February and March Update

Dear praying friends,

We thank our God and Father for the many of you who were praying for Luke's ministry trip down south to visit 3 village churches. We were greatly encouraged by the many who responded and told us they were praying. We could sense the Spirit's presence and sustaining power as we ministered, and we believe this was due to the prayers of the saints.

On Wednesday, March 3 I (Luke) left Kigoma with one of the elders from the town church (Peter) and a young man (Charles). In spite of heavy rains on the way down we were able to reach the first village (Kahwibiri) in about 3.5 hours and teach a seminar on giving to the Lord and His work. As we were setting up for films another light rain began so we had to move the equipment inside the chapel. Due to a mishap during set up the speaker fell off it's stand and 2 pieces broke off of the plastic casing at the top. In spite of this the speaker continued to work and we finished without any more problems.

Seminar teaching at the chapel in Kahwibiri.

Lots of rain!

Spending time with the believers in Kahwibiri.

The next day (Thurs.) we drove on to the second village (Igalula). We took with us the elder from the church we had just visited. After about 1.5 hours we got to a place in the road where the bridge had been washed out from the rains the day before. The villagers were busy fixing it by hand with rocks and sand. After some time we began to help them to make it go faster. We were able to cross but soon we took a wrong turn and got lost. We had to turn around and find our way back to the wrong turn. After that we entered a plain with many muddy spots. Soon we got stuck in the black mud. We had to dig and push ourselves out. We continued to encounter many bad spots but we were able to make it through and get to the elder's house in our destination village. After being fed we went to the chapel for one late afternoon teaching session. Then we set up for gospel films. The next day (Fri.) Luke taught all day on "Church growth principles" taken from the book of Acts. In the evening we showed films again.

Bridge on the main road got washed out.

Then the temporary bridge was in need of repair.

Roadway covered in water in many sections.

Arriving at Igalula and meeting outside with the believers.

Seminar teaching on day 2 in Igalula.

The following day (Sat.) we left for the next village (Buhingu) with the elder from the church we had just visited. The road was really bad so we had to take it slowly. Eventually we got to a very deep, wide, muddy crossing. After hearing from the locals that a car (ambulance, actually) had gotten stuck there the day before and had to be pulled out we decided to leave our car at the local police station, take our belongings and walk the rest of the way. It was only a 30 minute walk before we reached the house of the elder in that village. We were received by the believers there and after a quick breakfast, Luke taught on "Church growth principles" again both in the morning and in the afternoon. The locals really wanted to have films so they sent a motorcycle to go get the film equipment in 3 trips. In the evening we set up for films but the projector kept on shutting off. After almost an hour of having trouble we were able to begin showing the Jesus film but after about 1 hour a storm that had been brewing brought some gusty wind which blew over our screen. We decided to pack up. The next day we met with the disciples again for our Sunday meeting. Peter preached.

That's as far as the car can go.

Walking into the village of Buhingu.

Buhingu and Igalula are on the shores of Lake Tanganyika.

Chapel building at Buhingu.

Believers gathered for seminar on Saturday afternoon.

Fellowship and food.

Peter preaching Sunday morning at Buhingu.

After the service we had a quick lunch before getting 5 motorcycles to take us and the film equipment back to the car. After loading up the car we headed all the way back to Kigoma. Many of the bad muddy spots had dried enough to pass and the temporary bridge was still intact. After that it started raining really hard again and we almost didn't make it up one steep hill because of the slick mud but the Lord helped us. We were able to make it back home safely at 8 PM.

Please continue to pray for the saints in these villages, and the leaders, that they would apply these principles of church growth and see the Lord's hand of blessing on their assemblies.

Japhet continues to teach our 9 faithful students at the Disciples of Jesus school. Then Peter teaches 1 more module before we wrap up our first term. Please pray that the students would grow in their faith and knowledge of the Word and be equipped for service.

On the home front, Gina continues to homeschool 4 of the 5 kids and is trying to finish the school year before our fast-approaching furlough. Please pray for Gina and the kids to finish the school year in time. Please pray for us as we make furlough plans and try to wrap up many things before our trip. 

