Fantastic 2023
Through the grace of God and your incredible generosity,
When the Saints experienced a fantastic 2023!
Following are some of last year’s highlights:
-WtS built a fourth dormitory and increased the safe home capacity of girls from 54 to 72.
-Our full-time, all Malawian staff, went from 55 to 70.
-The number of counselors went up by 5, bringing us to 10 full-time counselors.
-Men’s Ministry groups increased from 8 to 14 groups.
-Men’s Ministry Groups range from 10 to 80 men in each group. The estimate is that there are around 400 men consistently attending our Men's Ministry Groups each month.
-WtS built a Chapel/Multi-Purpose Building. Not only are we now able to hold devotions with all the girls on our campus at once, but we can also hold other special events for the ministry.
-We opened our school (1st-8th grades) up to the community and we currently have just over 200 students in attendance.
-WtS has implemented several security measures, including:
-Building a wall around the land between the safe home and the school, so that the girls no longer have to walk on the public road.
-Increasing our guard staff from 11 to 14
-Purchased a bus so the girls can travel easier and more securely
-Increasing the number of security cameras around the facility.
-We have strengthened the internal structure of the organization with a variety of policies and procedures, put safe-guards in place regarding visitors to our campus, have better internal staff assessments, safe-guarded assets, better and more secure satellite internet, and working to strengthen the interactionand relationship of the Malawian and U.S. Board of Directors. (Our desire in doing this is to solidify our goals and methods of following the will of God through our daily oversight of the ministry.)
-WtS has formed a Missions Committee to assist with groups and individuals who desire to visit our campus. The goal is to provide safety to the girls and to our ministry while offering others a chance to participate in and contribute to our mission.
What an amazing year! And these are just the highlights... Some of the miraculous ways in which we see God working in this ministry every day.
Thank you for your love, prayers and continued support of
God’s ministry through When the Saints!
-The WtS Team
"Our Lord and God, You are worthy to receive glory and honor and power" -Rev 4:11
Our New Bus
We got a bus!
Thank you to everyone who financially and prayerfully contributed to our goal of raising the $60,000 we needed. The girls are overwhelmed with excitement, and it has been nothing short of a blessing for our WtS Girls Academy.
Watch the Video to see our principle Lodrick speaking from his heart as well as the girls dancing and cheering "It's a bus!" as it pulls into the school campus for the first time.
Speaking of the school, the staff duplex for our principal and vice principal is now complete! As for the chapel, construction is still underway, but it is just weeks away from being able to be used.
On another note, David and Essy have about 6 weeks left before they go back to Africa. Their time stateside has been full, as always, but so, so good. They have been meeting with old and new friends, preaching and fundraising. Here is Brandon (below), our old friend and pastor of one of our church partners in Winfield, Missouri.
Lastly, our annual review board meeting is July 15th. We would love it if you would pray with us for God's discernment, vision, and provision over this meeting and the upcoming year for WtS.
With Love,
The WtS Team
Want to engage another way with When the Saints? Check out our Donor See project and contribute to help us get backpacks for the girls in our program for this upcoming school year. Your help is seen and appreciated while you get to also see follow up videos of the people your donation impacted.
Glorious Freedom
Thank you to all of you who joined us at our 12th Annual Banquet! We appreciate each and every one of you who came out and made the night a success. We're honored and grateful for your support!
Of our $60,000 goal, we have already raised nearly $58,000! We can't wait to see how God is going to use this to further His Glorious Freedom!
There are two ways you can still be entered win the free trip to Malawi!
1. Follow the directions in this Share the Love link and share one of our pre-made social media posts. This will enter you into the drawing for this trip.
2. Donate at least $100 to our School Bus Donor See project and help us meet our $60,000 goal. This will also enter you into the drawing.
*You can enter twice by doing each of these two things above.
The last day to enter this drawing is end of the day Saturday, May 6th.
The winner will be drawn on or before May 20, 2023.
We love you!
The WtS team
One More Day
Do you have your tickets yet?
If not, there are 14 seats left and you can buy them here!
A couple quick things:
- Walk-ins are also welcome. We have a limited number of seats in addition to the 14 tickets still available.
-If you are unable to attend in person we will stream parts of the event on FB LIVE.
For those attending, here is the agenda:
1. Doors open at 5:30pm
2. Event will start promptly at 6:30 w/ dinner
3. David speaks at 7:20 and our guest speaker at 8:00
4. Event ends at 8:45
- Dress code is Business Casual
- You can park in the building 110 parking garage (see green star in picture above)
- The address for the event is:
130 Edward Jones Blvd
Maryland Heights, MO 63043
- Children are welcome, they do not need a ticket, but please make sure you have a seat reserved for them if needed.
