Easter 2010

We have been in Kigoma for about two weeks now. Jesse, Joy and family came down from Burundi for a week-long break. Uncle Ken's three oldest daughters came along as well. The cousins (Esther, Zach and Micah) had lots of fun playing in the big house and in the water whenever they got a chance. Grandma made sure they had an easter egg hung in the yard. It was a full house with everyone here, we tried to not step on eachother's toes! At meal times there were 14 of us, and the preparations for a meal was no easy task.

Esther, Micah and Zach hiding in the linen closet.

April Update

New Beginnings

Dear praying friends and family,We said good-bye to the dear brothers and sisters of Kaziramihunda. They provided a meal for the church on our last Sunday together and we enjoyed sweet fellowship one last time. Luke was able to finish the Firm Foundations Course and also finish teaching thru the book of Galatians.Now we are safely in Kigoma town, on the shores of Lake Tanganyika. Our purpose in coming here was to establish a more central base from which we can go out and help teach, train, and provide resources to the village churches in the surrounding area.

We began searching for a house to rent and found many of them unfinished or  not ready for moving into.  Then God opened the door for a small cottage-likehouse that is on a former Baptist compound. There are some minor repairs and painting to do, as well as getting appliances and furniture, but otherwise it is available for us to move into right now. Thank you for those of you who prayed for us regarding this. We have already made arrangements with the landlords and we praise the Lord for His provision for us at this point in time.

Right now Jesse and Joy Johnson and family are visiting from Burundi and we are all staying at Harry and Ruth's place so they have a full house. After the Burundi folks return the Annual General Meeting of CMML missionaries of Northern Tanzania will take place here in Kigoma. Pray for those traveling and that all that is discussed and decided will expand God's kingdom here on earth. 

Then we hope to work on getting the house ready and moving in. We appreciate your prayers during this transition time. Oh, and one more thing that we forgot to mention last time is that Gina is pregnant and due the beginning of September, so we could use your prayers in that too. =)

Thanks for all of you who remember us in your prayers regularly. We remember you as well and thank the Lord for all of you who help hold up our weak arms, as Aaron and Hur did with Moses, so that God can win the victory here!

Serving a RISEN Savior,

Luke, Gina, Esther and ?  Johnson

Saying good-bye to Dr. Steven and his family

Ladies from the church on our last Sunday

The Scarf

Esther must wear her scarf wherever she goes. It accompanies whatever outfit she has on. When at home she spends hours adjusting her baby doll on her back and tying the baby on with her scarf, just the way the women here carry their babies. Her scarf is the one thing I allow her to take to church, and since her baby stays home she pretends she has a baby.  She will try and wear her scarf like a skirt, tucking it  in on the side. Otherwise she'll wrap it around her head and ask me to help her tie it. She doesn't consider herself properly dressed if she doesn't have her scarf, even when she's on her way to visit her friends, she must have it.

Esther following behind as we head to a Baptism site.

March Update

Dear praying friends, another month has gone by and it is time to write again and let you all know how we're doing.

There has been a lot of rain recently, which is good for the people's crops.  The people have started harvesting their beans, corn, and sweet potatoes. We have gotten several gifts of sweet potatoes and corn and are trying to figure out what to do with so much of it. 

Last Sunday we visited the Kasanda church for the last time before we leave. There are a few more people attending the church now, so they are slowly growing. They plan to have a baptism on Easter Sunday. They built a small stick frame and are now meeting under the tarp we got for them. They would like to purchase a small piece of land closer to the center of the town, but of course they do not have the means. We are still praying about that.

Kasanda Chapel

We only have about 3 weeks left before we move to Kigoma. I will be preaching every Sunday at Kazilamihunda until we leave, in order to finish up a series on Galatians that I started. I continue to teach the Firm Foundations course. We only have 7 lessons left before we're finished. The church is planning some farewell "thing" for us that we are not supposed to know about. 

Esther really loves to play with her friends and comes back to the house stained red from the soil. She is really picking up on Swahili and even some words in Kiha, the tribal language around here. She will be really sad to leave her friends here when the time comes.

Prayer requests:

- That we would finish strong here and make the most of the rest of our time.

- That God would provide a place for us to live in Kigoma that will be suitable for us  and our ministry.

- For wisdom as we become involved in ministry there in Kigoma.

In Christ,

Luke, Gina and Esther Johnson

Feasting on Flying Termites

Waiting patiently for the flying termites....

De-winging the termites...

The sum of our collection...

Crunchy and a bit salty, mmm!

February Update

Still learning

Hello dear praying friends, 

We are thankful to God for the work that He is pleased to do through us. We count it a privilege to be in Tanzania. We continue to LEARN from day to day more of God's calling for us here.

Gina and Esther continue to learn and practice their Swahili with the people around here, and I continue to learn new words as I prepare my messages.

I am still busy teaching the Firm Foundations course on Wednesdays and Saturdays each week. We still have about 2 months to go before we're finished.

