Jake's "Uncles" are Here!

We have been on "holiday" since December 1st, when Jake's "Uncle Nate" (one of Jeremy's high school buddies) arrived from the US. Then on the 8th, Jake's "Uncle Roy" (another of Jeremy's high school buddies) arrived as well. Needless to say, Jake has been spoiled with all kinds of attention, candy, and mischief for over a week now... and he is loving it!

It has been a good time of getting reacquainted with friends and catching up on what has happened in the last year. We have done most of the typical Johannesburg touristy stuff, and now Nate and Roy are in Cape Town for a couple of days to take in the sights in one of the most beautiful areas on Earth. We will see them back here on Wednesday, and then they will spend a few more days in Joburg before leaving for the US on Friday.

It has been nice to take some time off and see some friends before the holidays. Christmas will be a bit strange this year, both for the fact that we won't be with our families and also that it will be about the hottest time of the year here in Joburg! Celebrating Christmas in temperatures in the mid-to-high 80's will be a new experience for us!

Jake's Quote of the Week

Jake's Sunday School teacher: “What do you want to be when you grow up?”

Jake: "I want to be four.”

Praises and Prayer Requests

We thank God for our friends and the joy that a visit brings. We also thank God for all of our friends and family that may not be able to visit, but support us in so many other ways. We love you all!

Please remember the following needs in prayer this week:

-- Our family during this first Christmas away from home

-- Our safety during this time of increased crime rates in South Africa

-- Those travelling for the holidays

-- Unspoken request

Until next time,

Jeremy, Tricia & Jake

Just a Bunch of Turkeys

We are constantly amazed that God would ever call a bunch of turkeys like us to be missionaries. And as we have reflected back on this year in a spirit of thankfulness this past week, we realize just how small we all are compared to Him. We are living testaments to the fact that he can take ordinary people and give them the ability to do something for Him.

We have so much to be thankful for, even though sometimes we might lose sight of that during the tougher times of being missionaries. Too often we find ourselves saying, "Why me, God?!" instead of "Thank you, God." It's cliche, but only because it's true, that God has been faithful. He is the one constant when the storms of life seem to have waves crashing down upon us. Even though those waves hit us and we might feel like we are going under, he has always pulled us through at the exact minute that we needed it.

So, as you can probably tell, this week was a "learning" week for us. During the week of the year set aside for thankfulness, we found ourselves feeling like everything that could go wrong was going wrong. First, we took our car back to the shop, as it has not been running correctly since the last breakdown. After some tests, the shop came back saying that we need to have some pistons replaced, which will cost approximately $2,700. Yikes. Then, the following day, Jake started to get these little red bumps all over him... yep, chicken pox. Those two things, combined with other small annoyances, started to make us question God a bit. Why would he bring us all this way to have all these "issues" in our first year?

However, reflecting on everything that God has done for us in getting us ready to go and then here in South Africa, we realize that those things that are crises at the moment seem to pale in comparison with the wonders he has worked in our lives during the last year and a half. So many things falling into place, so many doors opening, etc. It has just been undeniable that he has been at work. Plus, in the grand scheme of things, which is what God directs, our problems are minimal. Sure, a sick kid is no fun, but in two weeks time, chicken pox will be a distant memory. Sure, we don't have $2,700, but our car is still driveable for the time being and we know that God working out the details of us getting here makes this problem seem small. We are truly blessed to have a God like this on our side, and our insignificant contribution is to try to help Africa get to know this God. A small price to pay for what he has done.

Jake's Quote of the Week

“Hey Mom, sharp things are very sharp, eh?”

(See, that preschool is paying off already!)

Praises & Prayer Requests

Well, this section seems kind of irrelevant, considering the rest of the post, but for those of you who prefer lists to prose:

-- Jake's health as he battles chicken pox
-- That God would lead us in the right direction on what to do with this car, and how to pay for it.

Thank you for your prayers!

Until next time,

Jeremy, Tricia & Jake

Happy Thanksgiving (next week) !!!

