We have a deployment date!

We fly out November 4!
We are excited to be sharing a deployment date with you.  We will be flying to Honduras on Saturday, November 4 leaving from Huntsville, AL.  This announcement comes with mixed emotions for us. We are excited to be moving to Honduras to begin serving the Lord and ready to begin life there but we have spent the last 10 months being back with our family and friends here in Alabama and saying "see you later" is never easy...especially for our children. 

So many of you have prayed for us, financially partnered with us, and encouraged us and for that we are so thankful and will be forever grateful. We would not be sharing this news with you today if it were not for you. You are going to Honduras with us and we appreciate your continued prayers as we move forward in our calling.

He's in the Waiting

Bethel Music has a song entitled "Take Courage" and the words really captured me the first time I heard it. I later read the "story behind the song" and the song became even more meaningful.  Kristene DiMarco (who wrote the lyrics) said "If you think about the type of faith we are called to have as believers, it is described as the faith of a mustard seed. Being a Christian means that we walk by faith, not by sight. Faith requires people to rely on the unseen. We all walk by faith everyday. The beauty of walking in faith and not by sight is that we can learn to fully trust God with our lives. That's what this song is about, this mystery of what surrounds you, not being able to see what's coming. You can't go back, and you just have to trust. It's about God not abandoning us in those places of waiting. He's with us on our whole journey. When we get to the end of the process, we can look back and see that He's with us every step of the way, and He lit up our road behind us."

We have seen God's hand at work over and over in this season of waiting (support raising). We stepped out in faith in January trusting that God would fulfill His calling and purpose for our lives. We were blessed to share this opportunity to serve in Honduras with all of you, our brothers and sisters in Christ. We have taken courage that what God has called us to do, He would provide for and He has been faithful each step of the way. There have been highs and lows throughout this season of waiting but the one constant thing was that God never changes no matter what we are going through in life and He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. All of you, our family in Christ, have been His hands and feet to us throughout this time also and there is such peace knowing that God is with us throughout the whole journey. 

As we prepare to leave for Honduras, we have our ideas and plans of what life and ministry will look like there but as Proverbs 16:9 says "The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps."  So we are doing just as the song says...
Slow down, take time
Breath in He said
He'd reveal what's to come
The thoughts in His mind
Always higher than mine
He'll reveal all to come

And You who hold the stars
Who call them each by name
Will surely keep, Your promise to me
That I will rise, in Your victory
And You who hold the stars
Who call them each by name
Will surely keep, Your promise to me
That I will rise, in Your victory!

Take courage my heart
Stay steadfast my soul
He's in the waiting
He's in the waiting
Hold onto your hope
As your triumph unfolds
He's never failing
He's never failing

Prayer Requests

• Gretta and I will be making a trip to Miami, FL soon to carry our personal belongings to port to go on the cargo ship to Honduras.  Pray for safe travels for us as it will be a fast but long trip.  
• Pray for our family as we begin many "see you laters".  If you see us in tears, know it is tears of joy and sadness.  Pray for the family we are leaving behind too.  They could use encouragement and hugs over the next few weeks too as they adjust to us being gone for the next 3 years.  
• Pray for the people of Roatan - that the Lord will go before us and soften hearts to the gospel, that the Lord will move mightily in the lives of the people there, and that we will make lasting, meaningful friendships during our time there.
• Pray that in these last few weeks, we will stay Christ-centered in all we do and that the Lord will give us opportunities to share His love with those around us.   

August 2017 Update

It is with great excitement and joy for what the Lord has done that we can report to you that we are SO close to being able to deploy to Honduras and begin serving the Lord there.  We have raised all of our monthly support and lack just $8,500 in one time deployment needs!!  

That may seem like a lot to you but to us it seems so close.  We just need 9 people who would give us a one-time gift of $1,000 or just 17 people who would give a one-time gift of $500 or 34 people who would give a one-time gift of $250 or a one-time gift of whatever the Lord leads you to give!  

Would you prayerfully consider partnering with us as we raise the last $8,500 so we can deploy to Honduras and begin our ministry there?  Your prayers and support are greatly appreciated!

GIVE ONLINE:  www.reachingandteaching.org/missionaries/johnsfamily

June 27-July 5 - Gretta and I went to Roatan again to do more ministry and spend time with the people there. The Lord blessed us with a wonderful trip and we saw Him work in many ways during our time there.  We attended the associational conference in Coxen Hole.  I was blessed to have the opportunity to preach 3 times during the conference.  During one of the messages, a man came forward and received Christ as his Savior and we saw numerous people come forward to repent and ask for prayers.  It was beautiful to see the Lord at work during this conference.

