NOVEMBER AND OCTOBER NEWS

Happy Thanksgiving to all from Leon. I assume that the Thanksgiving season finds you all well and eager to put on a few extra pounds. We have been blessed these last two months, having seen many new faces in the congregation and also many new directions in the ministry. Leon continues to be an exciting place for work, and we are excited to get to share that work with you.

This is once again going to be a combined newsletter for two months of work, simply because we were in the States for one week in October visiting our partnering congregation in Falls Church, Virginia (meaning that there was a little less to report during that time and a little less time to do the reporting). Our visit to Virginia followed a visit of our other supporting congregations in August, which is why these last two updates have been combined as they are. Jess and I try to make such trips once every two years and were glad to see all of our six congregations that support us this year. Thank you to all who have housed us, fed us, and helped us these last few months. Your service blesses us beyond that which you could know.

According to our yearly calendar, October and November are supposed to be months when things slow down here in Leon. Still, the work seems to be moving right along as we are constantly adding new events on a weekly basis. We were blessed during these two months to have an all night prayer camp, a male leadership day, a clothing drive, our annual missionary retreat and evaluation of the work, an October festival, and much more. We did break 100 people at church one Sunday (with 103) and also started working on what we hope to be a second church planting on the eastern side of the city. Yes, there is a lot going on right now. Some of this news has been documented in our quarterly team update, which can be read by clicking on the red and white “vision” picture below. Please feel free (after reading this update) to check out that news bulletin and hear what all of the Leon partners are saying about the work.

There are a few items that I want to highlight, which you really should know about. As mentioned above, in October we began a strong push towards a new work in a new part of the city. As we have been stating from day one, this work in Leon is to be a multiple church plant movement (churches that plant more churches). In September the decision was made to invest in a new portion of the city and in a new direction for the work. After finding a location for meeting in, and a family who could assist at that location, the Leon missionaries began a one year “test run” to see what would come of this new venture. Of course, our intention is to work to grow a fully functional congregation in this new local. Still, since this is the first time we have attempted to move outside of our current work, we are taking slow steps in the process. Please keep this work in your prayers as we are still learning how such a shift will take place.

We did just last week have our yearly retreat and reevaluation of the work. Like always, we were blessed with a candid and honest discussion of the good, the bad, and the ugly from the 2006 year. As is true with most evaluations, there were many things to get excited about and quite a few things to change. Still, I am happy about the new direction of our work for 2007. In many ways it seems that we are finally accepting where and how we fit best in the ministry and embracing those areas. It is good when you can learn how to streamline work. I feel that 2007 will be a much more streamlined year than 2006.

Our special events for these two months seemed to be very positive for the congregation here. At our prayer camp, I feel like we developed a real unity among the brothers. Likewise, at our leadership seminar, we were able to begin the process of developing strong workers for the mission at hand. In many ways, every event these past weeks have been successful, and any areas of change needed could only make the work that much more productive.

Of course, this is only a quick recounting of the work. To really get a good idea for what is taking place requires a first hand look. This is why I would like to again offer the invitation to supporters, partners, family, and friends to come and visit Leon. You are always welcome here and would be a blessing to us as you see what the work is truly doing. Put us in your schedule and let us serve you for once! Of course, regardless of your plans, you remain in our prayers and are a true blessing to our lives.

Thank you for your partnership,
Chris and Jessica Johnson

SEPTEMBER AND AUGUST NEWS

This month we are sending out both the September and the August news updates since we were outside of Mexico much of August and were visiting with many of you. Although there was not much news for that month, we did want to update you on what you may not have known.

September Update

September has been a very exciting month here in Leon as we finally get back in gear with life following a crazy summer and equally crazy survey trip to the States. Ministry has been very productive with several baptisms this month including those of Moises (an English teacher), Susana and her mother also named Susana (both very godly servants who have been attending worship here for a few months), and Yolanda (a contact made by one of our Mexican leaders in the church). I personally have been amazed to see a lot of good fruit coming our way these last few months and know that such fruit is the result of lots of hard toil. As we have toiled the field here in Leon these last couple of years by making many many contacts, by working multiple small groups throughout the week, by struggling through language learning and sermon preparation, and by maintaining all of the various aspects of “church” here in Mexico, we have finally begun to observe a harvest in the form of baptisms. Missions definitely is a multifaceted beast with many heads, thus requiring different types of workers and many forms of work. It is a blessing to know that God uses many parts of his body to accomplish his singular task. And yes, it is nice to see fruit coming from that toil.

