Dear Friends and Family, August 15, 2007
For the last two months we have been travelling around the Midwest and up and down the east coast to visit churches and reconnect with relatives. Just for fun, we spent one day of the trip in New York City. As we walked, an advertisement caught my eye. The bold print proclaimed: Last year, 250 New Yorkers were bitten by rats. " Eew! Yuck! Gross! That's almost as bad as Africa!" I thought. Then I read the small print: (And 1,401 were bitten by humans). Suddenly my perspective was a little different. The whole rat thing didn't seem quite so gross after all. The final line? After 72 years, no one knows more about health insurance in New York than Blue Cross Blue Shield. At first I just laughed, but then I started to ask myself "What are they really trying to market in this add?" Trust. It's as if they are saying, "You really thought that rat thing was terrible, didn't you? But it isn't really all that bad once you have the right perspective. You don't have that perspective, but we have 72 years of experience. Trust us." In our recent experiences God has similarly challenged us to remember that we don't have the perspective or experience He does. When we came back to the US last January, it didn't seem like good timing to Jesse and I—we were finally feeling like Burundi was home and we were really making a difference, but we knew God wanted us to come home and take care of Zach's health. Then it seemed like Zach would never grow enough. In fact, the week before our visit to New York we had weighed him and found out that he hadn't gained a single ounce all month. God used that poster to remind me that I see only the large print, and while it might seem pretty bad to me, He is the one who knows what the small print says. Although he has not given me a chance to read all the small print that can provide explanations at this time, this sign reminded me that (just maybe) I can rely on his vast experience at running the universe and trust that He knows what He is doing. He has even on occasion graciously given us the gift of seeing some of the small print too!
At the end of June, we visited Dr. Dave VanReken, a family friend and pediatrician. He gave us great advice and was also able to get us in to the hospital there in Indianapolis the very next day to get Zach some more blood work and to see a child growth and development specialist!! We felt like more was accomplished as far as helping Zach in those two days than had been done in all the rest of the time since we arrived in the US. The specialist was able to give us lots of advice on Zach's diet as well as recommend a few more tests. Together the doctors set up a standard for what sort of progress they would like to see before they would recommend that Zach was well enough to return to Burundi. Rather than a certain amount of time or a certain spot on the growth chart, they felt that Zach needed to have tests on all his body systems come back normal and have a growth spurt of a pound a month for two or three months. That would indicate that he was truly healthy. That seemed pretty impossible, but after three weeks on the new diet, Zach had gained a pound already!! He has not continued to gain at that rate but we think that that is easily explained by all the new situations that he had to adjust to while we were travelling up and down the East Coast. Seeing this progress, and needing to make a decision as to when to change our plane tickets to before our original travel date of August 20th, after lots of prayers we moved them to September 17, 2007. That gives Zach one more month to put on some more weight, and it will get us back just in time for Jesse to teach at the Bible School in October.
Please pray that God will continue to give us wisdom—we don't want to rush Zach at all by returning too soon, but he seems healthier to us than he ever has before, and we're feeling peace that now is as good a time as ever to try it again. We have also decided that we will do whatever is necessary to avoid a repeat of the 'no weight gain for almost a year' scenario. In other words we won't wait as long if Zach is not thriving in the hopes that he will get better with time, now that we know how vulnerable he is. If Zach fails to gain any weight just two months in a row we will either return to the US for several years or move to somewhere else in Africa where there is no malaria and less chance of contracting parasites. Meanwhile, however, we are still feeling very called to Burundi and are proceeding in faith that God will keep Zach healthy and help him to grow even in Burundi. Please pray that if there is any reason we shouldn't return in September that God will make it very clear. Please also continue to pray that Zach will grow. He is now paralleling the growth chart, but at 27 months and 21 lbs 13 oz he is still not actually on the chart. Lots of the foods that he has learned to like in the states are not available in Burundi, so that will provide another challenge.
Beyond getting good health care for Zach, there have been other "small print" blessings about being back these 7 months:
- We have been able to be rejuvenated physically and emotionally.
- We were able to take a step back, evaluate how we do things in Burundi, and plan some good ways to get more family time and avoid burnout when we return.
- We were able to travel to many churches and share about what God is doing in Burundi, and we were very encouraged by people's response—we praise the Lord that more people are praying for and are excited about God's work in Burundi!
- God has used this year to help provide for the continuation of the film ministry. An assembly in Michigan provided us with a used projector for a possible second film team in Burundi, an individual from the same assembly sent funds to buy a bulb for the projector currently in use out there, and then just last week we received news that an assembly in Illinois has collected3,000 dollars for the film ministry. When we receive that gift, we will be able to purchase a replacement bulb for the second projector ($400-they are not cheap!) as well as the sound equipment and second generator needed for the second team! Praise the Lord!!! The only need left is money to finance some of the transportation so that the team can reach all the destinations. The total cost for a typical film trip is $80-$100 worth of fuel for the vehicle and for the generator.
- We were able to arrange for new housing. After checking out rentals in the city, Jesse was concerned that there were none in our price range ready to move into, and we were afraid money left behind for that purpose would disappear. There were lots of other problems with living away from the church compound, so we settled on moving into Jesse's parents old home. It is on the same compound as our old apartment, but is off the beaten path from the clinic and is also much bigger—Zach will not have to go through the area where Jesse is meeting with guests to get outside and so he won't have to shake hands with some many sick people. The house had been occupied by a large refugee family whose home was destroyed during the war, but they just recently finished rebuilding their own home, so the timing is perfect. There are (of course) problems as well—everything that moves (like door handles) is broken and lots of other repairs are needed. Jesse will have to start from scratch as far as enclosing the yard and making a water storage system. This is expensive and so we are doing it little by little. It won't be finished by the time we arrive, and the people moving into our old house move in on Sept. 26, so we can't live there. We will stay with friends in town until the new house is ready. Another blessing-- a family from New Jersey that we have never even met sent a thousand dollars to help with the needed repairs—we have been able to get painting done while we are here, have screens put on the windows, locks replaced so we can lock the doors, and even had the broken socket wall plates replaced so Zach can't shock himself. What a blessing!
- We have been able to order a water filter, get anti-parasite medicines and probiotics to take back with us for Zach, and find other things that should help us keep him healthier while we're in Burundi.
- On our trip we were really blessed by several older couples that took the time to really talk to us, mentor us, and encourage us.
Thank you so much for the way you have been behind us during this time. Your interest in Burundi and your care for us expressed in emails, prayers, and gifts have really kept us going.
May God richly repay you for all your kindness to us and allow you to glimpse the small print of what he is doing in your own lives.
Jesse, Joy, and Zachariah Johnson
Contact Information:
US Address: c/o Brian and Ruth Clark 2890 Huckleberry Hill, Fort Mill, SC 29715 Email: jesseandjoyj@gmail.com
Burundi Address: B.P. 122, Bujumbura, Burundi (Africa) Support Address: Christian Missions in Many Lands (CMML) PO Box 13, Spring Lake, NJ 07762 (Just put our name in the subject line of your check. You can also designate money for a specific project like the films, Bible School, or our house by attaching a note or putting that in the subject line as well. The mission forwards 100% of what you give to us and sends you a tax-deductible receipt).