We look forward to continuing to partner with you in the months ahead, together impacting lives in the beautiful nation of Malawi.
With Love,
David
A Special Opportunity: We are giving away a trip to Malawi! To be entered into the When the Saints, Malawi Trip Giveaway, you need to post one of our prepared graphics to your profile story AND tag When the Saints (directions on how to do this are in this “Share the Love” link).
An extra benefit to those who attend our in person event or our FB live stream will earn extra chances. So feel free to take as many pictures of yourself while at the event and post them for multiple entrees.
Spring Has Sprung
Hey everyone,
We wanted to remind you that registration is still available for our annual banquet, happening at 6:30PM on Saturday, April 22nd. As of this email, we have 57 seats still available. We hope to fill them all up!
If you missed the discounted ticket price in our last email, don't worry! You get one last chance at the discounted price. This discount will only be available through March 25th however, so we encourage you to make your selection as soon as possible.
Purchase Here: Single seats are available for $18 (10% off!)
*Would you host a table? Click the link above, Click "Get Tickets" and then click "Buy on Map". Select and buy all of the empty 8 seats at one available table.
We're looking forward to connecting with our donors and supporters at this event! Feel free to bring anyone you'd like to introduce to what God is doing through our When the Saints. This will be the perfect opportunity to invite folks to participate in the many ways we are working to see transformation in the lives of both the oppressed and the oppressor in Malawi.
See you there!
Join Us In Intercession
We would love to extend the invitation for anyone who might want to be a part of our WtS weekly prayer Zoom call. The prayer call is held every Monday @ 7am CST and typically runs for 35 minutes. If you'd like to participate, simply reply to this email to let us know you'd like to receive the Zoom link for Monday. Alternatively, if you are unable to join our calls, but would still like get our weekly prayer needs through email also respond to this email and let us know.
Get a little taste of our prayer calls by listening to last week's prayer call using the link below! We would love you to add your agreement to the things we brought before the Lord during this time.
–> Listen to Our Last Prayer Call
With Love,
David
A Special Request: The WtS Girls Academy would be honored to have your help in buying a school bus. This is one of our fundraising goals during our Glorious Freedom Annual Banquet April 22nd. If you are unable to attend the fundraiser you can still partner with us in this need! Click HERE or on the image above to learn more or contribute. Thank you!!
Great Start
Registration is now available for our annual banquet, happening at 6:30PM on Saturday, April 22nd!
The theme for this year's event is: Glorious Freedom. We'll be showcasing the beautiful liberty the graduates of our program are able to experience. We invite you to join us as David Peterka and our Board celebrate what God has done through When the Saints and share updates about both current and future projects. In addition, we'll present ways you can partner with us in transforming the lives of both the oppressed and the oppressor in Malawi.
If you missed the discounted ticket price on our social media don't worry! Since you are on our email list you get a second chance at the discounted price.
Single seats are available for $18 (10% off)
*Individual seats are coded in Orange
Or, invite your friends, family and coworkers to join us in our mission –
and reserve a whole table of 8 for $144 (10% off)
*Full tables are coded in Yellow.
Watch for more updates!
Some New Developments For The Future!
Recently, our ministry was given a generous grant to support our work. A charitable foundation provided us $10,000 – enough to drill a brand new water well on our future high school's property. This grant will also cover the expense of a water tower, some needed sound equipment for our evangelism ministry and two motorcycles our men's ministry team can use to travel from village to village.
We are so grateful to know that the students will have a fresh, clean water source right by the place they are being educated! This will allow them more time to focus on their studies. It prevents them from having to transport water from other parts of our campus.
In the future, we also have a donor who is looking to fund half of the costs for us to build our high school buildings for the girls. We do not have plans to start building this in the immediate future, but we are excited to know that we already have a significant chunk raised – before others have even begun to give toward such a project!
A Canvas Rebel Magazine Interview
Years ago, when I was 18, I put a “bucket list” together. The list did not have a lot of things on it. I would say, not more than 10. The one that stuck out to me the most was, “Help save someone’s life.”
From time to time I’d wonder if I would ever get the chance to do this... I would even go as far as to daydream about coming upon a bad car accident and helping a person out of the car in order to get them to the hospital or diving and pushing someone out of the way of a moving vehicle. Maybe part of it was selfish and I just wanted to feel like a hero, but the thought of someone being alive because of something I did was intriguing.
Seven years later I had started our non-profit organization. We just opened the first and only long-term trauma counseling safe home in the southeastern African country of Malawi. We brought a 5 year old girl into this safe home who was being abused by her own biological father. He was arrested and sentenced for 14 years. After she went through the 1-year counseling program, I tagged along with our social worker to her grandmothers home where she would be reintegrated back into her community.