Upcoming, we have a church business meeting on Sat (Mar. 13) at the local Gungu church here in town. Then at the beginning of April we will have our Annual General Meeting of missionaries. This year we will have a joint meeting in Dodoma with our German missionary colleagues who mostly work in the southern half of the country. Please pray for unity, peace and love during these meetings. After that we go from there to Dar to catch our flight to the US and, Lord willing, have our furlough. Please pray for negative Covid test results for all of us so that we will not be hindered from leaving.

As always, we praise our Lord and Savior for your faithful partnership with us in the gospel.

In Christ,

Luke, Gina and the kids.

Prayer card

Here's a recent family photo and the required prayer card/missionary card we had ready for the summer furlough that never happened. So, here it is instead, for you to print and then put on your fridge. =)

Thanks for your prayers!

Blessings in Christ,

Luke and Gina Johnson

First Update for 2020

Dear praying friends, it has been a long time since we wrote an update and we apologize for that. Thank you for those of you who continue to pray for us regularly.

Disciples of Jesus school

We are nearing the end of our 2nd trimester at the Bible school. We have 11 students still going strong. We have begun visiting village churches with the students, giving them opportunities to minister and use their spiritual gifts. Please pray that they would continue persevering and that they would be eager to learn and obey God's word.

Moving house

We successfully moved house and are settled into a smaller one than before, reminding us that we need to downsize and give things away. The kids enjoy the "forest" out back and playing with the Kinlaw kids and other neighbors kids in the afternoons.

Christmas with family

Over Christmas and New year we were able to drive to Kenya to meet up with many of the Johnson siblings and their families and Dad and Mom Johnson. We spent part of the time in the capital city, Nairobi, and we also spent a few days at the coast. The kids enjoyed exploring the ocean reef at low tide and snorkeling in the marine park and seeing the beautiful sea life that God's creative word fashioned. After returning in early January we were blessed with a 3 week visit from Mark and Carol Mattix and Fionna (Gina's parents and niece). There were some home improvement projects, a hike, a stay at the beach, and a visit to Katavi National Park, as well as much time to talk and visit.

Car repairs

On our long drive to Kenya (3 days going and 3 days returning) we noticed that our car was burning a huge amount of oil. We knew that the engine needed a major overhaul. Luke decided to take the car to Burundi to get it fixed. We now have it back after 3 weeks in the garage. Please pray that our car would continue to run well and be useful for God's kingdom.

Furlough plans

Some of you may already know that we plan to be in the US from April 24 to July 16, 2020. We plan on traveling a lot, starting on the East Coast and making our way to the West Coast and back for our return flight. Because of the current Coronavirus pandemic we are holding our travel plans loosely. We continue to pray but are confident that our times are in God's hands.

Family

Gina is trying to get as much homeschool done with the kids before our trip. Michael (5 yrs) just recently learned to ride his bike and is starting to learn how to swim. Baby William at 9 months is crawling/cruising around the house and keeping us on our toes. We are thankful for each of our kids.

After their recent dental check-up, they are very happy!

Blessings in Christ,

Luke and Gina Johnson

February and March Update

Dear praying friends, we trust you had a worshipful Easter. We have a wonderful Savior who was not only willing to die for us, but had the power to rise again.

We praise the Lord for each one of you and are thankful for your prayers and gifts that sustain us in our Master's service. 

Disciples of Jesus School

Today the students took their last exam (Church and Missions) and Lord willing we will celebrate their graduation next Saturday (May 4th). We will have 6 graduates. 2 men, 1 woman, 2 young men and 1 young lady. Please pray that they would continue on in the Lord's service and that He would guide their steps.

Luke teaching "Christ and the Holy Spirit" at the Disciples of Jesus School.

Land purchased for Disciples of Jesus school

The paperwork for the land that was purchased for our Bible school is moving along slowly but surely. There are many many requirements, but we think we are nearly done submitting everything in order to get the title deed. Please pray that the title deed would be issued without any more delays once the paperwork is submitted.

