The Johnson's in Mexico City

2010-11-29T10:16:00.000-08:00

Ana Paulina turned 2 on November 5th!

Ana turned two years old on November 5th. We had a birthday party for her and she was dressed as a lady bug. After a while she got tired of her outfit, but was excited to hit her pinata (also in the form of a ladybug).

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Pray with us for the new YearOut team

Pray for:

• Ashley serving with the Ig. Anabautista Mennonita Seguidores de Cristo in the north of the city and in student ministry.

• Stephanie serving with Ministerios de Amor, a mininstry working with street children. Stephanie is serving as assistant to their social worker.

• Carolyn serving part-time with the Mennonite church and with AMEXTRA a Mexican community development organization.

• Jonathan & Patrick serving in a Christian non-profit organization dedicated to serving those who live in poverty.

• Nicole serving with a church in the southwest of the city in a poor neighbourhood up in the hills and also in student ministry.

2010-11-29T10:09:00.000-08:00

Looking back at the summer

We had a very full summer of ministry. Twenty-three young adults served with our Spearhead program in 12 Mexican churches/ministries throughout the city.

In our 10 day Ignite program we had 43 participants…34 from Gordon-Conwell’s COMPASS program, 5 from a church in Boston and 4 individuals from various parts of the U.S. They worked in 5 different churches and ministries.

We celebrated Spearhead’s 40th anniversary in Mexico this summer and were blessed to have Harry & Bernice Burke (Spearhead founders) with us for the celebration. Steve Johnson, current LAM president was also present along with former Spearhead directors Enrique Rojas and Tracey (Moore) Pieters.

On a number of levels it was one of our hardest summers of ministry, yet also one in which we saw much fruit. We thank you for upholding us in prayer.

Speaking of prayer…during our service leave Nydia and I sensed that the Lord was calling us to Himself in new ways and impressed on our hearts the importance of not only modelling an active commitment to ministry, but also following our Lord Jesus’ model of drawing apart to spend time with His father. So, in the middle of July, after our busy Ignite week and before our summer participants began their last weeks of full-time ministry, we drew aside for a day long prayer retreat.

The Lord was good to us in sending us the former president of LAM, Jack Voelkel and his wife Mary Anne. Mary Anne is gifted in the area of intercession and led the retreat. We have received many reports from Spearhead participants that this was the highlight of their summer.

2010-10-10T19:35:00.000-07:00

Celebrating Spearhead's 40th Anniversary

This summer Spearhead celebrated 40 summers of ministry here in Mexico City. Spearhead founders Harry & Bernice Burke joined us for this celebration, as well as former directors Enrique Rojas & Tracey (Moore) Pieters.

Mexico is celebrating the 200th anniversary of its Independence and the 100th anniversary of its revolution. Our summer theme was “God of this City” based on Jeremiah 29:1-14. We prayed that the Lord will use the churches and ministries we work with as well as our Spearhead and Ignite participants to be a blessing to this city in this important time in its history. Please continue to pray with us as we pray for the “peace and prosperity of the city” Jer. 29:7 and for the “good plans” that the Lord has for this city as they “seek Him and find Him” (Jer. 29:11 & 13).

2010-03-29T20:27:00.001-07:00

Are Short-Term Missions Effective? How does Spearhead rate?

By Paul Johnson, Spearhead Director

This question has been asked by many recently. The July 2005 web edition of Christianity Today (1) dedicated various articles to this theme and a recent edition of Missiology: An International Review October 2006 also addressed this theme. Some of the questions being asked are: Do short-term missions really accomplish the goals their proponents say they accomplish? Are more individuals committing to long-term missions? Are they developing a larger world vision and a less ethnocentric approach to life and a deeper financial commitment to missions? Are they making a positive impact in the host country?

These questions are very important for the church today when the number of youth and church members of all ages, participating in short-term mission trips has increased dramatically. Likewise, practitioners of short-term missions ought to reflect on the questions being raised.

One of the articles in Missiology suggests that “Since a majority of STM groups travel to regions where indigenous believers and churches are already present, then the nature of their relations with host Christians needs to move to the foreground of our analysis…” (2) and that “the receiving local church must be respected as a source of authority and as the key to any long-term ministry gains.”(3)

It is encouraging to note, that in Spearhead’s 35+ years we have sought to establish strong, enduring relations with the church in Mexico and in other parts of Latin America. For example, I know of Spearhead volunteers who came with Spearhead in the summer of 1984 and continue to have regular contact with their host family and church more then 20 years later. This is not an isolated example. Furthermore, a key point in LAM and Spearhead’s principles is that we work with and under local Latin leadership. We assign Spearhead volunteers to work under the leadership of local Mexican pastors and ministry leaders who guide, and in some cases, mentor and disciple these young adults in Christian ministry service.

