Where in the World are the Johnsons?

So, I think we must be some of the world's worst bloggers, considering we only update this place every couple of weeks. I always have better intentions than that, but lately life just seems to be spinning by in a blur and it's all I can do to keep my two feet on the ground! Anyway, I do apologize for the lack of communication of late. I think we're about two months behind sending out a prayer letter and also a bit late with our usual quarterly newsletter. We will catch you up soon, we promise!

On the plus side, we have been enjoying catching you up by visiting many of you over the last several months. The months of March and April were some of our busiest for visiting our partner churches and meeting with many of our prayer partners, supporters and friends. This month, May, is our most travel-intensive month during our 8-month home assignment. We spent the first two weeks taking two one-week trips to Canada: one up through New England to Quebec, and one up through New York to Ontario. Now we are in the beginning stages of a 4-week roundabout trip to Colorado and back. If you're shaking your head and muttering to yourself that we must be crazy doing all this travelling with two little boys, well, all I can say is: you should've already know that! If we were crazy enough to get on an airplane and move to Africa in the first place...:)

We had fun updating you with pictures and stories about the different places we visited when we were in Europe, so I think I will try and do the same now as we travel around the US. We are making many more stops, though, so our opportunities to hop online are a little more limited and our schedule a little more intense. I should have really started writing about the travels two weeks ago when they started, but I didn't think of it then. So, I'll take this occasion to bring you up to speed.

After a very intense, but encouraging week-long missions festival at Church of the Open Door in York, Pa, we had a week off to gear ourselves up for all of our travels. We spent a lot of time cleaning house that week (because that's what you do before you travel, right?) and then stayed up late packing Saturday night, May 1st (because you always wait 'til the last minute to pack, right?), and finally, Sunday morning, May 2nd started our big adventure. We drove to the Evangelical Free Church of Hershey (about 30 minutes from our house) to participate in a Missions Sunday, enjoyed a nice luncheon after church, and then hit the highway, headed for Brooklyn, New York where Dale's cousin, Ryan, his wife Andrea, and their son Caden live. It was so fun to catch up with them again after all these years and to meet their little guy...the last time we visited them in Brooklyn, Caleb was still in the womb!

Our visit in Brooklyn was way too short, but, alas, our itinerary was set and so we had to move on. Too many good people to see, too little time! We ended up driving through the city on our way up to Peabody, Ma to visit college friends Matt & Becky Brown. Not the easiest route to take, but Caleb LOVED seeing all the bridges (and wanted us to go over every single one of them, of course!). I was a bit awed to realize again exactly how large this city is. After being in Paris last winter and seeing that grand city, it gave me a new perspective looking at this city that I've often taken for granted, having lived close enough to it, visited it several times before, and realizing it's rank as one of the larger and most famous cities in the world. Many places we go now, we can't help but think, "what would our Burkinabe friends think of this?"

Our trek through the Big Apple left us running quite late to see the Browns and so our stop to see them was quite short. We only ended up being able to spend a little over an hour with them. But how fun to see them healthy, smiling, and with two beautiful children. The visit may have been short, but meeting up with friends we've lost touch with over the years and seeing them with their families and in their normal home lives reminds us again of how we are alike: we may live in two different continents, but we, too, have two young, energetic children...we laugh at similar things and worry about making dinner...we find meaning in service and are committed to the church...and we love and serve the same God!

[caption id="attachment_587" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="We stopped at a McDonalds near Hartford, Ct on our way to see the Browns in Ma. Too many McDonalds lunches of late!!!"][/caption]

We left Peabody in haste, knowing we were keeping our hosts in Derry, NH waiting. Matt and Amy Morrison had put together a barbecue, where we were surprised to find friends Ryan & Katie Keith (Forgotten Voices International) and Laurel Cacace! A reminder again of the Lord's goodness to us in bringing such great people into our lives...they'd driven 45 minutes - 1.5 hours to come join us. How sweet! Our boys really enjoyed hanging out at the Morrison household...their boys are nearly the same age as ours and they've got a lot of great boy toys and a nice playground. It was hard to pull the boys away from all the fun the next morning as we took our last leg north for this particular trip: Quebec City, Canada.

