Traveling to the US

 Well, it's time we go on a furlough. A real furlough. Actually leave the continent of Africa. It's been 44 months since we've visited the US, the many family and friends and supporting churches. 

It's long over-due.

We tried to have a furlough after our typical 3-year stay on the "mission field", but that was the year 2020. Lots of crazy stuff happened that year, one of them being canceled flights, which affected many people world wide.

So here we are: US furlough take 2!

It begins with a 2-day road trip across the country of Tanzania (the size of 3 California States!), from Kigoma to the coast and city of Dar Es Salaam.

Long hours in the crowded car!

The sights from driving across the country:

Trucks carrying big loads.

Bicyclists carrying big loads.

Beautiful, puffy white clouds.

Threatening, dark, gray clouds.

Then, once in the city, it's time to get covid tests and allow for a couple days to get results. William isn't 2  years old yet, so he's the only one who doesn't need a covid test for entry into the USA.

Everyone is very excited for the international flight. Especially the movies.

Waiting in the Dar airport.

But after a 6 hour flight, the newness of it all wears off. We arrive for our layover, and we try our best to get comfortable for our 10-hour stay in the airport.

Everyone is getting a good sleep at the Dubai airport.

We board our flight to New York, and after a 13 hour flight we safely arrive, get thru customs and are happily reunited with our luggage! Welcome to the USA!

At the New York airport!

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.

January Update

Dear praying friends,

"The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the defense of my life; whom shall I dread?" (Ps. 27:1). When we make the great "I AM" our focus, and know Him as our "light," "salvation," and "defense," our fears begin to fade. It is my prayer that you are trusting Him daily, and seeking Him, who is our great reward.

Wataturu Tribe Outreach

In our last update (early December 2020) I gave a report of our ministry trip to the mostly-unreached Wataturu tribe to visit our national missionary friend Peter Yamungu. Well, Peter is getting ready to go back on Feb. 3, 2021 to encourage and teach the 2 small gatherings of believers, and continue building relationships and evangelizing. Please pray for Peter and that God would open a wide door for the gospel among the Wataturu.

Peter and Naomi giving thanks at the Kigoma church.

Disciples of Jesus school

On Jan. 11, 2021 we began a new year with a new group of discipleship students. We are finishing up the first module with 8 faithful students. Then I (Luke) will be teaching 2 modules back to back. Please pray for strength and stamina for the teachers and students. Pray that God's Spirit would do a great transforming work in our lives this year.

Family

After a 2 week break for Christmas and the New Year, Gina is continuing strong with homeschooling 4 of our 5 kids. Esther, our oldest, hopes to start 9th. grade at a boarding school in Kenya (Rift Valley Academy) in the fall. Lord willing we hope to travel to the US for a furlough, from mid-April to mid-July, after our tickets were cancelled last year. Please pray for us as we try and meet all the COVID requirements in an ever-changing world. Pray that our time in the US would be one of blessing and usefulness for Christ and His kingdom.

Finally, brothers and sisters, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. Put on the whole armor of God. Fight the good fight. Pray at all times in the Spirit. And pray for us, that utterance may be given us, to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel. Take courage, our redemption draws near.

Grace be with you,

Luke, Gina, Esther, Emily, Aaron, Michael and William Johnson

Christmas 2020

Here in East Africa we are enjoying a beautiful, sunny day, this Christmas Eve. The kids run into the house from their play outside and they get reminded to, drink water! 

We are so thankful for the Lord's blessings: our 5 children that bring so much joy, the good health and energy God gives us to do His work, and fellowship with His Son thru the daily Word.

We rejoice this season in the truth that Jesus is our Emmanuel!

Blessings to you all,

Luke and Gina

Ministry Trip Report

Dear praying friends, we thank you for your prayers for us. I (Luke) wanted to give you a brief report of our ministry trip to help and encourage Peter, our missionary friend who is ministering among the mostly unreached Wataturu tribe.

