New Experiences

Over the past couple of weeks, we have had some new experiences, which we are glad to have, after being in Africa for over a year now. Sometimes, working in the regional office can feel like it gets a bit dull, since you are not in typical "mission work". There is not much front-line ministry that we do, other than what we find to do on our own.

Last Saturday, we attended the graduation ceremony at Nazarene Theological College here in Johannesburg. Since we go to the church located on the college campus, we have gotten to know many of the students, and it was nice to see them graduate. Now we will have friends pastoring in local churches in South Africa, Botswana and Zimbabwe, with another friend that wants to teach at the college in Mozambique once he finishes more schooling. The picture this week is Jeremy and Jake standing with our friend from Mozambique, Arcenio Manjate. He has had a very interesting and difficult journey to graduating from NTC (where he took classes in English, his 4th best language), so it was especially meaningful to see him graduate. Jeremy will be teaching an Administration and Accounts class at the college next month, so we are getting more and more involved with the college as time goes by, which is nice. In 10 or 15 years, the students we knew from NTC will likely be our pastors and district superintendents throughout Africa, so it's very nice to start those relationships now.

The following day (last Sunday), Jeremy preached his first sermon in Africa. It was also just the seventh morning sermon at the newly formed Africa Trinity Church of the Nazarene, which made it a double honor for Jeremy. Like a good Nazarene preacher, Jeremy preached on holiness, and the Gauteng district superintendent and many others that had attended the graduation were also there. It was definitely a different experience than preaching in the US, or even preaching to a Spanish-speaking congregation, as there are some interesting nuances to being a guest preacher in Africa. However, all went well, and it ended up being a nice service!

Jake's Quote of the Week

"I'm a funky man." (while dancing his way across the living room)

["Funky" is not a word we use a lot in the Johnson house, and neither of his parents are known for their dancing prowess, so we really have no idea where Jake got this. Please keep this on the down low and do not report Jake to World Mission, we want to keep him here with us in Africa. :) ]

Praises and Prayer Requests

We praise God this week for new opportunities to minister to others in his name. He has really blessed us to be able to experience so much just in this short time that we have been in Africa.

Please remember the following needs in prayer this week:

-- Jeremy, as he prepares to teach at NTC next month

-- Tricia, as she will be the only present member of the Missionary Personnel department her in Africa while the Cramers are on home assignment for the next 8 weeks

-- David & Patti Cramer and Linda Braaten as they travel around the US for the next few months on home assignment

-- The upcoming worldwide Nazarene theology conference in Amsterdam during the first week of April

-- Lindiwe, the little girl that we play with at the orphanage, as she undergoes tests next week for a life-threatening illness

-- Unspoken request

Until next time,

Jeremy, Tricia & Jake

Touchdown, Kan-sas City!

The picture you see here is Daddy and Jake playing tackle football in the common area of our townhouse complex. Over the past year, Jake has decided that he is a big Kansas City Chiefs fan (just like Daddy, coincidentally), and he wears Chiefs t-shirts, likes to play tackle football, loves anything with the Chiefs logo on it, and randomly yells things like, "Go Chiefs!" and recently "Touchdown, Kan-sas City!" (for those of your not familiar with Chiefs football, that is the Chiefs' radio announcer's signature phrase). Anyway, he is a Chief-aholic, so any LINKS churches that wonder what Jake would like, anything to do with the Chiefs would be a safe bet. :)

We missed writing last week because we were at a spiritual retreat for missionaries working in the Africa Regional Office. It was a nice time to take a step back from the pace and pressures of the office and just to refocus on why we are here and what God wants to do in our lives. The place we went to was a remote, peaceful location in the Drakensburg mountains, about a 5 hour drive from Johannesburg. It was a nice little break to do not much else but spend time in prayer and reflection on the Lord.

Work has been busy, but good. We both have felt like we have actually been accomplishing some things lately, which is always nice encouragement to keep going! Jake has been doing well in school, although we are looking for a different school right now, as the one we have him in is just not meeting his needs. On the home front, things are good and we cannot believe that in less than 3 months we will have a 4 year old in our midst! On that note...

Jake's Quote of the Week

"I am the king of nothing!"

(Jake had been running around earlier in the day saying, "I am the King of Peace", which he had heard at school. Mommy corrected him in the ensuing theological discussion, and you can see how it went.)

Praises and Prayer Requests

We praise God that he brought us closer to him this past week at the retreat. It was more fun and more beneficial than we expected it would be, and we didn't find ourselves as far behind as we had feared when we returned to the office.

Please remember the following needs in prayer this week:

-- Lindiwe, the little girl that we play with at the orphanage, as she undergoes tests in a couple of weeks for a life-threatening illness

-- The search for a new school for Jake

--Unspoken request

Until next time,

Jeremy, Tricia & Jake