Aloha Friends & Family,

We arrived safely back on the island August 5th, exactly 1 year to the day that we arrived last year. How wild is that timing! Truth be told, we had a much bumpier landing in Kona than we anticipated, but we are now regaining our footing. The kids have started school and are attending the same school they went to last year, and all seem so excited for what this year holds. We are so thankful to the Lord for how He leads each step and how He reminds us what is true.

Our time in Thailand was really incredible! It felt like we were walking in the good things the Lord prepared for us to walk in. The ideas that came to mind back in January and February that formed our direction for outreach were the main pieces of our time in Thailand.

We finished outreach in Chiang Mai with a Family DTS team for their pastoral visit. We loved our time with them so much. Our family joined in with the team at Abba’s House: English class, devos, meeting with the families, and playing with the girls. The girls were so incredible at badminton that they beat Carl and the boys at almost every game. Kate & Lily were able to teach English club on their own. While they were at school, we joined in with local evangelism in the city and at markets as well as got to visit another orphanage Agape Home. I can’t tell you how much we were ministered to by the founders and long term caretakers at the Homes. Such beautiful stories of obedience. Here is the founder’s story and journey of obeying God and how Agape Home came to be.

There is something about getting close to people’s stories and sitting with them, playing with their kids, hearing what they have walked through, and simply being with them that begins to change the way you see people. It makes compassion feel less like an idea and more like a way of seeing. It becomes harder to make assumptions about people when you have looked them in the eyes, heard their stories, and shared life with them. I think that was one of the gifts of this summer — God was forming something in us through the people He brought us close to.

This outreach was so encouraging for me [Amy], not only because of the incredible fruit that we saw, but because I saw our family function out of who we are. There is a prophetic & pastoral heart that we all carry, but also a fun playfulness that I see us walk in as a family; it breaks down walls and brings freedom.

There was something really special about watching our kids step into what God had put in front of them. They weren’t just along for the outreach; they were participating in it. They were praying & ministering, teaching, playing, loving, noticing people, and stepping outside of themselves. I was so encouraged to watch them grow in ownership of the things God is doing in and through our family.

After leaving Thailand, we took about a week and headed to see Carl’s family in Sacramento, were able to see some of my extended family, and even got two nights away as a family near Lake Tahoe to debrief outreach. It was SO wonderful to be with family — to rest, play, make memories, and feel a bit of “summer break” before jumping back in to a new year.

We hope to send out an update video soon with the kids sharing their highlights from the summer. Thank you so much for partnering with us to minister in Thailand. Thank you for being a part of what God is doing in the nations!

Also, Hurricane Lala blew through this past weekend, and so much of the south part of the island has been absolutely devastated — just about 35 miles from us. Pray with us, will you? Pray for restoration, supplies, relief in every kind of way, and hope for those who have lost everything. In several communities, they are still without power, water, sewer, cell service… roads. Thank you for caring with us for this community! If you want to be part of the relief efforts, please reach out as we are participating with relief efforts!

Love,

The Johnson Family

If you would like to support our ministry:

Donate Here

Thank you for your prayers and for checking in on us while we’ve been in Thailand this month! It means the world to know so many of you are covering our family in prayer.

We had such a fruitful time in Bangkok with a dear family, serving alongside the community they have been faithfully investing in. We joined them in several areas of local ministry, but one of the highlights for our family was serving with Rak Teh, a ministry in the heart of Bangkok. (https://www.ywamthai.org/rakteh)

We also had the great privilege of debriefing these dear friends as they transition off the mission field. As we listened to their stories and prayed with them, we couldn’t shake the sense of the Lord saying, “Well done.” It was a rich time together. Praising God that it was such a time of encouragement for them. Thank you, Jesus!

A couple of days ago, we arrived in Chiang Mai and have loved the opportunity to spend time with several long-term missionaries serving in closed countries. Hearing them reflect on their journeys—some having faithfully served for nearly 20 years—and getting to pray with them has been such a gift. These have been incredibly sweet moments together.

As we’ve spent time meeting with, strengthening, and encouraging people on the field, we’ve felt the Lord growing a deeper desire in our own hearts for serving people in this way. There are so many faithful followers of Jesus who have taken Him at His word to go. Yet the journey can often feel lonely, nomadic, hidden, and vulnerable. It has been a privilege to pray with them, to truly see them, to listen well, and together remember God’s worthiness, kindness, friendship, and steadfast love. No matter our season of life, where we live, or what our work or ministry looks like, God longs to reveal Himself more deeply to our hearts. We’ve been deeply encouraged by the stories of faith and perseverance we’ve heard. God is moving throughout the earth!

As we leave today for our next location, we would love your prayers. We’ll be joining a team of three families for the week.

Please pray:

• That the families would be encouraged, refreshed, and have space to process all that God has been doing. For ears to hear, eyes to see, and hearts to perceive the work of the Holy Spirit.

• For the elementary-aged children we’ll be serving and loving—many of whom have been rescued from incredibly difficult circumstances.. That the love of God would have its full expression in each child’s heart.

• Above all, that Jesus would be magnified in our midst and revealed in a fresh way to each of us as we spend this time together.

• Also, we continue to pray for healing for Carl’s left pointer finger (he broke it a couple days before we left) and his left foot (not sure what this several month long pain has come from).

Thank you friends!! We love you & look forward to sharing more when we get home!

He is so worthy!

The Johnsons

Hello Wonderful People! We miss you!!!

We are less than two weeks away from departing for outreach to Thailand as a family! Our time will be split between Bangkok and Chiang Mai, and this will be our first time in Asia together as a family. After 9 months of helping train, equip, and send missionaries all over the world, we are so excited to be sent into the nations this summer!

Several months ago, when we started praying about our summer location, we sensed that a significant focus would be ministering to missionaries on the field—bringing refreshment, offering listening prayer ministry and counsel, as well as partnering in local mercy ministry & evangelism. As the trip has taken shape, it turns out that is exactly what we will be doing.

We will begin in Bangkok with an incredible family who moved there right after we completed Family DTS (Discipleship Training School) together in 2024. We will serve their team and join them in local ministry. Prayerfully, we will be able to bring significant encouragement and refreshment to their family as they process their time serving in Bangkok.

From there, we will head to Chiang Mai, where we’ll join a team from the YWAM Kona Family DTS. These are families we have overlapped with frequently this quarter, including weekly worship and intercession. You would love them!

Outreach this summer has a clear focus for our family: FAMILY ON MISSION. Each one of us will play an important part, and we believe we are called to minister out of—or from—the place of being connected as a family.

Did you know?

Thailand has a unique and highly strategic place in global missions. It offers freedom of religion and open access to the Gospel, while sitting next to the heavily restricted 10/40 Window. It has become a training and launching point for many missionaries who serve in closed nations.

Would you pray with us?

Pray that we stay connected as a family. Pray that we keep drawing all our life, purpose, power, identity, and love from Jesus alone. We want to live from that place, fully alive to God, able to see what He is doing and where He is leading each day.

Pray for all the details to come together. Pray for divine appointments, divine setups, and grace for the divine detours along the way :)

Pray for health and protection over all six of us, so that we can love and serve well.

We are also praying that this would be another marking moment in our kids’ hearts—one that opens their eyes in all the right ways and softens their hearts for the nations, while also protecting their innocence. We especially pray this as we will be serving and loving many children who have been rescued from child trafficking.

Our spring and early summer here in Kona have been so full of life and fruit! Here are some highlights from each of us:

Jack

• Monday evening worship gatherings

• Living close to the YWAM base and being able to walk down on his own often

• The people

Charlie

• Youth group at church

• The ocean and bodyboarding

• Time with Jack

Kate

• A nanny job for the month of June

• Doing life and loving Jesus with friends who are here right now

• My new room! I’m so thankful for it and I love it!

Lily

• Shared meals with friends and other families

• Ohana (Family) Nights on campus (Monday evening worship)

• Quality time with Taya (and their whole family!). Our families were in Africa together two years ago, and it’s been so amazing to do life with a good friend!

Amy

• Teaching with Carl in both Family DTS and the School of Worship. In Family DTS, we taught on the Nature and Character of God. In the School of Worship, we taught on the Holy Spirit in Worship. Such special weeks!

• Getting settled into our new place

• Weekly intersession with families in Family DTS

• Really life giving friendships that are forming here

• Our church family and life group—precious people!

• 6 a.m. on Fridays in the book of Hebrews with some incredible ladies!

Carl

• Leading worship weekly with Family DTS (Discipleship Training School). These families are GOLD! Eight countries represented, going into four different nations for outreach.

• Coaching young worship leaders who are excited to grow and serve God.

• Teaching in the School of Worship. These students are hungry! After we taught, we’d wait on the Lord together and see the Spirit move in our midst.

• Morning Men’s Group… with coffee of course :)

We love you and thank God for you—for your love toward us, your prayers, and your generosity in helping us take these steps that God is opening before us. We are so very thankful!

Love,

The Johnson Family

If you would like to support our ministry:

Donate Here

Here in Kona, one of the world’s most active volcanos, Kīlauea, erupts every couple weeks. But as life goes, it’s really hard to get a chance to go and see it. One thing is, you never know when exactly it will start to erupt, and secondly, you need a good chunk of time (6 hours) which is hard to come by. In February, my (Carl) mom visited us and my one prayer was - Lord, if there would be any way we could see the volcano erupt, that would be so great, but it has to be exactly Sunday afternoon or else we won’t have the ability to see it.

And by God’s good favor, that volcano started erupting right after church! We hopped in the car and drove 2 hours to a packed national park entrance and got to experience the eruption into the evening. It was very cold & rainy, but gloriously beautiful. Thank you Jesus! He made a way!

We had watched the eruption many times on a livestream and heard other people describe it to us. But it just isn’t the same as experiencing it. The raw power sending liquid rock 1,000 feet in the air for several hours! The noise, the smell, the vivid colors and orange glow at night. We live on a wild and crazy planet!! It’s one thing to read about it, or watch it on a livestream. It’s an entirely different thing to experience it.

