July and August Update

Dear friends, we are thankful to the Lord for his faithfulness and goodness to us. The last time we wrote was to announce William's safe arrival into our family. He is now 3 months old and enjoys the constant attention he gets from his older siblings.

In June there was an evangelistic conference and outreach at one of the churches about 7 hours south of Kigoma. My father and mother and a team of elders attended and helped with the ministry. After that we began in earnest to meet and plan for an even bigger conference in the village of Mwakizega, about 1 hour south of Kigoma. This conference had been proposed by the saints in Burundi, who ended up bringing at team of 65 or so to minister. There were seminar teachers, preachers and choirs. 

John Kinlaw and I (Luke), along with 3 young men from the church were busy for 2.5 weeks before the conference making a big stage that could be dismantled and transported to the site. A month and a half later I called the elders to see how the church is doing with follow-up. They have 4 new members and the rest of the people they visit keep telling them they will come, but they don't.

Choir performing during the afternoon conference in the main square of the village.

After the conference we made a trip to Burundi for a 3 day Johnson family reunion. Five out of seven of us kids were there with our families. It was an enjoyable time, although my father was quite sick with bronchitis. Then we traveled to Rwanda to attend a yearly interdenominational missionary conference. It was wonderful to be able to send our kids each morning to a kid's program and receive teaching from God's Word.

Unfortunately it was during this time that we heard of Lydia's sickness (my brother Danny's daughter). She went unconscious and started having seizures and have to be Medivac-ed to Nairobi Kenya for treatment. She came close to dying from cerebral malaria, but by God's grace she has mostly recovered. We are thankful for the many that were praying for her.

Johnson family reunion in Burundi.

Also my parents were not well during the conference as my father's bronchitis persisted and my mother fell and sprained her ankle. On top of all this they had very bad car trouble and had to be towed by us from the conference in Rwanda all the way to Burundi, up and down windy escarpments. We are so thankful for the Lord's protection and for the tow bar that a missionary couple lent us. 

Now we are back in Kigoma. Gina has started a new year of homeschool with 3 of the kids. Yesterday we began a new school year at the Disciples of Jesus school. We have 9 students so far and they seem eager to learn. I am teaching a survey of salvation history and enjoying it immensely. Pray that God would keep the students safe from the enemy's attacks.

We are thankful for the joy and eagerness of the new believers at the Kamala village church which we visited on Sunday. Pray for their spiritual growth and protection, and for Stanislaus who is attending our discipleship course.

The church at Kamala, on a Sunday morning.

Please also pray for us as we move from our current house in the next month.  Pray that we would be able to transition smoothly and that the kids wouldn't get too far behind in school.

Thank you so much for your support. By your prayers and gifts you are involved in the ministry and the lives of the people here. 

Blessings in Christ,

Luke and Gina Johnson