Students' trip

    The weekend of May 23 and 24, Luke and 5 students from the Discipleship School ministered to a new village and their church. The village is accessible only by foot. It is truly a “new” village, with no public school available for the children. In this country, we are used to seeing every, single village have its own primary school. 

    These pioneers have built their homes far apart as they thrive on farming. There is a center/market, so the team was able to have an open-air meeting with choirs and evangelistic preaching. Three other churches also made the trek by foot, bringing their speakers and sound system (and choir members carrying the equipment!) for the weekend meetings.

    On Sunday, they were all up early and walking to the nearby stream where 15 people were baptized. The students then helped with the children’s meetings and the preaching at the main service. After a rousing meeting where 6 choirs performed, it was time for a quick lunch and then the 3 hour walk back. 

    But that was only to where they had left the car! They hopped in and drove about an hour to the ferry crossing. The ferry was on the other side, but it was quickly nearing the time when it would do its last crossing of the day. Thankfully, it did cross over, and the team made it back. It was 9 pm by the time Luke got home — dusty, tired and sore. But thankful for a good weekend trip to the village of Kasagati, where God is building His church!

Thank you for your continued prayers!

-- I hope to post photos of the trip... so please come back to check those out. --

May Update

Dear praying friends,

We are ever thankful to our Heavenly Father, for each one of you who faithfully prays for the work of the gospel here in Kigoma, Tanzania. We know that God is working, often in ways we cannot see. It will be an awesome thing to get to see one day all that God was doing “behind the scenes.”

Disciples of Jesus School

By the grace of God we were able to relocate the school to our new (albeit unfinished) campus. 👏👏  We are currently using all 4 rooms of the Office Block for the school’s operation. One for a classroom, 1 for a dormitory, 1 for a teacher’s bedroom and 1 for our “Dorm dad / spiritual leader” who lives on site. We praise God for the 5 students who are growing in their faith and practice. Please pray for God’s provision for the continuing development of the new property. 

Luke finished the 1st term at the end of March, in the old classroom.

Ahadi teaches the first class of the 2nd term in the new classroom!

Students playing volleyball after class on the new school property

The staff/chai room is temporarily used as the dorm. It's a tight fit for 3 bunk beds!

Elder’s seminar and conference

We are preparing to host 50 - 60 elders from the village churches for 2 days of teaching and 3 days of meetings (May 11-15). Please pray for the 3 teachers who will be teaching about Spiritual Leadership. Pray for the many who will be traveling and for encouragement and unity in the progress of the work of the gospel in our 3 Western regions of Tanzania.

Family

Our oldest daughter, Esther, has finished her first year of Nursing at Cedarville University.🥳 Over the summer she will be working as a nurse’s assistant at a summer camp in Ohio. We enjoyed having Emily back from boarding school for almost a month for her Easter break. She recently returned to finish her 10th grade year at Rift Valley Academy (RVA). Miss Paula, who has been teaching Aaron and Michael for the past 3 years has returned to the US. We appreciate the help she has been and will miss her. Gina is trying to finish a couple last subjects with them, as well as finish first grade with William. Pray for each of our children to grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Savior Jesus Christ.

Saying goodbye to Miss Paula. 😢

Other Ministries

There are other ministries we are involved in which we don’t often mention. I only mention them so that you can be praying for us; that we would be filled with wisdom, patience, joy and love in all that we do. 

- Luke is involved with teaching and planning for the Gungu church youth group (in Kigoma town). 

- We purchase Bibles and Christian books (all in Swahili) to sell at a discount price (not for profit) to those in need. Right now we are getting a book display ready for the upcoming elder’s conference. 

- We also provide donated reading glasses free of charge to many elderly believers who cannot read their Bibles anymore due to poor eyesight. 

- We assist many churches in the villages with building projects such as building chapels, and church houses (like a parsonage). 

- We assist national, Tanzanian missionaries who are ministering in remote areas. 

- We assist the poor with medical, educational, food and other needs. 

On top of that we have government paperwork, car repairs, general maintenance, and the needs of daily life. 

An example of an "extra" project:

Last week, Luke (with help from the boys) successfully repaired our broken washing machine!

Thank you for partnering with us in prayer. We serve the greatest of all Masters. He is our Sovereign Conquering King, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him belongs all the glory.