Additional conclusions from this article include that short-term missionaries ought to be viewed “…as “trainees” rather than “helpers,” and suggests putting their supervision and spiritual formation directly in the hands of the overseas churches they serve.” (4) Again, in Spearhead we aim to have our volunteers viewed exactly in this light (i.e. as trainees) and encourage our national partners to provide this type of leadership and spiritual guidance. We are not always successful in reaching this goal, but we can share many specific examples where this has taken place.

An important aspect in analyzing the effectiveness of short-term missions is considering the types of experiences which provide positive results in the long run. I believe that Spearhead’s commitment to working under national leadership, studying Spanish to minister directly in the language, and identifying with the people through cultural immersion and living with Mexican host families, gives just such results. I can name many individuals whose experience on Spearhead shaped their life direction in concrete ways and served as a key influence in their current professions as missionaries, teachers, pastors, and as business people.

In Spearhead we are constantly seeking to evaluate what we do and why we do what we do in order to be more effective in reaching our goals. Towards this end, we are aiming to improve our intensive Spanish program, examining how we facilitate cultural adjustment and service under national leadership, and providing better follow through with participants once they leave the program. We are also interested in analyzing the type of impact Spearhead has had on the national church. Ultimately, we are encouraged that scholars are now seeing short-term missions as a serious area for missiological research and investigation and we invite them to make Spearhead a focus of this investigation.(5)

Are short-term missions effective? Research suggests that it depends on various factors. How does Spearhead rate? In light of recent research we seem to be heading in the right direction, but concrete investigation is needed so that we can more adequately evaluate the outcome of our efforts. Our prayer is that the Lord would continue to guide us as we seek to improve and serve Him more faithfully.

1. See http://www.ctlibrary.com/ct/2005/julyweb-only/
2. Missiology: An International Review, Vol 34, No. 4; October 2006, Special Edition, p. 429 emphasis mine.
3. Ibid.
4. Zehner, Edwin, “Short-Term Missions: Toward a More Field-Orientated Model” in Missiology: An International Review, p. 509.
5. If you or someone you know would be interested in making Spearhead a focus of their master’s or doctoral research project please contact us at Spearhead@lam.org.

(Reprinted from the Spearhead Frontline Focus, Spring/Summer 2007, Volume 36, No. 1)

2009-10-02T09:54:00.000-07:00

You Can Support Us For Free!

We are excited to announce a way that you can financially support us without any cost to you! Thanks to Fund-it BenefitBar, they have created a toolbar using the Yahoo! Search engine. We receive ten cents each time you click on a sponsored link when you search using our new customized toolbar. No purchases are necessary. You simply download it to your Internet browser and do your internet searches through the toolbar. There are no pop ups, spyware or adware; your privacy is protected and it will not replace your existing toolbars. The download process takes less than a minute and the toolbar is un-intrusive.

Every time you click on a sponsored link (anything listed in the shaded area with bullet points or anything listed on the right side of the page) you are raising money, 10 cents a click on a sponsored link for LAM on our behalf…..NO PURCHASE NECESSARY.

It is simple to perform your normal, natural, everyday searches and only click on a sponsored result if that sponsor is of interest to you. It’s that EASY!
What are you waiting for? Click on the link above to download our Toolbar.

To Download the Benefit Bar: http://www.benefitbar.com/benefitbar/subscribe/toolbar.php?toolbarId=6156

2009-09-22T20:43:00.000-07:00

Service Leave Opportunities (August 2009 - May/June 2010)

We are accepting invitations to share about our ministry in churches, Sunday school classes, home groups, etc. In addition to sharing about what we do in Mexico, we are also available to speak on the following subjects:

• Ministering with Latino Immigrants
• Building Mission’s Vision in Your Local Church: A Mexican Model
• Latin’s in Missions: God is Using the Church in Latin America to Impact the World
• Mexico: People, Customs and Religion
• The Latino Church in the USA
• Protestantism in Mexico
• How to Interpret the Bible: A Brief Introduction(or as Theologians say: “Hermeneutics”)
• Best Practices for Latino Youth Development

Also, we are also available to share in campus ministry groups or young adult groups regarding opportunities for service with Spearhead.