On Tuesday I taught a one time class on baptism to the candidates, and one of the elders and I talked with each of them individually, as there is often a lot of confusion regarding why we baptize. We had the baptism today (Sat. Feb. 6), and six believers were baptized. We have been pleased to see the slow but steady growth of this local church during the time we have been with them. All glory be to God!

We visited the new church in Kasanda 2 Sundays ago and have agreed to help them get a tarp, since they currently meet under a mango tree. It is rainy season right now and they usually have to cancel their meetings when it rains, since their homes aren't big enough for them to meet in. 

The believers at Kasanda have also asked for us to teach the Firm Foundations course to them. At this point we can't do this, even though we do have a desire to help each church get firmly grounded in this way. Pray that God would show us when and how to go about doing this.

Prayer for:

-  God's Spirit to open spiritually blind eyes to the gospel through the teaching.

-  Our move to Kigoma at the end of March, and for suitable housing there.

-  Transition into the ministries in Kigoma and wisdom with involvement.

Thank you all for your prayers and support. May the Lord richly bless each one of you in your own service for Him.

In Christ,

Luke, Gina and Esther Johnson

Christmas in Kigoma

A day trip to a white rocky beach north of Kigoma...

Esther showing off her new hairstyle....

Esther's figured out that Christmas involves gifts...

Drilling a well at the Chapel in Kigoma ...

January Update

Dear family and friends,

First of all we would like to wish you all a blessed New Year. Our wish for  each of you this year is that you continue to grow in your knowledge of our Savior and become more like Him.

As we think back on this past year we can say that it has been one of many changes, yet through it all we have seen God's hand at work and experienced His faithfulness. When we look at the great task that has been entrusted to us we cannot help but feel inadequate, but we know that our "adequacy is from God" (2 Cor. 3:5) and so we persevere. God's infinite power is at work in and through us, frail clay vessels that we are. But this is so that all the glory will go to God (2 Cor. 4:7).

We would ask that your prayers for us this year would be directed toward our ownspiritual growth and development. With the changes and the pressures and the responsibilities and the requests for help, we can easily see how little the fruit of the Spirit is displayed in our lives. But we are called by God to display the glorious attributes of His Spirit in EVERY situation in our lives, not just when it is easy. This becomes even more important when God's reputation is at stake because we are His servants and representatives. We lament the fact that our sinful flesh seems to often veil "Christ in us" (Col. 1:27).

So would you please pray that we would display the Spirit's love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Gal. 5:22-23). And would you also pray that we would have the "wisdom from above" (James 3:17) for each situation that we are faced with this coming year.

Ministry (God's work through us) can only prosper insomuch as we are walking in close fellowship with Him and in obedience to His Word.

We thank God for all of you that pray for us.

With love in the Spirit,

Luke, Gina and Esther Johnson

December Update

Believers at the Kaziramihunda Chapel we attend...

Dear praying friends and family,

The recent rains have truly been a blessing for our neighbors who are mostly farmers. However the rain creates a set of new problems*ahem* adventures for us. The half-day trips to town for supplies could end up being a lot longer than expected if we happen to get caught behind some trucks that are stuck in the mud, and blocking the road.

I (Luke) continue to teach through the Firm Foundations course twice a week. We just finished the story of Joseph. I have also been preaching on Sunday mornings for the past 3 weeks, and I have been going through Galatians. So needless to say, I have been doing a lot of preparation work, and I'm getting quite worn out.

However, we plan on spending Christmas with Harry and Ruth Johnson (my parents in Kigoma), and it will be nice to get away for 3 weeks or so. Although it seems we have plenty of stuff planned for that time so I don't know how restful it will actually be. I plan on working ahead on the Firm Foundations courses and reading through some of the Swahili Christian books we got in order to familiarize myself with the resources that are available in Swahili. And then I need to work on the car ... and the list goes on. 

There is the possibility of a new church starting in another village nearby (Kasanda), so please pray for wisdom regarding that. This coming Sunday (Dec. 6), we will be visiting them. They are a small group of believers who meet in a home.

Pray for:

