Quick November Update

Hello dear praying friends and family.

The past few weeks have been quite busy. We had a visit from 2 Johnson families: Jesse & Joy's and Danny & Anne's from Burundi. We celebrated Thanksgiving together and Danny brought the turkey with him.

The gang posing for a good-bye photo.

(Thanks to Steven for the photo of the gang!)

After they left we had 2 days to pack up and get ready for our trip/visit to Bolivia for nearly 2 months. We celebrated Esther's 6th birthday with Grandpa & Grandma (Harry & Ruth Johnson) and Uncle Stevie the day before we left. 

Esther on her early birthday celebration.

(Esther after blowing her 6 candles.)

Then we drove for 3 days across the country to get to Dar Es Salaam, the coastal city from which we fly out. We are thankful to God for safety on all the dangerous roads and for no major car trouble. 

Tomorrow (Sunday Dec. 9) we fly to London, then Miami, then Peru, then La Paz Bolivia, and finally Santa Cruz Bolivia. We will arrive, Lord willing, on Tuesday morning and will be met by Mark & Carol Mattix. We plan to be back in Tanzania on Jan. 25, 2013. 

For those of you have not heard yet, we want to announce that we are expecting a third little Johnson kid mid-May of next year.

Your thoughts and prayers will be much appreciated for our long travels and for Gina's pregnancy.

Thank you.

In His care,

Luke, Gina, Esther, Emily & ??? (baby) Johnson

If you'd like to see some pictures of our trip so far click here.

1, 2 and 3!

Lord willing, in mid-May.

October Update

Dear friends and family,
Greetings from Tanzania.
Luke taught at the youth seminar last month, while the marriage seminar was postponed.

Youth seminar at Bukuba.

A group of some 20+ men pulled the boat out of the water for re-caulking and improvements.

Men working for hours getting the boat out of water.

Our mango tree finally dropped all its fruit just as the rains are finally becoming consistent.

Neighbor boys picking mangoes and getting their share.

Last week we enjoyed a little break by Lake Victoria, our car got some needed repairs and we briefly visited a new church.

New church in Mwanza, Tanzania.

Upon our return we joined Gracie (our faithful helper) at the wedding of her nephew.

Gracie (in blue dress) with her husband Abeli next to the bride and groom.

Luke continues to work hard at translating a Doctrinal Survey course. We are looking forward to our trip next month, this time all the way to Bolivia! However, we are not looking forward to the paperwork for the renewal of our work permits. ;-)
With much to be thankful for,
Luke, Gina, Esther and Emily Johnson

September Update

Dear praying friends and family, thank you very much for your prayers for us this past month. We know that God is working through your prayers to accomplish his purposes here in Kigoma Tanzania.

Ministry News

We mentioned in our last newsletter that Jeremy and Sonja Bassett were visiting from Wisconsin. During their stay we were able to visit the southern village church of Ilagala. 

Gina, Luke, Jeremy and Sonja.

We also took a boat ministry trip north of Kigoma to the predominantly Muslim village of Kagongo. We had 2 days and 2 nights of children's ministry and showing Christian films in the evening. One Muslim young person named Baraka seemed interested and Jeremy and I were able to converse with him at length concerning Christianity and Jesus Christ. Please pray for him and for all that heard the gospel.

Luke, Jeremy and Harry read to set sail.

Later on in the month we traveled down south to the old Burundian refugee settlement of Mishamo. There we participated in 4 days of Seminars in the mornings, evangelistic meetings in the afternoons, and Christian films in the evenings. Gina and the girls were able to go this time. (You can see more photos of that trip in a previous post.)

Family News

Soon after our return from Mishamo Emily got very sick with malaria and an infection for about a week or so. Thankfully she is better although still having a little tummy trouble. We have also been working on our car, trying to stay ahead of the constant maintenance. We installed 5 new tires in preparation for the raining season, which is just beginning. Please pray that there would be sufficient rains this year to sustain the many farmers in this area. Esther enjoys her new "school house" and playing with any kids or adults that might be willing. =)

Emily

Esther

Upcoming Events

Looking forward, I (Luke) will be teaching at 2 seminars; one for youth and the other for married couples. Please pray for my preparation for these events; that God would prepare me and use me for His glory. I also need to finish revising my translation of a Fairhaven Doctrinal Survey course for Berea Bible College, before it gets a final revision and then gets printed.

We thank all of you who remember us regularly before the throne of grace. 

May the God of ALL peace be with you.