Blessings in His name,

Luke and Gina Johnson

February Update

Dear praying friends,

I have been reading through the book of Judges and I thank the Lord for his amazing grace in choosing and using weak vessels for his work, like the judges … and like you and I. We are certainly insufficient for the task but "we have this treasure (the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ) in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves." (2 Cor. 4:7) I can't help but think of the story of Gideon and his 300 men (Judges 7) who had torches (light) inside earthen vessels, and when they were broken the light shone forth in the darkness and God gave them a great victory against the enemy. We too must be broken and humbled before the light of Christ can truly shine through us, piercing the darkness and bringing victory against the enemy. Gideon and his men also sounded trumpets and called on the name of Yahweh, in whose strength they were going into battle. We too must sound the trumpet, as local gathered believers, calling in unison on the name of the LORD for His kingdom to come to our communities where He has placed us. O Lord, come to our aid. The enemy is strong but You are stronger.

Disciples of Jesus School

We continue with 6 committed young men at the discipleship school. We are nearing the end of the first term and have already made a ministry trip to the village and had a work day. Peter is starting to teach Old Testament survey (part 1) and then I will finish with Bible study methods before they take a break. We hope to move the school to the new property by next term but there is still some work to do out there. Please pray for the remaining work at the property to be completed and pray for the students to persevere and grow in their studies of the Word. We have also invited another man named Daudi Jeremia onto the school board to help us out. Pray for unity and a good transition for Daudi and us as we will begin working together in the coming months.

Ministry trip to Kirando church.

Work day at the future school property.

KLB Churches

The group of churches (assemblies) we work with are called KLB (Kanisa La Biblia) churches here in Tanzania. There are now 40 KLB churches in the 3 Western regions of Tanzania where we work. Most are in villages, and some are in bigger towns. Pray for revival and an outpouring of God's Spirit in His church. Pray especially for the elders of these assemblies. Many of them are struggling with poverty and are also neglecting to disciple and train up others to help them in the work. Pray for God to lead us to know how to help them. Pray for wisdom to know what to teach on for our annual meeting of the elders in May.

Family

We are thankful that God continues to provide for our needs and for the ministry here, through many of you. Esther, who is studying at Cedarville University, is currently on Spring break in Pennsylvania with the Swansons (Luke's 10th grade boarding school dorm parents). Pray for a restful time for her and continued strength as she pursues her nursing degree. Gina got a chance to spend midterm break with Emily in Nairobi Kenya mid-February. Our boys continue to homeschool here in Kigoma with us. 

Boys at school; boys at play.

Thank you for standing with us in prayer and for shining Christ's light where he has placed you.

Luke and Gina Johnson

January Update

Dear praying friends,

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.

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. 

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. 

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

Happy New Year!

October Update

 Dear praying friends,

We are doing well, in spite of some unrest in the country following the elections that took place on Oct. 29, 2025. Please continue to pray for complete peace to return.

Disciples of Jesus School

On Sat. Oct. 25, 2025, we had the graduation for our 5 discipleship students. It was a good time to celebrate God’s grace and goodness and to pray for the graduates as they return to serve the Lord in their local churches. Please pray for God to begin preparing students for next year. Lord willing we will begin on Jan. 12, 2026. Also pray for God’s guidance and provision as to whether we should finish the office block at the new property and use it as a temporary dorm and classroom and begin meeting there next year.

Five graduates

Gungu Youth

Luke continues to be involved with the youth at the Gungu town church. The leaders are teaching through the book of Galatians. This past Sunday a group of us took a trip to the village of Bukuba and helped teach Sunday school, youth group and do the preaching in the main service. We also got a chance to encourage their youth to keep meeting and expand their vision and outreach. Pray for the continued growth and service of the youth in all the village churches.

Sunday service at Bukuba church

Family news

We miss Esther but she is doing well at Cedarville University. Emily is doing fine after seeing the neurologist. She just needs to take a break from competitive sports and allow time for healing after multiple concussions. Thank you for praying. We are looking forward to having Emily back at the end of November for a one month long Christmas break. The boys continue with homeschooling and really enjoy fishing on Saturdays when we go to the beach. Luke and his dad have been modifying a small rowboat to be a 1 person sailboat and have had some fun trying it out.

We appreciate your continued interest in the work here in western Tanzania, and especially your prayers. We also appreciate your response to our newsletters. Please write us if you have any questions or want more information on any of the ministries here. We try to keep our newsletters brief, but much more could be said.

Grace and peace to you, from God our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ,

Luke and Gina Johnson

Beautiful Kigoma

September Update

Dear praying friends,

Now that we are back in the swing of things here in Kigoma it's time to write a newsletter.