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We’d like to Visit

We are beginning to contact friends and supporting churches to arrange visits during our service leave. If your church, university fellowship, or small group would be interested in a visit or hearing more about Spearhead we’ll be glad to set a time to come your way.

We look forward to seeing many of you soon. Thanks again for your generous support and prayers.

2009-09-16T09:20:00.000-07:00

Points for Prayer
• God’s grace as we turn over responsibilities in preparation for our service leave.
• A fruitful summer by Spearhead volunteers.
• A sense of the Lord’s presence and leading as Wendy Der and Carlos & Carrie
Morales carry-on with the Spearhead ministry.
• Pray for Andres as he begins kindergarten this fall.
• That the Lord will provide $1000 in new monthly support over the next year.
• For many opportunities to share about ministries opportunities with Spearhead.
• Times of rest and renewal while on service leave.

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Wendy Der

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Carlos & Carrie Morales

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Spearhead Leadership Team

As we mentioned a few months ago, we are thankful to the Lord as He has provided capable leadership to lead Spearhead as we are in the States. LAM Missionary Wendy Der, will serve as Acting Director and co-LAM workers Carlos & Carrie Morales will serve in Ministerial Relations and Administrative Support.

We continue to ask for your prayers for all of us in this time of transition.

2009-09-16T09:10:00.002-07:00

2009-09-16T09:10:00.001-07:00

Summer Ministry 2009

We are thankful to the Lord for 14 enthusiastic Spearhead volunteers who are serving in 8 ministries throughout Mexico City.

Thanks for your prayers for them as they enter a time of full-time ministry after completing a 4 week intensive Spanish course.
• Lauren and Olivia – Cristo es el Camino Assemblies of God Church
• Nicole and Jamie – Resurrección Baptist Church
• Carolyn – Santisima Trinidad Lutheran Church
• Lee – Odre Nuevo Baptist Church
• Mary Till and Lori – Nueva Generación Church (independent Charismatic)
• Andrea and Molly – Jeruel Pentecostal Church
• Faith and Hannah – Principe de Paz Presbyterian Church
• Josh and Noah – Tetitla Presbyterian Mission

2009-09-16T09:05:00.000-07:00

Reporting on Recent Activities

• Paul gave a workshop on missions & evangelism at a thriving church called Vida Abundante.
• Paul & Nydia spoke on the theme “What is a Servant? at a cell group church called Re-encuentro.
• Paul preached on “Essential Focuses of the Church” at the Iglesia Vida Abundante.

2009-09-16T08:59:00.000-07:00

2009-09-16T08:57:00.000-07:00

Announcing our upcoming Service Leave

After the summer Spearhead program we will be taking a service leave from August 2009 – May/June 2010. We will be staying with Paul’s mom in Minneapolis, Minnesota which will serve as our base.

We have four main goals for our service leave:
First, we want to express our gratitude to our faithful team of churches and individuals who have supported us during the past 4+ years and to expand our support network for the future.
Second, Andres will attend Kindergarten in Minnesota so that his English skills grow.
Third, we want to spend time with family and friends.
Forth, we aim to promote the Spearhead program in as many venues as possible.

We will continue to be missionaries with the Latin America Mission and will continue to live off the support we raise through donations to the mission. Your support will be vital during this time as always.

2009-03-11T18:32:00.000-07:00

March - Marzo 2009

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Baby in pink.

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The cousins together. Los Primos juntos!

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February 2009 Pics!!

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Andres & Ana Paulina January 2009!!!

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Tuesday, November 5, 2008

Some Really Good News!

This is to let you know that our little girl Ana Paulina was born this morning at 6:46 a.m. (via c-section). She weighed 2.880 kilograms or a little over 6 pounds and her length was 48.5 centimeters or a bit over 19 inches. She is beautiful and looks like Andres! I called Andres to let him know his little sister had arrived and told him he looked like her and he said to the gal who was taking care of him "Maki, my little sister looks like me!"

Thanks for your prayers for a safe delivery. We ask for your continued prayers for Nydia's recovery in the days ahead. Mom and baby are doing well.

2008-11-05T13:25:00.001-08:00

The Countdown is On!!!!

