Three weekends have passed since our last update, so we have a lot to tell you, but we'll try to save your eyes and keep it simple. :) There's not really a good excuse as to why we haven't posted (other than the standard busyness), so we won't try to come up with a bad excuse!
Since we last wrote, we found out that we will be leaving in January (as long as we can get our visas and work permits in time)! We are very excited that there's not much longer, but at the same time we're wowed by the fact that... there's not much longer! Please pray for us and our preparations in the two months that we have left here in the States.
Weekend(s) Update
We spent Oct 16th in Waukegan, IL (north of Chicago), and Kankakee, IL (south of Chicago). They were both great services, and the one at Kankakee First Church was especially meaningful to us, as it is Tricia's home church and Jeremy spent four years in that congregation as well during college. We were so happy to be able to reconnect and spend a few moments with so many people that have meant so much to us. We also stayed for a few days with Tricia's parents, so Jake had a great time visiting with his "Maw-Maw" and "Paw-Paw". Jake especially enjoyed his time out at Paw-Paw's farm, where he got to drive the tractor, hold the kitties, and run around with the chickens, turkeys, and goat. Paw-Paw also got Jake's Major League career as a pitcher for the Chicago Cubs started with a throwing lesson! (Yes, we have pictures. Yes, I will post them this week.)
Since it was Reading & Research week (ha ha) at NTS, we didn't have classes that week, so we also got the opportunity to visit Manteno Church of the Nazarene (about 15 min from Kankakee) that Wednesday evening. Tricia's Aunt Janice and Uncle Rich go to that church, so it was good to see them as well!
That Thursday (Oct 20th), we headed back to KC to recharge and got to have dinner with Scott, Emily & Elijah Armstrong, our friends from Olivet who are now missionaries in Guatemala. Jake is just six days younger than Elijah, so it was fun to see them playing. They're going to be roommates at Olivet, you know!
The next weekend, we were in Council Bluffs, IA (Emanuel COTN) and Omaha, NE (Southwest COTN) for a wonderful weekend. After a Faith Promise potluck on Saturday night, a great Sunday dinner and an afterglow on Sunday night, we ate so much that we barely fit in the car on the ride home! :) We also want to thank the Millers for putting up with us for the weekend, as they let us share their home during that time.
Finally, this weekend we got the chance to minimize our driving with some KC District churches, Topeka Oakland and KC Victory Hills, which are two of our LINKS churches (Loving Interested Nazarenes Knowing & Sharing) for the next three years. Essentially, LINKS is a program run by Nazarene Missions Int'l that means that we especially maintain contact with them and they with us during that time. It's been great to be a part of it just for these first few months already!
Whew... we will never wait three weeks again. Thanks for sticking with us, if you're still reading! :)
Daily Life
A little over halfway through the semester of training, our daily life mainly consists of preparations. Preparations to go to Africa (we're working feverishly on visas and work permits right now), preparations for the next weekend's travels (laundry, cleaning, etc.), and preparation of ourselves for both of those journeys, both physically through rest and mentally and spiritually through reading, prayer, accountability to each other and the rest of the interns, etc. We are blessed to have a support structure of other missionary families here that can share in our experiences and we can all know what the others are going through. Thank you Lord!
Praises and Prayer Requests
We praise the Lord that he has brought us over halfway through our training now, while teaching us so much and giving us his strength for the journey. We wouldn't have made it this far without it! Please continue to pray for us in the following ways:
- Safe travels for deputation services
- Smooth processes for all of our preparations (visas, work permits, etc.)
- Good health (Tricia & Jake are battling fall allergies right now)
- Continued openness to what God is saying to us
- One unspoken request as well
Thank you once again for taking the time to come along with us on this journey. Your prayers, e-mails, thoughts and friendship are appreciated more than you know and more than we can express.
Until next time,
Jeremy, Tricia & Jake
Monday, October 31, 2005
Tuesday, October 25, 2005
Pictures From Our Travels
Over 5,500 miles in the car in the last month can drive anyone crazy...
