“It’s a rare type of joy that we saw in Africa.” ZacH
through slums on the other side of the world? For the Petersons, it all started as a quest to get away. After years of moving around with Todd’s demanding career as a pro football player, susan envisioned a quiet sabbatical abroad. But they soon realized that God had a different plan. susan says, “For the first time, we felt called to engage in work on international soil with indigenous leaders.”
LEARNING HOW TO PLAY so the Petersons traveled to Cape Town, south Africa, which served as their base for the next six weeks. The culture shock that they encountered was an eye-opener buses and bizarre foods and insects, to serving and sleeping in less than sanitary conditions, Todd and
susan’s patience was put to the test. Todd says, “it was humbling to be confronted with the reality of how other people live in ways that i’d never even imagined.” But the experience was much different for their children. susan explains, “it was incredible to watch our kids at seven and nine have an easier time of it than we did. Where we were a bit uncomfortable walking into a township, a slum, they never were. They would just run in and immediately go to play with the kids.”
BUSH PLANES AND BANANAS The highlight of their adventure was meeting two of their sponsor children, Karen in Nairobi, and Lawi in Yala. Compassion international helped arrange the trips and provided a translator to help them navigate the linguistic and cultural barriers. visited was Karen’s, and they lived right outside of Nairobi in very open urban poverty. it was a terrifying situation. They insisted on giving us gifts. it was humbling to see how generous they were to us.” Then they traveled by bush plane to meet Lawi at his remote home
The PeTersoNs eXPerieNCe Their FirsT TriP To AFriCA.
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2014 MINISTRY REPORT
in Yala land. even though the ministry had told Lawi’s family not to prepare any food, the Petersons were greeted by the delicious smell of fresh roasted chicken and toasted sesame seeds when they arrived at the mud hut. Then Lawi’s dad presented them with an entire bushel of bananas. it was all the bananas that are produced by a banana tree in a whole year. Astonished at the generosity of Lawi’s family, susan says, “We were out-given that day, for sure.” WiTh The PeTersoN’s suPPorT, KArAMA ArTisANs WorK oN A NeW sCreeN-PriNTiNG ProjeCT.
FLYING SOLO the Petersons have been back to to go with one of her friends on family. she is eager to explore what her own wild ride in giving will be. After all, this is one family that has learned to say, “hakuna matata,” while trusting God for it all.
A Tool FoR GiviNG: Since the early days of his football career, Todd has used NCF to help facilitate his family’s giving. The Peterson’s Giving Fund has made it easy for them to give stock and other asset gifts, and to make anonymous grants at times. Todd says, “Our Giving Fund has been a great tool that we have been able to utilize for almost 20 years. It has enabled us to move funds out of our worldly our Kingdom account, even if we weren’t sure what we wanted to do with those funds at that immediate point in time.” Susan adds, “The counsel of NCF is very attractive to us as a family, and our children are becoming better givers because of the ministry of the National Christian Foundation.”