[caption id="attachment_589" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Josh & Jake Morrisson and Joel & Caleb Johnson"][/caption]

You may remember that we spent our first 6 months as missionaries living in the province of Quebec, learning the French language before we headed to Burkina Faso for our first overseas term. During our time at language school, we were taken on a field trip to Quebec City to learn a little bit about the history and culture of the region. I'm sure it would have been a very interesting visit, but all we could remember was that it was COLD! It was early February and the temperatures the day of our trip were somewhere near -30 degrees Farenheit! A few pictures we managed to snap with the camera told us that the city was probably worth seeing again someday, but we vowed we'd not do it again until we had a chance to do so in warmer weather! Well, we had our chance now, and the weather cooperated so that we could truly enjoying seeing Quebec City again, one of the oldest cities in the new World. Located on the St Laurence River, the old city still has many buildings that have been restored from the original 1600 structures. The highlight for the boys was the ferry boat ride we took to cross the river and back. We even got to see a big freighter boat, newly arrived from Europe (Greece, possibly?) being pushed up the river by a tugboat.

Of course, sightseeing and history were not the only or even first reason we chose to visit Quebec City. My cousin, Cindy Heiner and her husband Jonathan are living there, with their baby son Daniel. What a treat to spend two days with this, the closest of my cousins throughout my childhood, and to meet her little guy. What a health (read "chubby") and happy little guy. Even Caleb couldn't help but be charmed by him, talking often of his "baby cousin" even after we had to leave them.

Our return trip saw us stopping in Sherbrooke, Quebec for a night. This was the town where we did language school three years ago at a Word of Life school that also runs a language school specifically for missionaries. It was fun to see the school again and to catch up with the Normandin family, members of the church we attended while in language school who were very welcoming and helpful during those 6 months. I also had a wonderful tete-a-tete with my Bible reading partner, Izabelle Perrier. What potential this young woman has and I'm so grateful that she still calls me friend after all these years! I do hope that we get to see her in Burkina some day, even if it's only for a visit! Before leaving Sherbrooke we couldn't help but stop at our two favorite bookstores to stock up on more Christian and children's books in French and a few CDs, too! It'll be really fun to have these materials when we get back to Burkina in a few months.

Our final stop on our way home was in Connecticut. We spent a night with college friends Brad and Sarah Field and enjoyed meeting and getting to know their two adorable daughters. Caleb and Joel didn't even mind playing with all the girl toys, jumping right in to the princess dress-up play, "glass slippers", princess skirts, aprons and all! We also enjoyed lunch with Kelly Keiper the following day, getting a chance to catch up on the last few years of her life and meet her beau.

We finally returned home physically tired, but emotionally charged up after so many fun encounters with people who have meant so much to us over the years. The Lord be praised for His goodness to us. It is hard to say goodbye, but we can't complain to much...we are rich to know and have known so many quality people! And to have this opportunity to go back and make contact with some of them again, even if it's just a short "hello" is a real treasure. Thank you all for the important roles you play in our lives! We love you all!

It's late and this is long. I'll try and write up a summary of our trip to Ontario tomorrow.:)

What are we doing?

Well, we're about half-way through our home assignment (furlough). It's hard to believe!

Here's what we've been up to since January:

• Meals or 1-on-1 meetings:  64


• Presentations or Missions Events:  31

No wonder the time is passing so quickly!!!

March prayer letter

Click on the link to view our March prayer letter: March 2010 prayer letter

Last month when we sent out our prayer letter, we were talking about the unusually cold, snowy weather. This month we can talk about the unusually warm, spring weather! Though the boys enjoyed playing in the snow and we even had an "adventure weekend" without heat (leave it to the missionaries from Africa to forget to check on something as vital as that!), they've been getting stir crazy as well. It's nice to be able to let them outside a little more often to run off some of that extra energy!