Paul wrote to the Ephesian followers of Jesus,

“I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.”

Ephesians 3:16-19

Last week, Amy & I had the privilege of teaching a lecture week for Family DTS - families from all over the world pressing pause on their lives to immerse their whole family into world missions for 6 months. The room was filled with incredible families and we had such a fun time speaking and ministering. The Lord was very present and we were all so mutually encouraged.

One of our topics was on how God is a perfect Father and desires us to view him as a Father who genuinely cares and wants to be involved in our lives daily. A truth most followers of Jesus know in their minds but maybe not so much at a deep heart & daily practice level. If it’s true that God wants to have a real relationship with us through Christ, then we should only assume that would mean daily interaction, communication, and very real experiences of friendship & love. Otherwise, its just a worldview, ideology, or some philosophy we are offering people. The Apostle Paul understood this. A real loving relationship IS available to us all.

We began to uncover various roadblocks to receiving God’s love - an important thing to look at. We talked about things like having an incorrect view of God, having unconfessed sin, unhealed pain, disappointment, unforgiveness, strongholds, distractions, and disengagement with spiritual practices - all these can be roadblocks.

What might be a roadblock in your life to receiving God’s love? I have learned that when it comes to God’s Love, It’s one thing to read about it or hear people talk about it, and it is an entirely different thing to actually experience it. I have come to the conclusion that it is absolutely necessary above all things in the Christian life - that I experience His love daily. May you experience His great love today!

Summer Update: THAILAND

This July, the Johnson family is embarking on a month-long journey to THAILAND — stepping into Bangkok and Chiang Mai with open hands and expectant hearts as we follow the Lord’s leading into what we believe will be a deeply significant season of ministry and encouragement.

As we’ve prayed into this summer, one theme has continued to rise to the surface: strengthening and refreshing those who are faithfully serving on the frontlines. We believe this trip is an invitation to come alongside missionaries already pouring out their lives in Thailand — bringing encouragement, pastoral care, prayer, and support in tangible and Spirit-led ways.

Throughout the month, we’ll have opportunities to minister to families in Bangkok, participate in outreach and restoration ministry in the red-light district (adults only), encourage staff during ministry and worship nights, and spend intentional time praying with local teams and leaders. Our heart is to bring life, hope, and renewal to those carrying the Gospel in challenging places.

Another aspect of this trip will be joining a Family DTS team for a pastoral visit in Chiang Mai, reconnecting with several families we’ve already had the joy of serving during a recent teaching week. We are incredibly expectant for what God will do through these relationships and through every conversation, prayer, and act of encouragement along the way.

We truly believe God is moving powerfully in Thailand, and it is a profound honor to partner with what He is already doing — serving with the missionaries and ministries faithfully carrying His heart to the nation.

Love,

The Johnson Family

Prayer Request & Updates from the Johnson Family:

• Please be praying with us for driver’s ed school to work out for both Lily and Kate! The process has taken longer than we expected, and having another driver in the house will be such a blessing.

• We’re moving at the end of this month, just a couple of doors down! We’re so thankful for the ways God continues to meet every need we have. Thank you for praying for us through all of these transitions.

• Please be praying as the details and provision for Thailand come together.

  Lord— continue to unfold what is on Your heart for this trip — each step!

• We continue to feel an increasing sense of peace and clarity about our move here, plugging into YWAM, and the new season the ministry is stepping into. We deeply treasure your prayers for our family as we continue to take each step forward.

If you would like to support our ministry:

Donate Here

Hello Wonderful Friends,

Recently during Monday Morning Worship—a time when the whole campus gathers to pray and start the week together—the facilitator shared something that has continued to stay with me. It was one of our final Monday gatherings before Quarter 1 students leave for outreach.

She referenced John 10:10: “The thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy; but I have come that they may have life, and have it abundantly.” She also shared Song of Solomon 2:15: “Catch the foxes for us, the little foxes that spoil the vineyards, for our vineyards are in blossom.”

This past quarter has been a season of incredible growth for the students—learning about God’s nature, His gifts, their calling and authority, His kingdom, and the greater storyline of Scripture. It’s been like a greenhouse—surrounded by others growing in similar ways, preparing to be sent out to the nations. Their lives are full of new buds and ripening fruit.

The facilitator challenged them with this: these tender buds and fresh fruit are exactly what the “little foxes” love to destroy.

Outreach brings real challenges. The usual comforts and buffers of life are gone—I remember this well: personal space, independence, familiar foods, easy escapes when things feel overwhelming, and being near the people you love. And yet, they have been prepared for exactly what God is leading them into.

She invited us to close our eyes and ask the Lord to show us the fruit He has been growing in our lives. To look at it. To celebrate it. Then to imagine a strong wall surrounding that garden, protecting what He has planted. There is a door—so we ask: Is it open? Have I, knowingly or unknowingly, left it open through my choices, attitudes, or actions?

As I prayed, the Lord gently showed me areas where I had left the door open—places where the enemy (those “little foxes”) had been coming in to damage the fruit He’s been growing. I was able to repent and, by His grace, shut the door again.

You may not be preparing to go on outreach to another nation, but God is sending you into your spheres of influence every single day. What might He show you if you asked Him about the fruit He’s been growing in you this season?

Perhaps you’d see deeper surrender, growing faith, increased love for others, or a steady patience that keeps trusting Him beyond what feels possible. Maybe you’d notice a greater hunger for His Word, a sensitivity to His presence, or a willingness to obey whatever He speaks.

Take time to celebrate that growth.

God is sending you into your spheres of influence every single day

You have what you need for this season—for the people and places God has called you to. Don’t let the “little foxes” (offense, discouragement, doubt, distraction, disillusionment, unforgiveness) steal or destroy the good fruit God is producing in your life. Shut the door to their access, and stay fully alive to God right where you are.

Speaking of fruit—it’s a full and fruitful season here! Thirty eight teams of first quarter students are preparing to leave for outreach and go to 32 nations, new staff are arriving for the April quarter, trainings are underway, and new students will be here soon. There are also significant transitions happening on base as one of the major ministries at YWAM Kona launches out and relocates.

On the home front, Charlie just turned 13—which means we now have three teenagers in the house! The kids have only two months of school left, and we’ll be moving to a new condo just a couple of buildings away in June. We’re also praying and planning for summer outreach.

It’s been such a joy to see God’s hand at work all around us. Some recent highlights include our one-on-one discipleship relationships—we’re seeing such meaningful growth there. We’ve also loved opportunities to teach, lead intercession as a school, and lead worship and ministry times across campus. It’s been especially meaningful to watch our kids step in and serve alongside us.

God also continues to open doors in friendships with people in the community who don’t yet know Jesus—please join us in praying that they come to know Him!

And through all of it, the greatest treasure remains the same: loving Jesus, being loved by Him, and letting His love flow through us to a world longing for something real.

May you continue to be filled with His love,

The Johnson Family

Our recent life in pictures:

If you would like to support our ministry:

Donate Here

(Picture: commissioning night in December sending teams of students into 49 nations)

Hello Friends and Family!

Happy 2026!

We had a wonderful Christmas season, and although it looked quite different from previous years, we experienced a deeply rich time with our family! We are so thankful. Our hearts are full, even amid the changes. The faithfulness of the Lord is undeniable to our hearts. Jesus is with us and in us forever. This is the good news we celebrate and cling to: God has made a way for us to be with Him through Jesus’ death and resurrection — forever!

There continue to be real waves of grief that surface as situations remind us of past seasons we loved so much—filled with people who knew us deeply and loved us well. But even underneath those very real waves of emotions, God is so near to our hearts through His Spirit! Him in us; us in Him. Maybe you are in that season too. Maybe you have waves of grief over loss. Maybe you feel that ache as you look at your news reel. Take heart, friends—He is with us, no matter the season!! He is our hope, strength, joy, peace, our home.

Our kids are back in school, and Carl and I are in our new groove serving with the School of Worship (SOW) on campus. As we look ahead, we see purpose and new paths unfolding, giving form and shape to some of the reasons the Lord has us here. New DTS students arrived on base 2 weeks ago, and our next round of SOW students will arrive in April. As the leaders prepare for the upcoming school, we are assisting with several SOW projects, teaching, and pastoral care. It has been encouraging to see these purposes take shape as we continue to say “yes” to His leading.

Looking back over the last quarter, we are grateful for the opportunities we had to work, grow, and give. It was such an intense but fruitful season filled with lectures, songwriting, and serving various schools across the base! We celebrated in tears as we saw hundreds of young people so excited to be sent to over 47 nations all over the world. We continue to pray for the School of Worship outreach team that was sent to New Zealand and Fiji. Please continue to pray with us for that team.

Here is their latest update:

(Picture: Sending the team off to New Zealand & Fiji)

A mini update on the kids :

Lily began writing a musical based on the story of God, and over the past few months she was able to share a couple of her songs with our class. I continue to be blown away by the depth of understanding and creativity flowing out of her. She’s also holds a Hawaiian drivers permit and already proving to be a great driver! The girls have their school “Winter Ball” this weekend.

Kate has started taking a couple of babysitting jobs around campus; she is so gifted with kids. She is loving dance and is such an incredible friend. The girls are going to start a group with others their ages that will creatively and practically work out truths from the bible.

Charlie continues to play basketball and has loved working in the tech booth for our evening Ohana (family) gatherings on campus. Both boys will try paddling here on the island (think 6 person outrigger) and that will be a fun new activity to learn.

Jack (and Charlie) have picked up body boarding so quickly! They usually try to go 1 evening during the weekdays before sunset and are getting really confident and skilled at doing tricks in the water. We have made good friends with several other families we see at the beach regularly and pray that they experience the love of God. Carl and the boys have just finished the Wingfeather Saga (so good if you have readers!!) and have just started The Hobbit.