We're not sure if we will have another post before Thanksgiving or not, so we thought we'd go ahead and say Happy Thanksgiving to all of you back at home! We are going to spend our first Thanksgiving in our lives working! Then after work, some of our missionary friends are having us over for a Thanksgiving dinner, which will be nice.

Life has been good here... uneventful for the most part, but good. Jeremy just completed a big project at work this week, one of those that really makes you feel like "this is the reason I am here". Tricia is still making good progress on her programs, and more and more applications for missionary service are coming in from all over Africa on a daily basis.

Jake is growing up so fast that it's scary sometimes. He has really been working on his letters and can identify every letter of the alphabet and spell his name verbally. We are now working on writing his name as well as writing the alphabet. He is doing a great job and learning very quickly.

As the holidays approach, we have had several questions about how to send packages, so we thought we would answer the question on here. The best way to send packages is by the Post Office, using their Global Priority service. they have letter-sized envelopes that you can put anything in, and then we think you can also send large padded envelopes and packages this way. We have received the letter envelopes and the padded envelopes very quickly... boxes seem to take much more time. So when you send whatever it is you send, here is the address:

Jeremy Johnson
Church of the Nazarene
PO Box 44
Florida 1710
Republic of South Africa

Alternatively, because postage is SO expensive and can take a lot of time, you may send money to Nazarene Headquarters in Kansas City at the following address:

Global Treasury Services
Church of the Nazarene
6401 The Paseo
Kansas City, MO 64133

Make the checks payable to General Treasurer with the notes field of your check saying, "Jeremy Johnson Family Christmas". You might also want to include a short note with an explanation that we are missionaries and this is Christmas money, just to be sure.

In any case, we are humbled and thankful even for the thoughts that you or your churches would be sending us something at Christmas time. It feels very nice just to know that we are on people's minds and they are praying for us, as well as caring enough to send gifts. "Thank you" just doesn't seem to express our feelings of gratitude. May God bless you.

Jake's Quote of the Week

“I may never march in the infurry, ride to the Calvary, shoot the Camry, I may never fly into January, but I am the Lord of me, yes Sir!”

Praises & Prayer Requests

Thank you for all of the cards, encouraging e-mails, and packages that we have received recently. We praise God that we have such a great support network of people back home that can makes us feel so loved and appreciated!

Please remember the following needs in prayer this week:

-- Jake has had a bit of an allergy flare-up this last week, the first since his tubes were put in. Please pray for his health
-- For strength to make it through our first holiday season away from family and friends. It won't be the same, but we know that we are part of a bigger family that we will be celebrating with here.
-- Unspoken request

Until next time,

Jeremy, Tricia & Jake

We Don't Have a Good Excuse...

... so we won't try to come up with a bad one. Busy times, internet down for almost a week, you know the story. But anyway, we are back now and ready with an update:

Since we last posted, some cool things have happened. One of those things is that one of Jeremy's friends is coming out next month for a couple of weeks, which should be a fun time. We haven't had any "just for fun" visitors since April, so that will be a welcome diversion. Also, our fellow missionary friend, David Webb from Guatemala / Costa Rica will be coming to an event in Africa in January. We went through our training in KC with the Webbs last year, so we are very excited to at least get to see David again!

As far as what we've been up to these past couple of weeks, Jeremy found out this week that he will have the opportunity this coming April to add another facet to his ministry in that he has been offered a teaching role at Nazarene Theological College here in Joburg. Pending his boss's approval, he will be teaching a two-week intensive course called "Administration and Accounts". He is really excited for the opportunity, as he has always wanted to teach at the college level. Looks like that master's degree is paying off in more ways than one!

Tricia has been working for the past couple of weeks on planning a program that resembles Work & Witness in the United States. This one, however, will be Africans traveling to other places in Africa to get involved in short-term missions. Few people realize how many career missionaries felt or confirmed their call on a short-term missions trip. Thus, this program will help Africa, yet it will fit in nicely with Tricia's 3D program. Also, in other Tricia news, she has gone to an allergist, who put her on a strict diet in order to see if any of the foods she is eating are causing her severe allergies. She is limited to chicken, grass and tree bark for her foods. Only kidding, but it is a very strict diet that she has to suffer through until December 1st, when they can start slowly adding foods back in. Hopefully this will help!

