Doug & Barb Petersen Newsletter (Winter 2021)

 Dear Family and Friends,

We want to start with a big thank you to our supporters. You are the best. We are so grateful to you for your faithfulness and for your generosity. God is so good and to Him be all of the Glory! May the Lord’s blessing be on all of you.

We are still in Florida but looking forward to going back. Our target is by the end of March. As for health issues, Doug has been doing well with his heart valve and his pacemaker. He is not really happy to take so many pills long term. Maybe that can change a bit, but for now he is being obedient.  He has successful cataract surgery on both of his eyes.  He is recovering this week and then can finally get new glasses.

As for me, I am wearing a heart monitor and will be finding what it shows in a couple of weeks. I am not expecting it to be a “big deal,” hopefully—nothing that will hinder our return.

Boot Camps:  

We have had three successful Boot Camps in Zambia, and all of them were COVID free. That in itself was a miracle. There were about 500 members in the three Boot Camps. The response among the young people was awesome. Our graduation service saw 20 young students graduate and will soon be placed in the mission field. To replace these graduates, more than we could accommodate applied for the Bible school. Wangibasha now has 15 new students, Mansa has 20 students (five new), and our home base in Ndola has 47 students (27 new), so we are completely full. Our vision is for these students to go into new and expanded areas of Zambia and start new Rescue Units, bike circuits and Bible schools. We are investigating areas in Northwest Zambia (near the Angola border), Southwest Province (around Livingstone), and around Lake Mweru in the Northern Province.

It is our desire that these young people will be used by the Lord in the world end-time harvest that precedes the return of the Lord. We can really see in our nation and around the world the signs that Jesus talked about before He returns. America requires our prayers. Our country has certainly changed much just since we came home in October.  

Zambia, which has almost been COVID free, has recently been hit hard. As I said, the Boot Camps were protected but since they ended, COVID-19 got very close to our school and our Zambian church members. We first heard that our Pastor Chanda, age 59, was positive. He felt symptoms on a Monday and early the next Monday he passed away in Central Hospital in Ndola. It was fast and it was a shock to us and the whole community. He had been at Teen Missions the Sunday before he had symptoms. One of our staff couples and his wife, who were in contact with him that Sunday, came down with COVID-19 and have since recovered. Just that quickly, this plague became very real to us. Our pastor leaves behind his wife and four grown boys. He and his wife were close friends of ours. He will be greatly missed.

Prayer requests:

1.  Our nation:  Repentance and a mighty end-time harvest

2.  Our soon return to Zambia

3.  Health

4.  Fruit that will last for eternity

Again, thank you for standing with us. We love you. May the Lord bless you and keep you. 

Thank you for joining your hands with ours as we labor together…

In His harvest,  

Doug and Barb