Sincerely,

Luke, Gina, Esther & Emily Johnson

Mishamo Trip

Here are a few pictures of our trip to Mishamo, the old refugee camp. We had 4 days of evangelistic meetings, seminars, films, and kids' meetings. A couple of people came up to talk and pray after the evening films. However, we don't know what kind of follow-up was arranged with these few. The evangelistic meetings in the afternoon were full of energy, loud music, dust and heat. An evangelist from Tabora (middle of the country) was the special speaker for these meetings and the people loved his enthusiasm. He took time throughout the day to pray and talk with individuals upon request, and there were many! The heat was almost overwhelming. Taking daily, cold bucket baths helped. We were thankful that it didn't rain, that would have made our drive back a big adventure. The drive back was uneventful except for a busted tire on one of the vehicles and zig-zagging between stopped busses and trucks.

Enjoy the pictures!

Waiting at the camp entrance for 2 hrs. because our papers weren't in perfect order.

Finally arriving at our destination after almost 8 hrs. on the road.

Luke selling Bibles and Bible covers from the back of the car. Sold out by day 2.

All ready to show films, just waiting for it to get dark.

Faithful workers in the kitchen. They got kinda goofy when they saw a camera.

Hard working ladies in the kitchen that made food for everyone.

Our room for 4 nights. Girls slept on the floor within a mosquito tent.

Ruth Johnson teaching Sunday School.

Cooking for a crowd.

Ladies stirring the "ugali" until it's not too mushy for serving.

Ugali and beans for lunch.

One of the elders, and hosts, Ruben was busy serving everyone.

Rainy season? Not quite yet.

Rainy season will be upon us in another month or so. Traveling in the rainy season has it's challenges...

And so we try to do as much traveling as we can in these dry "months". However, it doesn't stop us. When you have to travel you just go and pray that the Lord will bring you back safely. On occasion, our trips can get really fun...

On Thursday we will travel south, to a refugee camp (Mishamo) and be there for 4 days with seminars (solid Bible teaching), evangelistic meetings and evening films. There are two vehicles going, and a total of 11 adults plus our 2 girls. Pray that our time will be of mutual encouragement, that we will have strength and health, and for safety on the "fun" roads.
Thank you!
Luke, Gina, Esther and Emily Johnson

August Update

Dear praying friends and family,
Here's a quick rundown of last month:
-We visited two village churches for their Sunday meetings.
-We visited the families of 4 new babies in the village of Nkungwe.
-We worked on different house projects (Esther's school house!)
-We are enjoying a visit from Jeremy and Sonja Bassett from Wisconsin.
-Luke and Emily both celebrated birthdays this week.
Looking forward:
Tomorrow, a team of 11 will head north to the mostly Muslim village of Kagongo to show evangelistic films for two nights. And do some follow up in the neighboring village of Kigalie (where they showed films last time).
On the 18th of September we will drive south to the refugee camp of Mishamo for a week-long conference, which includes: seminars, evangelistic meetings and films.
Thank you for your prayers.
In Christ,
Luke, Gina, Esther and Emily Johnson

Emily turns 2!

Our little blondie is turning 2 today! She is a little character at times and finally learning to play nicely (share and not be so selfish) with her big sister Esther. Two years have flown by!
Here's a fun album you can check out to see how she's grown in the past two years. Emily's Album
And here is a very short video of her, on her birthday, singing to herself. =)

(Her mouth is very red because she'd almost managed to finish a huge lollipop she'd gotten for a gift.)

August at a glance

Esther learned how to ride a bike, with no training wheels, even though she begged for them.

Emily at the Kigoma port to get her yellow fever shot. She looks thrilled!

Visiting the small chapel at Sambara one Sunday morning. 

Waiting outside with the kids while Dad has just "one" more meeting.

Emily getting her first hair cut.

Loving the visit from the cousins.

Shooing away the monkeys at the beach. This one's a mama with her baby.

Setting up the trampoline we got from Lauridsens.

Attempting to fly the kite at Ujiji beach with Steven.

Getting our first rain, but it's early so this won't keep up.

Esther holding baby Shadrak who is only 3 days old.

Emily and Esther sporting matching dresses.

4 Babies in one afternoon

We drove to the village of Nkungwe to visit some ladies in the chapel that had recently had babies. We brought gifts of baby powder, baby soap, baby paracetamol and sugar. Esther really enjoyed holding the babies. She would beg to hold each baby during our 3 hour visit. Two of the homes provided meals for us in that short time. As soon as we got home, Esther was bundling her baby doll with at least 2 cloths and holding it very carefully, pretending she was a new mommy.

