John 1:14 ESV “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.”
The Christmas season has arrived. No matter where you are in the world, there are reminders that the birth of Christ is being celebrated. True, these celebrations have gone sideways in many parts of the world, with commercialism replacing the nativity scene with snowmen and elves. However, the true meaning of the celebration is still widely known. When considering how Christmas has been marginalized, we could be tempted to swing to the other extreme and not celebrate.
Who wants to be associated with customs that don’t reflect the reason for Christmas? However, I beg to differ in that remembering Jesus’ birth (even though it didn’t take place in December) gives us a reason to pause and celebrate. Without His birth, we would still be stuck in our sin.
“Christ became what we are that He might make us what He is.” Athanasius of Alexandria
With all the world’s flaws and misconceptions, Jesus loved the world enough to make a way for the world to become like Him. Let’s take the opportunity this time of year to reflect His love to others. This could be our finest hour.
Spotlight: 2024 at a glance
The year was full from start to finish and we want to take a moment and remember God’s goodness:
February – Jamie was in Australia as a speaker at Imagine Nations Church at their missions conference. Imagine Nations Church has been a long-time partner of Africa & Beyond. We are grateful for their support.
March – We held a leadership academy with friends Paul and Debbie Troquille in Liberia. There were 123 pastors and church leaders in attendance. At the end of the meetings, attendees left pledging to plant churches before the end of the year. A recent count places new churches planted as a direct result of those meetings at 24. This count is approximate as getting news from the interior where most of these churches are being planted is challenging.
April – We visited our churches in Burundi as well as spent time at the Hope Center feeding site and New Hope Academy school. Activities are ongoing, we still feed 500 daily and now have almost 200 students enrolled at the school.
August – Together with Hand of Hope and their team of volunteers, we helped host a free community clinic in Malawi. Over 7,000 patients were seen, and more than 4,000 received Christ.
October – We saw growth in Burundi when new senior leaders were set in as lead pastors in the main church.
December – On the 6th, we will be flying to the USA for a brief time to see family and connect with a few supporters. We will be back in Africa on the 7th of January. Andreya is out of school for that time and will not miss any work.
Church plants – We saw two churches planted, one in Malawi and the other in Uganda. *2025 spoiler* we see a possible five more church plants on the horizon.
All of these reports, and others that we didn’t have room to give, are resulting from God’s goodness. His goodness came through partners like you who have given and prayed for us throughout the year. Our hearts are full of gratitude for you all. May God richly bless you.
From our family to yours, we wish you a wonderful Christmas and Happy New Year.
Jamie, Lea, and Andreya
Burundi, Zambia, Malawi, DRC, Mozambique, Uganda, and South Africa
“A little one shall become a thousand.”
Isaiah 60:22
jlpeters@africa-and-beyond.com
Lea’s blog: www.aculturalshift.com