NTM

Our ministry

August 2009

Verne and Denny Johnson spent 6 busy weeks in the Ivory Coast. There are now believers in 6 Palaka villages, and evangelistic teaching is taking place in another Palaka village as I type. Denny checked back the drafts of Ruth and Jonah which can now be printed for the Palaka to read.

August 2008

Here are some excerpts from letters we have received last week from Denny and one today from Verne.–Aya Kofe (old lady who was my close friend- Mandy) is still hanging in there, but remembering less. Denny doesn’t mind being called Liyomo (my Palaka name) all the time.(Kofe loves you dearly Mandy)

Verne:–We’re thanking the Lord for Robertsons’ van. We had two tires completely go out, one a quiet blowout, the other split belts…but both in places where we were able to get used replacements without much problem. An oil change of 10L and 3 replaced glow plugs today and we are good to go. Door handles are still a problem. I’ve been thankful that the roads are very manageable.

–Allan’s generator is equally doing well…three days on the one tank of gas I ran through it.

–I’ve been using “my” solar panels from Sibiri and Jambugo, but to little avail as it has rained almost daily. Numerous houses have already fallen down, and the normally heavy September rains haven’t even come yet.

 –Robertson’s medical account is working flawlessly it seems.

–Jean Baptiste really wants out of the literacy teaching. (He does love to teach, and seems to be a natural. I have offered him alternative ways and times to be able to teach without hurting his work, health or marriage, but in the end, he wants/needs the cash.) His work hours were hard, 6-11 p.m. 2-3 nights a week. His brother, now a driver between Abidjan and the north for the prime minister, Soro, has encouraged him to quit the literacy for lack of financial gain.

–Penimkwo\’s mother told us said that she died while holding a booklet of translated scripture (Penimkwo was one of our treasured friends and a translation helper). Her Mom also said that the believers were so supportive through P’s sickness and death. She had only good things to say, and has shown up at church and at the Tuesday meeting a couple of times.

Denny: Monday was a somewhat amazing day. We had travelled to six other villages two weeks ago to invite them to participate in literacy training, and this was the day that training was to happen. As we waited to see if anyone would come for training, the only two faces we saw were those who had already been trained last year! That could have been really discouraging, and on the side of literacy, it was. In the end, we did have a cool opportunity to teach some Bible lessons and had some great discussions with the catechists of two villages and chief\’s son in another. It was a fun day of discipling and evangelism.

Tuesday was filled with requests by sick people, one a paralyzed man, to be taken out to the hospital. One of the others was a girl who has suffered with an open wound for six years. (How cool it must have been for Jesus to be able to heal people instantly!) Her infection is now in the bone and requires surgery. Add to that a couple of hernias, a deformed child that will probably lose his eye, a mother with post-partum everything…

The honeymoon stage of new arrival in the village has worn off and I find myself sometimes feeling as though I am treading water language-wise and culturally. So much happens without me really having a handle on it. I wonder why I keep fighting to come back out here. I think that there is something about living where the needs are constantly before you. You have to believe that you have something to offer, that you can make a difference, or you\’d be crazy to live out here on a steady basis. The fact is that with Christ and in Christ we can at least offer them a chance, an open door to a great difference. It is stretching and an opportunity for which I am very grateful. I have much to learn.

We are so encouraged that you continue to pray and follow the work of NTM in which we are involved. We have 29 appointees that we are working with, some will be on staff at the new Missions Training Centre, some are alumni, and yet others are brand new people that will attend our orientation in June for 8 days here and then head out all over the world. There are secretaries, teachers, nurses, cooks, builders, and even a dentist and his wife who is a dental assistant.

We heard last week that a dear Palaka lady called Domo (a believer) is very ill, they have had her treated at a local clinic but it does not look good for her. Great that she knows the Lord. Her husband does not.

Our Green Cards were denied last week and we are planning on making an appeal which we hope can be addressed (we have contacted the local congressman for help) before our visa runs out on Sept 21st. It would be very hard on our Andrew to have to leave school etc and all his Christian friends too. We are waiting on the Lord for His guidance knowing that He is in control.
Jer 29:11. 

Feb 2008

We just had visitors- relatives on my mum’s side from Liverpool- so good to be with them. A chap from church has a pontoon boat and he took us all on the river here. Nice time.
We hear from Joy that she is going to church at Whitby {SO GOOD!}, and that she has substitute teaching work too- she has applied for a teaching graduate place and has a second interview coming up.
Things here all going well. We have 31 people at different stages of the application process at the moment that we are responsible to help get out to the ‘fields’, we trust they will all make it! Houses are to be sold, some debts taken care of and support to be “raised” as God allows. Then visas, training here, ‘plane tickets, and goodbyes.
I know you pray for the Palaka and so do please still remember Sibiri and Eric. Please pray to for a young man named Jean-Paul who is taking responsibility too, he trusted the Lord after we left. Pray for the other believers too- to be faithful and not weary in well-doing, also to read the Word.

Jan 2008

Today in the office I have been getting an orientation ready for a young lady headed to England to serve at the NTM Missions Training Facility in North Cotes.
We seek to fill all the gaps that exist on NTM fields.
If you ever have time look at this link to see all that we try to fill!
http://www.ntm.org/go/go_results.php
After travelling to see our Palaka co-workers in Kansas City & Missouri over the Christmas and New Year break we are back in the swing of things now here at Sanford, still very busy with constant enquiries from people. We have worked out that for every hundred enquiries we get seven people who actually go to the field, wow- a lot of work to get those few eh? But who knows what fruit is borne elsewhere ? Hopefully some!! And we do have 13 people who we are seriously working with so far this time -and they will come for the summer orientation here.
Joy is still in the Far East on her ‘trip of a lifetime’- this week she is in Malaysia. She flies back Jan 30th. She has applied for a GTP to begin in September this year in Hull there in England and she asks for prayer that she can get in. There are just a few positions open for GTP Application (GTP-is Graduate Training Program- a teaching qualification- but you can work at a school whilst doing the training.)
Faye and Luke and little Paige all doing fine in Whitby, England- this week….!
Andrew is over 6′ 3″ and doing pretty well at school- he has some excellent Christian friends here at the mission where we live. He is hoping to go on a “Dare to Share” weekend with his Youth Group in March.
We have written 3 letters to the Palaka believers this year, but so far have not had any news back. We will let you know when we do.
We send love
-and thanks for praying and being involved.