Jake is still Jake. These past few weeks, we have accumulated a collection of quotes that will probably keep us until mid 2007. There have been many times lately where Mommy and Daddy have had to hide their faces or bite their tongues (literally!) in order not to embarrass Jake. Man, who knows what this kid will say next?! Not us. :) Other than spouting wisdom, Jake has been keeping to his routine of school, gymnastics and mischief quite well!

Jake's Quote of the Week

"Dear Jesus, I love you very much and I want you to jump in my heart and make some sense..."

(Well, this is not exactly the "Roman Road", but I think God knows what Jake means.)

Praises & Prayer Requests

We praise God that he has brought us safely and successfully through our first 10 months on the mission field. We are just now starting to feel like we are getting the hang of things and that things in our ministries are starting to pick up steam. We praise God that he is big enough to made us succeed where we never knew we could!

Please remember the following needs in prayer this week:

-- That the source(s) of Tricia's allergies would be discovered so that we can deal with them better.

-- That we would continue to make progress in our ministries

-- That God would begin preparing Jeremy to teach the class at NTC next year

-- For safe travels for our friends coming to visit

-- For the Garey Miller family, former Kokomo First Church pastor and current Iowa District Superintendent

Until next time,

Jeremy, Tricia & Jake

Is This Thing Working?

I'll bet that's what some of you thought as we have strayed a bit from our weekly updates.
Looks like we're at about a week and a half on this one, so I suppose it's time to give another update.

We received a huge blessing this week when a family friend informed us that they were making a very generous donation toward the repairs on our car! Thanks to those who were praying with us through these past few days and a very special thanks to our friend! God always has it under control, even when we feel like the ride is getting a little too bumpy for our comfort, doesn't he?

This weekend we also took Jake to the Ushaka Aquarium, which is where these pictures are from. He had a blast and we ended up definitely getting our money's worth, as we went through it four times that day! Funny little story from the outing:

Jake and Daddy were looking at the jellyfish when a worker that Jake had spoken to earlier walked up for another round of the talkative little American. She asks him if he likes the jellyfish and he replies that he does, and that sea turtles eat jellyfish, but they don't eat trash, because that makes them sick (Jake learned this while playing the Tuga the Sea Turtle game on www.nickjr.com). The lady's eyes got big and she sort of laughed, called him a "clever boy" and then walked away.

About 15 minutes later, we went to the sea turtle tank to watch the feeding, and who was the narrator, but Jake's new friend. While she was giving her little sea turtle speech as the diver was feeding the turtles, she explained that one of a sea turtle's most common foods is jellyfish. Of course, she also explained to the kids the importance of not littering, as sea turtles often mistake discarded plastic bags for jellyfish, then eat them and get very sick from it. While she was giving this part of her speech, she looked at Jake with a huge smile and winked a him. Our little genius... :)

Well, what other detail about our week could really top those two? Probably nothing, so I'd better end it on a high note!

Jake's Quote of the Week

"Dear Jesus, thank you for Daddy, because he is my son..."

(must...not...tell...redneck...joke...)

Praises and Prayer Requests

Well, in addition to the answer to prayer of the donation we received, we also are happy to report another healthy week! In fact, it has been quite some time since Jake has been sick now. Tricia's allergies are also getting better since the weather is warming up and we are getting more rain. We are thinking that it is the cool and extremely dry winters that are going to be getting to her over the years that we are here.

Please remember the following needs in prayer this week:

-- Our continued adjustment to missionary life
-- Unspoken request
-- The 3D program that Tricia is working on, that it would meet the needs of Africans who are called to missions and be useful in preparing them to follow that call

Until next time,

Jeremy, Tricia & Jake

Spring is here...

