At the end of October, Jamie traveled to Kenya and Burundi. In Kenya, he spent the weekend of October 20th ministering at Nairobi Lighthouse Church for Pastors Don and Amy Matheny. We have been friends for many years; it was an honor to be with them in service. From there, Jamie traveled to Burundi, where he spent a week with the churches, ministering at our yearly missions conference, where we set our missions goals for the year. This year the Burundi church has pledged to continue feeding patients weekly in one of the local government hospitals. Government-run hospitals do not feed their patients. As a church, we have been feeding in the government hospital in Bujumbura for over 30 years. It is an outreach that is near and dear to our hearts. Another of the church’s goals for the year is to plant another church in one of the rural areas in the country. The church in Bujumbura has been setting money aside to purchase property when that time comes.
Lea and Andreya were supposed to go on this trip but there was a last-minute change of plans. Andreya’s school had a holiday for that week of the trip. However, the dates were changed when a teacher passed away unexpectedly at school. There were also a few other issues that made us have to make this sudden change of plans. Pray with us that the airlines will be favorable to our request to refund the tickets.
Spotlight: Releasing leaders
One of the most rewarding things we do is raising leaders and releasing them into leadership. We know we can’t do it all. We need more leaders to lead more churches, schools, feeding centers, and other community outreaches.
This past week in Burundi, we had the privilege of releasing the main church’s leadership into the capable hands of Pastor Joselyne. Together with her husband Kadjabe who is the church’s administrator, we know they will lead the church well and raise a new generation of leaders.
We have known this dear couple since the mid-1990s. They are a unique couple in Africa. Not many husbands can accept their wives’ leadership but Kadjabe is not just anyone. He is a spiritual man
and supports her very obvious gift to lead. Kadjabe will be key in bearing the administration burden of the church. Pray for them as they live out what God has set before them. It is not an easy task by any stretch of the imagination but we are excited to release more sons and daughters!
Personal news
Andreya is now in 11th grade. She is doing very well. We are grateful that at her school there are SAT preparation classes. She will take her SAT in her 12th grade year as there are testing centers here in Pretoria. Pray for her as decisions for her further studies are not in the too distant future. Maybe pray for her parents more?
God has been faithful to Andreya. She has had vision trouble since she was very young. Last year the optometrist was very negative about what was going on with her vision. She prescribed a new regimen of treatment, which we have followed. We took Andreya back for the doctor to check her and she said that there is no deterioration in her vision and she expects improvement at the next check. This is the first time in many years we have had such good news. God is faithful.
We hope to see as many of you as we can in December when we travel Stateside. Your partnership and prayers have carried us this year and we are grateful. 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