July Update

Dear praying friends and family,

 We have enjoyed the couple of weeks we've had in Kigoma with Mom and Dad Johnson. Esther is loving all the attention she gets from her grandparents and the swimming in Lake Tanganyika just a few meters from the house.

 

Village Visit: Our first week back we headed off to Katumba, a refugee settlement some 11 hrs. south of Kigoma for an evangelistic conference. The believers took very good care of us, providing a bed frame at last minute and some straw mats for the bed. The "little house" that we stayed in was a newly built pharmacy but was available for our use while there. Dad Johnson along with other leaders taught seminars from the Emmaus  Correspondence Course "Christ loved the Church" each morning. The afternoon was filled with the regular meeting which consisted of many choirs singing, a speaker giving the gospel message and then an invitation to confess sins as well as an opportunity to pray for the sick. As soon as the afternoon meeting came to a close, the men would quickly set up for the films, that way, when the sun set, the movies could begin right away. On our last night of movies was the biggest crowd we had since word had gotten around the village. Kids by the hundreds were everywhere, it wouldn't take much to round them up for an impromptu Sunday School! On Sunday 11 believers were baptized.

 

Youth Conference: Luke was asked to speak at the first youth conference held at the local assembly, so he worked hard on getting enough material to last for two 2-hour messages. At the end of the second message it was open to questions and the youth had many. 

Retreat: These past three days we had a nice mini-retreat with Mom and Dad Johnson and their co-worker Brook Ford. We spent a lot of time in prayer and seeking God's leading in regards to the ministry possibilities in this area. It also proved to be a good time for us to ask questions and get familiar with the past and current ministries by other missionaries in the Kigoma area.

More Travel: In one week we'll be on our way to Kenya for Ben's High School graduation (Luke's younger brother). We're working hard to get our "new" used car ready for the trip. On the way up we'll drop off a few of our belongings at Keza. On our way back from Kenya (around July 22), we will settle there until the end of the year. Then we will move to Kigoma town.

We are praying that we'll be able to be in contact via e-mail and internet while we live at Keza even though there is no phone line or electricity. There is an option of doing email through a wireless modem, so pray that the details for that possibility will all come together.

Pray for:

- Our trip to Kenya (July 6 - 22)

- Our 5 month stay at Keza for cultural immersion

- God's guidance for our future ministry in the Kigoma region

With love in Christ,

Luke, Gina and Esther Johnson