Evangelism Seminar

Tomorrow and the next day (Friday and Saturday Apr. 26-27) our fellow worker John Kinlaw will be teaching in Swahili. Please pray for him that the Holy Spirit would communicate clearly through him (in spite of language constraints). Pray also that the methods and illustrations presented would equip and inspire the believers as we go out in teams to preach Christ in the afternoons.

Peter and Naomi - Missionaries to the Wataturu tribe

On May 6 Peter (elder at our chapel) and his wife, Naomi plan to visit an unreached tribe. It will be Peter's 5th visit but Naomi's first. Pray for the Lord's protection over them and that our Savior God would open doors for His Word to continue to be sown. Peter shared a testimony that already 2 people have made professions of faith in Christ and 1 more is waiting for Peter to come and then he will make his decision. Pray for lasting fruit. Pray for the Lord's guidance for Peter and Naomi as to when and how they can move there full time. Pray for the Tanzanian churches to rise to the occasion of sending and supporting a full time missionary family. 

Peter and Naomi singing a special number at church.

Family Life

For the past 2 weeks our family has been fighting sickness. First it was a bad cold that made its rounds (only Esther was spared). Then it was worms that affected the 2 boys (so we all took worm medicine). That was followed by a flu which started with Aaron (vomiting and extreme weakness) and passed on to Michael (who is still recovering). Please pray for our health at this time, and especially for Gina to stay healthy in these last few weeks before delivery. We eagerly await the arrival of our 5th child, but please pray for safety for mother and child.

We know that our Almighty God will accomplish much for his glory as you labor with us in prayer.

Blessings and peace to you all, in our Savior's name

Luke, Gina and the kids

Dec. and Jan. Update

Dear praying friends and family, we thank our Lord for each one of you who remembers us in prayer. Your prayers are needed as we fight for our King. We are weak and need His strength.

There was a 3 day Christmas conference at the Gungu town church. We invited believers from the neighboring village of Nkungwe. Over the New Year we were able to spend some time with Jesse and Danny's families (Luke's brothers) who came down from Burundi for a few days. Some of us even got the first time experience of scuba diving in the lake.

At the beginning of January we met with Harry and Ruth Johnson and John and Jenniffer Kinlaw for a missionary planning meeting for the year. Please pray for the Holy Spirit to revive the churches in this region, bringing repentance and an urgency to proclaim the gospel to the unsaved. Pray that the church leaders would humble themselves and be servant leaders who are worthy of imitation.

On January 14 we started the 3rd term of the Disciples of Jesus school. We continue with 5 faithful students and Harry Johnson is currently teaching on the End Times. We hope to make 3 ministry trips to the villages. Our 4th year graduation is planned for the end of April and Lord willing we will have 8 graduates. Please pray that they lay their lives on the altar and for God to use them. We were able to purchase a piece of land for expanding the discipleship school. Please pray that we will be able to get the title deed from the land office and not be cheated by them like last time.

Luke is coming to the end of his marathon teaching series on the Holy Spirit (begun in Sept. 2018) at the local town church of Gungu. We are encouraged at the good attendance on Wednesday afternoons. Please pray that each one would yield to the Holy Spirit, discover their spiritual gift and begin to use it for the building up of the body of Christ.

Our son Michael recently turned 4 years old. The older three, Esther, Emily and Aaron work hard at their schooling which is all done at home. We are thankful for the Lord's healing of Gina from the malaria she had, and pray He will bring full recovery and strength to her body. Pray that she will stay healthy during the remainder of this pregnancy. We all eagerly await the arrival of the newest member of our family, due in May.

Blessings in Christ,
Luke and Gina Johnson

July, August and September Update

"How great are his signs, how mighty His wonders! His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and his dominion endures from generation to generation." (Dan. 4:3)

Greetings to all of you in our wonderful Savior's name. It has been a while since we wrote a proper update; the end of June, to be specific.

