Angola is a country that I (Pete) have dreamed of visiting ever since the first recon reports came back with Overland staff many years ago. I heard tales of long, hard desert roads, derelict tanks and aircraft left from the war, breathtaking landscapes, and the most wonderful and spiritually hungry indigenous people. Because of the unique nature of the Angolan government and economy, it has been a difficult challenge to establish our missionaries there on a permanent basis but it finally happened about two years ago. Our staff are now living in the town of Namibe and my dream of visiting finally came to pass this August.



The expedition started in my workshop in Zambia where I had to repair the front axle on my friend Tom's Toyota. Tom and his wife, Becca, are on our Angola staff team, and he had taken his Land Cruiser to a workshop in Namibia to do some 4x4 upgrades. Unfortunately, they made a serious error in the installation so I stepped up to fix it when they came to visit the base in Zambia. All went well and Libby and I headed out for Angola with them and another family in a three-vehicle convoy. Four days driving later, we made it to their home.



During the following 3 weeks, we got to spend time encouraging the staff team there and ministering in the villages with them among the Mucubal people, a semi-nomadic tribe that has isolated itself in the desert mountains because of the lengthy Angolan civil war. It was so interesting to interact with a people so different than those in Zambia. Their appearance is unique in that the men always carry a machete or long knife along with a walking stick and the women decorate themselves with ornate necklaces, brass ankle rings, and mud and beads in their hair. They had absolutely zero exposure to anything about Jesus and extremely little spiritual belief at all, yet they were wide open as we explained the story of creation, God's love for us, the life of Jesus, and what it means to have new life with Him. They had the most childlike yet intelligent questions like, "How could all the tribes come from one man and woman?" "If they hadn't have eaten the fruit, would they have lived forever with God?" "If it was me there, I never would have eaten the fruit!" "Why did God only live 33 years on the earth?? What happened to him??" They were so hungry to hear stories of God interacting with man and they had such a rock-solid faith as they acknowledged the truth about God and believed for the first time.



We got back from Angola at the end of September and a week later got on a plane to America. That's right, we're in the USA again! Can you believe that it's already been a year and a half since we left for Zambia? Overland designates this time in the US as Family and Partner Reconnection (FPR) which means we'll be traveling a lot as we speak at churches, visit partners, and spend time with family before heading back to Zambia. This is also the time where we fundraise and make sure our budget in Zambia is fully met so that we can minister without hindrance. When we leave in a couple months, we won’t be back for almost 2 years, so we want to connect with as many of you as possible! If you or your family, church, or small group would like us to visit with stories from our life and ministry in Africa, please don't hesitate to call, email, or text us. We’ve put our info below for your convenience. If you want to hear more about what it means to be on our partnership team, also feel free to ask.

Thank you for keeping up with our ministry in Africa!

Pete and Libby

pete@overlandmissions.com | 414-554-5817
libby@overlandmissions.com | 779-772-4606