...or, just knock them out.
Thursday, October 13, 2005
Blasts From the Past
Weekend Update
This weekend, Jeremy traveled alone as Tricia & Jake enjoyed a much needed break from the travel schedule. Jeremy returned to Indiana, where he spoke on Sunday morning at Lebanon Church of the Nazarene. Although that church was going through some tough issues in the lives of many in that congregation, it was great to share a time of testimony with them during the service.
Also, this weekend was Jeremy’s 10 year high school reunion, so he got the chance to reconnect with a lot of old friends and to see what they were up to. Everybody seemed to be doing fairly well, and it somehow just didn't seem like ten whole years had gone by after talking to some of them. Jeremy was glad to reestablish communication with his classmates and hopefully keep up that contact this time around!
Daily Life
We're gearing up for Reading and Research week here in our seminary classes, which means a week off of class, but no real break from schoolwork. It does, however, give us a chance to travel for some deputation services, and we'll have six services within an eight day period and across Illinois, Iowa, and Nebraska. Also during that time, we will be back in KC to meet up with some other missionary friends of ours, Scott & Emily Armstrong, who are missionaries in Guatemala. They have a son that is six days older than Jake, so those two should have fun!
Praises and Prayer Requests
We praise God for health! Everyone is doing relatively well right now, it seems like nothing more than the seasonal allergies. We are also thankful that God is giving us time to complete some of our routine tasks now (like renewing our passports, getting our will put together, etc.). We've not had time for a lot of things lately, so it feels good to cross some things off our list!
Please remember us in your prayers for the following:
- Traveling mercies as we do a lot of driving this week
- For the Lord's presence in our deputation services
- Jeremy's midterm exam (in business school) coming up this week
- Continued health as the hectic travel schedule continues
Thanks for your prayers and we'll tell you all about our trip when we return!
Until next time,
Jeremy, Tricia, & Jake
This weekend, Jeremy traveled alone as Tricia & Jake enjoyed a much needed break from the travel schedule. Jeremy returned to Indiana, where he spoke on Sunday morning at Lebanon Church of the Nazarene. Although that church was going through some tough issues in the lives of many in that congregation, it was great to share a time of testimony with them during the service.
Also, this weekend was Jeremy’s 10 year high school reunion, so he got the chance to reconnect with a lot of old friends and to see what they were up to. Everybody seemed to be doing fairly well, and it somehow just didn't seem like ten whole years had gone by after talking to some of them. Jeremy was glad to reestablish communication with his classmates and hopefully keep up that contact this time around!
Daily Life
We're gearing up for Reading and Research week here in our seminary classes, which means a week off of class, but no real break from schoolwork. It does, however, give us a chance to travel for some deputation services, and we'll have six services within an eight day period and across Illinois, Iowa, and Nebraska. Also during that time, we will be back in KC to meet up with some other missionary friends of ours, Scott & Emily Armstrong, who are missionaries in Guatemala. They have a son that is six days older than Jake, so those two should have fun!
Praises and Prayer Requests
We praise God for health! Everyone is doing relatively well right now, it seems like nothing more than the seasonal allergies. We are also thankful that God is giving us time to complete some of our routine tasks now (like renewing our passports, getting our will put together, etc.). We've not had time for a lot of things lately, so it feels good to cross some things off our list!
Please remember us in your prayers for the following:
- Traveling mercies as we do a lot of driving this week
- For the Lord's presence in our deputation services
- Jeremy's midterm exam (in business school) coming up this week
- Continued health as the hectic travel schedule continues
Thanks for your prayers and we'll tell you all about our trip when we return!
