Dear Friends and Family,
This past Monday morning, Zach packed a soccer ball and a football in his little red plastic wagon and headed off across the yard. "Bye, Mommy! Bundi!" he called, waving over his shoulder. It took me a few seconds to realize what he meant, and even then I had to check. "Are you going to Burundi, Zach?" I asked. "Uh-huh!" he responded, nodding emphatically. It wouldn't take a child psychologist to figure out what's been going on in our lives lately :)
We took Jesse to the airport at 3:30am on Friday, May 4 to catch his 6 am flight to Burundi. (Thankfully his tonsillectomy went well and he was recovered enough to travel). He arrived safely in Burundi just over twenty-four hours later. He carried three extra pieces of luggage with personal items as well as two laptops and some other equipment for church people and ministries— everything arrived at the same time as he did and was released without customs charges. That is a real answer to prayer. More than fifteen people (including church leaders, friends, and Jesse's Uncle Ken) were at the airport to meet him, and the number was so small only because others couldn't find a ride. I am always touched by these welcoming committees—people there make other people such a priority. It is also nice to be reminded in a tangible way that you are making a difference.
After heading out to our apartment, putting down his suitcases, and greeting some more people, Jesse was invited to a welcome home dinner with the film team. He said he almost nodded off a few times, but it was good to be forced to get his body on the new schedule, and it was wonderful to be with the film team again. They are an incredible group of guys. Even just watching them from the outside (in contrast to knowing them as well as Jesse does) I am constantly amazed by the way they give of their time, energy, and resources for the gospel.
Forty-eight hours after arriving, Jesse had already finished teaching a four hour class session at the Bible School. (Talk about a challenge—he was still totally jet-lagged!!) This is a new group of students, so Jesse is teaching Biblical Theology , a course that answers questions like "What is the difference between the Old Testament and the New Testament?" for the second time. His students have Bibles, but there aren't any other Bible resources like commentaries, concordances, or even timelines translated into Kirundi, so this course is often their first glimpse of how the Bible works together as a whole.
Last weekend the film team went to Mbuga, a village a two hour drive and 30 minute walk up into the hills. Even though things are getting more stable in Burundi, you still have to have the army's and government's permission to gather as a large group at night. They got the needed permission just in time, but they hadn't been able to announce the film ahead of time. Can you believe there were still over a thousand people at the first showing? They showed The Ten Commandments and a new film actually in Kirundi called "Telling Kelly" that we were able to purchase thanks to a designated gift. Three thousand people showed up the next night after word got out. What an impact! Jesse told me last night that he thinks the bulb on the film projector will need to be replaced very soon. At this point, even while we were gone the film team was somewhere at least three weekends a month. That puts lots of wear and tear on the equipment. In fact, there are enough requests to come and show films at rural churches that two film teams could easily be kept busy, so we are praying we will be able to take a second projector out with us when we return together in August .
While he is in Burundi this month, Jesse is also looking for a house for us to rent. Zach has been healthy for a whole month (Praise the Lord!!!), but he still is very behind weight-wise. We have tentatively scheduled our family return to Burundi for August 20, but it is evident that Zach will not have a very big cushion of weight even if he stays healthy until then. We know that God loves Zach even more than we do and is the one ultimately responsible for his health, but we have been praying about what changes we need to make to avoid putting him in the same situation again. We feel very led to move to a new location. Our current duplex is very near a clinic, and our many visitors walk right past it on the way to our house, tracking dirt contaminated with various parasites into our main living space. Also, many of our visitors are sick people coming for help with hospital bills, and so Zach is exposed to 5-10 sick people a day, all of whom want to shake his hand and hold him. A house with a space for Jesse to meet with people that was separate from our main living space would probably make a big difference in his health. It would also enable us to have private family time, something we feel like we will need to avoid burnout on a long-term basis in Burundi. A couple with Allow the Children has been looking for an apartment to live in starting in September 2007, and they would like to live in ours. Jesse's dad has a house in Burundi we could live in, but it is currently occupied and looks like it will not be vacated before August. The remaining option is to rent in town. This will cost us about 500 dollars a month even for a small house, but we are trusting God to provide. We are looking in a neighborhood about five minutes from the church property. Please pray that God will continue to give Jesse wisdom as he makes this decision and will lead him to just the right spot .
Thank you again for your love, prayers, and support.
In Him,
Jesse, Joy, and Zachariah Johnson