Well, thunderstorm season has started this week, so it's the time of year that we run to unplug everything at the first rumble of thunder. Johannesburg, due to the altitude and the high metal content in the soil (this was a mining town), has the second worst lightning in the world. I think St. Petersburg, Russia is the first, but I'm not sure. Anyway, you can impress your friends with that little fact about Jo'burg.

We haven't had too much action this week, which is nice, because we were very busy there for a while. It's definitely good to have a week where you can catch your breath every once in a while.

Of course, this week we have been holding our breath more than anything. Our car has been into the shop five times in the last two weeks since a radiator hose busted and our car overheated. The hose was fixed the following day, but the car has been "weird" ever since. So finally, on the fifth time into the shop, they located the problem: our car has a warped cylinder head from overheating. So... that's expensive. We find out on Friday just how expensive, but that is not a bill we are looking forward to getting (as if there was a bill that we were looking forward to). Pray for us, please, as we need to make funds stretch for 2+ more years and this will probably put a big dent in that plan. We know that God will provide, though.

So goodnight from rainy Johannesburg....

Jake's Quote of the Week

"Ask Mommy if she can sing 'Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star' to me, because if she doesn't, she is not obeying God."

(We're just happy that our three-year-old is already so in tune with God's will!)

Praises and Prayer Requests

We praise God for RAIN!!! Tricia and Jake's allergies wer much better in the rainy season at the beginning of the year, and we are hoping that the return of the rain will bring some relief for them this time as well.

Please remember the following needs in prayer this week:

-- God's provision in the situation with our car
-- Good health for the whole family
-- God's direction in our lives and ministries

Until next time,

Jeremy, Tricia & Jake

A Special Visitor

This week, we got to meet someone from our home church (KC First Spanish Church), Dr. Erika Rios! We had never actually met her until she showed up at our door this past week because she started going to Spanish Church after we had already left for Joburg. But it was great to get to meet her, even if she has been so busy that she hasn't been around much. We are so happy to have her staying with us and she makes us feel like a little piece of home has come to us!

Well, Erika didn't just come to visit, she came to be a part of some NCM activities as part of the Church of the Nazarene's global AIDS ministries (thus the "busy" part). She also came bearing gifts from our church! We got all kinds of cool things, but as you can see in the picture, Jake's favorite part was the Fruit by the Foot, which are like long, skinny Fruit Rollups. He thought that was the greatest thing in the world and will probably have them all gone in the next week. :)

Also, this past Sunday we celebrated Tricia's birthday, which was a lot of fun as well. Jake really enjoyed going shopping with Daddy at the mall (yes, there are malls in Africa!) for Mommy's birthday. Jake bought Mommy a CD and Daddy bought her a book, and then we took her to both lunch and dinner that day. A good time was had by all!

This Thursday marks 9 months that we have been here in Africa, which means that our internship is 25% of the way over! Just a little over two years and we will be back interviewing with the General Board. Wow.

Speaking of how time flies... several people have asked us about sending Christmas packages. Basically, if you want to have something arrive before Christmas, we are told that it needs to be sent in the early part of November. We've heard of things sent around Thanksgiving time that didn't arrive until February. So hopefully that answers some questions.

Jake's Quote of the Week

"Hi Dad, I just need a drink of some hot coffee."

(Jake said this after Jeremy woke him from a sound sleep in order to take him potty.)

Praises and Prayer Requests

We praise God this week for another year of life for Tricia and also for our loving church family back in KC. Les queremos y les extranamos mucho! We also enjoyed a week of good health for the entire family, which is seemingly rare lately!

Please remember the following needs in prayer this week:

-- Safe travels for Dr. Erika Rios and the rest of the NCM visitors as they return home this week.
-- Unspoken request

Until next time,

Jeremy, Tricia & Jake

The Performance of a Lifetime

Okay, so it's the only performance of his lifetime, so far, but Jake's concert this past Friday night was definitely something to remember. His nursery school had a big production (around 150 people in attendance) and Jake's age group sang three songs. The picture is of Jake with his friends Craig and Ethan, enjoying their post-concert treats.

