September Update

Dear praying friends,

Since our last newsletter we made a quick trip (6 full days of driving) to Kenya and back to drop off our oldest daughter, Esther, at Rift Valley Academy. God worked a miracle regarding the required negative Covid tests which did not all come through on schedule but God made a way through the prayers of His people. Esther has started 9th. grade and is adjusting well to the academic and social life of boarding school, although we miss her here at the house. On the way back to Kigoma we stopped in at the Serengeti national park and got to see some of the african wildlife that tourists come to see. 

Pray for Esther and us as we adjust to the separation.

Saying goodbye to Esther.

Arriving at the main entrance at sunrise.

Baboon on our car while we get signed in.

Ostrich in the Serengeti.

We have recently visited 4 different churches and plan to visit another one this Sunday with the discipleship students. Luke taught a course on Christ and the Holy Spirit at the Disciples of Jesus school and we are now making preparations for graduation which will take place on Saturday Oct. 23, 2021. 

Pray for the students to serve the Lord as they return to their home churches. Pray for the spiritual growth of the assemblies of believers here.

A young student preaching.

Selling Bibles at a very discounted price.

Another exciting development, that has kept Luke extra busy, is the building of a chain link fence around the new property which was purchased to build the discipleship school. Luke has been trying to keep up with the demand of building supplies and make sure things get done right. The property is located on the edge of town with no water or electricity services. Also the road is pretty bad and you have to cross 2 small streams before a steep hill. The motorcycle has been quite useful for going out there and checking on the progress of the work. The fence is almost complete and the last gate nearly installed. Lord willing, we should finish by the end of this week. 

Pray for the Lord to be glorified through this property and that each step of its development would be completed in His time.

Installing the chain link fence.

Getting ready to install one of the side gates.

Since getting back from Kenya, Gina has been busy with homeschooling Emily, Aaron and Michael, and we have all been busy trying to potty train 2 year old William. To add to all the fun and extra business is some plumbing issues in the house which require chipping away at concrete and locating and replacing old copper pipes. But it is not all work. Luke was able to go fishing with the older kids one day and also get an old control line model airplane running. We also managed to squeeze in a date night as a couple, thanks to Grandpa and Grandma babysitting services. We are thankful for the good health that God has blessed us with lately. We are all looking forward to rainy season and saying good bye to dust and brown and hello to mud and green. Pray that we would be clean vessels, ready to be used by the Lord to accomplish His purposes.

Thank you for your prayers. They are much needed and by the power of God they make a difference. We thank the Lord for your partnership in the gospel. We thank Him for how He is using you wherever you are. May we all be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. Amen.

Blessings,

Luke and Gina for the family

Back in Tanzania

We are so happy to be back in Tanzania!

But we're not quite home when the plane lands. There's a whole country to drive across, a straight line from east to west. Thankfully it's mostly paved, but that doesn't make it less dangerous.

Driving across the country. again.

Esther singing in the choir at the local church.

The kids spend most of their days outside.

Luke spends most of his days fixing something. =)

Back to school; learning about magnets.

Emily in her element, sailing on lake Tanganyika.

Luke doing what he loves: teaching God's Word.

William doing what he loves: eating!

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.

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

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

What a trip!

Just wanted to let you know that we arrived safely in Kigoma. What a trip!

The train pulled in at 7:20 pm on Friday. That was way earlier than we thought and a nice bonus to be able to be in our house before 8 pm and sitting down for a supper (that was all prepared in advance by our house helper, Grace). We were all bathed or showered and in our beds shortly after that. Boy, did it feel good to sleep in our own beds. Of course we were all up around 2 am. Emily walked right past me in the hallway with her Bible and into the living room at one point, while I put the boys down for the 16th time. She matter-of-factly tells me that she’s going to read her bible now. Well, I reminded her of the time and that she had to wait for the sun to come up first if she wanted to be out of bed!

It’s just amazing to think that everything went as planned, the car trip, with meeting up with Larry at SeaTac to get our two suitcases and giving him the car, and then onto 3 long flights, the luggage all arriving in Dar, and then our train tickets waiting for us at the motel where we stayed before getting on the train. We had no idea how it would all turn out. We prayed that God would just make things happen because a lot of things were out of our control.

While in Newark, we decided to use the smartphone one last time to check for any new e-mails. So we found a place to sit and charge it for a bit and then we fired it up. The first e-mail that caught our attention was from the man in Dar who had purchased our train tickets… well he said that something urgent had just come up so he was not able to meet us at the train station as planned. So where should he have the tickets sent? Wow, we hadn’t thought of that sudden change. And we had to think fast. So that is how the train tickets ended up at our motel. We had already made reservations at this hotel for one night so we figured it was the safest place to have something like tickets be dropped off.

God protected and guided every step of the way. I had prayed that the luggage wouldn’t arrive. You see I had visions of us arriving at a very crowded Dar Es Salaam train station with 6 pieces of checked luggage, all of our carry on back packs and our 4 kids, ... in the pouring rain. I figured it’d be simpler to have the airline figure out how to get our luggage to Kigoma if they misplaced it and all we had to deal with was our carry ons and the kids. But our luggage did arrive, and the moment of checking into the train station wasn’t as chaotic as it could have been. And it did rain very hard, but not until we were settled into our cabin!

All of our checked bags fit under the bunks, and the two carry ons were used by the boys to stand on and look out the window. So it wasn’t too crowded on the train after all.

So today we are busy unpacking and organizing. It rained in the night and it has stayed overcast all day so it’s nice to have cooler weather. And the cooler weather meant that our beach day was cancelled, and just as well as we have so much to do to get this place ship-shape.

Luke begins teaching on Monday. Tomorrow we will see everyone at the local church. The kids have had a chance to pick guavas and eat fresh mangoes, now they are catching up with the neighbor kids.

And I need to prepare supper.
Bye for now.
Gina for the family

Getting comfortable for a night at SeaTac, or uncomfortable.

The calm train station... maybe it's because we were more than an hour early!

Back on the train, feels so familiar...  it's only our 4th time this year!

First african meal on the train. Dig in!

Lake Tanganyika, at last!

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.