- Spiritual fruit and maturity from the teaching

- Wisdom regarding helping people and the possibility of this new church

- That we would have a restful, yet productive, Christmas break

Remembering our Savior's birth,

Luke, Gina and Esther Johnson

Bus trip - a letter to my Mom

We have arrived safely at Keza.
Thurs. we got on a "micro" that took us to Arusha, another big city about an hour from Moshi. We met up with some friends (Upendo, a Korean girl that works with YWAM and Teresa) from the Morogoro Language School. They took us to this wonderful Indian restaurant and had a feast and then went to Teresa's house (the American single lady that's a surgeon's nurse) where she had a room for us. We were all up by 5 am and after a breakfast they drove us to town to catch our bus that left right at 5:59 am. They weren't kidding about leaving on time (it was to leave at 6 am)!! And what a bus it was! The interior of the bus had been completely re-done locally. Our seats were welded onto steel bars, the luggage compartment was all steel as well with sharp corners that ended just above our seats. We were seated in the next to last row, just across from a tourist couple. Being in the back meant we felt every bump in the road, and we soon learned that the driver didn't quite feel the bumps the way we did! He wouldn't slow down nearly enough for the numerous speed bumps on our way out of Arusha. Our group of three seats was being occupied by 3 adults and two kids, one of the kids being 14 or so. Since her father had bought only one ticket, she sat on his lap the whole way, but he wasn't a small man and so it was a tight squeeze for the first 8 hours. All of a sudden one of those speed bumps sent us "back row" people flying some two feet in the air. The oriental man in the last row was clutching his neck in pain, he had been trying to get some sleep. We all just laughed it off and held on tightly, ready for the next leap. That's when I noticed the lady across the aisle from us, she looked so frightened, her eyes huge and anxious. Her friend next to her was clutching her wadded-up shawl tightly to his forehead. When the next bump hit just as hard she couldn't keep quiet any longer and started calling out saying that the driver should slow down, especially since her friend now had a gash over his left eyebrow and was bleeding. After a lot more shouting the driver finally slowed down and came to a stop. Everybody turned around to see the poor man who was in shock and looking very pale. They were given a seat up front while someone came to their seats. Of course that meant the girl had to sit in the aisle, nobody was willing to take the man's seat! (About an hour later a passenger was picked up and he headed to that empty seat, but he must have already heard the story 'cause he couldn't stop looking at the sharp metal just above his head and held on tightly to the seat in front of him).
3 hours later we stopped at a town to pick up more passengers and Luke bolted out of the bus to relieve himself. Of course Esther and I had to go as well so we made our way off the bus, stepping over luggage that was along the entire center aisle. Found the restrooms and after paying went to stand in line with some other 20 women who looked miserable from "holding it" so long. There were only two women in front of me when the father of the 14 year old girl came running to say that the bus was leaving. The two bathroom doors opened immediately and the young girl emerged while the rest of the ladies in line turned around to run toward the bus. Well, I was next in line now, so I jumped in to help Esther go and I couldn't leave without going myself, all the while people shouted outside to stop the eager bus driver. Grabbing Esther I ran the whole way to the bus as it continued to pull away. Esther laughed her head off the whole while and everybody just laughed with her seeing a gringa running to catch her bus. Well, we learned our lesson and barely sipped at our water bottles the rest of the day.
Finally at just past 6 pm we pulled into Kahama where we found a guest house to spend the night. We were up before 5 am the next morning and off to the bus station to board our second bus which promptly left at 6:02 am. We thought the first bus was bad, ... this one had seats falling apart and windows that didn't close properly on top of bad suspension and zero cushion for our seats. The bus started off not quite full but by the time we arrived at Keza it was filled with people crowding the aisle that it was difficult to move past them when our destination approached. Feeling every achy bone and joint we hauled our two bags (SO glad we didn't pack more) up the drive way to our house. That was at 10:20am.
The first thing we did was boil some water so Luke and I could have our morning coffee and then we sat down for a bowl of corn flakes. Two hours later we were groggy from our nap but wanted to start unpacking. Finally at around 3 pm got the motivation to get into our car and drive the half hour to Kibondo for a much needed grocery shopping. We arrived at the market just as the rain started to pour, so we purchased the things on our list as fast as we could and got back in the car with two freshly roasted corn on the cobs to share on the drive back. The road out of town was slick, a toyota in front of us was sliding all over the place so we took our cue and went at a crawl over the red clay soil. A truck had already slid into the ditch and guys were running back with dry grass to place in front of the wheels for traction. As we neared Keza we noticed that the rain had reached there as well and things were still very wet. Sure enough, at the bottom of our last hill was a huge semi jack-knifed and blocking 3/4 of the road. Luke decided to check and see if it was safe to squeeze past and the men said it was fine. As he headed back to the car the semi truck driver decided to straighten out and in so doing blocked the entire road! Motorcyclists approached the scene and drove up the bank and into the bushes in order to get around the semi. Luke thought he'd be able to do the same but wanted to run home quickly to get his machete first. Then the rain started pouring. Luke was the one with a raincoat so he grabbed a few grocery bags and headed home while Esther and I stayed in the dry car. Just before Luke returned another 4WD vehicle was the first to attempt what the motorcycles had been doing and was successful. So I was anxious to have Luke back and try the same, seeing that the sun had already set and we'd have no option but to leave the car behind with Luke spending the night with it to guard. Mr. Englebert (manager at Keza) showed up just then, knowing that we were there had come down to encourage Luke to try and drive around the semi before too much traffic ruined the detour with their ruts. So, Luke put the vehicle into 4WD and we headed into the bushes, it was no problem at all and we were back on the road and needing to go into the ditch in order to get around another truck that had shut off its engine, resigned to spend the night on the road just as the rain started up again.
It was wonderful to be back home and sleeping in our own beds. We decided to drive to church this morning once Luke saw that the semi and other trucks had moved on earlier in the morning. But just as we were saying good-bye to Anton and his family the thunder and dark clouds were approaching. By the time we got home it was raining, and it continues to do so at this hour (5 pm). I hear some engines revving, I wonder if it's another truck getting stuck on the slick clay road. Rainy season means we might have trouble on the road but it's also needed by the many farmers. Just north of us the people have planted but they still haven't here because they haven't had the long rains.