The grandmother came running up to me and grabbed my arm. She looked me in the eyes and said, “This granddaughter was not the only one to be abused by their father. I had another 3 year old granddaughter that had wounds which got infected from the abuse and that 3 year old died as a result of those wounds. I believe this granddaughter here is alive today because of what When the Saints did to help us. You helped save her life.” In that moment I realized I could check an item off my bucket list.
This is an excerpt from a recent interview Cavas Rebel magazine did with David. Read more here...
We look forward to continuing to partner with you in the months ahead, together impacting lives in the beautiful nation of Malawi. God bless you and yours all throughout 2023!
With Love,
David
A Special Request: Our WtS Girls Academy now has over 130 students! The teachers recently requested playground equipment for the girls to use while they are on recess. Would you be willing to help us get closer to our goal of $720 for a slide, swings and other pieces of playground equipment so the girls can enjoy their school breaks even more? Click HERE or on the image above to learn more and contribute. Thank you!
Child is Born
We are excited to announce our 2023 banquet, happening Saturday, April 22nd! This will be held at the Edward Jones campus in Westport Plaza (111 West Port Plaza Dr. St. Louis, MO 63146). It will be a wonderful time of sharing testimonies and casting vision for where our ministry is headed.
More details will come soon, but we encourage you to put the date on your calendar now. We would love to see you there!
Information and tickets will be available on our website later. Consider bringing a friend (or tableful :) who might be interested in hearing about the work of When the Saints!
Unto Us A Second Child Is Born!
If you haven't already heard, Essy delivered our second child recently – Nuru Naomi Peterka! The little one was born Saturday night, Nov 5th. Her name is Swahili for “Shining Light,” and she was 7.5 lbs and 18 inches long.
We did have a bit of a scare during the birth but we are grateful to the Lord that the nurse was able to stop the bleeding and that Essy is healing well. She is still facing some issues and continued prayers would be appreciated.
Thanks to everyone who prayed over the birth, and for joining us in celebrating our precious new baby's birth!
A Moving Report from Malawi
As we mentioned in the last update, Mathias Lot Church (of St. Charles, MO) sent a team to Malawi last October to spend some time with us on our mission base. We had such a great time hosting them, and thought we'd share with you a reflection one of the team members gave us about the team's experience with us.
Laura wrote, "During our visit to When the Saints, I saw the Lord's faithful goodness manifest in real time. Upon arrival at the safe house, our team was greeted by beautiful smiling faces and a large group of singing and dancing young ladies – full of joy. These same girls, once abused and broken have been given 'beauty for ashes' and 'a garment of praise instead of despair' (Isaiah 61:3). I kept thinking, 'This place, this ministry, is nothing short of a miracle. Only God can do this!'
"We wept... we prayed, a lot. Weeping because of the suffering... Crying out to God on behalf of the survivors and the abusers, crying out because of our own sense of helplessness. Such need! And yet, testimonies of hope and the faithful hand of God also abounded.
"A 14 year old girl, severely abused and left for dead, told us the detailed story of Joseph from the Old Testament and how the Lord took what was meant for evil and turned it for good. She applied the truths found in Joseph's story to her own life and has forgiveness toward her abusers. Her spiritual strength and maturity – her faith in the mercy and love of Jesus – left us speechless..."
David's Chat with Pastor Marc Sikma
Have you had the chance yet to listen to David's interview with Mathias Lot Church's pastor, Marc Sikma? A link to the video is now available on our website's media page for anyone who would like to check it out!
You will certainly be both challenged and encouraged by this discussion about the how the redemptive power of God works in our own hearts as well as in restoring the lives of the downtrodden.
As 2022 comes to a close, we reflect on how grateful we are for your continued support. We can't wait to see what God has planned for the New Year!
Wishing you and yours a blessed Christmas as we remember and give thanks for the greatest gift ever- our Savior Jesus Christ!
With Love,
David
A Special Request: Would you like to see a cute video of Essy? Here she is requesting work boots, rubber gloves and work suits for our construction team to use as they build our multipurpose building! You can also help meet this need of $280. Click on the image above to learn more and contribute. Thank you!
Only God
We're excited to report that God is bringing an increase to our organization and to the lives we are serving with you! We are all in this together, and as always, we are grateful for your incredible support.
"Neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow." -1 Cor 3:7
Breaking Ground for Our New Chapel
On Monday, October 10th we broke ground on the first addition to our new property — a chapel! There was much dancing and celebration as we thanked God for what He is starting with this project. This will give our staff and the girls a new space to regularly worship together on our base and meet a variety of other needs.
Once completed, this facility may serve as a place for us to host church services, counseling sessions, daycare for the girls' children, a library, vocational training, men's ministry trainings and special events.