It’s hard to believe that we have been on island for just about 6 months. We got together with our family and wrote out some nuggets we have been learning or re-learning.

• Talk to God about everything. Invite Him into it all.

• Don’t live motivated by fear. We may feel afraid at times, but we move forward connected to and empowered by the love of God, trusting Him to meet us right in the middle of it.

• Love the people in front of you. Be devoted in love to the community God has called you to be a part of.

• We are dead to sin and alive to God. Grace—not sin or shame—is our teacher as we grow up in Jesus. Praying especially for grace in this as we raise our kids.

• Thanksgiving is thanking God for what He has done—for the many gifts and benefits He’s given us. Praise is acknowledging God for who He is. Worship is bowing low and yielding our allegiance to Him. Often, worship happens in those holy moments when we sense the Spirit in powerful ways.

• Grumbling and gratitude can’t coexist—they pull the mind in opposite directions. What we repeatedly focus on rewires the brain, shaping whether we live from complaint or from thankfulness. We’ve been talking about this a lot in our home lately.

• Time keeps moving—treasure these days. These years with our children at home are a gift and won’t last forever.

• Put lilikoi in the center of a papaya (after scooping out the seeds). There is nothing like it.

• Play with the people you love. It is so good for the heart.

• When things feel overwhelming, I often just need a good night’s sleep. I almost always wake up with better perspective.

• God knows everything I need and want. Every detail is fully known to Him, and He is a faithful provider.

(Picture: Aloha night welcoming this quarters students from 27 nations)

This past weekend we went on a family hike, and I (Carl) captured this picture of Amy and Jack. It immediately brought Psalm 32:8 to mind: “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye on you.”

So much of life’s journey involves not knowing exactly where we’re going, but learning to trust the One who holds our hand along the way. Jack had no idea we were setting out on a five-mile hike—he had never done anything like it before. But he trusted that we knew what we were doing and that we understood what he could handle. When he got tired or hungry, we stopped, rested, and fed him as we went. It was enough for him that we were with him leading the way.

As I watched him holding his mom’s hand, I had a simple thought: this is what childlike dependence looks like.

“I will lead the blind by a way they do not know;
I will guide them in paths that they do not know.
I will make darkness into light before them
And rugged places into plains.
These things I will do [for them],
And I will not leave them abandoned or undone.”

Isaiah 42:16

How gently God makes Himself the guide of those who can’t see the way clearly. Blindness itself isn’t the problem if we’re willing to place our hand in His. When we do, He becomes our sight. Jesus took the blind man by the hand—and that picture says everything.

Here is the promise: God will guide us through His providence, His Word, and His Spirit. Life can feel incredibly complex, but the condition for that promise is simple—we must admit we don’t see clearly and willingly place ourselves in His hands with a teachable, trusting faith.

Thank you for your continued support, for reaching out and checking in, and for your encouraging words and friendship. It truly means the world to us.

We love you all!

—The Johnson Family

(We got to meet, visit, and pray with Darlene Cunningham, co-founder of Youth With a Mission, several weeks ago. She’s delightful in every way, just like we heard she was.)

If you would like to support our ministry:

Donate Here

How is it already November? It is crazy to think that Christmas is next month! Immediately below is a catch-up video. If you want to keep reading, you can learn more about what we are experiencing and learning. We love you!

YWAM Kona

This quarter, campus is filled with 530 students from 27 different countries. These students are enrolled in 13 different training schools and will be sent to nations all over the world in January. Each quarter, YWAM Kona offers a variety of discipleship training schools (DTS), Foundation School for kids, Bible schools, and courses on apologetics, counseling, Bible translation, long-term missions, and more.

As you walk around campus, you find seemingly countless classrooms filled with people from around the world. It is an amazing experience to take it all in. Students and staff can also spend time in prayer at any hour in the campus’s 24/7 prayer room.

School of Worship

We are five weeks into the School of Worship, which trains and equips musicians and worship leaders from all nations to send them into the nations. Our class includes young leaders from Tonga, Japan, Germany, Egypt, South Africa, California, Oregon, Pennsylvania, and Cincinnati. :)

This program is a second-level school, which means every student in our class has already completed a DTS, which incorporates three months of training and two months of mercy and evangelism ministry, typically in another country.

Our family is finding a new rhythm amidst a FULL schedule. Monday through Friday, we spend all day on campus, plus 3–4 evening commitments per week for the School of Worship. We are so thankful to live just a short walk from campus so our kids can join us there after school. We have been loving our time with our fellow students!

What we are learning

In class, we have been learning how to lead prayer and intercession with worship, how to write songs, and why it is so important for the missions movement. A team from the School of Worship just returned from Nepal, where they partnered with translators on the ground to help the Nepalese people write songs based on scripture in their mother tongue. During their trip, songs were written in nine different languages. Several of these worship songs are the first ever written in their language. The team shared the power of seeing men and women in tears over finally having worship songs to Jesus in their own language.

Our class has also been studying the book of Psalms and asking, “What is praise? What exactly is worship?” Each week, we color code each line of the Psalms based on its content. For example, we use red for each request or prayer, orange for each piece of wisdom/instruction, purple for an action of worship/praise, etc.

Two weeks ago, I (Amy) was feeling overwhelmed and weary. I read Psalm 37, then reread it over and over. Each time, I found myself saying “yes” more and more. Each time, I felt a greater measure of faith added to it. After several times through, it began to feel like a weapon, cutting through my discouragement:

1 Trust in the Lord, and do good;

dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness.

4 Delight yourself in the Lord,

and he will give you the desires of your heart.

5 Commit your way to the Lord;

trust in Him and He will act…

7 Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him….

23 The steps of a man are established by the Lord,

when he delights in his way;

24 though he fall, he shall not be cast headlong,

for the LORD upholds his hand.

Psalm 37

I am so thankful for the Word and when it speaks to us, imparting courage, lifting burdens, seeing us, giving grace, renewing vision, breaking confusion, and washing over us with joy.

This week, it was Psalm 62:8 that I couldn’t get past: Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us.

I want to encourage you to do this: Pour out your heart before Him. Say the real, honest, gritty stuff. Lay it down and, in that process, give it over to Him so that you can be renewed in what He speaks back! He is a refuge for us. He is the one who is seated at the right hand of the Father making intercession for us. He is the one who saved us and the one who keeps us.

Our new church home

Walking into this sweet church, I (Carl) am reminded of my previous season — the setup, the prayer, the leading of God’s people, the struggle, the beauty of the Lord drawing near to us, the attacks on Saturday nights, the glory when He is magnified in corporate worship. And I miss it.

For more than 2,000 years, God’s people have continued to meet on Sunday mornings all over the world. Of course, local churches are active in different ways during the week, but the whole group gathers on Sunday morning because it’s the day Jesus rose from the grave. We meet to connect, hear fresh insight from the Scriptures, pray, take communion, and pray for each other. And the presence of God joins us in a mysterious way — a foretaste of the glorious wedding banquet to come — when we will fully enjoy our friendship with God and with all the redeemed from every nation.

This little church is a relic from an old revival on this island. It was then converted to an art gallery for some time, then back to a fellowship that nearly closed. Today, it is bursting with new life, and a new church plant movement is growing. Launching only weeks ago, this church is packed and praying about how to multiply! The island is awakening again to the Lord, and it’s so fun to be a part of it.

Listen to the history of revival on the islands. It is incredible how God prepares hearts to receive His wonderful gospel! Click here to watch.

A testimony from Nigeria

Each YWAM base serves as a center for training and equipping Christians to fulfill the Great Commission, offering discipleship training schools (DTS) and other ministries focused on evangelism, community building, and social aid. These campuses function as local hubs with diverse, often specialized, missions to train new generations of missionaries and provide a base for local outreach and community development efforts worldwide.

This past summer, YWAM Kona hosted base leaders from all over the world for a Leadership Training School (LTS). We had the privilege of meeting some of these amazing people. A YWAM team made a movie to share the true stories from a base leader in Nigeria.

After seeing this movie premiere, we, along with a couple hundred leaders from around the world, jumped to our feet with tears and joy. This Nigerian YWAM leader saw unspeakable suffering and incredible miracles. He and his wife were present during the viewing. Both Amy and I were challenged by their faith journey. We were so grateful to just be in the room with them.

I highly recommend this movie. For more info, click here.

*** Parents, be advised this trailer and movie are not suitable for young children due to intensity with some violence. ***

We love you all!

—The Johnson family

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Partner with us

[Amy] Soon after arriving here we found ourselves needing to find a new housing option. Within our first 3 months here, we will have lived in 3 different places - not what we we planned or expected - but a first world problem that the Lord is clearly working through. To be honest, it proved to be really stressful and discouraging at first. It took about a week for me to get out of the spin cycle of stress but I finally got to the point of fully releasing the stress and disappointment to the Lord. It makes me think of Paul speaking to the church in Philippi - "I’ve learned what it is to be content/satisfied in any circumstance”. This word content is an inward sufficiency that is failproof in the lowest of times just as much in the best times. It comes through the indwelling power of Christ only. Just like Paul, our circumstances are forming us all and training us to surrender, give thanks in all circumstances, and live with our eyes and hands wide open. The constant transitions are playing out in all sorts of ways for each of us but we keep coming back to being thankful that we have places to call home, beds to sleep in, kitchens to keep food and tables to eat around. And how amazing and just like the Lord, that some of the richest ministry opportunities have been related to the housing search; prayer times with the owners, sharing our testimonies, hearing others’ stories and hardships of life. He is in this process! And to Him, this detour is much more than just about a home. After all, He is found in the process and these circumstances have become the tool of formation. And I am certain we are being transformed in this process.

Prov 3:5-12 (Msg)

Trust God from the bottom of your heart;
don’t try to figure out everything on your own.
Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go;
he’s the one who will keep you on track.

