Dear Friends and Family,
This picture of Jesse straining with all his might to set up a water system that will supply us for the rest of our years in Burundi pretty much sums up our whole term so far-- everything we have done since arriving has involved water and a lot of work.
During our first few weeks back, we dedicated lots of time to setting up the water tower, hooking up the water filter, arranging systems for soaking all our vegetables in bleach water, and washing Zach’s hands about a million times a day. We knew these things were essential for Zach’s health. It was worth it. Zach has only had parasites twice, and he has not had malaria. We weighed him yesterday and found that he has gained a net of half a pound since we arrived. In the states he was gaining almost ¾ of a pound a month. This means that while he is doing better than last time we were here, we still need for him to do better if we want him to flourish here long term. This morning though, he woke up with the flu and has been throwing up… he could still use your prayers.
I could too. While things were still in the disarray of unpacking, moving and setting up a new house, I started having contractions. I emailed you all to pray and was blessed by your response-- thanks so much for all your notes. The contractions eased for a few days and I was able to be up and around a little bit, though not working, but yesterday they started back full force. Doctors here and in the States agree that it is too early to have even one contraction, so I am back on complete bed rest and trying to drink 12 glasses of water a day. Maybe that’s why water came to me as a theme for this letter J. Since I have marginal placenta previa as well, I can’t have any exams to see if the contractions are causing dilation. That makes them extra scary. Pray that the contractions stop and that I will carry this new little boy to full term. Pray also that God will provide the money needed to go to Kenya for the delivery since the standards of medical care here are pretty low, especially if I need a C-section. It will cost about 500 a person for plane tickets and then it will cost something to rent a place while we’re there. Right now we are planning on staying here until I hit 36 weeks, but if contractions continue at least Zach and I will need to go sooner. Pray that we will know God’s perfect timing for all of this.
Meanwhile, Jesse has been doing logistics for Jim and Vicki Brooks and their Allow the Children team. The team stayed for two weeks. They worked with the deaf and blind schools run by the assemblies here, and Jesse also arranged for them to travel to and speak at eight different local churches, some in town and some in the hills. On top of the arranging, Jesse did a lot of translating for the meetings and explaining to the team what topics would be helpful and how to express them clearly in this culture. He also helped with vehicle logistics and making sure they had enough… WATER. The churches here were really encouraged by the team’s visit and the team will go back to the States as ambassadors for Burundi and its people. It was a wonderful experience. We would love to have a team come out sometime too-- start praying about late July 2008. Team members could help with the schools, lead ladies’, mens’, and children’s Bible studies, do special music, go on film trips, and a myriad of other things depending on the gifts and interests of those who come.
Another highlight of the month was sending our high school youth group on a picnic on the WATER J. Their classes don’t have any snacks or activities like most youth groups in the States do, and since having a Christian peer group is so important at that age, we felt like they need some fun time together to make as big an impact on the teens’ daily life as possible. Believe it or not, the whole trip to the beach in a rented bus, sodas and fruit for all, and a rented boat for trips on the water cost us less than a dollar per teen. We asked about the possibility of the kids bringing the money, but were told that most of them are much too poor for that. The day was a resounding success with 240 teens in attendance (almost a hundred of these were visitors, so it was a great outreach too), and we plan to do it again around Christmas time.
Jesse is teaching “The Christian Life” at the Bible School this month. Their first lesson was on immersing yourself in the living water until you were so saturated that you couldn’t help but overflow to others. Sadly, the enrollment is down because the elders who attend are having trouble coming up with enough money to pay even the small contribution towards fees that they are required to pay as well as enough to leave at home for their families to live on while they are at school. Maybe we will be able to start a sponsorship program of some sort-- the cost is only thirty dollars per elder-- but meanwhile the ones who are here are really learning a lot. It is the first time any of these students have learned any method of Bible Study that is systematic and helps them discover how the passage applies to their lives rather than just reading and applying the passage the way they have heard others apply it before. They are really excited.
The film team is still going out every other weekend, and they are doing a fabulous job of spreading the good news about the living water. They are becoming a well-known sight around Burundi. This afternoon a representative from the one remaining rebel group came to collect vehicle tax for all the church vehicles that pass through their territory. They told us that originally they had intended not to tax our car because they knew it belonged to a Johnson, but they have now seen it EVERYWHERE, and if it is going out on that many trips we will have to pay. What a neat testimony of the way these films are reaching the country!! The biggest trip on the horizon is planned for the last weekend of Nov. through Dec. 1-- a five day trip to six churches near the Tanzanian border. They are new plants and are very small. We are praying about whether Jesse should go (he has been trying to only go on trips that let him stay in cell phone contact since the contractions started). After that, because of the holiday season, there will be films every weekend and sometimes during the week through all of December until just after New Years.
We praise the Lord for being the living water-- for giving us salvation and abundant life, even in the midst of difficulties. We also want to thank you for helping to “fill our tank” through your prayers, encouragement, and gifts. We wouldn’t be able to keep giving out if it wasn’t for the ways you allow God to use you. Thanks so much!
In Him, Jesse, Joy, and Zachariah Johnson
