God is good!

Praise the Lord!
Agape Baptist Church Stockton, MO took me on for support.
Friends in Puerto Rico and Florida made it safely through the hurricane.

Today, we remember 9/11. I remember where I was and what I was doing as does everyone else who was old enough to understand what was happening. Yet, from that day, NYC has rebuilded and moved on. America has continued to fight against terrorism. People who may never have heard about Christ have seen and heard of the miracles of those who never made it to work, their flights... or who have testified that someone was with them and gave them peace when they were buried in the rubble. God can use bad circumstances caused by the choices of  others to bring about good.

I am thanking the Lord for His protection of my family and friends in Florida and Puerto Rico.

I will be heading to my sister's in Iowa in a few days. Please pray that I can get some dental work done while I am there. I am working on my Nepal and China visas. Pray that there are no glitches.  Continue to pray for my dad's health.

August Family Trip

I am finally writing my August trip update that is way over due.

Due to my dad's health, he was finally given a month medical absence during the month of August. It took him about two weeks to really have energy enough to play with his grandkids. Since riding in the car for long periods tires dad out, we made several stops.

Our first stop was to my sister Julie's in Iowa. We went to a hot air balloon festival and spent a day with her, her husband, and her three kids. Dad barely played with the kids from the couch.

We then traveled to Indiana to visit my sister Janna and her family. We spent a couple of days with her, and dad even felt good enough to go fishing. He still didn't have a lot of energy for playing with the kids, but he did lay on the floor and play trucks with the boys, and drew pictures on the sidewalk with Brooklyn.

From Indiana, we headed to Pennsylvania where we attended one of my dad's family reunions. The day was spent sitting and talking over old times, no strenuous activities.

From Pennsylvania, we traveled to my dad's boyhood home in New York. Dad was finally getting more energy back, and was able to spend some time fishing with his brother. We also attended my dad's other family reunion. There I had the opportunity to witness to one of dad's cousins. Please pray that he will trust Christ. I also talked loud enough for the rest of the family to hear. :-)

From New York we headed up to Maine. There dad had a week to just rest and relax. One of his brothers traveled with us, and another brother came up at the end of the week. They all went fishing together, and even though dad still came home and napped, I could see a great difference in his demeanor. The following week he preached in a revival. God was definitely in the meeting because every sermon was a tag team with the other preacher. It was great to see him doing what he loves, preaching. During his time in Maine, dad actually felt up to rough housing a little with the kids and throwing a ball with them.

We traveled from Maine back to NY where dad preached on Sunday morning for his home church. Sunday night we went to a church dad started in 1991. It was started in a town that hadn't had a church in 100 years. It has continued since my dad started it. I was able to share my ministry there, and I believe they plan to take me on for support.

We picked up my uncle from NY and headed back to Indiana where we spent several days with my dad's sisters. Then on to Iowa where dad decided to stay a little longer to continue getting his strength up.

We arrived back in Missouri on August 29. Dad still had a couple days to rest before going back to work. He rested a lot and fished a little with my brother. On Saturday, we went to Branson to watch the opening Alabama game with my sister. He had slept in quite a bit that morning, and was of course tired some today since we drove back last night to be in church today.

All in all it was a good trip. Although dad did seem to gain back some of his resilience, he took naps pretty much every day, and since being back has taken a nap every day. Please pray that he can make the right decisions for his health. On the outside he will seem to be ok, but by the time he gets home for lunch and after work, he is ready to sleep an hour or two. Please pray for me as I get ready to head to Iowa to get some dental work done, then it's on to Chicago to hopefully get visas and then to Boston to leave for England.

Update Coming Soon- Prayer Requests

I have been away with my parents for a month. I will be publishing a new update in the next few days regarding that trip.

Prayer Request:
I am in the process of applying for a 10 year multiple entry visa to China. Please pray that all goes well, and that I can get the visa before I leave the States.
I just booked my flight to connect with my Boston to London flight. Praise the Lord, that ticket only cost me $60. Please pray that I can work out getting to Chicago Midway.
I am in need of some dental work before I leave for this next series of trips. I am supposed to get the work done for free, so please pray that all goes smoothly.
Pray that God will guide me in getting organized for this trip. Pray for safety as I will be flying into some areas that could be dangerous.
I am in need of a smart phone in order to stay connected while I am traveling. Please pray that I get the right phone and plan for what I need.
Please continue to pray that God will provide for my needs and for future trips.

Brian Johnston-Canada (I helped this family last summer.)

This is an update from the family I helped in Canada. Last month we saw a Guyanese man named Veejai trust Christ as his Saviour. I began discipleship lessons

with him the week after he was saved. Also in June, my oldest son B.J. met a lady named Eva from El Salvador.