Don’t assume that you know it all.
Run to God! Run from evil!
Your body will glow with health,
your very bones will vibrate with life!

Honor God with everything you own;
give him the first and the best.
Your barns will burst,
your wine vats will brim over.

But don’t, dear friend, resent God’s discipline;
don’t sulk under his loving correction.
It’s the child he loves that God corrects;
a father’s delight is behind all this.

[Carl] Back in May, I asked the Lord for a greater strength to read His Word and slowly He began to give me a deeper hunger for it. He started waking me up earlier than usual without the cloudy sleepiness but wide awake to hear from Him. The transition of life has felt very unnerving and getting up early and reading the word for a good long time has sustained me more than I can say. I’ve been reading through the Old Testament again with new desire recalling all the stories I’ve read so many times. But as it goes, we see things hidden in plain sight whenever we read the Living Word. It speaks, strengthens, and the Lord has been whispering many things as I read the ancient stories again. I kept seeing several repeated patterns. One huge pattern is God speaks to His people through Moses, Joshua, David, Hekiziah and others - Be strong! Be courageous! Do not give in to fear. Don’t let your heart get discouraged. Trust in me. I am fulfilling my purposes through you. I am with you and will not fail you. Keep following me and speaking my promises and getting your strength from me. You can do what I’m asking you to do!

And the people’s response when they follow through on His challenge is usually this - Oh, thank you so much!! I’m so grateful for You Lord. You are so good and kind and wonderful! Your faithful love and mercy never fails! I can trust you forever. Help me to keep trusting You always with my whole heart!

Let everyone give all their praise and thanks to the Lord! Here's why—he's better than anyone could ever imagine. Yes, he's always loving and kind, and his faithful love never ends. Psalm 107:1 TPT

What we are learning in this season:

1. Recalling and remembering how God has been faithful in your past brings your heart into gratitude. I have a list on my phone now that I go through and just thank God for the big 40 (the big moments in my life when God showed up) - I’ll thank Him for those and sometimes wander off into other details.

2. Gratitude is a way to connect with God - It’s His phone number.

3. Gratitude and thankfulness create the atmosphere where peace can rule unhindered.

4. Reading lots of scripture keeps your heart tender and your mind grounded.

5. Keeping your heart tender and responsive towards Him helps you be available to what He’s doing.

6. Ask God to help you with everything. Why do we try and do so much without even talking to Him about it?

7. Talk to God about everything stressful in your life - He gives peace!

8. Fears like to hide in the heart. We tend to run away or ignore them but articulating them, bringing them to God and asking Him what He says is very helpful. Wait on Him, let His love wash over you again and fears will dissolve. Repeat daily :)

Divine appointments are all around.

[Carl] I had a divine appointment with a customer service rep from our phone company. I needed to get something fixed on one of our phones. As soon as the representative came on the line he took a deep sigh and said in a very thick accent, ‘how can I help you today?’ I used to answer phone calls for an investment company many years ago and I knew from the sound of his voice that he was a little worn down. Probably due to the amount of frustrated people calling in complaining about problems he now had to fix. I explained my issue and told him to take his time to do what he needed to do. I could tell he was grateful that I was not angry and not in a huge rush. His accent sounded almost like Russian so I asked him where he was calling me from, hoping to wow him with my one Russian word I can remember. To my disappointment he said, “I’m sorry I’m not allowed to share where I’m calling from”. My issue took about 45 minutes to fix. Afterwards, I thanked him for his help and his response caught my attention. “Mr. Johnson” he said, “you have no idea how your call has been a breath of fresh air for me today. Most people who call me are not very nice at all”. I told him that I used to work on the phones and I know hard & exhausting it can be. And then something came out of my mouth that I’ve never done on a customer phone call - I said “Hey I follow Jesus, is there anything I can pray for you in Jesus’ name?” His response was, “At this point, I just want to make it to Paradise”. I was calling him at 6am my time and was not sharp enough to even catch what he meant by that statement. I thought he could see where I was calling from and didn’t even register that man probably is from a different faith than mine. The Holy Spirit led this so strongly that I only realized what was happening as it played out. I then asked him “Have you ever heard the voice of God in your life?” To my surprise he said, “Yes, I get dreams”.

“Could I pray for you right now?” I asked and he said sure. I was so full of the Holy Spirit that I could barely say these words…they came with power and my heart was gushing for this man. “Father, I ask in Jesus name, that you would give ‘his name’ peace, and fill him with your Holy Spirit right now. I pray that you would reveal to him how much you love him and that you paid for all his sin on the cross and that he can know that is forgiven and know you personally.”

There was a silence and then he shared that he was crying. I found out he had a bible at home and he was trying to read through the Old Testament. I encouraged him to read the book of John to see and learn about Jesus.

He thanked me and ended the call saying “Mr Johnson, I can’t yet call you my brother, but I can call you my friend. This has made my day. Thank you so much”. I ran and told my family what just happened. I was in shock how God just dropped into our conversation to reveal Himself to another person He is seeking. I just happened to get to intersect that communication.

I was so grateful that I was not in a rush - I could have missed that a hundred ways!

Despite being in a season of feeling out of control and having more questions than answers, I find that we are more available to what He’s trying to do for others in this world that is desperate to find Him. In many ways, we can see the journey we are on IS the destination - Trusting Him more every day.

Please pray with us:

Personal: We really hope to get an update from the kids out soon so you can hear how its been for each of them. Please join us as we pray for a good & kind friend for each of our kids. They miss their friends from home more than we could say. We also continue to ask for wisdom if Charlie is in the right school. (He was able to share Jesus & pray with another student at school - such an incredible story!) There are a couple dynamics in play as it relates to his schooling and we continue to pray for discernment and wisdom. A kind friend would do wonders for all the kids.

We are also praying for the right renter for our Lebanon home; that provision would take care of some of our shortfall.

YWAM: Leadership Training School is wrapping up next week at the base. Leaders from over 60 counties have been here receiving incredible teaching & training to bring back to their countries. How incredible to see the nations represented here. Pray for provision, protection and renewed strength as they go back to their nations with all they’ve learned. Here is a Monday morning worship time where you will hear many of the languages represented.

We have been so encouraged as we have begun meeting and connecting with the leaders of the schools. Pray for continued direction and clarity for us going forward.

Love you all!

The Johnson family

19 years of marriage - so grateful! Here is a then and now for you :)

If you would like to support our ministry:

Donate Here

Aloha friends!

[Amy] We have arrived in Kona and have spent a couple days getting settled, acclimated to the area and the new time zone. We were picked up from the airport and dropped off by some friends from last year and they were so kind to have snacks, dinner and breakfast food for our family. Isn’t the gift of hospitality such an incredible ministry?! We arrived to the house we are currently renting and took a big exhale. After months of praying and planning, we are here. Thank you for being a part of this journey with us!

Just like any transition is, ours has been filled with good and hard parts. I’m so thankful that we have stayed connected as a family, sought the Lord through this and had frequent dance parties to good music to remember that life can’t be too serious for very long. We shared some tears and grief over people and things we said goodbye to and settled our hearts back into the reality that Jesus has led us this far and He will continue to lead us well. This past year, we learned that grief comes in 90 second waves. Isn’t that helpful to know?! So we ride that wave, sometimes have a good cry, and then come back to the surface again.

The verse that has been tumbling through my heart has been Lamentations 3:22-23: The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.

Or how about this (from the Amplified): It is because of the Lord’s lovingkindness that we are not consumed, because His tender compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great and beyond measure is Your faithfulness.

He really is trustworthy, sure, full of everything we need for every moment! He really is our peace, joy and home.

Praying for the Nations

[Carl] Last Friday we joined a group of YWAM base leaders from around 60 countries who were praying for the nations. The prayer leader asked everyone to ask the Lord for a country to pray for. Each member of the Johnson family got a different nation. They had a very large map of the world on the ground and we were told to go stand on that area of the world and pray. In midst of a few hundred people I (Carl) made my way to the country that came to my mind. I was joined by one other person - a mother who looked like she was from that nation. We prayed and we both were moved to tears praying for this people group. The scripture verse that came to my mind was from Isaiah 45:3 - “I will give you treasures hidden in secret places” and I began praying for lost souls hidden yet to be discovered and that these people that the Lord values so much, would come to know Him personally. After our prayer time I asked where this sweet mother was from and she said the name of a city in that nation. She said ‘I am helping to re-plant a YWAM base in my city. The name of our city means ‘Treasure’. My eyes widened and I said I was praying Isaiah 45:3! Now that could have just been a coincidence but I think the Lord is really good at letting people know that He sees them and cares more than you or I can even imagine.

I was so encouraged by that prayer time. God saw her. God sees you and I. He has not forgotten us. He is deeply committed to us and to His purposes and plans for the earth. The more I make myself available to His purposes and plans the more I encounter Him and find myself on a wild journey - yes it feels out of control at times - but He is so near and ready to give us the courage and strength we need to do what He’s asking us to do.

It was so good for our hearts to be back on base, in prayer meetings and ministry nights, to catch up with some friends from Kona and a friend from Ohio as well.

First day of school!

[Amy] The kids started school on Monday and they were all so brave to jump into new schools with new teachers & classmates. They are in 10th, 9th, 6th & 4th grades. I continue to see grace on them to navigate this season WITH Jesus…. Abiding with Him (staying with Him and connected to His love, keeping in conversation with Jesus, letting Him have His way). Although it has not been without bumps(!!), each of the kids seem to be processing the “new” well. So thankful! The most common desire I hear is for a good friend & I see the beginnings of Him answering that prayer.

Please join us in praying:

• Our housing seems to be changing much sooner than anticipated :( We would treasure your prayers that we find what we need in terms of housing. We are trusting His wisdom and the resources that are required to make this faith step possible!

• The prayer of our heart: Help us stay right where you are Father. Fill us and empower us by your Spirit.