Now being the good Nazarene he is, Jake chose not to do any of the dance movements, even when reminded by his teacher... you know Methodist nursery school. But the video tape shows that he did sing the songs... and swat at the moths... and pick his nose. I think every kid has to do that in at least one concert in their lives, right?

We had a great time watching him in his first performance, and also enjoyed the company of fellow missionaries David and Patti Cramer, who couldn't resist coming out for such a big event. They definitely got their money's worth. :) Not many of the pictures turned out due to the lighting, but the video tape turned out okay, except for Daddy demonstrating why people choose to buy tripods. Any of you are welcome to come over and watch the video any time!

Jake's Quote of the Week

"No mommy, you can't put cookies on the table. Did your mommy say you could do that?"

(Mommy put a cookie directly on the table, not on a plate or napkin. This deeply offended Jake, and he let her know.)

Praises and Prayer Requests

Jake has a follow-up appointment for a hearing test tomorrow, just a little over a month after his surgery. Although we don't notice a dramatic difference in his responses to us, we are praying that the test shows that his hearing is returning to normal. Please pray that these tests go well tomorrow, and if not, that God could heal Jake's hearing.

Please also remember the following in prayer this week:

-- We have been having a lot of car trouble recently, our car is going into the shop tomorrow for the third time in the last week. Please pray that the mechanic would solve the problem this time and that we can escape with our bank account in tact.
-- Jake was diagnosed with tonsilitis last week (although we're wondering if it was strep throat). He is better now, but the doctor has said that if he has a flare-up again, that we should consider having his tonsils removed. Please pray that God could heal Jake and give him a bit of a break from these health issues.

Until next time,

Jeremy, Tricia & Jake

Hoppin' Into Spring!

Yep, that was a short winter. It was pretty much just June - August, and now it's starting to warm up again. This past week was all in the 70's, and it is sunny about 95% of the time here. The weather is never bad in Joburg, it's just that the nights can sometimes get a little cold with no central heat in the houses.

Anyway, the weather turning for the warmer has been the highlight of an otherwise blah week. Yes, sickness has struck the Johnson household again, and Jake was very sick on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, but is feeling a bit better today. Hopefully he will be back to normal so that he can get back to school tomorrow. He has a big concert coming up on Friday that we don't want to miss!

Well, the picture you see there is the other reason that Jake wants to make sure he is well for next week… he gets to start gymnastics classes! The guy in the picture is his teacher, Max. Jake loved his free introductory lesson and can’t wait to go back to the “circus” as he calls it. We hope to have a full report for you next time.

In other news, we had a great experience today in our first live interview with one of our LINKS churches (Fort Osage). Pastor Will Silva (who we knew in KC) called us and was able to put the call over his church’s sound system so that we could interact with the church. It was great! Jake even got in on the fun and sang them a song. If anybody else wants to try something like this, we are open to it!

Jake’s Quote of the Week

“Mommy, I want to go outside in just my toes.”

(Kids here play outside in bare feet A LOT. Jake is now getting in on the fun.)

Praises and Prayer Requests

We’re thankful for spring and for a bit warmer nights. We’re thankful that Jake seems to be recovering nicely from the flu. We’re thankful that we had a safe and productive week.

Please remember the following in prayer this week:

-- Health for the Johnson family. We have never been so sick so often in our lives!
-- The 3D program that Tricia is working on. She is rapidly getting the program off the ground. Please pray for the program and also that God would continue to work in the lives of those he calls.
-- The upcoming accounting system changeover in Africa Regional Finance. It looks like it’s slated for October.

Until next time,

Jeremy, Tricia & Jake

SA All The Way!!!

Jake is sporting the South African flag (sort of) facepaint in this picture, and the thumbs-up is symbolic of his week. He really had a great week this week!

Jake went to school every day this so that he could practice for his upcoming concert on the 22nd. He has some songs with motions that he does with his class. He is a thundercloud and the yellow stripe in the rainbow for his concert. He's singing the songs and doing the motions at home, so we know he is excited to perform.