In July we went to the graduation of our oldest daughter, Esther, from High School. It was a nice time celebrating with family. Luke's parents and 2 of his brothers and their families were also there.

Our graduate!

Our oldest and youngest. 😁

Hours after the graduation we flew to the US and landed in Seattle for a short, 6 week furlough. We were based in Yakima, Washington, and very much enjoyed our time with the saints at Tieton Drive Bible Chapel, our commending church. As always God provided a place to stay and a car to drive while we were there, through the love and generosity of His people (thank you Wendy Stone and John and Becky Meinzinger). During our time there we were able to visit a few churches and some friends and Aaron and Michael got to experience a week of boy's camp at Shiloh Bible Camp and William attended the chapel's VBS, while Gina and Esther and Emily helped out.

In the middle of our time our family flew to Ohio to drop Esther off at Cedarville University where she has begun to study nursing. It was nice to be able to see the campus and be there with Esther for orientation. While in the area we were able to meet some more believers and also visit the Ark Encounter (a life size replica of Noah's ark). We flew back to Seattle and spent a couple more weeks in Yakima before saying our goodbyes. Then we flew back to Nairobi, Kenya and dropped our second daughter, Emily, off at boarding school (Rift Valley Academy or RVA) where she has begun 10th grade. Finally we flew back to Tanzania, took the train from Dar to Dodoma, and then drove 13 hours from Dodoma to Kigoma. It took us about a week to recover from the trip and the jet lag, and unpack.

Troopers!

Our last day of travel...

Now we are involved again in the ministries here. A week ago Luke took a trip with a fellow teacher and the 5 students of the Disciples of Jesus School. We drove to the village of Songambele that has been doing outreach in 2 new areas (one of them takes 6 hours by foot to reach, and there is no road). They invited the believers from an older church plant and these 2 new church plants and it was a joyful time of celebration and encouragement to see what God is doing to spread the Good News to the ends of the earth. Luke is currently teaching a class on "Christ and the Holy Spirit" and then Harry Johnson will finish the year by teaching on "The End Times." Lord willing, these 5 students will graduate on Sat. Oct. 25, 2025. 

Packed church as Songambele hosts 3 churches.

Student, Lameck, giving a message.

Meanwhile we continue to support the village churches with Bibles and songbooks, reading glasses and assistance for various building projects. Also, we continue to support in various ways the Tanzanian missionaries who have gone out for the sake of the gospel.

Esther seems to be adjusting well to University, although she misses home. Our daughter Emily, at boarding school (RVA) has been having some episodes of dizziness, headaches and near fainting during sports activities. She has taken a break from sports and the Student Health team at the school has advised that she see a Neurologist and get some further testing. Gina will be flying to Kenya next week to be with Emily during that time. Aaron and Michael go daily to the house of Miss Paula, their teacher to do homeschool, and William is doing 1st grade with Gina, at home. 

Praise the Lord for safe travels and good time in the US.

Pray for a good finish to the year at the Disciples of Jesus School, and for the 5 students who will, Lord willing, graduate.

Pray for Gina as she goes to Kenya to be with Emily to see the Neurologist, and for Luke as he holds down the fort at home.

Pray for the village assemblies to mature and grow in their witness.

Pray for the Tanzanian missionaries who are reaching new areas and new people groups.

Thank you for lifting us up before the throne of grace.

In Christ,

Luke and Gina Johnson

📷  2025 Prayer Card.

Highlights from our furlough

Aaron and Michael fishing.

Long summer nights.

Delicious fruit in the valley.

Special memories with the girls.

Walks in ice cold rivers.

Camping with friends.

The youth challenging their fathers.

Mowing the lawn by machine, not hand.

Special treats.

Quiet times.

And more cold water!

Taco wagon tacos, a must.

VBS kids saying tons of verses for shoes.

Aaron visiting the ER.

More fruit.

Early morning drives.

Picnics by the side of the road.

Catching up with TZ friends.

Meeting the international community at Cedarville.

Dropping Esther off at Cedarville University.

Girls getting some last moments together.

We have a college student!!

Boys always finding time to fish.

Last dinner as a family of 7.

Visiting the Ark Encounter.

Inside the Ark.

Beautiful stops in WA state.

Boy that won't cooperate for a selfie.

Boy that will.

Seeing family!

And again, just because.

Loving the fruit of the valley!