Finally...

Here are a few of the long awaited photos from an incredible summer in Burundi and Rwanda... Enjoy. :)

RWANDA

BURUNDI

The Johnson Family

Hi Ho Hi Ho, Its' Off To Baltimore, Maryland We Go...

Well, I can hardly believe that the time here in Florida is coming to a close. WOW, I almost can’t believe it has been 5 weeks… time sure does fly! And, thank goodness too… we are very ready to be on our way!



The last many days have been filled with much exuberance, which is readily displayed by all the kiddos. The 4 older boys attended a summer day camp every day, which was a blessing. I’ve had the pleasure of spending my days with Andy & Angel (who are both 2 years old, and no, not twins). They are both a fun handful, and a joy to love and hold! They truly fill up my heart, especially when they crawl up into my lap. Angel loves to be read to, and I love to read to her. Andy loves to do whatever Angel does… he’s the cutest little copycat. The two of them are truly two peas in a pod!


The excitement is surely building up in all of us and I think a little bit of anxiousness exists in both Melli and I. It is going to be an adventure traveling with 6 young children. We are all packed up and ready to leave… first stop for the weekend is Baltimore, Maryland. Just 2 more days til we fly off to Burundi!


More to come… next time it will be from Africa!!! :D Yay!

New News!!!

Well, I've been able to steal away some time at the local library that has broadband... here is new news...

As many of you know, there have been issues with expired visas and British Airways that have prevented us from leaving to Burundi. After much thought and pursuits down various avenues to work things out, the final outcome, as of now, is that we have decided to switch airlines. Melli and I will be leaving with 6 of the kids on July 24th via United/Ethiopian Airlines to Maryland/Washington DC, where we will stay 2 nights with Ken's 95 year old mother, and then we'll depart from D.C. to Burundi on the 26th. Ethiopian Airlines, since it is run by Africans will not put up a fuss as the other airline has. Ken and Cindy (the oldest daughter here in the USA) will leave as scheduled on July 8th due to the fact that Cindy must attend an important appointment at the school (Rift Valley Academy in Kenya) she'll be attending this coming school year.

So, all of this means that I will get to stay in Florida for another 3 weeks. Also, due to the fact that we've had to extend the dates of departure out further. Both Melli and my current Burundian visas will expire by the time we leave, so the next hurdle, a very doable hurdle, is to get those renewed.

Thank you for your prayers... it's been an adventure!!!! :) Please keep us in your prayers. Blessings to you all, and thank you for reading!

Say Cheese... :D

Hello from Lakeland, Flordia

Hello!!!! :)

There isn't much to update... still in FL. :) The plan is to leave July 8th... that was the soonest flight available for all 11-12 of us! Here is picture of some of us... Enjoy! Blessings and love to you all from Florida!

The Excitement Continues...

Many of you have already heard that some unexpected events have taken place, which means a slight change in plans, it's surely been an opportunity to have faith and to be flexible... :)


We have been unable to get ahold of the other missionary couple in Burundi (who I was hoping to get to stay with so I could still leave), but we've heard from one of their parents saying they are up country, and that is a praise because it means it is safe to travel (even amidst the grenade blasts due to the elections). Most people stay in the city if it is not safe to travel. So PTL!!! This is great news! :)  


Since the Johnson's are still in the USA (Florida) and we can't get ahold of the other couple, the plan now, after much brainstorming and praying, is that I will fly out to Florida on Sunday. Melli's dad is working on trying to get me a flight out on Southwest. And then from there we will all fly together to Burundi.  


We have tentative flights scheduled to leave back to Burundi on July 8, but we are trying to get sooner flights, provided the renewed passports arrive.  


Please pray that: 
I get a southwest flight out to Florida on Sunday 
The renewed passports arrive quickly/soon 
We can get sooner flights out of Miami, Florida, all together on the same plane, if possible  


Thank you for your interest & prayers!

PRAISE!!!!!!!