Then, Friday night, we went to the mall for dinner (they have a really nice food court!) and unexpectedly ran into a school fair in the middle of the mall. Jake got his face painted by a clown working to draw kids into the booth of one of the expensive private school. Jake also got a free water bottle, so he was pretty pumped.

On Saturday, Jake went to a free trial leasson at a gymnastics place close to our house. We weren't sure if he would go for it or not, but he loved it! We're going to go ahead and sign him up, since it's really cheap and it's a good way for him to work on his coordination. So it looks like Jake will be a gymnast for a little while. It's kind of cool that things like that are so much cheaper than they would be in the United States, that way he actually can have the opportunity to do it!

Well, that about does it for his week. Daddy and Mommy just had a pretty normal week at the office, nothing too dramatic there!

Jake's Quote of the Week

"I miss Teacher Sharon, but sometimes she puts some of her favorite Deers in time out."

(Jake's class at preschool is called the Deers. We can only guess which one got put in time out.)

Praises and Prayer Requests

We praise God this week for Jake and what a blessing he is in our lives. We feel so privileged to watch him grow in size and as a person. We laugh so much with him around and are so thankful for this gift with which God has entrusted us. We just pray for wisdom to care for him as he should be.

Please remember the following in prayer this week:

-- Tricia's continued battles with her allergies
-- Unspoken request

Until next time,

Jeremy, Tricia & Jake

Hello Again!

Yes, we missed a week somewhere in there, although it seems that only a week has gone by! Time is just going so fast lately. Next week it will be 8 months that we have been here! Our three year internship will be over and we'll be home for our commissioning and home assignment before you know it.

The picture you see this week is Jake with his "favorite" baby from the orphanage, Lindiwe (Lindi). Jake is having such a good time going there each Tuesday and playing with the kids. Jake plays with the babies occasionally, but mostly plays with Bongi, Benolo, Tabile, and Phiwe (pronounced "Pea-way"). Bongi and Benolo are both two and then Tabile and Phiwe are both five.

Things are going well for us at work, Jeremy had some big meetings this week to get some fairly major things sorted out and running smoothly for the Region. Sorry that's not too detailed, but the details can't really be shared at this time. Tricia is also doing a lot of work in contacting those interested in missions across the Region and also working on planning her first "cross-cultural orientation" here in South Africa. The "cross-cultural orientation" is a seminar about working cross-culturally and is one of the preliminary steps in becoming a missionary with the Church of the Nazarene.

Jake's Quote of the Week

"Dear Jesus, Mommy doesn’t like ear-crocodiles or ear-pirates or ear-whales, but she likes dolphins and they eat fish. Amen."

(Don't ask, because we don't know.)

Praises and Prayer Requests

Everyone has been well for the most part this past week! Jake did have one evening where he spiked a 103 degree fever, but it was gone the next morning. Tricia has also felt much better over this past week, as her allergies seem to have subsided for the time being. Thanks for your prayers!

Please remember the following in prayer this week:

-- Change and progress is a good thing... but it also brings stress. Please pray for us as we get into the "meat" of our jobs.
-- Unspoken request

Until next time,

Jeremy, Tricia & Jake

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

Cars, Cars, and... Cars

Yes, the movie Cars has come out here in South Africa, and we went to see it the weekend before last. Ever since, that has been almost all Jake has talked about. He has gotten a couple of toys of the main characters from the movie in his Happy Meals, and he plays with them all day and then sleeps with them all night. He is addicted! Since movies are only 14 rand a ticket (right at $2), we will probably end up seeing it again before it leaves the theater. It's fun to see him so excited about something.

The past week has been a pretty exciting one for us at work. Tricia is really starting to get rolling and it in conversations with a lot of Nazarenes in Africa who have been called to missions but have never had an avenue to pursue that call. It's so encouraging to see how ready they are to accept that call in their lives, even though getting them through this still-developing process will take some time. At the same time, this reassures us in our call las well, to see that we can make such a difference when God has already prepared the way.