After the evangelistic conference in Songambele, my father, some church elders and I took a 5 day trip down south. I was dropped off with one other elder at the village of Katumba where we have a church. We team taught a 2 day seminar and then fellowshipped with the believers on Sunday. Meanwhile my Dad and the other elders went further south to visit 4 new churches for the first time. All in all the trip went well, the fellowship was uplifting and God's Word was taught.

The following week, in the middle of July, the Gungu town church hosted 3 days of meetings for the local elders of the Kigoma region. Besides discussing ministry and administrative items the Scriptures were taught 2 of the evenings.

The following week there was yet another evangelistic conference, 6.5 hours north-east of Kigoma, in the village of Kasanda. This time I was able to go with my family and we picked up 2 elders along the way. The seminar times in the morning were poorly organized and very late in starting, yet well attended. The afternoons consisted of open air preaching and in the evenings we showed the "King of Glory" film in Swahili.

Getting ready to show "King of Glory" in Kasanda.

5 believers baptized in the river at Kasanda.

By this time we were ready for a break and the last week of July we got to go to a missionary retreat on Lake Kivu in Rwanda. It was a wonderful time of being taught in the mornings (with the kids attending their own program) and the afternoons full of family activities and/or relaxing by the water. On the way back to Kigoma we stopped by to visit Danny & Anne Johnson (Luke's younger brother's family) in Gisuru, Burundi.

"Camping" in Rwanda for a week.

Kid having fun in the water

As soon as we got back the discipleship course started its 2nd term. Then toward the end of August we got a brief visit from Brook Ford (former missionary in Kigoma). It was great to see her again, and she spent much of it, traveling, teaching and ministering to the ladies. While that was going on we snuck in another visit to Burundi, this time to see Jesse and Joy Johnson (Luke's older brother's family) who had just returned from the US.

We got back just in time for me to begin teaching on Salvation at the Disciples of Jesus school, and also once a week at the mid-week Bible study at the Gungu town church.

Luke teaching at Disciples of Jesus School.

I just got back from another evangelistic conference in the village of Munzeze. The seminar was well received and prompted some good questions. The gospel preaching was met with no visible response, although the Word was faithfully sown, and will not return void. There seems to be a spiritual blindness over that village; even the evangelical churches are very stagnant, with little or no growth. Please pray for that village, that Satan's strongholds would be broken down and the veil lifted from people's eyes.

Harry Johnson teaching the morning seminar at Munzeze.

Gina has begun a new school year of homeschooling, and now Aaron has begun kindergarten. Please pray for Gina as she tries to find time to focus on each of the 3 school children. It is not an easy task, I assure you, especially with a little 3 year old (Michael) who feels left out.

Lately I have been challenged about the need to unite in prayer for the churches of the Kigoma region. Pray that they would grow and multiply with vitality and boldness, like the churches in the book of Acts. Please join with us in prayer for the outpouring of God's life-giving Spirit. God may be wanting us to take a bold step in a new direction, but we want to make sure we are following His lead, and not our own agenda. Prayer is the key that will open this new door. Please pray with us.

Thank you for your partnership with us in the gospel.

Grace and peace be multiplied to you,

Luke, Gina, Esther, Emily, Aaron and Michael

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

2 of 3 - Ministry Boat Trip - Igalula

Emineli steering the boat.

On May 10, 2017 the team continued on their way and sailed further south until they anchored at the village of Igalula.

Amosi on the boat, anchored at Igalula.

The believers at Igalula have finished their foundation to their church building, so they have been working hard at making and firing the bricks that are needed for building the walls. Now with their bricks fired they are ready to continue.

Amosi standing on the church building foundation.

The current church building is made of palm branches with a grass roof.

The current chapel at Igalula.

The boat was tied to an island of reeds.

In preparation for the boat trip, Luke worked on getting some old solar panels fixed up. Emineli helped wire the cables and install lights so the boat was well lit after dark, unlike most village homes.

Solar panels for the boat.