• Continued prayers for our family as we adjust and jump into life here.

Love you all!

The Johnson family

If you would like to support our ministry:

Donate Here

An honest update:

[Amy] Our transition has been filled with many ups and downs. Just as many life changes go, this one has held many unexpected turns. With just about 8 weeks till we head west, we are working diligently on all the categories - schools for the kids, housing in Kona & renting out our home in Lebanon, support raising, house projects, and all the smaller details. We have continued to see the hand of the Lord on local ministry too. What a fruitful season! I am leading a few woman’s bible studies, Carl is leading a men’s group, we’ve been loving our 1-1 discipleship meetings, helping with classes on prayer and ministry, we are helping lead an Alpha, and we continue to lead worship across the Cincinnati area. In addition to that, our girls have been so blessed to be relationally and spiritually poured into by a dear, dear friend & they have now opened their group up to pour into younger (than themselves) ladies. I can’t tell you the GIFT to see your children catch partnering with the heart of God to love, serve and pour their lives into other people. I know that God will use what He has put into them in this past season to love others in the next.

A highlight: ALPHA! A great reminder that we never graduate from the basics. In fact like in music, it’s the masters who never stop practicing the basics. ↓

We sometimes ask ourselves, wait Lord, did you really say Go to the YWAM base? It seems like your hand is on the things we are doing here. Did you actually say Go? And to be honest, it can feel like such a complicated process to stop everything here and begin somewhere new that is SO far away and difficult to get to. (Help me Father not be the center of my world!!)

"Faith, then, is birthed in a heart that responds to God's anointed utterance of the Anointed One.”

Romans 10:17 TPT

[Carl] In prayer one early morning a few weeks ago, I asked the Lord - ‘Lord, should we just stay here or should we really go’? Immediately I chuckled to myself as I was brought back to our original very clear leading back in February 2023. Many months before that February, I had a prayer in my phone journal that was titled “should I stay or should I go”. I had felt a leading to take my family to YWAM for a Family DTS. Not sure if this was the Lord or just me, I began to pray and process the pros & cons, the questions. Am I just tired? Is this really you? Are you leading this? Is this just me? The prayer continued for a few months and the prayer became a little joke between me and Lord. Throughout the day, I might catch myself singing to the Lord the old song “should I stay or should I go?” by The Clash - that was the only lyric I could remember :) This became my running joke / prayer with Jesus.

Amy & I decided to fast and scale back on all the “fillers” of life in January 2023 to get clear direction (to be honest it was a pretty weak fast). However, it did help position us to starve the flesh a little to try and feed the spirit. Do you ever sense the need to have those kinds of rhythm to help soften your heart & open your spiritual ears a little more to better notice God? Well, not much was profound about the fast and it was a busy month so extra time with the Lord was hard to come by. However, after the fast in late February, Amy & I had a disagreement and I went in the basement to workout and regroup. I happened to see a live conference from a church I followed so I jumped on the livestream and began exercise. It was the end of the teaching time the pastor said “This is a conference on hearing God so I’ve asked some leaders from our church to ask & listen to the Lord for anything He’d have to share. They will now share and offer them up front for the encouragement of the body.”

What follows is how I remember it. The first leader came up and she said, “There’s someone here that has been praying a prayer and it’s actually a song. I keep hearing it play through my mind. I almost want to ask the worship band to play it because its playing so strongly in my head. It’s the old song ‘Should I stay or should I go’ by the Clash”. She sang it and everyone chuckled in the room. I stopped working out and pulled my phone out of my pocket to see the live conference. This was happening right now and I think this is for me!!! I had just turned the conference on; the timing was perfect. I continued to watch. She continued, “This phrase has been the prayer of your heart for some time now and you sing it to the Lord often.” I sat down realizing I’m not going to finish my workout this evening. My eyes were glued to my phone. “Does this connect with anyone in this room?” I started to look for a chat feature on the live stream. Inside I thought, this might be for me. No one seemed to raise their hand in the church and so after a pause the pastor said, how about you ask the Lord for more information. She waited for a second and said, “I get the number 42.” My eyes widened. I was 42 years old. This IS for me I thought. Inside I was trying to raise my hand. Then she said “you’re a man”.

The pastor said ok “So if you are a man, 42 is meaningful - maybe even your age, and this is the prayer of your heart we’d like to pray for you. Please stand up.” Alone in my basement, I stood up.

And she said, “so I’ll just share what I heard. I saw a green light, Green for Go. Test this with the Lord, but I sense You are good to go.” I remember standing and receiving it in shock. Goosebumps all over me and a sense of the presence of the Lord. The word ringing in my spirit.

GREEN LIGHT GO.

“I saw a green light, Green for Go. Test this with the Lord, but I sense You are Good to Go.”

That’s about as clear as the Lord could have been.

There is a big different between just a funny coincidence vs a moment that calls you to attention and has a strong internal witness that rings loud inside of you. I think this is probably what Jesus meant when He said “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.” John 16:13

I took it in for a minute and then walked upstairs to tell Amy. I shared that I thought the Lord had clearly spoken something for us.

About a week later we got in touch with the pastor of the church who then connected us with the person from their ministry team who delivered the word. As we spoke with her on the phone and shared the process, she too agreed the word was probably for us and shared a dream she had the night before. It was a fairly short dream but in it the familiar phrasing from Isaiah 43:19 was emphasized… “See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?”. The women sharing the dream said she heard the phrase, “God is doing a new thing. Only He knows His plans” repeated over and over in song.

God is doing a new thing. Only He knows His plans.

Amy & I laughed as we remembered an old christian song in that phrase but the application made sense. We are not going to know all the exact details of our lives in this but this is God. He is leading and will only let us know what we need to know.

Just last week, I asked the Lord, should we stay or should we go? Things are opening up and really fruitful here at home. Immediately I was brought back to this clear directive of the Lord. He called out my prayer, the song, my age, my gender, at the exact time as I tuned into a livestream. Probably one of the clearest directives I have received up this point in my life. Now it seems silly to even ask again. He said Go. One of the principles in hearing God’s voice is if God seems silent in your asking, go back to the last thing you heard him say clearly. And obey as best as you know how. I felt silly for even asking the Lord that question last week. But this is our human nature to question these things and need reassurance. I think He already knows our weakness, our fears, our insecurities and He has already provided the clear direction. We simply need to remember what He said and trust Him. He said Green light Go back in Feb 2023. As far as I know, that directive is still for us.

When God seems silent, go back to the last clear directive you had. Do that while leaning in as much as you can in anticipation of what God will do next.

I have been strengthening myself in the Lord listening to some of the old sermons I gave. Another one that has strengthened me is the message I gave on the faith of the Canaanite woman. A very strange but powerful story that I’ve always wondered about and then finally had the opportunity to study it. I’d love to share it with you as it has built me up this month.

The Faith of a Canaanite Woman (Matt 15:21-28)

A little disclaimer… it was a sweet Sunday where the Lord was very present, I was definitely sniffling a lot at first.

Please join us in praying:

• Grace & peace to mark us in this season. His supernatural God-strength and resources that are required to make this faith step possible. Peace- that deep internal rest and anchor for our souls when the waves come. A soundness & a staying of our minds in Jesus.

• Hope for the future… Remembering and celebrating that Jesus is there too :) We can dream and pray, seeing Him in our imaginations and wonderings about the next season with YWAM. He is within us and never to leave us; in the schools, new home, new city.

• Please be praying as we finish raising our support. We are about 35% away from our goal. We have a testimony being written about our housing - its one of those ‘only God’ stories that we can’t wait share once its finalized!

• The highest goal for us as a family throughout this process continues to be to “stay with God” (abide). To be filled with His love continually and let Him come out of us and energize or animate all we do. The prayer of our heart: Help us stay right where you are Father. Fill us and empower us by your Spirit that the ministry/heart/love/way/words/tone/feelings/fun of Jesus come out of us continually!

Love you all!

The Johnson family,

If you would like to support our ministry, click the link below.

Donate Here

Hello Friends!

This chapter of our lives is very much a family-on-mission reality and we are seeing our children receive the call to “Come and Follow ME” from Jesus! This puts fresh wind in our sails. Lily, Kate, Charlie & Jack are building a history with God himself by hearing Him and obeying Him. And as their parents, this is what we want more than anything else!

Just a year ago this week we were settling in to our new temporary home in Africa. WOW! As we think back to last year and all the transformation that took place in our lives and as we live fully right here in this present season at home - investing in the people we are around - the Father continues to grow our hearts and reaffirm the invitation to keep moving forward with Him.

A couple weeks ago, we had the opportunity to help host Gather25 which was a global church gathering across every continent ↓

This was a livestream event with testimonies, worship, prayer, updates from regions all around the world. North America, Oceania, Asia, Persecuted Church, Eastern Europe, Africa, Western Europe, South America. Our family had the privilege of helping give shape and structure to the 25 hours. For every region represented on the broadcast, we had in-person prayer & worship with some in our church community leading 4 hour time slots. Many of the local leaders who helped shepherd the time recently got back from the mission field in that very region. It was wonderful! Our kids begged us to spend the night. They lasted till 3 am when we brought them home to their beds for a couple hours :)

After the 25 hours ended, we cleaned up the space and as we were driving home, each of our 4 kids shared how over the course of the 25 hours they were reminded and reassured that God was calling us forward to YWAM for the next season. One of our kids even mentioned how they have been so focused on all the sad realities of going -leaving the people, places, school, church family and very real gifts of “home” - that it had overshadowed the reality that we “Get to” do this. This kiddo felt that reminder during the 25 hours - “we get to do this next season with God!”.

This August, we are heading back to YWAM Kona to serve in the areas of Family Ministries & Worship to help send and to go into the nations!

Below is an excerpt from a memoir Lily wrote for a class at school. She shared about her time in Africa and how it shaped her. I wonder if hearing her point of view will bless you!