Jeremy is also still chipping away at various issues in the Finance department as well. This past week, he was working with an insurance company to figure out a way to get pension payments to retired ministers in other countries throughout Africa. There have been many complications with the way those sorts of things work in South Africa, but he was able to figure out a way to make it happen this week! Now, those who had not been receiving their pensions can finally start receiving them again. How rewarding!

Jake's Quote of the Week

"Oh, Jesus is sick in my heart! I need you to pick me up so that Jesus will feel better.”

(Jake was running around just after eating and said this as he was grabbing his stomach)

Praises & Prayer Requests

We praise God this week for the encouragement he gave us through the recent progress we have made in our jobs. It really reassures us that this is exactly where he wants us to be right now. It's a wonderful thing to have that knowledge.

We also praise God that Dr. Enoch Litswele, who was on our prayer list a while back, is continuing to make great leaps in his recovery from a stroke. He is walking, talking, and his memory is coming back nicely now!

Please remember the following in prayer this week:

-- Tricia, as she battles her allergies this winter. Her allergies were better than they have been in years during the summer, but are now worse than they have ever been during this winter.
-- Patience for the Johnsons. Our toilet and washer both broke this week, and repair people aren't exactly as reliable here as they are in the States. Tomorrow will be Day 3 that Tricia has had to sit at home all day, waiting for the repairman to show up. It's tempting for the Americans in us to come out!
-- As we experience success in our roles here, it is sometimes tempting to try to "take control" and leave God out of the equation more than we do when things are going badly. Please pray that we will constant rely on God in both our failures and successes.

Until next time,

Jeremy, Tricia & Jake

Almost Done with Winter!

Today, you can see that Jake and Jozi were having fun playing with bubbles (Jake blowing, Jozi biting). We had a very warm day today, it got into the lower 70s , which is about 10 degrees warmer than normal. Not too bad for winter! The "winter" part comes at night, when it is in the high 30s/low 40s. They say that the weather starts warming up again in August, so our winter is almost over!

Well, this past week we have been doing a lot of work on making our house "ours". Six months in, we decided to shift some furniture around, put up some more decorations, and even put a loft up in Jake's room! He calls it his "jungle bed" and is up there as much as he can be. It's a lot of fun!

Things are going well with our jobs, we just keep plugging away. Tricia made some good progress this week in her work, and Jeremy is getting ready to close out one of his many projects. We are feeling pretty good about that!

Also, we just wanted to take the time to thank everyone for all of the cards and the packages that have been sent over these past six months. They have been a real blessing to us and have definitely brought smiles to our faces every time we receive them! Thank you so much for all that you do to make us feel loved and supported.

Jake's Quote of the Week

"Ouch Daddy, you've got swords on your face!"

(Daddy hadn't shaved in a couple of days and gave Jake a kiss goodnight)

Praises and Prayer Requests

We thank God this week for a good week! We are also thankful that this week we were able to catch up with some friends that we hadn't talked to in a while. That's always nice!

Please remember the following in prayer this week:

-- The Miller family (missionaries to Ethiopia), as they are currently in Joburg attending to health problems.
-- Jake, as he copes with recently losing his two best friends to different assignments.
-- Our continued adjustment to South Africa and also working in a church setting.

Until next time,

Jeremy, Tricia & Jake

Noses to the Grindstone

Well, Jake sure looks like he's taking it easy, but this past week has been one of those weeks where we didn't really do much but work. Even our "time off" was spent doing a lot of work-related things this week. I guess we'll have weeks like that, though.

In the spirit of keeping our noses to the grindstone, we thought we'd share a little bit about the things that we are (and have been) doing at work these days:

Tricia
Tricia has a dual role for the Region, she is the 3D Program Coordinator for the Africa Region and the guest flat manager for our housing complex here in Joburg. The goal of the 3D Program is to discover, develop, and deploy African missionaries, both within Africa and throughout the rest of the world. While this program is further along in some other areas of the world, Tricia is really building it from the ground floor here in Africa. In some ways, it is good that she has just arrived on the mission field, because she remembers her training and can apply the same concepts to those called to missions in Africa.