This year has been such a great time of progress for us. We are days away from completing our 4th dorm, we are half-way to a new school staff duplex and our school is operating at full steam! We believe God's heart is being reflected through When the Saints and we are thankful that He is being faithful to bring glory to His name through us.
Supporting Our Local Police Force
Supporting the local community here in Malawi is a high priority for When the Saints. It helps to build bridges, maintain solid relationships and accomplish more ministry. In fact, it would be incredibly difficult to fulfill our vision without outside help — especially from our local police! Our partnership plays a crucial role in our goal to reduce sexual abuse in our region.
For this reason, when we heard that the city's electrical blackouts were causing issues at the Mponela Police Station, we felt moved to do something about it. On September 30th, we were privileged to be able to donate quality solar flood lights, allowing the police to continue their work at night without interruption and to help keep their station secure.
Assistant Commissioner John Zidana said he was elated by our gift, and is very thankful. He said, "We are grateful for our own partners who bless and invest in our township!"
Thank you for all that you do to encourage and participate in this life-giving ministry.
-Much love to you all!
A Special Request: Would you be interested in helping us provide some waiting area furniture to a local police station? We have a Donor See project that's currently at 32%, with another $196 to go. Click on the image below to learn more and contribute. Thank you!
Going Big
Hello everyone,
Thank you for following along with our unfolding story, and participating in this journey with us. We couldn’t do this work without the support, encouragement and prayers of folks like you!
Remembering Our Grand Ceremony
We didn’t get the opportunity to share this story with you all previously, but thought you might enjoy hearing about it. Last December we were able to finally host a “Grand Ceremony” in Malawi. It was a huge success! We wanted to wait several years before officially, publicly announcing our presence in the nation — so that we could get our feet on the ground and be well established to handle a potential influx of referrals to our program. We felt like the time was finally right to celebrate the ministry, so in December of 2021 we hosted a major gathering.
Praise God, we were able to have dozens of members of the Malawian government in attendance — including the official Minister of Gender, our member of Parliament, and the First Lady! Three different major news stations covered our event, and over 500 people came to participate. A number of major non-profit organizations were represented among that number too, including both UNICEF and UN Women.
It was a wonderful time as we introduced ourselves to people across Malawi and shared the heart of our mission with them. We are so grateful for the relationships we were able to build, and we trust they will continue to grow stronger in the years to come.
A private Christian in-patient medical center is running near our safe home in Malawi. It is called the Mzati (or in English, “Cornerstone”) Clinic. Anytime the girls have medical needs, we take them here and have become very good friends with the doctor who founded it. We recently heard about several needs that were keeping them from providing in-patient care. We recognized this as a divinely-appointed opportunity to build a partnership for God’s Kingdom and decided to extend a helping hand. Thanks to a generous donor, we were privileged to be able to provide several essential items including a 5,000 liter water tank, an electric generator, and a combination of maternity and hospital beds.
We are excited to see how the Lord will use this new ministry to serve our neighbors, and are grateful to have this medical facility so near to our safe home. This will allow the girls to have good access to quality in-patient care, rather than having to travel to another district to get such help.
We can’t wait to see all the lives touched in our community through this informal partnership.
Recapping The Sent Conference
David had a wonderful time sharing at Mathias' Lot's annual Sent Conference in St. Charles, MO last month. There was a great turnout and an overwhelming response from those attending the event. It was a blessing for him to get to connect with those who attended!
Set aside some time to watch or listen to this talk, you won't regret it. David discusses the power of simple obedience to the Lord’s plans for our lives. You will be challenged to embrace the sacrifices God is calling you to face in your work for the Kingdom, and you will hear inspiring stories about how His Spirit is moving in Malawi. You might particularly appreciate hearing a beautiful testimony of miraculous healing shared in his message – which helped a former alcoholic turn his life around and become a Christ-centered family man.
Click here to experience the full message.
David has since returned to Malawi and jumped back into the work there, but he and his family look forward to being back in the US for an extended visit next spring.
We hope you are all enjoying the beginning of this autumn season in the States, and will share more with you next month.
Love to you all!
One quick request. Would you be interested in helping us do a community sensitization program to help reduce sexual abuse? We have a Donor See project at 20%, but still have another $300 to go. Click on the image below to learn more and contribute. Thanks!
Summer Highlights
Hello friends,
There are some important and exciting developments happening at When the Saints. We may soon be heading into the fall at last, but wanted to share some things that have been happening over the summer.
Our Campus In Malawi Is Expanding
Recently we were blessed to be able to purchase a few small plots of land (300 yards long) that are located between our primary school building and our safe home. This will allow us to join the two parts of our campus into one, giving us 20 acres of continuous property.
This addition will now allow the girls to walk safely every day from school to the safe home, without our drivers having to pick them up or the girls walking on a busy public road. It will also increase the sense of privacy and security, as we just finished building walls around the new section of property. In the future, we plan to use this new land to build a high school for the girls. In the meantime, the land will not sit idle, but will be used for farming.