_________

A Memoir from Lily

Truth
Picture a bus. Not a bright yellow school bus, but not a tour bus either. A white bus and it seats around twenty-five people comfortably. The seats are in rows like a school bus and there aren't any seat belts. On one side is a single seat while on the opposite side, there are two seats smushed to form a bench of sorts. In the aisle, there is a collapsible seat when the bus is in motion. Not very luxurious, I know. The truth is it helps maximize space, but it’s not very comfortable. It has air conditioning but the real question is do you have the gas for it? Pray for the gas, the stifling heat is practically unbearable. However, because of the country’s fuel shortage, you probably won’t have enough gas.

Now picture the continent of Africa. It is filled with beautiful people and culture bursting with color. It is full of dance and laughter; full of ancestral traditions and dances combined with the beating of their drums. Some of the world's most fierce and exotic creatures roam this vast land. The truth is, whether it’s the mountains or deserts, lakes or waterfalls, the animals or the people, the music or the dance, you will be swept away.

The fascinating put on display; joy in the midst of lack and poverty. It’s something I have often pondered. Why do I lack the ability to be content in hard circumstances? We have to go back to the rudimentary lessons. We get carried away in the meticulous processes of life here in America. We have so much to think about, so much to do. So much possibility and opportunity. So many complications. When put into perspective, our life here in America is too good to be true. We can practically get anything we want at any moment we want. We can fall into the temptation that says that we deserve everything we can easily get here. Food, water, clean air. Even more advanced things like basic choice in food, cold water if we wanted it, a bed to sleep in, a toilet that flushes, soap that smells the scent we want it to, and so on. In Africa all of these things we had to hold with open hands. God was so good to us! I don't mean that sarcastically. He taught us things we never could have learned here! He works in amazing ways.

One time my water bottle was stolen and through the whole process God was able to teach me a valuable lesson. Here I was crying in a concrete pavilion surrounded by children who don't even have water, nevermind a water bottle to fill.

“What do I do with this? I feel like a hypocrite.” I asked God.

“The way you feel about losing your water bottle is the same way I feel about my lost children.” He answered.

“So what in the world do I do?”

“Bring my lost sheep home.”

So from then on I wanted to do what He said: to bring His lost children home.

This is one of His children that we got the privilege to meet.

Imagine an African boy. His name is Passi. Probably around seven or eight years old, but he looks like he is five or six because of malnutrition. His dark skin is rough and a little dry. His hair is buzzed with flies darting from one side to the next. Passi has eyes that shine with bubbly joy tinted by deep grief. His smile is bold and beautiful. His shredded and stained clothes implied he didn't have any others. He has no shoes on, he probably only owns one pair, and those are strictly for church. Despite the state of his situation, Passi carries himself like a prince of distant lands, waiting for the day when his father will carry him away from the broken lands in which he leads his life.

“[He] carries himself like a prince from distant lands, waiting for the day when his Father will carry him away from the broken lands in which he leads his life.”

Meet Ivreen who has no father. Her mother takes care of her and 5 other children. Ivreen's mother receives no help from her community because they think she killed her husband. Meet Hipo the village bully who never got the love he so desperately needed. Meet Hannah and Danny who come to this feeding program to get their food for today, with no guarantee of any tomorrow.

I saw deep need. I saw hunger. I saw pain. I saw children devouring a cup of burning hot cornmeal. I saw them walk to a home where there was nothing for dinner. Surely this was only the case for the 130-145 children we loved. Right? The truth is these kids are one small community out of one village. In one small country a fourth of the size of Ohio. A country I didn't even know existed. That's just one country in one continent in the vast world we call Earth…

… The truth is God has called us for a higher purpose. Ukuri. Amazima. Ukweli. Truth. Will you be a part of this higher call for the truth?

- Lily Johnson

_________

Carl had the privilege of teaching 6th & 8th graders about the the Holy Spirit ↓

Ways to pray for us:

Family & Future

• Pray for continued connection as a family and with the Lord. Our months continue to be so full - all good things! Pray that loving others will always come from loving and being loved by God himself first. We pray that the Great Commission will continue to flow from the Greatest Commandment.

• Specifics in regards to arriving in YWAM Kona in August… Schools, Housing, Support, Specific ministry assignments. We are praying that each kid lands where He has them to be. Open and shut the doors, Father!

Local Ministry

• Alpha begins this month at our YMCA... Join us in praying for a fruitful time! We have prepared well and will continue to trust Him in this process. (Alpha will be 9 weeks and includes a group conversation over a meal with people who are curious and open to exploring faith, meaning, Jesus.)

• Groups & discipleships. Amy just began another group “Majesty of the Gospel” and she continues to lead the Thursday morning group through Hebrews. These women are HUNGRY. Thank you Jesus! Praying that Jesus would be revealed to their hearts in all His worth and majesty. Pray for the teaching and worship opportunities Carl continues to have and for the men that he continues to meet with.

• Carl and I are (separately) leading worship for 2 different conferences this weekend. We pray that He is glorified, moves in our midst, and is revealed to every heart that is present. Pray with us for each man and woman coming to these conferences!

Love you all!

The Johnson family,

If you would like to support our ministry, click the link below.

Donate Here

Hello dear friends!

Oh how we’d love to get a meal or walk with each of you. We would ask what the most life-giving part of your world has been and we would want you to share anything that God has been teaching you in this season. It’s pretty unbelievable to think that we are already in the middle of February.

One nugget we have been chewing on and talking about especially in this season is the call to follow Jesus. What does it mean to follow Him? How does He call people? What does He ask of someone when He calls them? We’ve been talking about how easy it is to just want to add Him to your life and yet the invitation Jesus continually offered was “Follow me”. Come and lay your life down - exchange it for my life and in that process you will find the truest life.

Carl preached on the call of Matthew a while ago and we thought we’d share it with you. It’s great when you find yourself being encouraged by something you shared or wrote down in the past that God was teaching you. A good reminder to write down or record everything God stirs in you! It just might be what you need to hear in a later season :) It starts with a scene from “the chosen”, the message begins at 6:05 / -43:46.

The Call of Matthew↓

The late John Wimber summarized well the experience of following Jesus.

"The economy of the kingdom of God is quite simple. Every new step in the kingdom costs us everything we have gained to date. Every new step may cost us all the reputation and security we have accumulated to that point. The disciple is always ready to take the next step. If there is anything that characterizes Christian maturity, it is the willingness to become a beginner again for Jesus Christ. It is the willingness to put our hand in His and say, ‘I’m scared half to death, but I’ll go with you, Lord. I’ll risk everything to go with you. You are the pearl of great price.’”

- John Wimber, “Utter Obedience”

A mini family update for you:

Lily & Kate are both in the spring musical Annie Jr in April and have long & frequent rehearsals. School is going well for both of them and they just attended the winter formal. They looked so beautiful! Charlie is entering his basketball tournament this weekend and he has had a great season! I think more basketball is in his future. Jack is SO excited for spring flag football with his buddies. He continues to sing & breakdance his way through most days :) Carl and I are doing really well and trusting the Lord for a lot this season but Praise God (!!) that we are deeply connected to each other, the kids, and the Father in the midst of it. Highlights for both Carl and I continue to be the people we get to meet with. Both of us are leading a group and have 1 on 1 meetings with people throughout the week. So fruitful! We’ve had many opportunities to lead worship as well. We are planning to help run an “Alpha” here locally and are SO looking forward to what the Lord has in store with that. Have you heard about that ministry? More on that in the next update…

School of Kingdom Ministry ↓

Another highlight each week is bringing our family to this class. We learn about hearing God’s voice and get to practice praying for each other and learn how to expect God to answer even as we pray. Every two months, we are all on a prayer ministry team that ministers to hungry folks gathering together wanting individual prayer. Our kids participate in sharing encouraging scripture verses or thoughts, often drawing a picture to illustrate it. Most often, these simple encouragements land deeply in the hearts of those who are receiving them. It reminds me of Psalm 8:2 - “You have taught children and infants to tell of your strength…”

Here’s to this upcoming generation!

Love,

The Johnson Family

Please pray:

• We’d treasure your prayers for wisdom in this season and for wisdom as we enter the next!

• Pray with us for the 3-fold miracle for serving YWAM Kona: schooling, housing and finances :) Our kids are currently on wait lists for 2 different schools in Kona for the fall semester. Pray with us the right spots would open for each kiddo. We are praying now for deep & life giving friendships and school situations that would be conducive to what the Lord has us to walk in.

• Pray with us for our discipleship relationships and the ministry opportunities we are currently serving. There is so much life on these relationships and what the Lord has led us to say yes to!

• We are doing ALPHA in April! (a place to invite friends who have questions about Jesus). Pray that we can gather as many open people and that many would come to know Him personally. We are so excited about this!

If you would like to support our ministry, click the link below.

Donate Here

Mark 1:15

His message was this: “At last the fulfillment of the age has come! It is time for God’s kingdom to be experienced in its fullness! Turn your lives back to God and put your trust in the hope-filled gospel!” (TPT)

Jesus’ message was very simple yet incredibly profound. It can be understood by a simple child yet can confound the smartest minds on this planet.

Cool Testimony

Last week, I had the privilege of speaking on the Kingdom of God for a friend’s class. He runs a class called the School of Kingdom Ministry. I love this subject - it is the main message of Jesus in the Gospels. But getting our heads around the scope of the message is mind blowing. Jesus came to usher in His rule and reign in this broken world. One person at a time. One heart at a time. He met people in their deepest need and revealed who He was to them.

As I was teaching, a woman had a question and it was clear she was interested in Jesus and wanting to know more. I had the privilege of sharing the simple gospel message with her and my personal conversion story in front of the class and I could see lightbulbs coming on in her heart and mind. There is a delicate balance of letting God draw a heart into His Kingdom. There is an urgency - peoples’ eternity are at stake, yet it was clear this woman was slowly getting drawn to the Lord and that God was doing it. I simply got to walk her to Jesus.

