Singing, dancing, tree-bark facemasks, clouds of dirt, colorful headdresses, swarms of grasshoppers… These were all hitting our senses as we stepped into the crowded arena of the Luvale tribe annual ceremony as part of the entourage of the Lunda chief. While many attendees had anxiously awaited this ceremony for months, we were invited only days before. And yet, it was obvious by the end that God had planned this opportunity perfectly to bring unity to two hostile tribes.



The Luvale and Lunda tribes have been fighting over land for years and bitter hatred has grown amongst many of their traditional leaders. Relations are so tense that even the Zambian government was pleading for Lunda chiefs to attend this particular ceremony as a first step toward uniting the people. That’s when we called our friend Senior Chief Kanongesha of the Lunda people and he agreed to come. He is a highly regarded chief as well as a solid man of God who desires peace for his people. The Luvale let him give a speech during the ceremony and also time to speak privately with the rest of the chiefs. During that time, many of them expressed a desire for Overland to start working in their chiefdoms! We know God’s heart is restoration for every tribe and nation, and we’re thrilled to be part such progress in peace between these two tribes.

This event was part of a three-week recon trip to start two new bases in the Northwest Province of Zambia. Last year, two chiefs gave Overland hundreds of acres on which to build new missions bases to reach their people with the Gospel. Our task for the trip was to scout, dream, and strategize what we could establish in the Northwest to sustain missionaries for years to come. We set up our camp and started making plans as we walked for miles the length and breadth of the land. The beginnings are humble, but the vision is great for the region.

 

So many other things have happened as well…
We assisted with a marriage conference at our Chipepo base. Through it, many couples understood unconditional love and respect for the first time. In this deep Chitonga culture, physical affection is VERY uncommon, and couples were literally dancing together by the end!
 
We held a worship concert in Livingstone behind the bars and in front of the brothel where Libby has a weekly Bible study. To hear the prostitutes singing, “No more shackles, no more chains, no more bondage, I am free!” must have been a sweet sound to heaven.

Pete taught Vehicle Mechanics, Shop Class, and 4x4 Driving to 30 Advanced Missions Training students as well. Libby got to know many of them too and even had songwriting nights at our house (download the quick recordings they did here). Most of those graduates are now joining our global staff as full time missionaries and a new AMT class has started.
 
We petted lions, barbecued an impala, and just had a rogue zebra on the property… One thing’s for sure, it never gets boring over here. There are always more people to reach, and YOU are a part of reaching them, too. We don’t take your partnership with us lightly, and we thank God for you all!

Pete and Libby