Yes, in the next three weeks Johnson Baby #2 will arrive. This week Nydia was beginning to have contractions, but her doctor said she needs to wait until at least next week. It is looking like baby is not quite in position and the last ultrasound showed that she has her umbilical cord around her neck, which may be keeping her from getting in position. Please pray with us that she might position herself and untangle…so that Nydia won’t have to have a c-section.

Another item…is that our insurance company is showing a bit of reluctance to cover Nydia’s delivery…which would not be a good thing for us. Please pray that all gets worked out in this area, so we are fully covered.

Please continue to pray for a healthy delivery and arrival of baby Johnson (sometime between early November and Thanksgiving).

2008-11-05T13:17:00.000-08:00

New YearOut Team 2008-2009

In mid-October our new Spearhead YearOut team arrived. Alicia, from California, will be working in discipleship and evangelism with young women in a local campus ministry and with a local church; Erica, from Texas, will be teaching English classes as an evangelistic tool, working with a local campus ministry and with a local church; Lauren, from North Carolina, will be working with a children’s home in Morelia, Michoacan Mexico…and returning for a second year…Michelle from Texas, is working with a local church and with a project sponsored by Compassion International serving children in poverty.

We are also thankful that Wendy Der, Spearhead Program Coordinator, is celebrating a year back in Mexico. She has been a huge blessing and support to both the ministry and our family!

Please join with us in praying that the Lord will be at work in and through each of these young women throughout this year

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Paul, Nydia, Andres (turned 4 this summer) and baby Johnson (6 months along)

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Our Growing Family

Our family is getting ready to grow in just a few months (baby is due November 24th) and Andres will be entering kindergarten (it begins younger here) so we will have a number of new adjustments in the next few months. With these new adjustments we will gain new expenses (Andres' schooling, baby’s arrival and one more mouth to feed). We are asking the Lord to help us to raise $600 more per month in regular support. Would you consider joining our support team or possibly giving a bit more?

We know these are economically challenging times and deeply appreciate each of you who give sacrificially.

Please pray with us for Nydia’s pregnancy and the healthy development of the baby on the way. Pray also that the Lord would provide $600 more per month and for Andres as he transitions to a new school.

Grateful for your prayers and financial support,

Paul, Nydia & Andres Johnson

2008-08-08T13:11:00.002-07:00

2007-2008 Spearhead YearOut Participants

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Spearhead YearOut Participants Move-on After Year in Mexico

Our 6 YearOut participants served as facilitators in the Spearhead and Ignite programs this summer after a year of ministry in Mexico are now transitioning back home or to other places for ministry; Andrew Gackenbach, from Maryland, will be heading to work in the slums in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Michelle Eaton, from Texas, will be continuing in Mexico with Spearhead to serve a second year with Compassion International, Kevin & Leah Book-Satterlee, from California, will pursue full-time missionary careers with LAM to plant a Spearhead program in Spain, Jim Jordan, also from Maryland, will head to Miami to serve as LAM’s short-term missions coordinator, and Stephanie Biegel, from Chicago, will return to the States for further schooling. Praise God that all of them are continuing in missions and ministry in some form or another!

Please continue to pray for them that God will supply all of their needs and that His purposes will be fulfilled in each of them.

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Ignite (Gordon Conwell Compass Group) (www.lam.org/ignite)
This is the second summer that we have had the privilege to work with Gordon Conwell Seminary’s Compass program, a mentoring program for students entering their final year of high school. Each of these students has shown potential for Christian leadership and has received a personal recommendation to participate in this program which includes a week of wilderness survival training, a week of teaching at Gordon and outreach in Mexico City with Spearhead (http://www.gordonconwell.edu/ockenga/mccy/rmi/index.php). The Ignite/Compass team served one intense week in two churches and a preventive ministry for street children.

Please pray with us that the Lord would make His call clear in the lives of these young people and that some may consider longer-term service here in Mexico City.

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Spearhead Summer Program 2008
We had an excellent summer with 12 Spearheaders and 6 leaders serving throughout Mexico City with 7 different churches ministering with children, youth, young adults and the elderly.

Thanks for your prayers that the Lord used to build His church here in Mexico!

2008-08-08T12:14:00.000-07:00

Ministry Leader & Host Family Breakfast
The last Saturday of April we held a breakfast for ministry leaders and host families who are interested in receiving Spearhead volunteers this summer. We were blessed in that we have a number of new ministries that are interested in partnering with us. As always, the opportunities to serve are many, but the workers few, please pray that we will be able to send volunteers to as many ministries as possible this summer.