A Visit from Our Board President
Our ministry’s Board President, Darrell Clark, has been working with When the Saints since 2016. He hoped to make his first personal visit to Malawi in 2020, only to have that plan derailed by the pandemic. After much waiting, he was finally able this summer to make a trip to our mission base!
Darrell visited for 10 days this past July and was overjoyed to see what is being accomplished up close and in-person. It really blessed him to observe the care provided to the girls in our program. He was especially impressed after meeting with all of the counseling staff, learning more about and observing the incredible mental health services that they provide for the girls.
Dorm building number 4 was under construction while Darrell was visiting, and he got to see it just as the roof was about to go on. He got to check out the school buildings too, which to him seemed to be built better than the government schools in the area. He was encouraged to find out that most of the teachers we have hired at WtS Academy have over 30 years of teaching experience.
Lastly, this trip was a great opportunity for Darrel to meet with some of the local village chiefs. He was able to encourage them to know and serve Christ, and to provide them education on abuse-prevention methods that they can implement within their communities. Some great relationship connections were made in the process.
Darrell says he is looking forward to returning to the country as often as possible, hopefully as soon as next year!
The Sent Conference in St. Charles
David is visiting the States again for a very brief time. You are invited to come hear him speak at the Sent Conference at Matthias Lot Church in St. Charles, MO. This will be a 2 day gathering focused on wrestling through scripture and prayer with our call to live as Christ’s ambassadors carrying out the Great Commission. David will be sharing about the work of When the Saints, and we believe it will be an inspiring time that will help us all grow better equipped to live a self-sacrificial, missional lifestyle.
This event will be held on Friday August 26th from 6pm-9pm, and Saturday the 27th from 9am-12pm. The ticket is $15. Register today
_______________________________________________________
As always, we thank you all so much for helping make our work possible!
Blessings to you
Progress
Hey everyone!
We hope you are enjoying your summer so far — despite the sometimes oppressive temperatures! We wanted to touch base with you about a few things you'll be interested in knowing...
Progress On Our Fourth Dormitory
We have some exciting news... Thanks to a generous donor, anyone who gives now toward our 4th dormitory project will have their donation doubled with a matching general gift to WtS! We are only about $21,000 away from reaching our goal to increase our capacity for incoming young girls.
This new building will enable us to welcome 18 more girls who have been sexually abused into our trauma counseling program. Our maximum capacity will go from 54 up to 72!
To give, simply make sure you send your support through our online DonorSee account at donorsee.com/dorm4.
More exciting news! If you are a follower of When the Saints on their platform or if you click on a DonorSee link we share, then platform fees will no longer be taken from your donation! Our "Donate" tab on the WtS website is still an option for giving.
Simply go to https://donorsee.com/whenthesaints and hit the "follow" button today to support us!
Shoutout to Our Prayer Team!
We want to say a big thank you to all of you who pray so faithfully for our ministry. We truly believe your intercession helps carry us through every challenge we face, continually putting a fresh wind in our sails.
If you are not already signed up to receive our regular prayer-request updates, feel free to do so via the form on the bottom of our homepage at whenthesaints.com. This month we have also kicked off a weekly prayer call that you are welcome to participate in from 7-7:30 AM CST on Mondays. Simply email info@whenthesaints.com if you would like to participate in that!
Sad News From Our DonorSee Friends
Many of you know what DonorSee is. For those of you that do not, it is a 3rd party giving platform. There are many different "partners" that fundraise on this platform and When the Saints is one of them. This is one of the ways you can donate to us in addition to donating directly through our website as well, of course.
This last week sadly we got some horrible news. The founder of DonorSee, Gret Glyer, was tragically shot to death in his home in Virginia around 3 am Friday night. A suspect was just recently apprehended on June 29th.
We've had the honor of working with Gret and DonorSee for many years now and have come to know him as a friend and Godly partner. Our deepest sympathy and our prayers go out to Gret's family and friends.
Be blessed, friends.
We are so grateful for you all!
"A proclamation was made louder than the loudest temptation
With more beauty than all his creation
More eternal than eternity more angelic than the heavenlies
It Is done for you and bought with blood
Accept
Rejoice
For freedom has come"
-The Benediction by Jimmy Needham
Prayer Team
Hello our dear prayer team,
We are extending an invitation to be a part of a new WtS weekly prayer Zoom call. It will be held every Monday @ 7am CST and will run for 30 minutes.
It’s free to join, but will cost you the death of some of your flesh 🤣. To get the link we need to know if you are interested. Please reply to this email and let us know how frequently you'd be able to join in. We'd love to have you join us as frequently as you're able.