The class ended with an exercise where we practiced praying for one another like Jesus did. Asking for what Jesus would want in that person’s life and waiting for Him to guide. As this woman prayed for someone else - she was shocked! Because Jesus was answering her prayer and giving her evidence of His presence. She was praying with us as we prayed for someone in our group who was experiencing anxiety. Afterward she said, “I’ve never prayed for someone in front of me like that! Feel my hands - they are so hot! I’ve never felt my hands heat up like that before!” Isn’t it amazing how God loves to be revealed in our midst? How creative He is to draw people into His Kingdom! Isn’t He wonderful?!

Amy & I had the privilege of helping lead a staff retreat for a church in our city. The Lord showed up in wonderful ways ↓

Our message was ABIDE - HEAR - FAITH

After coming home from YWAM’s Family DTS (Discipleship Training School), the Lord was teaching us again that the much fruit that Jesus speaks about in John 15 is promised to the life that abides. Staying, remaining, continuing in God. When we abide with Him, we hear Him. His sheep hear His voice. Have you ever been spending time in prayer and reading your bible and its as if the Living Word (Jesus) is speaking His Written Word (the bible) to your own heart? And when He speaks it, it’s as if your heart grabs hold of it with fresh belief? That is faith! The in-birthed reality & confidence of the truths and the words of God. Faith comes from hearing the Lord (Romans 10:17). It is what pleases God!

The reality of life however, is that so often we can get swept up into presuming we know what God wants or what He is saying without really waiting on Him or inquiring of Him. We felt a fresh weightiness not to fall into this pattern when we got back home after YWAM. We long to hear and obey Him knowing that obedience is the highest form of worship. We all want that life of “much fruit” Jesus promises in John 15:8 and the greater works in John 14:12. But in order to hear and obey in faith, we have to start with abiding, inquiring and waiting on Him to speak.

Obedience is the highest form of worship

The anchor verse of the conference came out of Acts 4 where Peter and John are standing before the Sanhedrin (imagine the Supreme Court of Israel, if you will), defending what authority they have to preach and heal. They just spent the night in jail after preaching about Jesus & healing the man in Acts 3. The passage reveals more than 5000 believed in Jesus as a result of the miracle and preaching. Acts 4:8 says Peter, stands up to respond to the Sanhedrin “filled with the Holy Spirit” and shares (paraphrasing here) Its true! The miracle you saw us do was in fact done in the name and by the power of Jesus the man you had crucified. And while you want us to stop preaching Jesus, we can do nothing but testify to what we have seen and heard in Him!

Acts 4:13

“When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.”

I wonder if this is in line with the ‘much fruit’ we can’t produce on our own but instead is the byproduct of ‘having been with Jesus’. This is what He has for us, friends! I pray that we would continue to grow up into friends of God. The ones who sit and inquire, abide and remain with Him. The ones who hear from Him and have the faith to then boldly walk in what He is saying and doing. Let it be, Father!

Lily shared at her school Chapel↓

The Water-Bottle Story - While in Burundi, Lily watched her favorite water bottle get stolen while serving food to children. She shared how sad she was that her water bottle was taken. But she wrestled with the fact that she was frustrated about a water bottle and that she couldn’t just get over it. She was surrounded by poverty and great need. Later on the Lord spoke to her and said, “Lily, you know how sad it made you feel about losing your water bottle? That’s how I feel about my lost people. They are very valuable to me. I understand.” We all held back tears as she spoke this simple message. The Spirit of God reminded us of His deep love for lost people nearby and far away.

As we continue to reflect on our time in Africa, we remember seeing such a strong demonstration of the Kingdom of God - creating this video helped us remember what God did ↓

In the video - We visited a camp of families who had lost their homes in a landslide. We sang, shared testimonies, shared the gospel message, and then something amazing happened - God showed up! God began healing many people as we laid our hands and prayed. In this culture, the supernatural is real. They often go to witch doctors for help. But this time, Jesus was demonstrating His strength to them. It reminds me of when Jesus sent out the 12 in Luke 9 and then the 72 in Luke 10. It says that Jesus gave them power and authority to proclaim the Kingdom of God and to heal (Luke 9:1, 10:9).

It’s seems that God’s marketing strategy hasn’t changed. We proclaimed a simple message of placing your trust in Jesus while showing compassion and mercy, and God backed up the message with his miraculous power! We came back a few days later, this time with food and supplies. The crowds were so big we couldn’t lay hands on all of them so we prayed over them. Seeing their hunger for God was priceless. As our family continues to reflect, a longing to experience more of the Lord in this way is growing in our hearts.

We hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Love,

The Johnson Family

Please pray:

• We are in the process of becoming volunteer staff leaders with YWAM and plan to arrive on the missionary base by August 2025. Our children have been leading us to this timeframe and decision! Please pray for our whole family as we prepare and continue to process through this decision with the Lord.

• Please join us praying for our full financial support to come in for us to help equip and train more families to follow Jesus and experience His heart for the world.

• Pray that as we order our lives to join with YWAM, God would keep directing our steps, providing what is needed and give us wisdom.

• Pray for our discipleship relationships and ministry opportunities we are currently serving. That as we help people encounter God to hear and follow Him for themselves that we would do so from the overflow of our own personal walks with Jesus.

If you would like to support our ministry, click the link below.

Donate Here

…He has been so faithful in leading us each week. Our simple and foolish yes to step down from our incredible church staff has made us now available to new ministry opportunities. We have been getting invitations to minister in various ways that we would not have been able to do in our previous season. We are so grateful!

We shared at The Father’s House Church ↓

Sharing at a wonderful House Church in Cincinnati ↓

There is something that happens when we give testimony to what God has done in our hearts and through our lives. It is brought back to life again in our hearts and the Spirit of God becomes more present to us. As we shared the miracles and struggles of our time in Africa, we were mutually encouraged as the Lord was in our midst. It reminds me of the great evangelist Reinhard Bonnke who said, “The Gospel is ‘Good News’, not ‘Good History,’ because when it is preached, it happens.”

Luke 5:16 NLT

But Jesus often withdrew to the wilderness for prayer.

August Men’s Ministry Trip

I (Carl) had the privilege of serving on a men’s ministry trip out west in the wilderness. There is something about being completely off the grid, on a journey together, sharing our stories, being in God’s word, worshiping, out in God’s beautiful creation that just helps minister to the hearts of men. We laughed and cried, worshiped and went through 1 Peter together. In Luke 5:16, we see that even Jesus had to withdraw into the wilderness often to spend time with His Father. The word that challenges me is “often”. We live in such a distracted, hyper-entertainment focused world. I went completely off-grid for 4 days. My morning prayers seemed way more powerful and I was able to connect with the Lord so easily. Something about being disconnected from all the distractions, out in God’s creation, simplified living and having time to talk with God makes all the difference. Lord help us all withdraw in the wilderness to pray - and help us do it often.

The YWAM Burundi base made a short summary video from our family outreach ↓

You can watch it on facebook by clicking this link here.

Testimony

I had a video call last month with a friend Jim (not his real name) from our church who has moved to another part of the country. A year or two ago, we offered a bible study called ‘Freedom in Christ’. It was very helpful in leading people to areas in their heart that have been held by the enemy through lies from past experiences. I almost missed helping to facilitate a table that day since it was a Saturday but I’m so thankful I ended up attending for the day. During this session, participants were left with time to review their life story and ask for specific prayer if needed. Jim asked me to pray with him. What followed was a very powerful encounter. The Lord Jesus stepped down and lifted this man’s heavy burden, gave confidence of His love for him, and ministered to the deep pain, grief, and shame of a traumatic childhood experience. When I caught up with him last month, he reminded me of that powerful encounter and the fruit in his life that has come as a result. He told me some of the fruit has been ‘being more anchored in humility, becoming the spiritual leader in my home, physical healing, personal and family callings revealed, & spiritual giftings revealed! the Lord really opened things up from that experience and I will be forever grateful to you walking me through it.’ I remembered how I almost missed that meeting… I wonder how much I miss simply by not showing up. I almost missed witnessing this powerful encounter and being a small part of God’s story for this man. Lord, help us all to keep showing up to be available to pray for others who ask for it!

Leading Worship At Antioch ↓

It was so wonderful to lead worship again back at our home church Antioch. They do outdoor services in the summer. We got to teach a new song we learned from Burundi and invited everyone to dance while singing as they like to do in Africa. It was so fun!

We baptized Jack this summer! ↓

Please pray:

• For courage to remain right where the Lord has us. Even though parts of this journey feel uncomfortable and not how we would prefer things :)

• That we would keep our eyes fixed on Jesus. Living as a family from a place of being yielded, hopeful & sure of Him.

• We have been invited to be a part of several opportunities which we are so excited for! Pray for wisdom as we help lead a church staff retreat, speak at a conference, share at a church. We see the Lord leading us each step of the way. We want to continue to walk so closely with Him and carry His heart into each of these places.

• Please join us praying for clarity on when to return to YWAM and help families go to the nations.

Love,

The Johnson Family

First Day of School! 5th(Charlie), 8th(Kate), 3rd(Jack) & 9th grade(Lily)

If you would like to support our ministry, click the link below.

Donate Here

This old hymn has spoken to me and I wanted to share it with you:

If thou but suffer (trust) God to guide thee, and hope in Him thru all thy ways, He’ll give thee strength, what-e’er betide thee, and bear thee thru evil days; Who trusts in God’s unchanging love builds on the Rock that naught can move.

Only be still, and wait His leisure, In cheerful hope, with heart content To take whate’er thy Father’s pleasure, His all discerning love have sent; Nor doubt our inmost wants are known To Him who chose us for His own.

Sing, pray, and keep His ways unswerving; so do thine own part faithfully, And trust his word, though undeserving, Thou yet shalt find it true for thee; God never yet forsook at need, The soul that trusted Him indeed.