Visiting 3-day old Shadrak and his mom Bernadetha.

Dismas and his wife had twin girls. Esther is holding one,

and I'm holding the other.

This baby was 1 month old and seemed so much bigger than the newborns.

July Update

Hello dear family and friends. We are praising the Lord for his constant presence with us through the ups and downs of family life and ministry. He is our ever-present help in time of need.

The month of July was busy as usual. In last month's newsletter I (Luke) was just leaving by boat to go down south and teach a seminar to the church at Igalula. The overnight boat trips on the way down, and back up were very memorable. Let's just say they were not designed for personal comfort or relaxation, to put it very mildly. The image of sardines in a floating can would be more accurate, but thankfully I made it safely there and back.

Luke was on this first boat for 14 hours.

The believers were very happy to see me and showed me the whole village. I literally walked from one end of it to the other (4 km. or so), and did plenty of other walking besides. I taught on salvation and the Christian life, as well as some fundamental principles concerning the church. The believers there are few as the church is relatively new. They are doing well at reaching out to the kids but are struggling to reach the adults.

After returning from Igalula we had about a week to get ready for our trip to Kumbya (in Rwanda) for an annual interdenominational missionary conference. We left 1 day early so that we could visit the churches of Kazilamihunda and Kasanda on the way. While driving on our first day we came to a big rut in the road, and when I braked we skidded and I lost control and we hit the rut really hard. The windshield was cracked in many places on the driver's side and the left front wheel got misaligned. However we thank God for his protection as no one was hurt. We were able to limp the car on to the Keza mission station where we were to spend the night. We were still able to meet with both churches, one in the afternoon, and the other the following morning. We had one of our Tanzanian brothers, Raymond, along with us and he was able to help with some of the ministry.

Fortunately, after our mishap with the car, we were able to catch a ride to the conference with my parents and my youngest brother Steven, who were also going. The conference was a real blessing to us and just what we needed. We were able to relax some and be refreshed spiritually as a team from a church in Texas ministered to the adults and also did a VBS program with the kids.

The VBS leaders with the kids.

The conference took place at the beautiful lake Kivu, so we were able to swim and kayak and sail. On our way back from the conference we stopped at Keza and after some minor repairs we drove our car slowly back to Kigoma where it will soon be fixed properly.

Meanwhile two young students from the Kigoma region, Peter and Abeli, left for Moshi to attend Berea Bible College. Abeli is a first semester student and Peter a third and last. Please remember them in your prayers as they receive biblical training, that they will put to good use what they learn. 

Prayer items:

- The young church at Igalula

- Praise for safety on our trip

- Praise for refreshment at conference

- Peter and Abeli at Bible College

May God's grace and peace be with you all,

Luke, Gina, Esther & Emily Johnson

God's Protection - Part II

I (Gina) try to put down in writing the times that God has obviously been protecting us (there are many that go unseen). A year and a half ago I decided to post the few events I'd written about God's protection. So, here's another "close call" where we sensed God's protection of our family.

On the 19th of July we were all in the car, along with a fellow Tanzanian believer (Raymond) headed to our old place of Keza and planning to meet with two churches in the area. We had been on the road some 4 hours and had already stopped for a potty break and a tea break, so we were just chatting and having great conversation. Emily was in my arms in the front of the car, fast asleep and Esther was fast asleep in the back seat next to Raymond. Luke was making good time and the road was decent. We came to a curve in the road and saw straight ahead of us a 2 ft. ditch that ran across most of the road. Luke put the brakes on to only have the car skid on the loose gravel. I held tightly to Emily while I glanced at Esther and Raymond saw my reaction and put his hand out to grab Esther just before we hit to bottom of the ditch and came out the other end with a big thud. The girls woke up instantly and began to cry, my neck ached and Luke jumped out of the car to inspect the damage. I was so relieved to see that the girls were fine, only upset and crying, that I didn't notice the broken windshield 'til a minute later. The hard impact on Luke's side of the car caused the windshield to break, but not shatter.