We anticipate this being an exciting way to co-labor with David and the team in Malawi. We just had our first official meeting. David joined the call and shared that 7am CST works well for him too, at lease for this season in life as he waits for baby #2 🤰🏾.
During the first meeting we covered the two italicized topics below (#1 & #10) which you're welcome to lift up throughout the week!
In closing I want to emphasize that you deciding to join our new prayer zoom call would mean the world to us. Our hope is that having weekly meetings will open up new possibilities as to your involvement.
Looking forward to meeting everyone,
Melissa
P.S. Just in case your looking for a good book, “Why Revival Tarries” by Lenard Ravenhill was recommended by David in the last meeting.
1. Curses can instill fear in people in Malawi. Sometimes girls and even adults will stay silent when they see or have evil things done to them. They can be scared of being cursed or even poisoned by the people they expose. Pray against this fearful power that is perpetuating evil practices and preventing people from bringing them into the light. In keeping with God's word, we hope that people will find Jesus even if they are not looking to him or for him.
-Romans 10:20 "Isaiah spoke boldly for God, saying, “I was found by people who were not looking for me. I showed myself to those who were not asking for me.”
2. Pray that God would draw more people to the Malawian mission field as the harvest is plentiful. Also that God will prepare and provide their needs in coming.
3. Ever increasing measures of Christ centered unity for all involved in the day-to-day running of our safe-home and the ministry.
4. Protection and "on the ground" collaboration between our staff and our Board President (Darrell) during his upcoming trip to Malawi (June 22th).
5. Godly wisdom for our counselors as they work with each girls' specific needs. Pray for protection from second hand trauma so they can press forward with health and in Christ's power.
6. Godly sorrow that leads to repentance for every oppressor that has exploited one of the girls at When the Saints.
7. Health over Essy’s pregnancy as Taji becomes a big brother!
8. New, faithful donors & consistent giving during this inflationary period.
9. There was a recent devaluation of the Malawian currency by 25% in one day. Pray for Godly strategy for the board and staff on how to move forward in its wake.
10. That God would direct our path in Malawi to find three new counselors during our up coming interviews. We are also looking to select a much needed Human Resource manager before the end of the year for our current and growing staff of 47 Malawians.
Our Picnic
Hey everyone!
Can you believe it's been over a month since our picnic at Faust Park? We absolutely loved being able to gather in person together once again. We so appreciate everyone who came out to join us! It was a joy to connect with you and share a little about what the ministry has been up to lately.
Shoutout to the Local Church!
A big thanks to all the churches that have decided to partner with us... Matthias Lot, River Tree, Redemption Road, Freedom Hill, Everyday Fellowship, Jacob's Well, The Loft, Mid-Cities and Immanuel Fellowship. It means the world to us to have you all on our team. We are very grateful for your congregations and for the opportunity to serve the Malawian people together with you to the glory of Jesus. This kind of beautiful, fruitful, collaborative work is what the Body of Christ is here on Earth to accomplish!
If you know another church that might be interested in developing a relationship with When the Saints, feel free to encourage them to check out our website and contact us.
Did You Catch David on the ManUp Podcast?
Check out this inspiring interview David recently had! In it he shares powerful stories from how God is moving in Malawi, including a wild testimony about a young girl he encountered who experienced a dramatic deliverance last year. You will be blessed to see and hear how the Kingdom of God is advancing & how hearts are being impacted by the love of Jesus!
Find this and other amazing talks about our ministry by visiting the Media pageon our website.
STL Post Dispatch did a Feature on WtS!
Also, we were blessed to have When the Saints featured in the local news last month! The Post Dispatch covered the story of how our ministry began, and we were very pleased with the excellent piece they wrote about us. Take a read if you get the chance. A link will be included on the homepage of our website for you to access.
Announcements & Prayer Request:
David, Essy & Taji are back in Africa for another extended season of work on the mission field there! Currently they are visiting loved ones in Kenya, and they will be on the ground in Malawi again May 18th.
Please pray for the Lord to cover the Peterkas and lead them as they serve over the next several months there — and as they prepare for (drum roll....!) BABY NUMBER TWO. Excitingly, Essy is due to give birth to their next little missionary in early November!
__________________________________________________
Thanks for reading...
Until next time, abundant life to you all!
The WtS Team
"Be curious, not judgmental"
-Walt Whitman
"Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God's."
-2 Chronicles 20:15b
Once Again
We are excited to finally be able to gather once again in person!
Meet us on Saturday, April 9th, 2022 from 12:00 - 2:00 PM at Faust Park Pavilion (off Olive Blvd.).
We'll catch up, hear updates from David, Essy and the board and enjoy a spring afternoon together!
Mark your calendars now and watch for more details soon!