My passport arrived with my Burundian Visa in it today!!!!!! My mom popped her head into my room this morning and informed me that there was a FedEx truck parked out in front of the house. My heart started pounding, I flew down the stairs, and opened the front door long before the friendly FedEx man could even knock on the door! He handed me the envelope and I hugged it like a long lost friend. =) Everything is truly, continuing to fall into place. Praise the Lord - He IS GOOD! Soli Deo Gloria

I am leaving for Burundi on Sunday, June 20th and will return August 21st. I am very excited to truly get to experience missionary life with assembly missionaries and also be involved/volunteer at the Arms of Love Mission and The Rainbow Centre Ministries that the Johnson's are involved with. The paragraph below give a bit of info about the Rainbow Centre... 

THE RAINBOW CENTRE

A God-inspired community family-strengthening centre with a focus on abandoned, HIV+ babies, age newborn to 2 years old, this 1 1/2 acre piece of property, called the Rainbow Centre, located in the heart of Bujumbura, the capitol city of Burundi, Central Africa, has been a haven to hundreds of babies and children since it opened in April 2002. We are quietly loving and strengthening sick and malnourished babies, many of whom are abandoned or orphaned because of AIDS.

A Surprising Twist in the Road...

“The heart of man plans his ways, but the Lord directs his steps”

The Lord never ceases to amaze me in how He leads and guides. After having attended the Women’s Missionary Conference this last Saturday, I sensed confirmation from the Lord that He was closing the door for me to travel to Zambia with OM. It was a bittersweet moment, for the Lord had already begun to open up a new door, which was rather unexpected (one of the elders from my church had offered to contact some of the missionaries that are affiliated with my church to see what other opportunities there might be for me in Africa). At the conference I prayed in the quiet of my heart, to the Lord, that whomever the missionaries would be, I wanted them to reply back saying that they had been praying for someone to come over. Well, later this same Saturday, I recieved an e-mail from a missionary couple, who are missionaries in Burundi, who, in fact, were praying for a volunteer to come over and help. Truly Incredible! There are many more details that have occured that make this opportunity a perfect fit. It absolutely is of the hand of the Lord; and I am overjoyed to announce that, Lord willing, I will be flying to Burundi in June.

More details to come... if you wanna see a bit of what I’ll be doing, check out their website: http://www.rainbowcentre.net

The Journey Begins...

As of yesterday, Sunday, March 28th, I have officially made my decision to GO! This, of course, may not be a surprise to many of you, since it is evident that, for some time, this is the way the Lord has been leading, but what you may not know is that traveling to Zambia was not the only “opportunity” before me. After much prayer and counsel from trusted leadership and loved ones, the Lord did something amazing yesterday. He confirmed His leading in SO many incredible ways - He gently and lovingly shattered my questions, doubt and lack of faith, which was truly and absolutely necessary for this really dumb sheep (that would be me - haha). Thankfully, He is a wonderful, gentle, loving  Good Shepherd!

The first thing that happened was during the breaking of bread service at my church. Verse after verse and song after song were shared about how abundantly good the Lord is to His children, and the Lord reminded me that His leading is right and that He is going to provide the money, and I needn’t worry about moving forward, for He will provide all that I need in His time, in His will and for His glory (Rms. 8:32, Eph. 3:20, Matt. 7:11).

Secondly, I visited my parents' church this same day, for their preaching service, and the young man who preached shared a story about a man who had journeyed to Africa... the moment I heard Africa and listened to this story, tears welled up in my eyes and began streaming down. Visiting my family at their church was no accident. The Lord was confirming yet again. I knew what this meant.

Thirdly, and later that evening, the Lord navigated me to many different devotionals, where yet again, He gently confirmed. An excerpt from Our Daily Bread, titled God Needs You!, says, “Think of it! The Creator of the universe needs us and desires to fit us into His eternal design! Though all-powerful and not dependent on any creature, He has chosen to carry out his plans through lowly human instruments... Someone once asked Francis of Assisi how he was able to accomplish so much. He replied, “This may be why: The Lord looked down from heaven and said, ‘Where can I find the weakest, littlest man on earth?’ Then He saw me and said, ‘I’ve found him. I will work through him, and he won’t be proud of it. He’ll see that I am only using him because of his insignificance.’ ”

The second devotional was from My Utmost for His Highest:

“Just because I don’t understand what Jesus Christ says, I have no right to determine that He must be mistaken in what He says. That is a dangerous view, and it is never right to think that my obedience to God’s directive will bring dishonor to Jesus. The only thing that will bring dishonor is not obeying Him. To put my view of His honor ahead of what He is plainly guiding me to do is never right, even though it may come from a real desire to prevent Him from being put to an open shame. I know when the instructions have come from God because of their quiet persistence. But when I begin to weigh the pros and cons, and doubt and debate enter into my mind, I am bringing in an element that is not of God. This will only result in my concluding that His instructions to me were not right. Many of us are faithful to our ideas about Jesus Christ, but how many of us are faithful to Jesus Himself? Faithfulness to Jesus means that I must step out even when and where I can’t see anything (see Matthew 14:29 ). But faithfulness to my own ideas means that I first clear the way mentally. Faith, however, is not intellectual understanding; faith is a deliberate commitment to the Person of Jesus Christ, even when I can’t see the way ahead.

Are you debating whether you should take a step of faith in Jesus, or whether you should wait until you can clearly see how to do what He has asked? Simply obey Him with unrestrained joy. When He tells you something and you begin to debate, it is because you have a misunderstanding of what honors Him and what doesn’t. Are you faithful to Jesus, or faithful to your ideas about Him? Are you faithful to what He says, or are you trying to compromise His words with thoughts that never came from Him? "Whatever He says to you, do it " (John 2:5 ).”

The third devotional was also from My Utmost for His Highest: and this one was quite significant... the Lord shattered my questioning and doubt...

Will You Go Without Knowing?

“Have you ever "gone out" in this way? If so, there is no logical answer possible when anyone asks you what you are doing. One of the most difficult questions to answer in Christian work is, "What do you expect to do?" You don’t know what you are going to do. The only thing you know is that God knows what He is doing. Continually examine your attitude toward God to see if you are willing to "go out" in every area of your life, trusting in God entirely. It is this attitude that keeps you in constant wonder, because you don’t know what God is going to do next. Each morning as you wake, there is a new opportunity to "go out," building your confidence in God. ". . . do not worry about your life . . . nor about the body . . ." (Luke 12:22). In other words, don’t worry about the things that concerned you before you did "go out."

Have you been asking God what He is going to do? He will never tell you. God does not tell you what He is going to do— He reveals to you who He is. Do you believe in a miracle-working God, and will you "go out" in complete surrender to Him until you are not surprised one iota by anything He does?

Believe God is always the God you know Him to be when you are nearest to Him. Then think how unnecessary and disrespectful worry is! Let the attitude of your life be a continual willingness to "go out" in dependence upon God, and your life will have a sacred and inexpressible charm about it that is very satisfying to Jesus. You must learn to "go out" through your convictions, creeds, or experiences until you come to the point in your faith where there is nothing between yourself and God.”

Fourthly, much later that evening, I picked up my Daily Light devotional book, and the last verse I read was this: ‘Arise and begin working, and the Lord be with you.’ 1Chron. 22:16

It has been an amazing process and journey so far, and today, Monday, March 29th, I took a major, and I mean MAJOR leap. The last bit of paper work was signed, dated, notarized and mailed. Now, I wait, pray and anticipate His continued provision and guidance. I haven’t a clue as to how or where the money will come from. I have chosen, before the Lord, to not fundraise for this trip. I wholeheartedly believe that when the Lord’s hand is in something He WILL provide. I am applying for the CMS scholarship, but other than that, I guess we’ll see how He provides. :) I am super-excited for what the Lord is doing and am filled with anticipation to see Him faithfully work and provide.                    
Soli Deo Gloria.

The following is a favorite poem hanging in my room... I think it speaks for itself. :) Enjoy.

My Goal is God Himself

by Frederick Brook

My goal is God Himself, not joy nor peace;

Nor even blessing, but Himself, my God.

'Tis His to lead me there, not mine but His...

At any cost, dear Lord, by any road.

So faith bounds forward to its goal in God,

and love can trust her Lord to lead her there.

Upheld by Him, my soul is foll'wing hard,

Till God hath full fulfilled my deepest prayer.

No matter if the way be sometimes dark,

No matter though the cost be oft-times great,

He knoweth how I best shall reach the mark,

The way that leads to Him must needs be straight.

One thing I know, I cannot say Him nay;

One thing I do, I press on towards my Lord.

My God, my Glory here from day to day,

And in the glory there, my Great Reward.