2008-08-08T12:12:00.000-07:00

Return to San Jose Tenango, Oaxaca, Mexico
Paul returned to the Sierra Mazateca in Oaxaca to continue a seminar on Biblical Interpretation. Throughout the seminar, translation was provided from Spanish to Mazateco by different members of the church. Our Mexican church will return again in July with a medical and dental team, as there are no doctors or dentists that practice regularly in this town or many other towns within a 2 ½ hour radius in this mountainous region.

Please pray that the Lord would continue to be active among the Mazateco people and that God would provide as we seek to serve both their physical and spiritual needs.

2008-08-08T12:00:00.000-07:00

Visit to the Casa Hogar El Buen Pastor - a Children’s Home in Morelia, Mexico
At the beginning of April we made a visit to a children’s home in Morelia, Mexico. It was a busy weekend spent with 30 children from the ages of 4 – 16. We are excited as a young woman from North Carolina is currently raising support to serve there during the next YearOut program.

Please pray with us that God raises up another volunteer to serve together with her.

2008-04-12T07:49:00.000-07:00

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A Three Year Old’s Answered Prayer

During the past couple months Andres has consistently prayed for two things: 1) A baby (he would like a sibling) and 2) A “pollito” – a little chicken. God has begun to answer his first request – as Nydia is now 7 weeks pregnant – the little one should arrive sometime around Thanksgiving! God has yet to answer the second request – we are waiting “expectantly” (no pun intended) to see what happens. We are not all that sure what we would do with a chicken, even a little one, in our small apartment.

Please pray that God would protect the little one and Nydia over the next number of months.

Summer is Drawing Near

It may not seem that close for many of you, but we are busy preparing for the arrival of our new summer volunteers. It is looking that we will have around 20+ college age young people here this summer serving in churches and social ministries throughout this vast city. By the way, if you know of any young men who might be interested in serving in Mexico City this summer please encourage them to think seriously about taking part in Spearhead (of course we’d be glad to have the young women as well, but the guys are slow in responding these days). Check out www.spearhead.org. We have moved back the application deadline to May 1st, for any last minute additions.

Please pray the Lord would raise up a good group of young people to serve here this summer.

Thankful for answered prayer!

Paul, Nydia & Andres Johnson

2008-04-12T06:55:00.000-07:00

February – On the Road – Again and Again…
Texas
At the beginning of February we made a road trip to Texas to recruit for Spearhead, meet with Spearhead alumni and to see a few friends. We were blessed to visit friends in Monterrey, Mexico; in Edinburgh, Texas; San Antonio, Austin and Bastrop, Texas. We gave a presentation on opportunities with LAM and Spearhead at Hill Country Bible Church at the University of Texas at Austin and at the Asian American Intervarsity Fellowship meeting at Texas A& M.

Thanks for your prayers that sustained us (and our car) along the way!

Puebla, Mexico
Paul made a quick weekend visit to Puebla to visit one of the Spearhead YearOuters. This is the same city where Paul served for 5 months back in 1995!

San Jose Tenango, Oaxaca
The next week Paul was on the road once again headed to the Sierra Mazateca in Oaxaca. It takes about 6 hours in bus to arrive to a larger city in Oaxaca and then another 1 ½ hours in the back of their public transportation which happens to be an open pick-up truck. The bus ride is smooth for 4 hours and then the last two hours are all curves.

Our Mexican church supports a missionary who works with various churches in this area of Oaxaca. So, once a month the church is sending a team of people to train their leaders and others in various ministry skills. The people there speak an indigenous language called Mazateco. Many are bilingual – Spanish and Mazateco. I gave a talk on Biblical Interpretation and will return again in April to lead a workshop on practicing these interpretive skills and on preparing sermons.

March Ministries
Ixtapan de la Sal, Estado de Mexico – LAM’s Annual Missionary Retreat
Once a year we gather with other LAM missionaries for a retreat outside Mexico City. It is a good time of fellowship and renewal. We also have the opportunity to reconnect with some of those who serve in the Miami office of the mission. This year we were privileged to hear from and get to know LAM’s interim President Jack Voekel and his wife MaryAnne.

A chofer for a few days
After the retreat, Paul served as a chofer for Jack Voekel as he visited various LAM missionaries in their ministries in the south of Mexico City. It was a delight to spend time with him, as he has had an interesting missionary career in Colombia and his roots in the mission go way back – I was blessed to learn from his walk with the Lord through the years.

