A Heart for Burundi,
the “Heart of Africa”
Jesse, Joy, and Zachariah Johnson
Dear Friends and Family,
“Don’t worry, Joy. Zach will handle all the transitions well as long as his Mom and Dad are OK,” my mom said with a smile that was meant to be comforting.
Uh Oh. It was the beginning of December. We had just finisihed moving out of our apartment into my parents house. Things were in total disarray- I was already having trouble locating the basic necessities for each day in the myriad of suitcases and boxes, and our transition was just beginning. The to do list loomed, long and large: cut down the list of what to take, buy supplies, pack, sort all the piles of old paperwork, set up an e-mail list for the newsletter, etc, etc, etc... Zach’s schedule had been totally disrupted by all the travel, and as a result none of us were getting much sleep. I had already spent some of the morning in tears. Being reminded that my response to the situation controlled a large part of how things turned out was more challenging than comforting. The more I thought about it the harder I prayed. “Lord, please help. Jesse and I need to handle all this well—with your peace, patience, good attitudes, courage, trust… I want us to be a source of security for Zach and a good example to your people of how those who are yours can cope with hard things…Oh. I guess it is in my weakness that your strength best shows itself, and the best example I can be is by admitting my weakness and letting everyone know that any strength they see is yours. I guess that is a little comforting after all”.
The promise that God’s strength is made perfect in our weakness is the one I have chosen to cling to throughout this new year full of changes and busyness. What changes and busyness do I mean, exactly? Here at a glance is how we brought in the New Year and what it holds now that it’s here:
Dear Friends and Family,
“Don’t worry, Joy. Zach will handle all the transitions well as long as his Mom and Dad are OK,” my mom said with a smile that was meant to be comforting.
Uh Oh. It was the beginning of December. We had just finisihed moving out of our apartment into my parents house. Things were in total disarray- I was already having trouble locating the basic necessities for each day in the myriad of suitcases and boxes, and our transition was just beginning. The to do list loomed, long and large: cut down the list of what to take, buy supplies, pack, sort all the piles of old paperwork, set up an e-mail list for the newsletter, etc, etc, etc... Zach’s schedule had been totally disrupted by all the travel, and as a result none of us were getting much sleep. I had already spent some of the morning in tears. Being reminded that my response to the situation controlled a large part of how things turned out was more challenging than comforting. The more I thought about it the harder I prayed. “Lord, please help. Jesse and I need to handle all this well—with your peace, patience, good attitudes, courage, trust… I want us to be a source of security for Zach and a good example to your people of how those who are yours can cope with hard things…Oh. I guess it is in my weakness that your strength best shows itself, and the best example I can be is by admitting my weakness and letting everyone know that any strength they see is yours. I guess that is a little comforting after all”.
The promise that God’s strength is made perfect in our weakness is the one I have chosen to cling to throughout this new year full of changes and busyness. What changes and busyness do I mean, exactly? Here at a glance is how we brought in the New Year and what it holds now that it’s here:
2005
· Oct.18-Nov. 10: Visited churches in Michigan, Illinois, and Ohio
· Nov. 10-29: Worked on dividing our things into store, take,and sell; Made travel arrangements (tickets and visas); set immunization schedule; had two yard sales
· Nov.30: Moved out of apartment to Mom and Dad Clark’s
· Dec. 1-12: More sorting, making detailed lists, storing and packing
· Dec. 12-20: Jesse visited Bolivia for his brother’s wedding
· Dec. 20-25: Cont’d packing and planning, enjoyed a last holiday at home
· Dec. 26-31: Drove to New Jersey so Jesse’s family could meet Zach
· Oct.18-Nov. 10: Visited churches in Michigan, Illinois, and Ohio
· Nov. 10-29: Worked on dividing our things into store, take,and sell; Made travel arrangements (tickets and visas); set immunization schedule; had two yard sales
· Nov.30: Moved out of apartment to Mom and Dad Clark’s
· Dec. 1-12: More sorting, making detailed lists, storing and packing
· Dec. 12-20: Jesse visited Bolivia for his brother’s wedding
· Dec. 20-25: Cont’d packing and planning, enjoyed a last holiday at home
· Dec. 26-31: Drove to New Jersey so Jesse’s family could meet Zach
2006
· Jan. 1-11: Packing, farewells, last minute details
THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR PRACTICAL GIFTS AND FINANCIAL SUPPORT!!!
· Jan. 11: Depart for Burundi (Travel from Charlotte to D.C. to Rome to Ethiopia— we’ll spend the night there— to Rwanda to Burundi)
· Jan. 13: Arrive in Bujumbura, Burundi
Begin adjusting to the warm climate (Joy and Zach especially don’t do well with heat)
Try to get our bodies to fall asleep and wake up at the right times (7 hour time change)
· Jan 13-30: Work to make our apartment livable (Please pray-- the bathroom is currently not working, kitchen counters are rotting, etc…) while staying temporarily at someone else’s house, get reaquainted with people in Burundi—lots of visitors and lots of cups of tea
· Jan. 31: Move into our apartment whatever state it’s in.
Please pray with us that through his strength we will have the godly courage, patience, comfort, and flexibility we need. Thank you in advance for your prayers, and thanks again for the encouraging e-mails and gifts of supplies and funds. It is so important and encouraging to know that you’re behind us. Love in Christ, Jesse, Joy, and Zachariah
Field address:
B.P. 122
· Jan. 1-11: Packing, farewells, last minute details
THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR PRACTICAL GIFTS AND FINANCIAL SUPPORT!!!
· Jan. 11: Depart for Burundi (Travel from Charlotte to D.C. to Rome to Ethiopia— we’ll spend the night there— to Rwanda to Burundi)
· Jan. 13: Arrive in Bujumbura, Burundi
Begin adjusting to the warm climate (Joy and Zach especially don’t do well with heat)
Try to get our bodies to fall asleep and wake up at the right times (7 hour time change)
· Jan 13-30: Work to make our apartment livable (Please pray-- the bathroom is currently not working, kitchen counters are rotting, etc…) while staying temporarily at someone else’s house, get reaquainted with people in Burundi—lots of visitors and lots of cups of tea
· Jan. 31: Move into our apartment whatever state it’s in.
February:
-We settle in and begin meeting with the church
elders to plan the youth group.
-Jesse starts sitting in on Bible School classes
to get a feel for Burundians’ teaching and learning
styles; he starts outlining and drafting courses.
(Pray for insight & quick return of language).
-Joy begins language study (Again pray- not being
able to communicate will be hard).
Please pray with us that through his strength we will have the godly courage, patience, comfort, and flexibility we need. Thank you in advance for your prayers, and thanks again for the encouraging e-mails and gifts of supplies and funds. It is so important and encouraging to know that you’re behind us. Love in Christ, Jesse, Joy, and Zachariah
Field address:
B.P. 122
Bujumbura, Burundi.
Support address:
CMML (Christian Missions in Many Lands)
P.O. Box 13, Spring Lake, NJ 07762
P.O. Box 13, Spring Lake, NJ 07762
(Tax deductible; make checks payable to CMML; attach a post-it to designate the gift to us).
Have a blessed New Year!
