We praise the Lord of new beginnings for the start of a new year with new opportunities for the spread of the gospel and the building up of Christ's church.
On Monday (Jan. 12) we will begin a new year at the Disciples of Jesus School (a 1-year program of foundational Bible teaching and ministry). So far we have about 14 who have shown interest, but we will have to wait until Monday to see who actually shows up. Please pray for God to send us just the right students this year and pray for us teachers as we disciple them.
Just before Christmas we were sad to hear of the passing of one of the elderly ladies in our church who has been a faithful member from the beginning. Her name was Sipora and she had been widowed many years before we knew her but she raised her children in the fear of the Lord. Most of them are serving the church in various ways. She was a woman of prayer and well loved by all. At the funeral the gospel was clearly presented and there were hundreds in attendance in spite of a rainy downpour. We thank God for her testimony. Please pray for comfort for the family.
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| Funeral at church and then at the graveside. |
The local Gungu church in Kigoma hosted a 2-day mini Christmas conference in which 3 village churches nearby attended. We celebrated Christmas as a family on Christmas Eve and then attended the conference on Christmas day. Then we got ready for our trip to Burundi. We met up with Luke's parents and his 2 brothers and their families in Eastern Burundi. We celebrated a late Christmas, visited a National Park, spent 2 nights at the lake, celebrated the New Year, and then drove to Bujumbura where we sent our daughter Emily back to boarding school (Rift Valley Academy, in Kenya) with her 2 cousins. Then we drove back to Kigoma. We thank God for a good time together with family and safety in all our travels.
We are thankful our daughter Esther, who attends Cedarville University, was able to spend her Christmas vacation with her Uncle Chris and Aunt Genesis in North Augusta, and was joined by Gina's parents Mark and Carol Mattix.
We are working hard to finish the office block at the new discipleship school property so that by 2nd term we can move our classroom and dorm there. Pray that God would help us finish it and continue providing for the other buildings in His time.
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| Office block at the School property that will be used as dorms. |
The well at the property continues to provide water for the community. It has faithfully been pumping everyday during the daylight hours using solar power since June 2022. It is a huge blessing.
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| The blessing of running water. |
Please pray for a court case that is negatively affecting the churches we work with. I won't go into detail but pray for God's intervention, repentance for those who are seeking unjust gain, and restoration of the property to the rightful owners.
As we face opposition on many fronts we are reminded that we are in a spiritual battle. Thank you for holding up our hands, like Aaron and Hur did for Moses in the desert. Victory is ours through Christ our Lord, who leads us in triumph and spreads his fragrance through us.
Blessings to each of you in His precious Name,
Luke and Gina Johnson
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| Happy New Year! |
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