June Update

Greetings from Kigoma dear praying friends. 

We thank those of you who were praying for the evangelistic conference and outreach at the village of Songambele. We praise the Lord for the many who heard Christ’s glorious gospel clearly presented through door to door, tract distribution, choir songs, preaching and Christian films. On Sunday morning we baptized 5 new believers. 
Please pray for lasting fruit. Several made professions of faith for the first time, others recommitted their lives to the Lord. We also prayed for the sick and those oppressed by demons. We strongly urged the local leaders to follow up with those who came forward or showed interest. Please pray that the church will continue to visit and encourage the ones who were drawn near by the Lord. Also pray that the strongholds of witchcraft and domestic violence would be broken down in that village, and that many would be delivered from the evil one.

The dancing choirs draw a crowd and stir up the dust.

The people sit and listen.

Alfred preaches on the makeshift stage.

Singing and praying before going door to door.

Petro baptizing new believers at the river.

I, Luke, have barely been home a week, but tomorrow (Thursday) I leave for another 5 day ministry trip down south. We are taking one car load of church elders and dividing into 2 groups to visit and encourage the churches and teach seminars. Please pray for safety and for the ministry of the Word, that the saints will be encouraged and motivated to attain the stature of the fullness of Christ. Please pray for Gina and the kids, as we will be apart again for that time, that God would grant them grace and strength.

These trips are not without their challenges so we TRULY do need your prayers. God is looking for men and women who will stand in the gap and fight against the powers of darkness through intercessory prayer. God is able to deliver!

In our Savior’s holy and powerful name,

Luke Johnson

May Update

Dear praying friends, we thank the Lord for your partnership in the gospel.

Be patient and take heart, beloved brothers and sisters, because we believe the judge is standing at the door (James 5:7). And through your labor of love (your prayers and your generosity) the Word of the Lord continues to grow and multiply (Acts 12:24).

We praise the Lord for a team of Burundi believers that came the end of May. They were an encouragement to our local church in Kigoma and gave teaching and also reached out to two other village churches. They focused on teaching the youth, the women and the church leaders. On their last day, a marriage seminar was also added last minute, and almost our entire church showed up for that. Those who were translating did a great job and were all tired after 4 long days of ministry. We are thankful how the Lord guided in the many aspects of the visit and how the local church received the team well.

Peter translating during the marriage seminar.

Peter Yamungu is finishing up teaching Old Testament Survey (Part 1) at the Disciples of Jesus School. We currently have 5 committed students. We hope to gain more students next term, as some did not complete their studies last year and plan to resume where they left off. Please pray that each student would humbly receive the Word implanted (James 1:21).

The Gungu town church has committed to reviving the church in the nearby village of Kizenga. A handful of gifted members from the town church have been going each Sunday to teach Sunday School, lead the service and preach, as there is currently no qualified leadership there. Pray for a strong assembly to be established in that majority Muslim village.

The kids enjoying being at Kizenga.

The building at Kizenga has been destroyed, but the church continues to meet under the mango trees.

We praise the Lord for the safe arrival of the Kinlaw family to Kigoma after 4 months of language study. We are looking forward to working together with them for the advancement of Christ's church in this region. Pray for them as they get settled into life here, and as they continue to learn and practice the Swahili language, needed for ministry here. Our 4 kids are really enjoying playing with the Kinlaw kids, who are similar in age.

We are getting ready for an evangelistic conference in the village of Songambele, June 14-18. Pray for the door to door evangelism and tract distribution. Pray that the Word being proclaimed through singing, preaching and Christian films, would accomplish new birth in many. "Unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God" (John 3:3). Pray for Gina and the kids as Luke will be gone for 5 days.

Blessings in Christ,
Luke and Gina Johnson

Rhino Rock

Our kids love going to the beach, the Jakobsen's beach, to be exact. And just between beach 1 and beach 2 there are some rocks, one of the bigger ones we call Rhino Rock. You can jump off this rock and into the lake, but not just any time. The water needs to be high enough, so you don't hit the rocks below. Well, these last weeks the water has been really high, so it's the perfect time to jump off Rhino Rock.
Back in May 2015, Esther climbed to the top of the rock and after seeing her dad and Javen Mirabella jump off the rock she'd figure she'd try too. She was only 8 years old then. I was ready with the camera but I was also strongly encouraging her NOT to jump. After seeing how high it was and hesitating for awhile, she finally decided it wasn't the right time. *whew*
Well, now it's June of 2018 and with the high water it's a great opportunity to try the jump off of Rhino Rock.
And Esther did it!

Esther's first jump.

And again...

Ready for her second jump.

No problem!

Well, guess who has to try and keep up with her big sister (by almost 4 years!!). That little girl in the pink swim shirt at the top of the rock. That's Emily.

And she's only 7!

I just about dropped the camera in the water!

And they both climbed right back up to the top and jumped once each again.

And these are only the girls, what will the boys be like!?!