One of the more unique experiences we had this month was to present about our mission work to Caleb's preschool. Caleb really enjoyed "helping" talk about Burkina, showing how babies ride on their mommy's back and singing a song in English, French, and the Gourma language. He seems to remember Burkina well and has fond memories of his "home". Joel has finally adjusted to a lot of the transition and is doing really well going to church nurseries or even staying with babysitters. We thank you so much for your prayers on that account. It has given mommy and daddy much peace of mind and a chance to get a break! Dale had the chance to attend our church's mens retreat at the beginning of the month, which he enjoyed immensely (though he was reminded that it's been a long time since he's played much sports...ouch!).

The end of this month will mark the halfway point of our time home. It has flown by quickly and we are becoming more and more aware of how quickly the rest of the time here will also go by! If we haven't been able to catch up with you yet, please send us a note soon so we can be sure to get you on our calendar! We'd hate to go back overseas regretting the fact that we missed a chance to see you! Of course, you are always welcome to come see us in Burkina! We would love to see as many of you as can make it! Start putting it on your calendars now so that we can help you plan the process and make it happen! We try to share as much of our ministry with you as we can through pictures and stories, but nothing can compare to seeing it first-hand for yourself. It means a lot to us to know that you take a special interest in what we are doing!

We hope you all are enjoying the spring weather as much as we are. When I think of the way my spirits lift at the coming of spring and how much new life there is to see, I am reminded of the hope and new life we celebrate during Easter. May you experience much hope and new life as you consider the great gift given us! May we never take it lightly!

Love,

Dale, Florence, Caleb & Joel

Not-so-Subtle Reminders

Why does it always feel like this missionary has more to learn at church than everyone else?

When I went to church yesterday (finally back at West Shore), I was feeling a little bitter and hurt. Our extended family is going through a really tough time right now...things are not good. Our situation is uncertain, even scary, and the future is unclear as things seem to continue to worsen.

Then as worship started, the songs were all about God's faithfulness. I must admit, at that moment, I was in no mood to sing about God's faithfulness. I was struggling, and my thoughts were more like "God, I'm just having a tough time singing about your faithfulness right now."

And then I looked up into the choir, singing beautifully before God and the congregation...really into it. And I started realizing something. There was a guy who had lost his job...and God had provided. There was someone who had been through a devastating divorce. There was Jan, the daughter of someone in our SIM family, in her wheelchair and wearing a surgical mask, struggling daily with cancer. And I looked around me in the auditorium. There aren't many of us here who have had it easy, are there? Sometimes it seems our enemy saves his toughest attacks for the believers, doesn't he?

I was convicted. If they could sing about God's faithfulness, well dang-nabbit, so could I. Feel it or not, I would sing along with them, and I would wait longer to see His faithfulness, knowing we might have to wait a while.

Thanks for singing with me, friends.

Doin' Time

The most unique experience we have had in PA so far has been in Frackville. Yup, we got sent up to state prison. No, we didn't break out any Johnny Cash songs. Florence's dad, who's a chaplain there, got us on the inside to share with the Sunday night worship services with the inmates. So we went in through all the checks and high security, and then had a great experience in church!

As we were told by experienced folk, the crowd will be made up of two parts: genuine believers who have "found Jesus", and those who come to chapel just to have something to do.

We were amused by the prison twist on a familiar way to start a church service. "Anyone new here this week?" Which meant, is anyone here just starting their prison term? And then, "is anyone going home this week?" To which one guy shouted "I am home!" And everyone laughed.

We were amazed at the reception we got from the believers there. They were truly into the worship experience, which was some good old-timey gospel hymns accompanied by a guitar. And then they were so responsive to our stories from Africa.

For a group of men who are really down in life, they really cared about what was going on in Africa. They broke out into spontaneous applause in the middle of stories from the handicap center. They shouted encouragement as we explained what we do. It was a really good time for us to see some believers who were not in a good situation in life, and yet they loved Jesus and his church in Africa all the same.
They even let us out when we were done. :)

February 2010 Prayer Letter

February 2010 prayer letter

Please click on the link above to download the prayer letter.

It's been a couple of months since we sent out a prayer letter. We took some time off for the holidays and as we settled into our house for "home assignment". But we are still alive and well (no, we did not fall off the face of the earth). We're looking forward to catching up with those of you we haven't been able to see yet.

