Happy New Ear!

Okay, apologies for the corny title, but we are celebrating today because Jake's surgery went well! We were amazed at how quickly he came through it, it was less than 20 minutes from the time he went into the operating room until he came out. The doctor told us that between Jake's exam on Friday and the surgery this morning, Jake had developed a severe ear infection. The doctor said that he had never seen an ear infection get so bad so fast and that the eardrum probably would have ruptured by the end of the day if they hadn't had the surgery this morning. God definitely knows what He's doing!

Before I go any further, I guess I'd better explain the pictures. The first is one of our friends from our backyard. These little lizards are everywhere! They are cute little guys and range from the size you see in the picture to about the length of an adult's finger. Jake loves them! The second picture is from our first day of volunteering at the children's home in our neighborhood. Jake and Jeremy played with the big kids while Tricia helped care for the babies. We had a great time!

Well, the last 24 hours have been pretty exhausting (especially since Jake woke up 4 times last night), but God has brought us through wonderfully. We are so thankful that the surgery went well and we can focus on putting Jake's ear issues to rest now. Thank you so much for all of your prayers during this time, the Lord was definitely with us!

Jake's Quote of the Week

"Mommy, after the doctor fixes my ears, then we can go to the mall, and then we can go to the store to get some jelly beans."

(This kid never stops thinking about candy)

Praises and Prayer Requests

Of course, our big praise for the week is that Jake's surgery went so well. We know that a lot of you were praying, and we feel so fortunate to be lifted up by the Body of Christ in this way. We really can't express how much your support means to us.

Please remember the following in prayer this week:

-- Jake's recovery from his surgery, which should only take a few days. He has a follow-up appointment with the doctor in 2 weeks where they will retest his hearing. We're praying for 100% rather than 70% this time.
-- Tricia is still sick. It's been well over a week this time and although she is feeling a bit better today, it would be nice if she could kick it.
-- A team of ANU students (ANU is in Nairobi, Kenya) is travelling to Johannesburg this week. Please pray for their safe travels.

Until next time,

Jeremy, Tricia & Jake

A Prayer Request

Just a quick note to request prayer:

Today, we took Jake to an ear, nose and throat specialist to try to figure out why he has been having frequent ear infections, difficulty hearing, etc. He had a bit of a problem with this when we were still in the U.S., but we have noticed that it has intensified since we arrived in Joburg, and he was starting to get in trouble at school because he "wasn't listening".

Anyway, it turns out that Jake needs grommets (we call them tubes) in his ears. They are also going to check out his larynx while they do the surgery, as they suspect that some of his problems might be related to his reflux, believe it or not. He has his outpatient surgery scheduled for Monday morning. It's not a huge deal, kids get grommets all the time, but we are a little nervous about having our three-year-old put under for the surgery. Plus there's the fact that we are in a foreign country and we have to front the money and then wait on the insurance to reimburse us.

So, we'd like your prayers for Jake's surgery and healing, his parents' nervousness, and the Lord's provision on the financial aspect. His surgery is Monday morning at 8:00am our time, which is 1:00am Central time in the States.

Thank you for your prayers!

Until next time,

Jeremy, Tricia & Jake

Fun Times

It's that time of the week again, and it's been another good one. Not that there was anything too exciting going on, but it was an enjoyable week.

This past weekend, we went to the National Zoo in Pretoria, which is about 45 minutes to an hour from our house (45 minutes with Jeremy driving). Oh yeah, and we went with some random South Africans that we met at McDonald's two weeks ago (they turned out to be great). Animal-wise, it was probably just about like any other zoo in the States. However, the grounds and facilities were nicer than any zoo that I had ever been to. But... once you've been to a game park, a zoo just doesn't quite cut it anymore. We've been here 7 months and we're spoiled already!

Then on Tuesday, we started volunteering as a family at a small orphanage in our neighborhood. It's called Door of Hope, and it's affiliated with the Baptist church (there's nothing similar that the Church of the Nazarene offers in our area). We figured that it's close to home and is a good way for us to "get our hands dirty" in ministry, plus it's something we can all do together. In all, there are 14 kids at this home, 10 of them between 0 and 2, and 4 of them between 2 and 5. Jake and Jeremy play with the older kids while Tricia helps take care of the babies. Right now, we plan to go once a week for about two hours. It was a blast the first week!

Jake's Quote of the Week

"Dear Jesus, help us to take a ride on the boat with Auntie Diane on November 9th and please give us a new house. Amen."

(I don't even know what to say about this. Looks like I'd better find a boat in Ethiopia...)

Praises and Prayer Requests

We thank God this week for the work that he is doing on us. We feel challenged, but in a good way. You don't grow without the challenges, right?!