I left with 3 young men from our church: Taji, Faraja and Michael. We left on Wednesday Nov. 25, 2020 and returned on Monday Nov. 30, 2020. The trip took 12.5 hours by car on mostly good roads. While there we were able to witness door to door and show gospel films for 4 nights; we had 2 special meetings and a normal Sunday service. We got to see the different places firsthand and meet the people Peter had talked about. We were able to evangelize, teach, preach and also encourage Peter and the small flock that has made a profession to follow Jesus Christ.

Witnessing door-to-door.

Setting up for films.

More door-to-door evangelism.

Special service on Saturday.

I am reminded of Paul's words in Rom. 15:20-21 "And thus I aspired to preach the gospel, not where Christ was already named, so that I would not build on another man's foundation; but as it is written, 'They who had no news of Him shall see and they who have not heard shall understand.' " Truly we were in a place where Christ has not been named and we were building on no other man's foundation. There is still so much to be done and so much that they must learn, but the workers are few. 

A man and his son trusted in Jesus at the end of the Sunday service.

Pray that God will send more workers into this harvest field. Please pray that God would protect the little flock while Peter is away, and that they would meet together to pray and encourage each other, even if they can't yet teach each other. Peter plans to return in Feb. 2021, Lord willing, but he continues almost daily to call them by phone to see how they are doing. 

Thank you for your prayers, 

In Christ, 

Luke Johnson

Sept. and Oct. Update

Dear praying friends, we thank the Lord for those of you who faithfully pray and support the Lord's work here in western Tanzania. 

I know it is hard to remember to pray for God's work in other parts of the world where you have never been. This is why we need to be reminded of Col. 4:2-3, "Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving; praying at the same time for us as well, that God will open up to us a door for the word, so that we may speak forth the mystery of Christ." More prayer is needed for all of Christ's disciples during these difficult times, that God will open up doors for us to speak forth the truth about Christ, which the world so desperately needs.

In our last newsletter we mentioned an upcoming outreach to the remote village of Gambazi. The outreach was well received by the community and the gospel seed was planted in the hearts of those who attended. Pray that it would bear fruit and not be snatched away by the enemy. We thank God for the faithfulness of the 2 elders (Herman and Japheth) in the neighboring village church who take turns walking almost two hours, twice a week, to teach these young ones in the faith at this beginning stage. Please pray for God's Spirit to continue to give them the desire and strength needed for this task.

We want to thank you for praying for our Work Permit appeal. We praise the Lord that it was approved and we were able to proceed and submit our Residence Permit which was also granted. We are finalizing that and then we will have to start on the 3 permits for our school age children. The paperwork and requirements seem unending so please pray for us, that we would persevere through it all. 

On Wednesday (Nov. 25) Luke plans to travel to visit our friend Peter who has been visiting the mostly unreached tribe of the Wataturu. He has already been there for 3.5 weeks witnessing among them, building relationships with them, and teaching those who have decided to follow Christ. Luke will be going with 3 young men from the assembly here in Kigoma and spend 4 nights there. They plan to encourage Peter, help evangelize, teach, and also show gospel films in the evenings. Please pray that our mighty God will rescue many souls from the domain of darkness and transfer them into the kingdom of his beloved Son.

Peter, with the chief's son.

Finally we thank the Lord for helping our family through a time of sickness. Three of our children were sick during the past 2 weeks but are now better, however Gina is now sick. Please pray for God's quick healing for Gina as she will need all her strength to manage the household and homeschool while Luke is gone for most of the week.

May the Lord bless you for your partnership in the gospel.

Luke and Gina and the kids

p.s. you can also see photos that highlight our September and October.

August Update

 Dear friends and family,

    On Saturday we had the graduation ceremony for our ten students at the Disciples of Jesus school. Pray for them to continue studying God's Word and for their continued involvement in ministry in their local churches.

Graduation Day!

    At the beginning of August we took the discipleship students on their last ministry trip to the village of Kinazi. Kinazi is a newer church that still meets under tarps next to the house of one of the elders. They have been working hard on their chapel building but still need a roof. Please pray for them to grow and be grounded in the Word.

Sunday school at Kinazi.    

The church in Kinazi.

The building, just needing a roof.

    After our Work Permit application was rejected we submitted an appeal and are still waiting for an answer. We have been told it can take up to 4 months to hear back from the office so we aren't holding our breath, but we have committed our future to our loving Shepherd and would appreciate your prayers for us as well.