Harry and Luke showed films for 2 nights at Igalula. On the second night, after showing films and packing up the equipment, a young woman was brought to the local elder's house to be prayed for. She had not spoken for a day and a half and was staying with her grandmother.  So before returning to the boat, Amosi, Luke, Polo and two other local believers prayed for this young lady. She sat on the mat in a daze, but as soon as they started praying for her she started shaking. Finally they laid her down on the mat and she continued to shake for a while and then became still. Not long after they finished praying, she sat up as if she had woken up from a sleep. One of the local elders began to talk to her and she responded like a normal person. She was a muslim but had been to a Christian conference and had been prayed for and even repeated the sinner's prayer, but she did not understand who Christ was and what He had done for her. They shared the gospel with her and asked her if she would like to have her sins forgiven by trusting in Christ. She agreed and prayed. The elders prayed for her once more and then gave her advice about meeting with believers and praying and reading God's Word and trusting in His power over demons. She was later given a new testament. Her name is Shakira. Please continue to pray for her, to be completely freed from the powers of darkness.

Many muslims in our area are severely oppressed by demons and need deliverance thru the power of Christ who has overcome the evil one.

1 of 3 - Ministry Boat Trip - Sigunga

On May 8, 2017, Luke went on a ministry boat trip. He went on his father's boat, Wings of the Morning, along with Harry and Ruth Johnson (his parents) and Emineli Jonathan and Polo Nasibu. The purpose of the trip was to visit 3 village churches to the south of Kigoma. Two of these villages are not accessible by land, but only by lake.

So, I went with the kids at 7 am to the Kikodeco port to bid them farewell.

Getting everything ready to untie the ropes.

They finally pulled up anchor at 8 am and were off. As they went past the Ujiji bay at 10 am the swells were quite high and rocking the boat. The kids and I prayed for a safe trip and for calm waters during the week that they were traveling. But we also prayed for rain for ourselves, we desperately wanted one good rain before the dry season set in for good!
Finally at around 6 pm, I got word that they had arrived at Kirando, a safe harbor for spending the night. Here they picked up one more crew member, Amosi Amani.

Polo working on the boat.

Dropping anchor at Kirando.

The next morning they were off again and only had to sail some 2 hours to get to their destination, the village of Sigunga.

Pulling into Sigunga.

Here they had the opportunity to see the church property, which the believers had to level before building the foundation to their church building.

Rocks that were carried and placed by hand.

The believers at Sigunga standing on their new foundation.

Ruth Johnson taught Bible lessons to the children.

Ruth with children at Sigunga.

The village of Sigunga sits on a steep hill and all of the trails in the village are almost vertical. It is also hard to terrace the land for building due to the many rocks.

Women coming down to the lake to get water.

The boat is safely anchored in the bay, but nobody ventured to cool off in the waters nearby. The local people say there is a crocodile that likes to live among those reeds.

Wings of the Morning

As the sun set, they got the film equipment ready and showed Christian films (The Hope and Le Combat) to some 200 people in the open air until 10 pm. Luke gave an invitation to anyone wanting to accept Christ after the films.

Harry and Emineli showing films at Sigunga.

February Update

Dear praying friends and family, 

We praise the Lord for His goodness to us, for his mercies endure forever.

Ministry

We prayed for a good turnout for the Disciples of Jesus school and we asked you to pray, and the Lord answered our prayers. We were expecting around 7 or 8 and we got (and still have) 14 students! Two of them are from villages and the rest are from town. We have a good mixture of both adults and youth, male and female. And they are all eager to learn and seem quite well behaved. I (Luke) finished teaching “History of Salvation” (a survey of God’s plan of salvation throughout the Bible) for 3 weeks. Now Peter Yamungu is teaching on how to study the Bible and prepare to teach or preach on a passage (Homiletics). Pray for him as he has begun to feel sick. Please pray also for the students, that they would continue to be faithful in their attendance and eagerness to learn and apply God’s Word to their lives.

Students taking their exam.