She began coming to church, and I had the privilege of leading her to Christ on June 30th

.

July 2nd was the holiday weekend, and we had a really low attendance at church. But I thank the Lord that I

had the opportunity, at our nursing home ministry, to sit down after the service and share the gospel with a lady

named Joyce (age 88) and her husband named Harry (age 87) that had come to visit her while we were there.

They both prayed with me to receive Jesus Christ as their personal Saviour!

On July 7th, I was able to do another discipleship lesson with Veejai; and I also performed the wedding

ceremony for a young Vietnamese man and Chinese woman that got baptized in our church a few years ago.

They are still very “young” in the faith; and I pray that they will grow much more in the coming years.

On July 9th, we introduced our church to a new missionary family that we have begun supporting financially –

Marco and Tricia Paulichen, missionaries to Uruguay, South America. We have a lady in our church from

Uruguay; so she really enjoyed getting to spend time with this family that is going to her home country.

On July 14th, I visited a family in the funeral home whose six-year-old boy was killed that week in our town.

He was hit by a truck when out riding a bicycle. I believe they are a Catholic family, but I had prepared a letter, a

gift, and a special gospel tract that I pray will affect their heart. My daughter Rebecca and I also had the privilege

of completing our first discipleship lesson with the lady named Eva who was recently saved.

On July 16th, I was dropping off a Filipino lady after church when I noticed a man sitting on the steps outside

their apartment building. The Holy Spirit prompted me to witness to him. I shared the gospel with Serge Milov, a

32-year-old man, the son of an Israeli Jewish father and a Russian mother. Serge was very open, and he prayed

with me to receive Christ as his personal Saviour.

On July 23rd, God blessed us with several first-time visitors; some came as a result of recent door knocking.

In children’s church, four children trusted Christ as Saviour. On my way home that day, I had to stop and make a

bank deposit, but God had far more important plans. Outside the bank, there was a Jamaican man sitting on a

bench and looking at his phone. The Lord prompted me to witness; and God’s Spirit worked – praise the Lord –

Chris McLean got saved! Afterwards, his first words were, “I’ve got to go tell my family about this!”

Thanks for investing in the LORD’s work here in Toronto,

Short update

Sorry for the long silence. Life has been busy the last couple weeks. Two Sundays ago, I was able to share my ministry at Agape Baptist Church in Stockton, MO. I also sent out letters to 16 Christian colleges. A friend allowed me to print letters to send to churches, which save me quite a bit of money. it is fun to see God provide for the needs of the ministry.

Last week, my dad was given time off to rest and regain his health. We are traveling to visit with family for the next few weeks. Hopefully all the country air will give him a boost. :-) I can already see a difference in his energy levels. Pray for wisdom in decisions he has to make in regards to his future health.

Please pray that during these next few weeks, I can share my ministry in the churches we visit. Pray also for wisdom in choosing tickets to go to China. I have to buy a roundtrip, and I need one that can be changed in case I decide to stay longer in the country. Pray that i can get a 10 year visa approved. This will allow me to travel in and out of China as needed without needing to renew the visa every time.

Please pray for my brother Josh and my brother-in-law Phil. Both were working, and each hurt a foot. Both are needing to get xrays... Pray nothing is broken or torn.

Quick Update

I have had a lot of fun over the past couple of weeks with my family. We have had several fishing trips. Yesterday, I caught 5  bass. Three were small, but two were as long is the tip of my hand to the crease of my elbow. They both weighed over a pound. Since we already have a freezer full, I threw them back.

Tonight, I was able to share my ministry with the Agape Baptist Church here in Stockton, MO. God always has things happen on His timetable, not mine. My prayer is that the people in each church where I present will see the need for this type of ministry, and either they will give to help me keep going, or they will decide to go themselves.

Special Prayer Requests:
My cousin, Hope and her family
My sister, Janna and her family
My dad
Answers from churches and colleges where I have requested to share my ministry

Home Sweet Home

Due to a storm, I was without internet for a couple of days. I have been home a few days now, and life has been busy with fun things. I have been shopping with my mom, had coffee with my sis-in-law and nieces, spent time with my other sis-in-law and her parents, went fishing with my parents, and several other things. Today was good day in church with three very good sermons.

The ministry here is gearing up for their rodeo and fireworks on Tuesday. This always a fun day with lots of visitors present. Please pray that God will use the Round-up Ministries program to bring people to Christ.

Please pray that I can begin lining up churches with whom I can share my ministry. The church here is planning for me to share either this week or next. I also, sent out letters to Christian colleges. Please pray that I can present to the students and former students who are in the college churches. My goal is to encourage more people to do what I do.

Please pray for my dad's health and decisions he must make in regards to his health. Please keep my sister Janna and her family in prayer as they continue to battle different health issues.