cracked windshield

After spending a couple of minutes inspecting everything and seeing where exactly we had hit, we got back in the car and thanked God for his protection of us all in the car. The remaining 1+ hours went a lot slower and Luke could feel that the steering wasn't responding the way it used to so we took it slow while splinters of glass fell on to Luke's lap. We were able to make it to our destination, visit the two churches and leave the car at Keza. The following day we piled in the car with Harry and Ruth (Luke's parents) and went with them to Rwanda for a missionary conference. We had planned on taking our car, but we were able to change plans last minute and still make it to the conference. We enjoyed our stay in Rwanda, and a great conference that had VBS for the kids, so the girls made loads of new friends while Luke and I sat (without kids) during the seminars and listened (for once). =) On our drive back we were able to pick up our car at Keza, and drive it back home, to Kigoma, after some minor adjustments that Luke was able to make.
So, our car is home, and tomorrow will get a new windshield, Lord willing. We are so thankful that it's just the car that needs repairs. My neck pains went away within a day and everybody is wazima (healthy, whole)! Thank you Lord for your protection.

p.s. On our drive home we saw numerous accidents and it reminded us to take it slow. The roads seem great for a stretch and then in an instant they are treacherous and accidents happen in a flash.

Beets!

We don't have a huge selection of vegetables in Kigoma, so we can easily get tired of the same repeats. We have tried to grow some of our own in our garden, but with dry season upon us it's hard to keep a garden going. There are a couple of vegetables that the locals like but isn't enjoyed by our family, like okra and eggplant. This past month we decided to try beets, a friendly muslim man brought them to our gate, so we decided to give them a try. They were a hit! I just boiled them 'til tender and sliced them up for lunch. It's so nice to have something different than the typical tomato and avocado (which we love).

Beets for lunch.

Emily with a beet face.

Smick, smack, smooth -- beets are gone.

BIG bed...

This BIG girl ...

Emily at 22 months

Is sleeping in her own 

BIG bed!

Esther and Emily's bunk bed.

The Chronicles of Narnia

We have greatly enjoyed reading thru the Chronicles of Narnia with our daughter Esther. She first got excited about the series when watching the movie "The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe". So we borrowed a complete series from Luke's mom and dad and began to read. It all begins, of course, way before Lucy and Edmund and our daughter was hooked. We looked forward to our evenings of reading and Luke and I re-acquainted ourselves with all the colorful characters and Esther interrupted continuously with many questions. A couple of nights she'd ask that we specifically pray that the White Witch wouldn't come get her, and when playing she would sometimes pretend to be Queen Prunaprismia.

Tonight we read the last chapters of "The Last Battle". It's been a great adventure for Daddy, Mommy and Daughter. But I think we'll have to repeat the whole thing in another 5 years, just to refresh our memories!

The book we've just finished reading.

Aslan tells the children when they arrive in his country that: "the term is over: the holidays have begun. The dream is ended: this is the morning." -- Heaven is going to be great!

June Update

Dear praying friends and family,

The team of 8 that went up north on the lake returned safely. Thank you for your prayers. They showed Christian films for the two nights they were there and also did some impromptu meetings with the many children. The village is mainly Muslim, but the parents seemed OK with sending their kids to listen to some Bible stories. There was a little bit of resistance when some young guys tried to shoo away some of the kids on the first night when the films were being set up. Also there was no response either night after the gospel had been clearly presented. Please pray that the seed planted will bear fruit eventually. This may be one of the first times some of them have ever heard the gospel clearly presented to them. With time, prayer, and the help of the Holy Spirit the Word may begin to sink in and germinate. In a neighboring village there is a slightly bigger evangelical presence and Luke and Harry were able to visit that village briefly as well.

This past Sunday we visited a small group of believers at Munzeze, a church an hour's drive away from our town that has recently gone thru a split so they're struggling. Luke encouraged them with a message on Psalm 27.

The next adventure is for Luke as he goes (this very night) by local transport to the village of Igalula, south of here. This is his second time to that village, the first time was on the sailboat Wings of the Morning when they braved some strong winds and waves. After a night of travel on the taxi motor boat, he hopes to spend Sunday plus 2 more days of teaching the believers, Lord willing. Pray that the believers will attend these seminars and grow in their knowledge of the Scriptures and be encouraged with Christian fellowship.

Small boats ferrying people to the big motor boat.

At the end of July we as a family will drive to Rwanda for a missionary conference. Luke went to these conferences as a kid, but it's a first for us girls and we're looking forward to the little break.

Please remember in prayer:

- Munzeze believers

- A safe boat journey for Luke

- Teaching at Igalula

- Our 2-day drive to Rwanda 

Thank you for your prayers.

Blessings in Christ,

Luke, Gina, Esther and Emily Johnson