Please remember the following in prayer this week:

-- Tricia and Jake are sick... again. Sooner or later, we're going to get used to these South African germs.

-- Aggie at Door of Hope: She is running a home with 14 kids with just her and another live-in volunteer. The rest of her help with the kids is volunteer help, which is sometimes just not enough. Please pray for her health (and sanity!) as she cares for these children as best as she can.

Until next week,

Jeremy, Tricia & Jake

A New 'Do !!!

Yes, Daddy convinced Mommy today to let Jake try a new hairstyle. About halfway through the haircut, neither Mommy nor Daddy were too sure about it, but it turned out okay (we think). We're sure that there will be many that will disagree with us, as Jake's hair had many fans before. However, as Daddy told Mommy, don't worry, it can always grow back. So, what do you think?!

Well, this has been a big week. On Saturday, Jeremy went with some of the guys from the Regional Office to a soccer tournament in Soweto. There were about 80,000 crazy fans there, and it was a blast, although Jeremy came back with a killer sunburn on his face.

While Jeremy was in Soweto, Tricia and Jake went with another missionary and a local lady to Bruma market, an open-air market that was the setting for one of the challenges in last year's Amazing Race (the TV show). They also had a great time shopping and soaking in the culture.

However, the highlight of the week was yesterday, when Jeremy and Tricia celebrated their 8th wedding anniversary. It's hard to believe that eight years have gone by already, it seems like yesterday! They went to a nice dinner at a steak restaurant in the area while "Uncle Johnny" and Jake had pizza and watched The Lion King. Going out to dinner is cheaper here than in the States, which made it extra nice! We thank God for eight wonderful years, throughout which he has challenged us, guided us, and most of all, loved us.

Jake's Quote of the Week

"Daddy, I have to stay in and watch a movie today. I can’t go outside because I have an ear collection."

(We haven't actually seen Jake's "ear collection", but we really hope we don't. However, if anyone is missing any, we will gladly make Jake return them. But the threat worked, Daddy let Jake stay in and watch a movie this morning.)

Praises and Prayer Requests

We praise God for our family and the eight years during which it has been established and grown both in number and in strength. By the time we come home for a visit in December 2008, we will have had quite a first decade of marriage. It has been a great joruney and there are not words to express how much we owe God for this joy.

Please remember the following in prayer this week:

-- Jake has been battling with his hearing lately, which (we think) is allergy related, but can't really tell. The doctor has told us that in order to accurately test his hearing that we have to catch him at a time when his ear canal is not irritated and there is not much wax build-up. So far, those two things haven't happened at the same time. Please pray that we get to the bottom of this soon.

Thank you to those who have sent packages lately. We will be sending pictures to you soon!

Until next time,

Jeremy, Tricia & Jake

Eish! What a day!

"Eish" (pronounced like ash with a long "a" instead of a short one) is an expression that South Africans use sort of in the same context that we would use the word "man". For example, "Eish, I'm tired" or "Eish, that stinks."

Anyway, the reason it comes into play here is the day we had today. It definitely was a doozy. To make a long story short, in addition to the normal daily tasks, the Johnsons got to deal with a leaky toilet (leaky on the dirty side, not the clean side), plumbers that were four hours late, and having a confrontation with some crazy hippie "missionaries" that managed to deceive their way into one of our guest flats. Lots of fun. In the end, the police were involved and everything, but it ended without things getting physical, so that was a blessing! We are all safe and sound.

Well, because of these things, the Johnsons are a little worn out tonight, emotionally and physically. This will be a short one. Please pray for our peace of mind, because we actually felt badly about having to get rid of our hippie friends, since it is very cold here right now. Pray for them as well, that God can really work in their lives and keep them out of trouble.

Anyway, this week was a pretty "average" week, tonight's events excluded. Jake did take "Uncle Johnny" (Johnny Wakefield, a NIVS guy who graduated from ONU this year) to the Lion Park on Saturday, and that awesome zebra pic you see is Johnny's.

Jake's Quote of the Week

"Dear Jesus, please send us lots of jelly beans, ‘cause that’s why you’re up in heaven Jesus, is to give us jelly beans."

(Jake has obviously gotten his theology mixed up a little bit somewhere along the line... we're working on it.)

Praises and Prayer Requests

We praise God that the potentially very bad situation we faced today was defused without much fanfare. We are reminded that even when we are asking "why me?", God is already working out a way to make himself known to us. Thank you for safety and learning experiences!

Please just remember us in prayer in a general sense this week. There's nothing "big" going on, but we definitely need the Lord's guidance in our lives this week. Thanks for your prayers!

Until next time,

Jeremy, Tricia & Jake