Missionary Photographer
We later had a visit from a LAM Missionary who is a photographic and media specialist (she visited one of the Spearheaders ministries and also was able to shadow us – Nydia in her girl’s discipleship group, the both of us in our cell group and teaching on Sunday – Paul with the young people and Nydia with the children). Soon you will see the fruits of her visit (a new prayer card and many great photos)!

Visits with Ministry Leaders
This month we visited with a Presbyterian pastor interested in having Spearheaders work in his church this summer in the areas of evangelism and discipleship and with the director of a Children’s Home in Morelia, Mexico where we will assign Spearheaders next fall for their Year Out ministry.
Please continue to pray for quality contacts for both summer and YearOut ministries.

Cell Group Transitions
This month marks a new landmark for one of our cell groups. The time has come for us to multiply. Nydia and I will be turning over the leadership of one of the groups after being with the group a little over a year and will take on a new group made up of “seekers” who know very little about the Scriptures. We are excited for this opportunity. We ask you to pray for Adriana as she takes on leadership of our former group and for us as we begin this new group.

Brief visit to Iguala, Mexico
At the end of the month we had the opportunity to visit some dear friends in Iguala, Mexico who came from Minneapolis to Iguala to celebrate their two year old’s birthday. We were blessed by their generosity that allowed us to make this trip. It was wonderful to see them and renew our friendship.

Last, but not least
Paul preached at our Mexican churches bimonthly mission’s Sunday. He preached from Philippians 4:10-20 where the apostle Paul thanks the church at Philippi for their generous support. Nydia prepared a dynamic PowerPoint presentation that highlighted the missionaries that our church supports. This Sunday our church was collecting new Faith Promises which are commitments to give towards the support of various missionaries our church supports. We are excited to share that they are now supporting 12 Latin missionaries who are serving with indigenous people’s here in Mexico, as well as serving in Honduras, Spain, Russia and soon China as well!

We were reminded of you as Paul preached from this passage…in the words of Paul (the apostle) we “…rejoice greatly in the Lord…” Philippians 4:10 …that “you have sent us aid again and again when we were in need” Philippians 4:16. Thanks for your faithful and consistent support that empowers us to minister here in Mexico.

We are grateful,

Paul, Nydia & Andres Johnson

2007-11-24T18:09:00.000-08:00

Celebrating Three Years of Ministry in Mexico.

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A day in the life of a three year old...

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At the beginning of this month (November) we celebrated 3 years here in Mexico! It is hard to believe it has already been three years. We are thankful to the Lord for the time we have been here. The Spearhead program is much healthier then it was when we arrived and we look to the future with anticipation.

We have a team of 6 young adults serving in various ministries here in Mexico City and in Puebla (see picture). We are planning to post a video that summarizes what has taken place in the last 3 years sometime soon. Stay tuned!

On a personal level, we are enjoying Andres who has discovered the letter "A" and is beginning to count. He is still using more Spanish then English, but likes to slip in phrases like abuelita's house (grandma's house) and other combinations in Spanish and English. In our spare time (when we find some!) we are watching DVD's of the show "24" which keeps our adrenalin pumping. We also enjoy going to a park with Andres when we have the chance.

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Well, we just want to let you know that the Lord has provided a new place for us to live (as of November 07). We are excited to report that he provided a three bedroom apartment with two complete bathrooms and a place to park a car for $100 less per month! More than what we were praying for! The rooms are smaller than our old place, but we have adjusted. We are still hoping to change our guest bed (a twin that has a second matress underneath that pulls out). We are praying for a bunk bed to replace it, as we have to take out all the furniture to pull the second mattress out. If you have read our latest newsletter you will see that we have had 18 visitors since we moved here, so our guest room is well utilized.

Thanks for your prayers. God has provided!

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Make a slide show, scrapbook, or ecard

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Andres sings Happy Birthday to his grandma (a little late March 07).

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Check out the Spearheaders using "step" to share the good news of Jesus in the Zocalo - Mexico City, Mexico (Summer 2007).

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If you are interested in learning more about our ministry or know someone who might like to serve in Mexico short-term, check out this video - Spearhead - 8 Weeks to Change Your Life.