Changing Lives
You've played a direct role in changing lives of victims of sexual exploitation for those who need it most.
I'm hosting a Special Live Virtual Event, and I would love for you to attend.
Join me Saturday at 12 pm CST (GMT+5) to show your support for When the Saints.
You'll get to hear from me LIVE, listen to our girls, and learn about our exciting plans for the future. You'll even get to see some joy filled singing and dancing - from both the girls AND our staff.
Come prepared to be inspired!
Thank you so much for being an active part of what God is doing through When the Saints! We appreciate you very much.
With Love,
David and the WtS Team
Are You Excited
Are you excited yet!?
Our 2nd Annual Virtual Event is happening Live from Malawi on November 6th. Be prepared to be inspired by how these girls are not just going to be survivors, but how they will thrive in our 4th Dorm.
Get more details and register HERE
Also as promised, here is more information on how you can Host a Screening.
As we approach this Live Event, would you consider supporting us through hosting a watch party?
This Virtual Event provides a unique opportunity to invite others to learn about our transformative ministry. We’d love this event to be an excuse for you to gather some friends and watch the event together. If last year is any indication, it will be a powerful and encouraging time!
Hosting a Watch Party is really simple.
1. Make sure you have Registered
2. Find a place to watch with some friends
3. And invite your friends! (We've included a sample invite below)
More details:
Reply to this email letting me know you are planning on hosting (so we know and can support you).
You’ll need a space to actually show the live event. You can use your living room, a space at your church, or even a local theater!
The tech requirements are very simple. Everything will be streamed Live from DonorSee.com - so you’ll just need to be able to open a URL and the ability to play sound. Your TV or laptop should work fine.
Who to invite? Everyone! Make it an intimate Saturday lunch or ask your local church if you can make it a larger ministry event!
You should tell people to come at 11:30 am CST as the event will start at Noon. This will give you some time to make some welcoming comments and grab some food/snacks. The event should formally end by 1 pm, but there'll be an optional Q&A section for the following 30 minutes.
Your guests can register for the event but we’ll also send you a direct link so they can donate without registering. We’d just love for you to bring people together to hear what God is doing in Malawi!
Thank you so much for being an active part of what God is doing through When the Saints! We appreciate you very much!
With Love,
David and the WtS Team
P.S. Give a listen to David Peterka's sermon that he preached last weekend to the church he attends in Malawi. "What Keeps you Going when you are Afraid?" from 2 Kings 6:8-23.
Sample Invite
Dear friends,
I'm so excited to invite you to a viewing party of a live event on Saturday, Nov. 6th at 12 PM CST! This is the second annual virtual event for When the Saints (a ministry very dear to my heart!) and should be a really encouraging time.
When the Saints is the first and only trauma safe house in Malawi, Africa for girls who have been rescued from sexual exploitation. They have been doing such important work over the last decade and are now ready for the next step. This event is an interactive fundraiser for $75,000 in order to build a fourth dorm to increase the safe home's capacity from 54 to 72 girls.
If you attend my screening party we will have a community link to donate through and you wouldn’t have to register. Just please tell me that you are coming. Then, come on over to <insert location of party here> at 11:30 am on Nov. 6th!
Lunch/refreshments will be served! <Obviously, this is optional but what's a party without food?!>
I hope to see you here in person but if you are busy, out of town, or social distancing, I encourage you to still attend the fundraiser virtually to learn about and help this very worthy and reputable cause. If you want to watch it on your own, register here: https://donorsee.com/whenthesaintslive21.
Thank you,
Virtual Fundraising
Our first WtS Virtual Fundraising Event was such a success last year, we decided to have another! We're looking forward to seeing you again on Nov. 6th at 12 pm CST as we stream live from Malawi. Join us and see some of the girls sing and dance. Also come prepared to be inspired.
Covid may have slowed down many aspects of life but, unfortunately the need to help girls has never been greater. So much so that we are ready to build our fourth dormitory in order to help more. Our 4th dorm will be special in that it will be our first 2 story dorm. We dream of the day when our dorms will be empty and no longer needed. For now, however, When the Saints is still a crucial ministry in our community and has much yet to do.
You have the opportunity to join us in this important next step!
How can you help?
1. Attend the virtual event on November 6th.
2. Pray that God continues to use WtS in mighty ways.
3. Donate to help build Dorm #4.
4. Invite others to watch the event.
4. Host a viewing party for the event! (Look for more information on this soon!)
We are so humbled by your consistent, loving support! We continue to be amazed at the way God uses all of you to touch so many lives through WtS. We look forward to sharing this next adventure with you!
Thank you for being on this journey with us!
David & Essy Peterka
P.S. Listen to this podcast where I was recently interviewed. Pandora Villasenor is the host of the All Gifts podcast and spoke with me about "Breaking the Cycle of Sexual Exploitation".