Next week we plan to have a 3 day seminar at the Gungu town church on evangelism (particularly to Muslims). God has placed His church there in Gungu as a lighthouse in a predominantly Muslim neighborhood, but our “light” has not been shining very bright, and there is much fear when it comes to witnessing to Muslims. On the second and third days of the seminar we plan to go out and visit our neighbors door to door and talk with them about Jesus. Please pray that friendships would be developed and that this will be an ongoing exercise through which God’s Spirit will draw Muslims to Christ. We need you to pray for this seminar, and we need you to pray for Christ’s church at Gungu! Please remember us in prayer on the 13th - 15th (Mon - Wed) of February! We know our God is able to do mighty things if we are prepared to suffer for Christ’s sake and step out in faith, and we need the support of your prayers.

Family

Much of our family has been sick with upset tummies for a while (especially Luke and Michael). We have been tested and have taken medicine but our condition has not improved much. We have been enjoying the rain and the green grass and the beautiful sunsets lately. Aaron has just learned to ride a bike so he’s pretty excited about that. Esther and Emily enjoyed staying up until midnight when going with their mom to a muslim friend’s wedding.

Aaron riding his bike.

Thanks for praying for us.

Blessings,

Luke and Gina and kids

August Update

Dear praying friends and family, an update on the work here is long overdue.

We arrived back in Kigoma exactly 4 weeks ago, after traveling to the US for Steven's wedding (Luke's youngest brother). The wedding went very well and we were happy to see many friends and family members. Our stay at the CMML guesthouse was enjoyed by the whole family and we are grateful for the rest we had there.

The Johnsons who attended the wedding.

On our way back we spent almost a week in Kenya with Jacob and Annette Hebert and their 2 boys (Annette is Luke's sister) before making the 3 day drive back to Kigoma.

Aaron and his cousin Carl.

Since returning we have been very busy with car & motorbike repairs, paperwork, and planning for the Disciples of Jesus school graduation. On Saturday, Sept. 3 we had 4 students graduate (just like last year). Please pray that these young people would love the Lord with all their hearts and serve Him faithfully.

Daudi and Shadrack, Happy and Prisca.

Last Sunday we were able to visit a new church plant in a village about 1.5 hours away. We went with a couple of the elders from nearby churches, who are ministering to them at this early stage. We also took Bibles for them to buy at a reduced price. Pray that these believers would be firmly rooted and grounded in the Word, that they might understand God's will for them.

A young girls' choir sings for the church service that is outside.

That very afternoon there is another choir ready to sing!

Unfortunately, a young people's conference and seminar had to be cancelled after the youth leadership were not happy with some of the elder's decisions. Please pray for humility and repentance for the youth leaders, and that there would be a spirit of unity and a willingness to work together.

On the home front we continue to homeschool Esther and Emily. Luke has decided to do science with the girls and Gina does the other subjects. We try and do double each day with Esther so that we can finish 3rd grade and start 4th. This is because her 3rd grade schoolbooks were held up in a container for over half the school year. Pray for strength for Gina as she keeps house, takes care of 2 young boys, cooks, and also tries to find time to homeschool.

Taking a hike on Luke's 35th birthday.

Emily blowing out 6 candles!

Since returning we have also been battling with various illnesses, including worms, bad colds, and malaria. It seems there is always at least 1 or 2 in the family who are not feeling well. Please pray for Aaron to get over malaria and pray for the others who have long been trying to get over their colds. 

Luke continues to meet regularly with an old Muslim man named Nyamweru. They are reading "The King of Glory" book together (in Swahili), 1 or 2 chapters at a time. Only recently has he begun to discuss the things we are reading so we are thankful for the Spirit's work in him. Today our muslim neighbors and friends remember Abraham's sacrifice and make animal sacrifices of their own.  Please pray that God would help them to understand the ultimate sacrifice of the Lamb of God.

Thank you for your prayers.

Blessings in Christ,
Luke and Gina, and Esther, Emily, Aaron and Michael.