Until next time,
Jeremy, Tricia, & Jake
Friday, October 07, 2005
Time For a Rest
When we wrote last week, we honestly thought that we had had a challenging week as a family. Turns out, we were wrong, this last week was the challenging one! On our way back from our trip to Texas, we stopped at a hamburger joint (which shall remain nameless) and picked ourselves up a super-sized order of food poisoning! So, Monday night - Wednesday morning were not that pleasant, but the Lord brought us through it okay and we are just fine now! Jake was wonderfully behaved during the time that Tricia and Jeremy were sick and made it really easy on his parents from that standpoint (we also thank the Wiggles, Sesame Street, and PBS for that!). However, none of that can change the wonderful weekend that we had!
Weekend Update
We traveled to Tyler First and Dallas Central churches this weekend and had great services at both. Jeremy went alone to the Tyler service, as Tricia lost her voice on Saturday night and wasn't feeling the best after a nine hour car ride. However, getting some Sabbath rest proved very helpful for her and she was able to get some words out for the evening service at Dallas Central. As usual, we met a lot of wonderful people and learned of some other interesting things in common with those churches. Pastor Ketcham from Tyler First turned to be a friend of the Zurchers from Kokomo, while Pastor White from Dallas Central is a KU grad, just like like Jeremy will be in about two months!
We also had a great time visiting with the Seal family (Tricia's sister Traci & her family), and Jake is still talking about wanting to go back to Texas to see his cousins! It was a great time to spend with family as well as get to do some deputation visits!
Daily Life
Ours was a low-key week, just trying to get rested and back on track for this weekend. Jeremy will be traveling alone to Lebanon, IN this weekend, as the family needs a bit of a break from traveling. Jeremy will also get the chance to visit with some high school friends, as Kokomo is close by and his ten year high school reunion is this weekend!
Praises and Prayer Requests
We praise God for bringing us through our sickness with no complications, doctor visits, etc.! We also are thanksful for the opportunities that these deputation services give us to get the word out about Nazarene World Mission, which is obviously one of our passions! It has also been great to be able to align deputation services with where we have family and friends that we can visit before we leave the country. God really has worked out some great things for us!
Here are some ways that you can pray for us this week:
- Safe travels for Jeremy to, in, and from Indiana
- A safe and restful stay in the KC area for Tricia and Jake
- God's continued guidance as to how we might draw closer to him and his will for our lives
Thank you for your prayers and please also pray for the work of the church in Africa. We can't say enough how important your prayer support is for Nazarenes across the globe.
Until next week,
Jeremy, Tricia & Jake
Weekend Update
We traveled to Tyler First and Dallas Central churches this weekend and had great services at both. Jeremy went alone to the Tyler service, as Tricia lost her voice on Saturday night and wasn't feeling the best after a nine hour car ride. However, getting some Sabbath rest proved very helpful for her and she was able to get some words out for the evening service at Dallas Central. As usual, we met a lot of wonderful people and learned of some other interesting things in common with those churches. Pastor Ketcham from Tyler First turned to be a friend of the Zurchers from Kokomo, while Pastor White from Dallas Central is a KU grad, just like like Jeremy will be in about two months!
We also had a great time visiting with the Seal family (Tricia's sister Traci & her family), and Jake is still talking about wanting to go back to Texas to see his cousins! It was a great time to spend with family as well as get to do some deputation visits!
Daily Life
Ours was a low-key week, just trying to get rested and back on track for this weekend. Jeremy will be traveling alone to Lebanon, IN this weekend, as the family needs a bit of a break from traveling. Jeremy will also get the chance to visit with some high school friends, as Kokomo is close by and his ten year high school reunion is this weekend!
Praises and Prayer Requests
We praise God for bringing us through our sickness with no complications, doctor visits, etc.! We also are thanksful for the opportunities that these deputation services give us to get the word out about Nazarene World Mission, which is obviously one of our passions! It has also been great to be able to align deputation services with where we have family and friends that we can visit before we leave the country. God really has worked out some great things for us!
Here are some ways that you can pray for us this week:
- Safe travels for Jeremy to, in, and from Indiana
- A safe and restful stay in the KC area for Tricia and Jake
- God's continued guidance as to how we might draw closer to him and his will for our lives
Thank you for your prayers and please also pray for the work of the church in Africa. We can't say enough how important your prayer support is for Nazarenes across the globe.