2007-08-13T17:27:00.001-07:00

2006-09-03T14:15:00.000-07:00

Are we conducting experiments in genetics? We hope not. Actually, DNA is the name for a new project in our church to establish small groups or cell groups. DNA in English, ADN in Spanish. The letters however, don't stand for deoxyribonucleic acid. They stand for Love (amor), Discipleship (discipulado) and New Birth (nuevo nacimiento). The aim of these DNA Groups is that they would be a place for people to support each other in love, to grown in following Jesus (discipleship), and to come to know Him if they don't already (new birth).

As we have mentioned in earlier updates, we participated in a training group for cell group leaders. Our training lasted almost 8 months and now thanks to your prayers, we have launched two new cell groups. One of the groups is focused on training new cell group leaders. The goal is to start various groups in November of this year or early next year. We currently have 9 people in this group.

We have also begun another group focusing on growing (creciendo) and discovering (discubrimiento). In this group we are using the Purpose Driven Life as our guide for themes with a focus on growing in following Jesus or in the case of those who aren't Christian, discovering who Jesus is.

We ask for your prayers for us as we lead this group. Our hope is that those involved in the first group would continue with the training over the next 12 weeks and later begin their own groups. Our hope for the second group is that those participating can encourage each other in following Jesus and be a place where others can discover Jesus. Please pray that participants in both groups will remain enthusiastic and be able to attend (there are so many other things, which can interupt these groups).

2006-09-03T13:38:00.000-07:00

Mi Casa es tu Casa is the saying Mexicans are famous for, "my house is your house." With this simple phrase Mexicans invite you to experience the hospitality for which they are famous.

At times things can get confusing. For example, a few months back we went to the doctor with Andres and the doctor said, "Feel free to call me at your house." Obviously, she didn't live with us, but she refered to her house and "your" house and meant that we should feel free to call her at her home phone if Andres wasn't feeling better.

Well, with this as an introduction, we want to ask for your prayers as we look for "your" house (if you haven't caught on - our house, that you are welcome in whenever you come to Mexico).

It turns out that our rent is on the more expensive side for us and we are seeking to cut expenses in whatever way we can. Seeing that our rent expenses are our biggest monthly expenses, we have been looking to find something more within our budget.

Could you pray with us that God would provide a place that is about the same size (3 bedrooms), plus a parking stall, but cheaper? Does it sound like we are asking for too much? Maybe, but we know that nothing is too much for the Lord to do.

We currently park our car about 9 blocks away, since we don't have a parking stall in our current apartment. We would very much like to see God provide something closer, although the exercise is good.

Thanks for your prayers as we look for "your" house, here in Mexico.

2005-12-13T15:16:00.000-08:00

The Latin America Mission is an international community of men and women who, motivated by their love for the Lord Jesus Christ and in obedience to His commands, encourage, assist, and participate with the Latin church in the task of building the church of Jesus Christ in the Latin world and beyond

2005-12-13T11:18:00.000-08:00

Spearhead is a program where young adults work in partnership with local Mexican churches and ministres. They receive intensive Spanish language training and cultural orientation to prepare them for their ministry which may include church based ministry, youth work, children's ministry, neighborhood evangelism, sports outreach or other ministry areas. All Spearhead volunteers live with Mexican families during their time of service which is from 2 - 14 months.

Although, Mexico is a religious country - problems such as corruption run rampant. Synergism has affected the Catholic church and weakened the proclamation of Jesus Christ. Poverty affects all aspects of life and a huge youth population adds its own challenges.

Pray with us for Mexico City!

2005-12-13T11:17:00.000-08:00

Paul, Nydia & Andres - November 2005

2005-12-13T11:15:00.000-08:00

Andres is beginning to talk! At this point he's saying more in Spanish than English, but he's talking!!

In Spanish he says, "mama, papa, agua (water), pato (duck), gato (cat), zapato (shoe)," and in English he says, "ball, book and more!"

Oh, he also likes to wave good-bye.

2005-12-13T00:13:00.000-08:00

As we have been involved in ministry we are constantly reminded of our need for prayer. Prayer for wisdom (James 1:5), prayer for boldness (Ephesians 6:19), prayer for effectiveness in spreading the Gospel (2 Thessalonians 3:1), prayer for God's provision (Philippians 4:6-19), prayer that God's love will abound more and more in and through us (Philippians 1:9).

Would you join with us, as the apostle Paul said, "in our struggle by praying to God for us?" (Romans 15:30). We are praying that God would raise up a team of intercessors who will constantly lift up our family and ministry before the Lord.