As guest flat manager, she is responsible for renting and maintaining our guest flats here in Joburg, which serve mainly to house those who are visiting the Africa Regional Office from other countries. Whenever there is a conference, event, etc., Tricia is making sure that our guests feel as much at home as possible.

Jeremy
Jeremy's main responsibility is serving as the Special Assistant to the Finance Coordinator, but he seems to get his hands in a little bit of everything from time to time. Right now, he is working on getting the pension and medical programs sorted out for the employees of the Church of the Nazarene in Africa, assisting in the monthly allocation process (accounting of the movement of money on the region), and a variety of other projects that have been on the back burner while more pressing issues have taken people's time. His main job is to take care of those pesky "business issues" that the Finance Coordinator just can't afford to spend time on while working on improving our accounting system.

However, Jeremy has also helped around the office in a number of different areas, everything from remodeling to real estate, and from moving furniture to selling cars. The good thing is that there is always something to do, so he is never bored!

Jake's Quote of the Week

"Dear Jesus, please send us strawberries and jelly beans and gummy worms and marshmallows and some… lots and lots of candy. Amen."

(He is definitely his mother's child!)

Praises and Prayer Requests

This week, we were reminded of God's grace as we celebrated six months in South Africa. We still kind of laugh to ourselves that God would have us being missionaries. We know that it is nothing within us that allows us to be here, it is all him. We look to the future confidently, knowing that he will take just as good of care of us as he has so far.

Please remember the following needs in prayer this week:

-- The Cyr family, as they are traveling to their new assignment in Miami
-- The Mthombeni family (one of Jeremy's coworkers), who have lost four family members within the last month, including one in a car accident on the way home from one of the funerals.
-- The Miller family (missionaries to Ethiopia), as they are currently in Joburg attending to health problems.

Until next time,

Jeremy, Tricia & Jake

6 Months Already?

It's hard to believe that on Wednesday it will have been six months since we arrived in South Africa... if the rest of the three years goes as quickly as the first six months, we will be there visiting with you in no time!

So, six months into it, we are starting to feel a little more at home. We know our way around a bit, we know enough of the local ways of saying and doing things that people actually understand what we're trying to say/do, and Jake is even starting to talk a bit like a South African!

Actually though, six months into it, we thought we would have accomplished more than we have. We're really just starting to understand how much work there really is to do. As Americans, I think we're used to rolling up our sleeves, getting right to work, and getting things taken care of. It just doesn't work like that here! Things just go at a different pace here, and there's not a whole lot you can do about it sometimes. We have learned to be a bit more patient and just to plug away, little by little, each day!

By the way, Happy 4th of July! I guess this also means that we've been posting on this blog for a little over a year now... wow. Living in another country really gives you a perspective as to how fortunate we really are to enjoy the freedoms (and luxuries) that we have as Americans. So we can sit here this year with no fireworks, but more proud to be Americans than we ever have been before.

Jake's Quote of the Week

"Mommy, when the sun goes bye-bye, he goes home to get a toy from his mommy and then when he gets his toy, he comes back tomorrow to see us."

(Move over Galileo, there's a new sheriff in town...)

Praises & Prayer Requests

We thank God for the strength that he has given us to make it through these first six months! It has been very hard at times, and we have been homesick, but he has helped those feelings to pass and to give us the comfort of knowing that we are exactly where we are supposed to be. Your prayers have been a vital part of this!

Please remember the following in prayer this week:

-- Tricia, as she is struggling with her allergies here in this new environment. Summer was good, winter not so good. Luckily, winter will be over in August!
-- The Africa Region Financial Services office, as we prepare for a major accounting system changeover in August.
-- The North family, as they get adjusted to life in the U.S. again, and the Cyr family, as they prepare to leave South Africa next week.

Until next time,

Jeremy, Tricia & Jake

P.S. The picture this week was taken at the Lion Park we went to a few weeks ago. If you look closely, you can see that one of the lions is playing with a windshield wiper from a car that got a little too close. :)