Each night, during the evening worship service, we taught a children's class for those ages 3-12 years old.  First Baptist Church of Los Fresnos had donated their 2016 leftover CaveQuest VBS materials for us to use with the children in Roatan.  We used the Bible stories from this material and did oral Bible storying and used flannel-graphs to help tell the stories.  Then we did the crafts that went along with each Bible story and did LOTS of songs and games with the children also.  We had such fun with these children each night and love being able to share the gospel with them in new and exciting ways.  If your church has leftover children's ministry materials of any kind (VBS, old Sunday school materials, special events, etc.) that we could use on the field, we would love to take them off your hands!  You can email us (johnsfamily@reachingandteaching.org) if you would like to donate to our children's ministry in Roatan.

After spending a week in Coxen Hole, we came back to Oak Ridge (the village we will live in on the island) and got to spend several days there.  The Lord has blessed us with an amazing house there in the village and that is absolutely perfect for our family.  We got to stay in this home and it will be such a blessing to our family while we serve in Roatan.  We got to visit with lots of people in Oak Ridge and we got to spend some time with some of the youth there too.  One night we invited the youth to come to our house for a time of fellowship.  We watched a movie together, ate snacks, and then taught them how to play the game of Spoons.  We had such a great time with these youth and look forward to many more times of fellowship together soon!

July 23-27, we went to Underwood, Indiana to attend missionary orientation with Reaching & Teaching. This was a very valuable and informative week for us as we were able to meet all the staff of Reaching & Teaching in person and meet fellow missionaries. We were in class all day every day but learned so much that will be useful on the field. We enjoyed class sessions such as “The Missionary Call”, “History of Catholicism in Latin America”, “Biblical Peacemaking”, “Health Care on the Field”, “Culture Shock”, “Ministry in Oral Cultures”, and much more. To learn more about the discipleship/training material we will be using on the field, you can visit www.heartsheadsandhands.com.

THANK YOU....for your prayers, encouragement, & support! 

March 2017 Update

"This is the grand purpose for which we were created; to enjoy the grace of Christ as we spread the gospel of Christ from wherever we live to the ends of the earth."  - David Platt

As you know, we are currently building our ministry partnership team.  God is faithful and continues to provide opportunities for us to share about our calling to Honduras and He is providing new ministry partners in His timing.  God is at work in our season of deputation and He is continuing to encourage us through this process.  Our biggest need right now is for monthly ministry partners.  We need to be at 100% support by May. If you would like to learn how to become a monthly ministry partner, please email us (johnsfamily@reachingandteaching.org) or call/text (956-254-3344) and we can share ways you can partner with us if you sense the Lord burdening your heart to possibly be involved with our work in Honduras.  You can give online by clicking here.

Hearts, Heads & Hands
The Lord is also allowing us to introduce the book “Hearts, Heads, & Hands” by Dr. M. David Sills to pastors and ministry leaders in our area. This book is the training material that we will be using on the field. It is a fabulous book of 9 modules and it can be used in so many different ways and not just on the mission field. We have already given away 12 copies of this book and have 14 more ordered and already spoken for. We encourage you to learn more about this book too as it is a valuable tool in discipleship and leadership training.

To learn more about this book, visit www.heartsheadsandhands.com

The Ark Encounter
We are also spending lots of time with our families. Since we will be gone for 3 years before returning to the States, we are soaking in as much time with them as we can. We continue to be so blessed by Gretta's parents who are allowing us to live with them until we move to Honduras. We are so thankful for them and the sacrifices they are making for our family during this season. They took us all with them on a road trip to The Ark Encounter in Williamstown, KY last month.

The Ark Encounter is a full-size Noah’s Ark built according to the dimensions given in the Bible - spanning 510 feet long, 85 feet wide, and 51 feet high. It was amazing to see and the exhibits were wonderful too. We had been to the Creation Museum 6 years ago so it was a joy to get to see the Ark Encounter too.

Family Highlights
Last month, Gretta was invited to go to the elementary school where her sister teachers for Dr. Seuss Day and read stories to the students there. Not only did she read Dr. Seuss stories to them but they also made “oobleck” (slime) for the students to take home and Dr. Seuss created much excitement in the classroom too. One of the cutest parts was watching the kids ask for Dr. Seuss to “autograph” their notebooks.

Our family also celebrated 2 special birthdays in March.  Abbey turned "sweet 16" on March 8 and Gretta turned 40 years old on March 24.  They both enjoyed their special days and had lots of fun.