    In two weeks there will be a conference in Gambazi, a village near one of our churches that has been doing outreach there. Pray for the Spirit to convict hearts and for a clear presentation of the gospel.

    We appreciate your prayers for us and we are praying for you as well. In these troubled times you are living in, I would invite you to apply Jesus' words: "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God."

    Grace and peace to you,

        Luke, Gina and the 5 kiddos

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

Summer 2020

“The LORD is good to those who wait for Him, to the person who seeks Him. It is good that he waits silently for the salvation of the LORD.” Lam. 3:25-26

Dear brothers and sisters in the Lord, it seems that our gracious Father is teaching many of us the Christian virtue of waiting. It is a hard but valuable lesson to learn. As we wait for the LORD’s goodness and salvation to appear, we must spend our time seeking Him. 

Lately my email inbox has been overflowing with newsletters and it may be the same for you so I will keep this brief.

We continue with 10 students in our discipleship school. At the end of August they will, Lord willing, graduate. We are doing ministry trips with them to churches in town and in the villages.

Visiting the church at the village of Munzeze with the students.

We submitted our Work Permit application a month ago and are waiting for an answer from the Labour Office. Please pray that our Work Permit would be granted.

Our furlough plans are on hold for now, but we still hope to travel to the US this year, if the Lord wills. We wait for the Master to open the door.

The kids continue to enjoy their summer vacation. We were able to take a mini family vacation last week.

Emily enjoying a boat ride on Lake Tanganyika (near Kipili).

Here's a link to a few more photos: Highlights of May and June.

We are burdened for churches here. We are saddened by the news of grave problems in some of them. They need sound Bible teaching and training. Please pray for God’s Spirit to work powerfully in us and in our dear Tanzanian brothers and sisters.

We are saddened by all the upheaval going on in the US. We are praying for the church of Jesus to stand strong at this time. May Christ’s light shine even brighter through you in this dark time. God’s gracious and transforming gospel is still the ONLY solution to man’s deepest needs and problems.

Thank you for your prayers. It is the most important thing you can do. God’s almighty power is unleashed when His people seek Him and ask Him to intervene.

In Christ,

Luke Johnson

Tabitha's wedding

Today we attended the wedding of Tabitha and Japheth. Last year she graduated from the Disciples of Jesus School. She now marries a man from the village next to hers, right on the lake. So we went for the day and celebrated with them. Here are some photos we took so you can catch a glimpse.

After much anticipation the bride finally arrives. Can you spot her?

With much excitement, the groom comes out to meet her.

They enter the church together, the groom leading the way.

The bride and groom, and their attendants behind them; always at the ready.

Japheth checks to see that it's really her. He doesn't want to be deceived the way Jacob was!

The couple held hands for almost the whole ceremony, something uncommon here.

Everyone is the designated photographer! Yay for smartphones.

All go down to the lake to see the couple get their photos taken.

It's quite chaotic and noisy with most of the village kids just hanging out.

Even Esther sneaks in a photo with Tabitha!

And now off to the wedding reception at the groom's house.

The crowds are seated on tarps and under shady mango trees.  All will be fed a meal.

Passersby also stop to to get a glimpse of the choir that is singing.

So there you have it! Some moments were not captured on camera.

To be there you'd see the attendants always fussing over the bride and groom: spraying cologne on them, wiping their brows, brushing the groom's suit and fixing the bride's dress.

A bit of banter goes between the fathers, saying that they must fulfill their duty and keep their promise, i.e. the bride's father no longer calling her daughter, and the groom's father promising to accept her.

The music is deafening. It's not hard to find the current party in town! In fact, there were 3 weddings on this Saturday, and in this very same village. So, as Japhet and Tabitha were finishing with their photo shoot at the lakeside, another wedding party arrived from the Catholic church, ready for their turn at photos by the lake!

The preacher's message was really good. He emphasized how the groom should not have eyes for anyone else. All the other young ladies in the village will get their chance some day, but for him there would be no one else but Tabitha. At this, the ladies in the church erupted into cheers and applause. You see, it is quite common to see women struggling to support their young children, their husbands gone to look for "work" years ago.