Until next week,
Jeremy, Tricia & Jake
Saturday, October 01, 2005
What a week...
Well, this hasn't been the best week in the history of the Johnson house, Tricia and Jake have both been sick, our bathroom has been torn up all week, and then there's the regular hectic schedule that has been thrown on top of that. We've struggled, but we've made it. God has been good through it all, despite the challenges.
Tomorrow we head to the Dallas, TX area for deputation, which is a blessing. October 1st is Tricia's birthday and is also her sister Traci's birthday as well (no she's not a twin, and no, her parents didn't plan it like that)! Since Traci and her family live in the Dallas area, she and Tricia will get to share their birthdays together this year!
Weekend Update
This last weekend was a crazy one. Jeremy's brother Steven got married on Saturday and then we had our two deputation services on Sunday. It was a busy time! It was good to see Jeremy's family and friends and a privilege to be at Steven and Mehgan's wedding. It was also good to visit New Castle First and Kokomo First (one of Jeremy's "home" churches). We met a lot of wonderful people and felt very welcomed by both congregations.
Daily Life
As mentioned above, this was a tough week. Not only for us, but it seemed like it was for all of the missionary interns. There was at least one sick kid and one sick parent in each family, and classes don't really stop and wait for that. We don't know how we would make it through weeks like this without the prayer support we have from all of you. Thank you so much!
Praises & Prayer Requests
We praise God for his faithfulness in helping us to get through this week and stay sane (at least as sane as we were). We also praise him for two great deputation services and the addition of a sister-in-law to our family!
As far as prayer requests go:
- A speedy recovery for Tricia and Jake
- Endurance for seminary classes (about 400 pages of reading per week!)
- Good time management skills
- Safe travels for deputation
- Jeremy's upcoming presentation in his MBA class
Thanks for your continued prayers!
Closing Thoughts
We thank God not only for the good times in life, but the trials as well. They draw us closer to him, which is the goal of our lives, isn't it? We just ask that God would continue to teach us and mold us into the people and family he wants us to be.
Until next week,
Jeremy, Tricia & Jake
Tomorrow we head to the Dallas, TX area for deputation, which is a blessing. October 1st is Tricia's birthday and is also her sister Traci's birthday as well (no she's not a twin, and no, her parents didn't plan it like that)! Since Traci and her family live in the Dallas area, she and Tricia will get to share their birthdays together this year!
Weekend Update
This last weekend was a crazy one. Jeremy's brother Steven got married on Saturday and then we had our two deputation services on Sunday. It was a busy time! It was good to see Jeremy's family and friends and a privilege to be at Steven and Mehgan's wedding. It was also good to visit New Castle First and Kokomo First (one of Jeremy's "home" churches). We met a lot of wonderful people and felt very welcomed by both congregations.
Daily Life
As mentioned above, this was a tough week. Not only for us, but it seemed like it was for all of the missionary interns. There was at least one sick kid and one sick parent in each family, and classes don't really stop and wait for that. We don't know how we would make it through weeks like this without the prayer support we have from all of you. Thank you so much!
Praises & Prayer Requests
We praise God for his faithfulness in helping us to get through this week and stay sane (at least as sane as we were). We also praise him for two great deputation services and the addition of a sister-in-law to our family!
As far as prayer requests go:
- A speedy recovery for Tricia and Jake
- Endurance for seminary classes (about 400 pages of reading per week!)
- Good time management skills
- Safe travels for deputation
- Jeremy's upcoming presentation in his MBA class
Thanks for your continued prayers!
Closing Thoughts
We thank God not only for the good times in life, but the trials as well. They draw us closer to him, which is the goal of our lives, isn't it? We just ask that God would continue to teach us and mold us into the people and family he wants us to be.
Until next week,
Jeremy, Tricia & Jake
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