Greetings!

It is with great excitement that Erick and I get to present to you our first newsletter as a married couple! So, welcome to the Johnson’s Adventures! May our journey together reflect the Lord’s light, grace, mercy, and love to all and to wherever we go.

We are writing to you from SE Asia! We have been here for 2 weeks now and the Lord has done great things in our journey so far. Erick and I have found that God is at work here in this country in ways that we were shocked to witness. Although this place is a closed country to missionaries and has less than 2% of evangelical Christians (making it an unreached country), God’s presence and work is evident here. There are local churches here in the capital city and locals who are fervent believers wanting to see their country turn towards the Lord.

Meeting New Friends

As we have been exploring different places, God placed us in conversations and situations He has used to bless us with.
Below [photo not available] is a picture of a friend we met as we were sitting by the lake. This little boy came up to us to practice his English. We got to have some fellowship with him and his dad.

Three days after arriving in the capital city, we met a Christian couple who started a coffee shop with the mission of supporting former drug addicts after rehabilitation, providing a home and a job by working in the coffee shop. At this coffee shop, we met Rusell, a Christian counselor specializing in marriages and parenting (he is also from Monee, IL! Small world).

We got to attend a local language-speaking church. There we met the Smiths, who have offered many insights and perspectives regarding the Great Commission. The Beards have been foundational in our understanding of missions here in the capital city. They opened up a coffee shop, Simple Coffee, with the vision of supporting young adults with developmental disabilities. On the 3rd level of the coffee shop, they have a training course called Imago Work where they teach these students social and work skills with the hope of training them to enter the workforce. Simple Coffee hires people with developmental disabilities so that they serve as a model to other companies that they too can be inclusive to this population.

Then we met a couple, the Deals, that focus primarily on church planting and travel to indigenous churches out in the northern villages and focus on Christian leadership.

The Work at Hand

There are several missionaries here creating a path to reach locals and all the different agencies work together to fulfill the one common purpose: The Great Commission.

Although it may seem on a larger scale that this country is ‘reached’ with the Gospel, only about 1% of the country’s 100+ million population identifies as Protestant Christians. There is still work to be done.

Additionally, Erick and I have observed that once you leave the city, things are drastically different. Living conditions are different, the landscape changes to farming fields, almost no one speaks English, and there are more pagodas/temples—not as reached with the Gospel.

As we have observed so many things, talked to so many people, and listened to their experiences, we are left with more questions than answers:

• Where would the Lord have us partner with Him to fulfill the Great Commission?
• How should we be serving the community we find ourselves in?
• Should we open a business based on needs or should we focus on church planting? Which one would be the most effective for ultimately making disciples?

Through so many unknowns, we remain faithful to God’s plan and prayerfully partner with Him, trusting in His plans for us and for His people all over the world.

In just one week, we plan on going to South Asia and exploring what God is doing there with a One Collective catalyst.

Prayer Requests

As we wrap up our last 2 weeks here in the capital city, we would love for you to partner with us in prayer:

• Pray that Stella’s visa gets approved to go to South Asia. The process has been long and difficult.
• As we come back to the States, pray that God may reveal His plan for us in His timing, as we prepare to go and serve Him overseas.
• Pray for all the different people we have encountered. That their work here is fruitful in reaching the locals. Pray for strength and protection over their families and their work.