David and Ashley Petersen

David enjoys flying a wide variety of people across eastern Congo including the national church, missionaries, doctors, Bible translators, pastors, reconciliation teams, medical evacuees, NGO teams of all kinds, and much more. He currently serves as Chief Pilot overseeing all flight and ground training for MAF DRC.  He also loves using his abilities in maintenance, welding, and construction to help the MAF team and to support other missionaries. Philippians 1:20-21 is a passage that has always been an encouragement and reminder to him that this life is temporary, and Christ is the focus. “I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.”

Ashley enjoys caring for her family and using her experience in raising animals, cooking, administration and other gifts to be a blessing at home and to the team. “For we are God’s masterpiece, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” (Ephesians 2:10). Ashley shares, “I love this verse as it brings to light my value and purpose as God’s creation, reminding me of the special role I have in God’s story.”

David was born in Illinois and raised as a missionary kid in Burkina Faso, West Africa. He was led to Christ by the godly example of family and friends at an early age. His love of aviation and missions began when David was an MK in Burkina and continued into his adult life. David pursued his love of aviation and missions by attending and graduating from Moody Bible Institute Aviation in Spokane, WA. He holds his Airframe, Powerplant, and Inspection Authorization certificates as a mechanic and Commercial, Instrument, and Flight Instructor Instrument certificates as a pilot.

Ashley was born in Washington and raised in Spirit Lake, Idaho, as a pastor and missionary kid. She was led to Christ by the godly example of family and friends. Ashley gained exposure to missions through her parents’ work as missionaries to the Northwest and through many years of working as a summer missionary at a Bible camp. She attended Moody Bible Institute for Biblical Studies where she met David. They were married in 2008. While David attended Moody Bible Institute, Ashley worked at the Union Gospel Mission in Spokane, WA. They moved to Albertville, France for language school in 2014 where their son, Daniel, was born. In 2020 their second son, Jeremiah, was born. Ashley now runs their homestead in Congo, takes care of the family, and serves the MAF team by leading new staff orientation.

God calls the men and women of MAF to serve Him in unique ways. He may also be calling you to a special role in David and Ashley’s ministry. Please prayerfully consider becoming a ministry partner with them through prayer and/or financial support.