Author: Georg Neumark (1641); Translator: Catherine Winkworth (1855, 1863)

As we’ve continued to process and celebrate our time - looking through pictures and retelling stories - we are finding more bits and pieces we want to continue to share with you all.

I will reflect on all You have done and ponder Your mighty deeds.

Psalm 17:12

This young boy helped us paint a house we helped build for a widow. He was a strong-willed guy. His friends nicknamed him ‘hippo’ because he was very determined and a little rough with everyone else. I felt led to tell him that we must use our strength to serve people and take care of others. I also had a hunch that God was calling him and would one day harness that strength to become a pastor. He wanted to help so much he pushed my son out of the way, grabbed the paintbrush from his hand, and began painting the house! I hope his mother was not too harsh with him when he arrived home that day :)

So many children just wanted to be held and seen. When we would hug them, they would not let go. Today there are hundreds of millions of at-risk children in the world. It’s almost hard to wrap your head around the size and complexity of the issue. We miss seeing these precious children everyday. Serving them one cup a day of porridge, singing worship songs and acting out bible stories was one of our favorite things to do.

Jack’s joy and free spirit drew a crowd everywhere we went. Over the course of our time on outreach, we began to see him grow in confidence and boldness to share the story of God with those crowds.

Like cold water to a thirsty soul,

so is good news from a far country

Proverbs 25:25

The openness to the Gospel was an amazing thing to witness. Go Amy!!

We updated our church family on our time in Africa and we also let them know that God has been leading us to give Him another radical yes.

In this video, we begin our sharing at 45min.

THANK YOU!

We said yes to Jesus, paused our life for six months & stepped out into the unknown. We lived on a missionary base and He sent us to a nation we did not know. We faced our fears, we felt His grace & strength. We struggled. We saw God move and were moved by His heart for the nations. We cannot unsee what we saw. We grew in His love and strong desire for every people group to know Him. Jesus became more wonderful to us. We will never be the same again. We want to give Him our Yes again.

Please Pray:

We are sensing the Lord inviting us into another great step of faith. It feels a little foolish and scary, yet strangely we have peace. We are encouraged by Hebrews 11:8.

By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going.

Hebrews 11:8

We love you all,

The Johnson Family

If you would like to support our ministry, click the link below.

Donate Here

How do we put into words our 2 months in the poorest country in the world? We didn’t just see poverty, we lived it. We didn’t just observe suffering, we suffered alongside. We didn’t just hear about God’s glory, we experienced it.

Never have I seen such desperation and the power of God together in such extremes. I kept asking the Lord, why does this have to be so difficult? As soon as we stepped on the soil, we were hit with every kind of challenge imaginable. It was almost as if someone did not want us there and was hitting us with every possible distraction and disappointment and challenge. It’s clear that we live in a spiritual war zone, but we just aren’t always aware of it. Maybe this is what Paul meant in Romans 8 when he says we will experience His Glory if we suffer with Christ. Suffering and Glory. Two sides of one coin. It seems you can’t have one without the other.

Forever etched into my memory are the names and faces of so many beautiful children wanting to be held, fed, loved, and SEEN. I see them still in my mind. If I think too long I start to tear up. This young boy’s name is Danny. He seemed to always find me and I was more than happy to let him help out with what we were doing. He had such a joy about him. I wish I could bring him home and give him a better life, but he has a dad and mom and he needs to be with them. Many children are not aware they live in the poorest country on earth. Maybe it’s better they don’t know.

Before traveling to Burundi, while in prayer, I felt the Lord say - ‘don’t call Burundi the poorest country in the world - call it the richest.’ I thought, Is that really you Lord? I mean practically speaking, it IS the poorest. But then I remembered in Revelation Jesus adressed the wealthy church of Laodicea and said, “You think you are rich, but you are actually poor.” And to the poor church in Smyrna He said, “I know your poverty, but you are actually rich’. They have something that we don’t have here in the comfortable west - hungry desperation. It leads to them to God and God provides for them. I’ve never been as desperate as these people. Maybe I’m the poor one and they are rich.

In Acts 17:26-27 it says that God determined where people should live so that they would seek God and that He is not very far from anyone. I don’t know how to fix so much poverty and need in this country but I trust in our God and I’m able to offer my little life to stop for the ones I meet. My prayer is that everyone, wherever they come from will seek God because He is so close and ready to be found by us all. And He is the only true source of Life & Hope.

Jack was surrounded by a crowd of kids and on his own, he asked for a translator, starting sharing the gospel with them using his 5 fingers! Afterward, two boys asked for prayer. Here he is praying for them. This is a memory we will treasure.

Amy was as bold as a lion and so filled with compassion. I wish you could have seen her. She shared the gospel with so many people, I lost count. Several placed their faith in Jesus. This young lady was the sweetest.

Last months’ update

Limited wifi made it difficult to get out :)

Displaced Families Camp

Almost 500 families lost their homes in a landslide and currently live in an old school building. We were able to deliver food and supplies and pray for the people. It was an amazing experience. The National news showed up and did a story on our work!

Team Burundi!

We did it! I’m so proud of our team.

We will be taking a few weeks in June to de-brief as a family.

There is so much for our kids to process. We all are very exhausted and some are still battling sickness. Please pray for us as that we would be able to heal up, rest, and cement into our memory all that God did.

We love you all,

The Johnson Family

We have been here for about 2.5 weeks but what is time anymore :) Rarely do we even know the time or date. We seem to function in morning, afternoon or evening time frames. The people are precious, hard workers, never complain, servants and nobody praises the Lord like they do here! It takes about an hour to get into town - to serve off campus, buy supplies or grab a lunch. The roads are so poor the bus driver is dodging pot holes, people, motorbikes and bicycles carrying stacks of supplies. Power, water & internet are all very inconsistent (which is why its taken us so long to get this out) and we are being stretched beyond what I know how to share. How kind of the Lord to speak so clearly that we were to come here on outreach. That word of confirmation and leading has been like a handle to hold onto, hope when we are in tears and confidence that He is moving (in us and through us) in ways we just might not be able to see. I wish you could experience life and ministry here. I wish you could meet this staff of servants who have been rescued by Jesus and now they have given up whatever they had to serve this community and advance the Kingdom of God.

Carl had the privilege of preaching at the largest church in Burundi (3000 members) whose paster is considered the hero of the nation. He left France to plant a church back home because the Lord spoke to him. Very soon after planting, the genocide started. Miraculously, every member of his church was protected. Today, the ministry has networks all across the surrounding nations.

“I will make you fishers of . . . fishermen!”

A local fisherman village nearby has been a highlight for us. They are so open to the gospel. Already, we’ve seen several trust Christ and a few healings. A group visited last week and they said, “someone from YWAM came a couple years ago, why did it take you so long to come back?” We plan to visit each week with more bibles and translators to share the gospel.

Here is a video to give a small glimpse into YWAM Burundi:

Psalm 10:17-18

Lord, you know the hopes of the helpless.

Surely you will hear their cries and comfort them.

You will bring justice to the orphans and the oppressed,

so mere people can no longer terrify them.

Prayer Requests:

• Supernatural Perspective - to see like God sees: people, situations, hardships

• Supernatural Perseverance - grace to continue in love and humility

• For many to come to know Jesus and come fully alive in Him. That we would have boldness and LOVE would mark us in every way.

• That we would continue to Lean IN.

Here’s a fun example of Leaning in:

For the full version of this video:

https://www.fragranceoffaith.org/screening-episode-one

The statement above is what our family is growing in as we move closer to outreach. We are being stretched in many ways and we are believing as we continue to say YES LORD that He will work His will and His way out of all our lives.

Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus…1 Thes 5:18

Count it ALL JOY brothers and sisters when you meet trials of various kinds for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness (patient enduring) and let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect (full grown) and complete, lacking nothing … James 1:2

I have learned what it is to be content in all circumstances… whether in need or with plenty…. i have learned he secret of being content in any and every situation whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through HIM who gives me strength. Phil 4:11-13

Please join us in praying for these truths in scripture to become real, daily, LIVING realities for our family. We can see the effects of small spaces, full schedules, constant people, and late nights. We can also see the effects of months of living in what feels like a “thin place” where the Kingdom of God is close and our kids have been saturated in the ministry of the Holy Spirit, Scripture, and FAITH. What a privilege this season is to our family. A greenhouse of growth and adventure in hearing and obeying God’s voice.

Here is an update from Jack!

In less than one month, hundreds from this YWAM base will be sent all over the world as hundreds more arrive on base to begin their own training and sending journey.

Team Burundi! (5 families - 10 adults & 17 children) Please take some time this month to pray for our team. 1 family from Canada, 2 Norwegian families, 1 Swiss/Norwegian family and then our family. Such a dream team!!!

Update video from Lily & Kate :)

A little more info about this very special base we currently call home:

This week we camped around the Lordship of Jesus Christ as well as the Fear of the Lord. The Isaiah 6 interaction and commissioning, as well as the eye salve mentioned in Revelation 3:18 are forming many prayers for us. We want to see Him rightly. We want to respond rightly.

We treasure your prayers over & for our family. He is so worthy!

These were the main themes for the past four weeks.

Week 1 - Hearing God’s Voice.

Week 2 - Who God is.

Week 3 - Friendship with Jesus.

Week 4 - Wholeness, Confession, & Forgiveness.

Here’s a video of what our kids are learning:

Last week during “Friendship with Jesus” we heard crazy testimonies of faith from Dan Baumann who has served with YWAM for decades. What a gift to hear him! Here is a previous message of his imprisonment in Iran:

This week Amy & I had the privilege of hearing from Tom and Donna Cole from Pure Heart Ministries. We were blown away how they taught from such a place of vulnerability with their personal testimonies. It was a significant week for us! The ministry time was filled with tools to work through healing, confession, forgiveness, & ways to strengthen marriages.

We love you and miss you all!