Dear friends,
We had a great couple of months during which we were able to spend 3 weeks in Brazil. It was great to see my parents and the ministry in which we will be helping when we move to Brazil. During our time there, we were able to participate in the Christmas cantata, as well as to sing specials in other services. Lily also played the piano for several of the services and I preached one service. We had several visitors come to the church while we were there and 2 salvations! I was also able to get some of my paperwork done while we were there. There are still a couple of documents that I need to update, but we are much closer to finishing that process. Our time in Brazil was a big encouragement to my parents and to Lily and myself. More than ever, we are anxious to get to the field. Both Lily and I wanted to stay in Brazil permanently while there. We cannot wait to get back.
We had several meetings in Florida before and after our trip to Brazil. It was a very fruitful time and we enjoyed spending time in the warmth. We also got to meet up with a missionary friend of ours (Beca Pape) a couple of times while we were there. We were able to enjoy some of the beauty of Florida and even got to kaiak at Blue Spring State Park where we saw manatees. It was so cool to see such a unique animal come right up to our kayaks. We also got to see many different kinds of birds as well as several alligators. God sure did a great job when He created so many different kinds of animals.
After our time in Florida we were able to head back home for a few days where we celebrated an early Christmas with my stateside family before heading up to Michigan to spend Christmas Day with Lily’s family. We are so thankful that even with our busy schedule we were able to celebrate the birth of our Savior with each part of our family. We even got to celebrate with my parents while we were in Brazil. We were able to spend over a week with Lily’s family before starting our travels again. Even with our several weeks off the road, both in Brazil and Michigan, God blessed us with an increase in support. We praise the Lord that we are now at 70% of our needed support!
We are always thankful for the times of refreshment while we travel on deputation. For the next several weeks we will have meetings that are close to home. We even get to be a part of our home church’s missions conference for the first time! There is something special about sleeping in our own bed. We have also heard great news from Brazil. My parents were able to secure a loan for the church building and now only need $15,000 to pay for the building in whole. Please pray that God will bring the rest in quickly so that they can start the process of purchasing the building. Once the process starts, it may take several months to close on the building. They will also need to do a few things in the building before moving the church over, so pray that the whole process will go smoothly and quickly.
In other news, we have started looking at tickets for Brazil. As of right now, we are looking to fly out the end of June. Pray that God would allow us to raise our full support before then. Also pray that we can get a good rate on our tickets. We are looking at several different airports since it is so expensive to fly out of Chicago. Since we will be taking our dog, we are looking for a direct flight. The only direct flight out of Chicago is over $2000 a person for a one way ticket! Because of that, we are looking at Atlanta and New York instead. Pray that we would be able to work out all the details as we get closer. Also pray that we can get Lily’s visa started so there are no issues when we are ready to go. Thank you so much for your faithful prayers and support. God bless.
David and Lily Johnson
Missionaries to Brazil
Psalm 139:14