have.
So that is a huge part of that. We ask questions, they get us answers almost before the end of the day. They're very quick to answer, but they're not so quick to answer that they are just throwing out information. They are very thoughtful about everything that they communicate with us and thoughtful about the process of their missions over there.
Marlin Detweiler:
What does it take? How does a student sign up to go on the trip?
Laura King:
So because the numbers are limited, and working very closely with one of their representatives, we actually have an application process through Veritas first. There's a form that people can fill out. There are some general questions. We're looking at the age group of the person who's applying, previous mission experience, or leadership experience.
And the reason why they want to go. As you had mentioned earlier, this isn't about just traveling to another country and being able to see an elephant, which we might be able to, bu this is about service, and this is about having the heart in the correct, the correct attitude. So we have our application process.
And then once we hit our numbers with our application, we will then send those applicants over to Rafiki. And Rafiki has their own application process as well as mandatory training sessions. So we are kind of on the front line of filtering things through, and then they'll take it from there and everyone will be able to receive the training and look at their mission statement and their statement of faith in a lot of detail and see how those married together.
Marlin Detweiler:
Wow. That is wonderful. I had no idea that the process was that thorough. Is our application on our website at veritaspress.com?
Laura King:
Yes, sir. We've also advertised it on our learning management system on that homepage. And then I know our marketing department is also promoting that on social media.
Marlin Detweiler:
I saw it come through on an email. Yeah, I get the emails. When you and others are posting things within Schoology. So I knew that it was there, but I assumed it was on our website, too. That's wonderful. Well, let me just thank you for what you're doing to make this a trip of a lifetime for many young people.
And I'm so thrilled to see our students want to serve others. Others who have needs that we can help fill. And it's wonderful to see kids with hearts like that. And so I wish you well on this and the trip. I hope it becomes a memory of a lifetime as you described. I love that idea!
Any last words on before we go?
Laura King:
No. Just if it's something that people are interested in, please pray about it. Don't fill out an application because it's something that's fun and neat, but truly seek the Lord and the calling that he has on our lives.
Marlin Detweiler:
Yeah. That's those are wise words and that’s a great place to leave it. Thanks, Laura.
Laura King:
All right. God bless.
Marlin Detweiler:
Folks. Thank you again for joining us at Veritas Vox, the voice of classical Christian education. We look forward to seeing you next time. Bye bye.