PRAISES
 - We have received an official letter of invitation from Honduras to serve as missionaries there.
 - The Lord is continuing to open doors and give us opportunities to share about our calling to Honduras
 - Our family has started a Spanish curriculum to hopefully improve our language skills and ability to communicate more fluently in Spanish

PRAYERS
 - That we will not miss opportunities to serve others right here during this season of deputation
 - For new monthly ministry partners so we can reach 100% by May
 - That we would continue to seek Christ and put Him forefront in everything we are doing.

February Missions Update

"Our greatest fear should not be of failure, but of succeeding at things in life that don't really matter."   Francis Chan

We are on Deputation We are currently on deputation fully focusing on support raising over the next few months as we prepare to move to Roatan, Honduras.  Gretta's parents have graciously allowed us to move in with them during this time of deputation and we are so thankful for them.  The first few weeks were quite challenging as we were unpacking boxes, settling in, and trying to find a new "normal".  February was much smoother as we are adjusting and settling into all the changes. We thank all of you for your prayers and encouragement over the last few weeks as we transitioned.

Departure Date We had initially set a goal of being in Roatan, Honduras by May 2017. However, we recently found out that we will need to attend a mandatory orientation course with our sending agency, Reaching & Teaching, before we can move overseas. This orientation will happen at the end of July.  We do not believe we would be good stewards of our support money to move to Roatan in May and then return as a family in July for the orientation meeting and then have to fly back to Roatan.  So, we have chosen to delay our departure for Roatan until after the orientation. Therefore, our new departure date for Roatan is set in early August.  While that may seem like a setback, God knows exactly when we need to arrive and we are trusting Him.

Associational Meeting in Roatan Gretta & I will be making a trip to Roatan, Honduras June 27-July 4 to attend the associational meeting of Baptist churches.  This is a time when the Baptist churches on the island come together for a few days of worship, meetings, and fellowship. This trip will allow us to not only meet the members of the churches and begin to form relationships with them but it will also afford us the opportunity to learn more about how we can best serve them once we move to Roatan in August.

Family Update Abbey has attended two different youth conferences since we have been back.  One was a weekend in Orange Beach, AL for 10th-12th graders and last weekend she went to one for 6th-12th graders in Gatlinburg, TN.  She will also turn 16 years old next week (March 8).  Sidney is currently spending a week with fellow missionary friends of ours who are now living in Kentucky.  She is having a blast with their family and even getting to go to private school each day with her friends while she is there.  We will be traveling to Kentucky this weekend to pick her up. Wyatt is enjoying Bible study classes with the 6th-8th grade boys class at church and beginning to make new friends here too.

Prayer Request & Praises   Pray that the Lord will continue to grow our ministry partnership team and that we will stay focused and encouraged through this time of support raising.  Pray that the Lord will give us open doors and open hearts as we share about our calling to Honduras.  We thank God for our current financial supporters and pray that the Lord will bless their sacrificial giving as they help send us out.   Pray for our sending church, First Baptist Church of Los Fresnos, as Pastor Joe has retired and they are currently seeking a new pastor and going through a season of change. We are praying specifically for the Lord to raise up financial partners in our mission work who would be willing to support us on a monthly basis.   Praise - On Valentine's Day, we were blessed to attend the final adoption hearing for our niece, Marlee Marie. We are so thankful to the Lord for adding her to our family. Gretta and her sister were both adopted so the love of adoption runs deep in our family.   Praise - One of our friends from Canada came to spend a week with us in Alabama last month. He has recently accepted Christ so please keep him in prayers as he begins his walk with the Lord and continues learning and growing.  Praise - I (David) celebrated my 40th birthday last month! Thank you to each of you who took time to send me a birthday card too. They were such a surprise and a blessing to receive.  Dear friends blessed us with a cabin in the Smoky Mountains for 4 days and Gretta and I had a sweet time of being in God's beautiful creation  and enjoying some alone time together.

Our niece, Marlee Marie   Baking Valentine's Day cupcakes with our nephew, Marshall

Enjoying the Smoky Mountains The kids enjoying a gift certificate they received to go see a movie

Partner With Us As full-time missionaries to Honduras, we must raise our own support.  We have both one time mobilization needs ($25,957.35) and monthly support ($3500 per month) that we must raise before we can move to Honduras. If you would like to join us as a financial ministry partner, you may give online (see link below) or mail donations to Reaching & Teaching. Please include a note with your donation and place our names "David & Gretta Johns" on it to indicate your preference that funds be placed in our account.  All donations are tax-deductible. You may mail donations to: Reaching & Teaching International Ministries P.O. Box 122 Wheaton, IL 60187

CLICK HERE TO GIVE ONLINE