Everywhere we go, people have been exclaiming about the unusual weather we've had in Pennsylvania lately. All we can figure is that we must have brought it back with us from Burkina. :-) It has been a bit of an adjustment to deal with all of this snow and cold. But the boys have been enjoying it immensely.

Caleb just turned 4 years old on the 4th of February. He's going to preschool three mornings per week and seems to be adjusting well. Joel was quick to bond with his grandparents and aunts and uncles...but a little slower adjusting to all the new people that we've been seeing over the last few weeks. Since we are often giving presentations on Sunday mornings, it has been a challenge trying to help him feel comfortable going in the nursery. Florence just started attending a weekly women's Bible study and a MOPS group at our home church. The boys go with her and we are hoping that this added exposure will help Joel feel more comfortable more quickly.

We are fortunate that the majority of our support comes from friends and family in the central PA area where we live; so we have not had to do much traveling so far. But we do plan to do some traveling in May/June once the weather warms up. We had to take our web-site's calendar down temporarily due to some technical issues. In the meantime, for those of you who live in central PA, we're around and we're available, so look us up!

Love,
Dale, Florence, Caleb and Joel

No news is good news!

Sorry to keep you all "in the dark" for so long! We took a "break" from the blogsite over the Christmas holidays and then were busy settling in to the place we will call home until we pack to return to Burkina.

Things are very well for us here in Grantham, PA (near Harrisburg, and right next to Messiah College). So far, in our first week-and-a-half, we've had 8 doctor's appointments, 5 meetings, 6 dinners with friends, and 2 presentations. In addition, Florence and I went out on our first date (without the boys) in almost a year. We visited with both Florence's parents and my parents again, and saw my brother and sister-in-law in Harrisburg.

We often get some of the same questions over and over again. So for your convenience (and curiosity), here are some "frequently asked questions":

Q: What are you guys doing now?
A: Our 8-month "home assignment" is meant for 3 things: find more support (prayer and financial, for both us and our ministry in Mahadaga), report about what we're doing to our friends and churches, and REST & renewal! We'll spend a lot of time visiting with people and preparing presentations for churches and Sunday School groups. We'll also do some traveling in May and June. And rest? Yes...I don't think we knew just how exhausted and nearly burnt-out we were until we got back and gave ourselves some space. Rest is also important if we're going to be able to minister in Mahadaga for a long time. We're also meant to find renewal...now that we're not always the ones being the ministers, we can find ways to be "ministered to"...like a marriage retreat in February, church Bible studies, moms' groups, etc.

Q: What are Caleb and Joel going to do for school when you go back?
A: We're really happy about Caleb going to "pre-school" three times per week right now. After three days, he seems to really enjoy it, and the teacher has been giving positive feedback. As for long-term schooling...that's another task that we have before us while we're home. We'll need to find a good home-schooling program for the boys. While we're on our second term in Burkina, Caleb will complete kindergarten and 1st grade, and Joel will be ready to start kindergarten near the end of our term. If anyone knows of someone who could come to Burkina to teach the boys, we'd be delighted to talk to them!

Q: Has it been hard to come back to the States? Has the weather been too cold?
A: In some ways, it's been shocking to come home. Going from one of the simplest, poorest areas in the world, to the US during the Christmas season is shocking. All the stuff, all the lights, all the sales, all the cars...etc etc. We kept asking, "why do we need all this stuff??!" But in other ways, we know that we have to do a "brain transplant". In order to survive, we have to take out our "Burkina brains" and put in our "American brains". It's not a perfect coping mechanism, but the two worlds are just too different. And yes, the cold has been a tough adjustment. Fortunately, we were able to "ease into it" by traveling in Europe before coming home. And hey, EVERYONE here has been complaining about the cold! :0)

So I hope that helps some. We really hope to be able to see all of you in the coming months. This is an exciting time for us. That's one more benefit to living overseas...we enjoy life in the US in a new, fresh way!

That's all for now. Keep praying for Haiti and the missionaries there. Help however you can!