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!