Save The Date
As you may remember, last year we hosted our first ever Virtual Fundraiser. It was such a great experience, we're going to do it again!
This year we will be streaming on November 6th, at 12pm CST. You will be joining people from all across the globe as we share our current projects and recent successes.
We also have an exciting announcement about our work in Malawi. You'll have the opportunity to partner with us as we continue to be the hands and feet of Jesus here in Malawi. We hope you can join us!
Look for registering details soon! Please share this with anyone you feel might be interested!
When The Saints Annual Live Event
Saturday, November 6
12 pm CST
Dear Prayer Team
Hello our dear prayer team.
This week has been rough.
Our head trauma counselor Roselyn came into Essy and I’s office and said, “I have a secret”. She went on to tell us that a Social Services employee from the northern region of Malawi just sent her a “sex tape”. Earlier this week they contacted us and said there was an emergency case needing to be sent our way. Normally we are not able to receive cases of sexual abuse from outside of our community due to the lack of space in our safe home, but sometimes we make exceptions.
The principle of a school in this community from the north filmed a video of himself with a young girl. In the video, this principle begins by explaining that he will pay the fee for her to attend school if she has sex with him. She begins to explain just how much she wants to go to school and agrees to the arrangement. While continuing to film, he begins to have sex with her.
One of the teachers of this school is this man’s daughter. His daughter has a daughter, which means that this video is of a grandfather having sex with a 15 year old. The video ends after 5 minutes with the girl repeating over and over again, “Tomorrow I’m going, tomorrow I’m going, tomorrow I’m going” expressing how much she wants to go to school.
The video was leaked and many people across Malawi have now seen it, especially in her community. She needed to get out of the area as quickly as possible. The man fled to Zambia and the police were not able to capture him. We share this because sometimes it all can get heavy. Just before thiYesterday an 8 year old was accepted into our program and when she entered the compound you could tell she was visibly struggling to walk. Her own father dislocated her hip while abusing her. Knowing that we have your prayers and are not alone in this means more than you know. Please pray with us.
With Love, David
In the words of Mat Kearney’s “Runaway”-
“Walking the lost streets, no one ever shares
Cry yourself to sleep, waiting on a little prayer
Bags are by the door, hearts are on the floor
There’s a bottle full of tears on the dresser drawer
I Have Been Thinking
I have been thinking about a moment that happened back when I was still in college. It was 2010 and I was with a good friend of mine. I told him, “I feel like I am finally becoming the man I always wanted to be”. He said, “That is one of the most beautiful things I have ever heard and I’m really happy for you.” Not more than a year before this the Lord supernaturally brought me out of an 11 year addiction to pornography.
Not long after that conversation I traveled to Malawi for the first time and all of WtS began to unfold. I am grateful the Lord shows us who he created us to be before he shows us what he created us to do. If it was the other way around, I fear more people would believe the lie that their value is held by what they do and not by who they are.
I am a child of the creator of the universe. Heir to a king who gave his life for me. My identity is not wrapped up in what I did, but what he did for me. God showed the Israelites they were his chosen people by miraculously delivering them from slavery, THEN he gave them his commandments. I find this order of events quite encouraging and refreshing.
Eager Expectation
This last week a number of us at WtS started dreaming about what is ahead. We’ve had a really rough week with a few very heavy cases. I think in some ways dreaming about helping more girls in the future was an appropriate reaction to the tragedy of the sexual abuse cases we faced.
First, the school is progressing very smoothly. School blocks one and two are getting ever so close to completion! Ground has been broken for the administration building and architectural plans have been made for staff housing. If everything continues at this rate, we should be able to open for January’s school term!
In addition, dorm number 3 is only 3 weeks away from being occupied. Our maximum capacity of girls will go from the current 36 in our safe home up to 54. We will no longer be restricted to only take the cases from one of the four Victim Support Units within 45 minutes of the safe home. The VSU in our community of 40,000 people is primarily the only one that is able to refer girls to us because there are just so many cases and we don’t have enough space to house more girls. All three of the other VSU’s have expressed their eager expectation to one day be able to refer cases to us instead of just sending the victims home without receiving any care. We are also longing for this to become a reality.
So what were we dreaming about? We are trying to figure out which is our next most pressing need; dorm number 4, a clinic, or a high school. We don’t know when we will have funds to be able to begin our next project, but a year ago we didn’t know how we would build dorm 3 and an elementary school… and here we are! So we find ourselves dreaming big.
“Assuredly, like the coming of the dawn
The Father’s love song goes on
Drowning out my bitter songs
Breaking through walls and barriers
Christ swoops in, removes sin
Picks up His bride and carriers her
So I can sing in agreement with the King”
“Not Without Love” by Jimmy Needham