The fruit in Mexico however comes in more ways than just baptisms as we have seen. Jessica and I are blessed to be starting up our second small group throughout the week. This is a double blessing in the fact that we had believed that we might be replacing one group for another one. Still, after weeks of debate, prayer, and discussion, it looks like we will remain in our small group with the Villalobos family on Thursday, while having a new Monday night group as well.

Another way that the fruit of missions in Leon has been blessed is that leadership is gradually changing hands from the missionaries to the Mexicans. We are currently in plans to transition the Mexicans over in power both in decision-making and in responsibility. This will be accomplished by establishing “men’s meetings” and by mentoring leaders into their various roles. Really, this is the ultimate goal of the work in Leon, that the Mexicans become capable of running with the work once the Americans leave. We feel that the time to begin this transition has arrived. Thus, by mid-November, decisions of the body will be made by the congregation’s leadership (which will include Mexican and missionary leaders). We feel it will be very productive for the congregation by not having the three missionaries making all of the decisions for the body.

Finally, September has been filled with several possibilities for the future that we are very excited to report. We have been blessed over the last two years to see pockets of growth within the city of Leon that are not directly connected in or around the location of our church building. On both the western and eastern most sides of the city we have discovered communities of people interested in joining our work. However, although they desire working with us, they are at the same time living so far away that travel towards our building is not always possible. This has caused us to begin considering where and how we could possibly begin a second church plant. Right now one option on the eastern side of town looks very possible and is being considered. Since our vision is to be a congregation that plants congregations, we feel a second church plant is very much inline with our work. Please pray for our decisions as we consider many alternatives to extending our work at this point.

August Update

August was a very productive month for Jessica and I. Our “tripometer” on the car read 4,000 miles by the end of the month, which sums up well what took place during August. For the few of you who may not know, Jessica and I went back to the States in August for 3 weeks to visit supporters and see family. The journey began by taking us from Mexico to Colorado where we spent a few days with Jessica’s family and visited her hometown congregation of Southwest. Then we were back in the car and off to Guymon Oklahoma where I preached and taught Bible class. Next it was Pampa, Texas where my parents live and where I presented our work to the elders. From Pampa we drove to Amarillo and were able to touch base with one of our supporters and speak about our building plans. Following a couple of days in the Texas panhandle, we swung out to Abilene to be with our collecting congregation, where I preached on Sunday morning and then raced off to Sudan for Sunday night and another bit of preaching. After two days in Lubbock with my sister, we drove down to Gatesville in the heart of Texas, where I taught Bible class. Finally it was a quick drive out to Houston so that I could present our future plans to our elders their and then preach on Sunday. Once all of the preaching was concluded we were able to see Jessica’s sister in San Antonio before our drive across Mexico.

Clearly, this was a lot of driving and preaching over a three-week period. I ended up getting to share our story in front of 5 different congregations and in 3 different meetings with elders and mission leaders. Since I believe there are some very exciting things going on in Leon, it is a fairly easy task. Still, it’s always a blessing to take a long trip without having car problems along the way. Also, it is a blessing to see renewed commitment by partners willing to assist in accomplishing the task of building up the body in Leon. God really did bless us! Thank you for your prayers.

While we were gone to the States, we were blessed to watch the work grow in our absence. There were three baptisms when we left Mexico those 3 weeks, and our partners did a great job picking up pieces that had been vacant during our absence.

Thank you for your continued partnership in the Leon work. Because of you, Jessica and I are able to continue working here in Mexico without worry of financial instability. Your service really does assist us greatly. As always, please keep the Leon work in your prayers as we cannot reach our potential without the constant petitions of our Christian brothers.

Again, Thank you-

Chris and Jessica Johnson

JULY NEWS

Mexico News Update

July has been a great month filled with many opportunities and several new contacts. This month we were blessed with 2 baptisms while worship never dropped below 65. In fact, one Sunday we even reached 120+ people (not including 30 additional American visitors who attended). As you can imagine, we were a bit overwhelmed trying to fit this many people into a building equipped for seating 80 at the most. Still, it was a real joy to watch so many people clumped into our auditorium.

We truly have been blessed with various groups who have come and assisted in our work this last month. One congregation from Shawnee Oklahoma made a huge impact in Leon and resulted in at least four new contact families who have visited and studied with us. Another group from Lubbock, Texas helped us in an exciting VBS effort where yet more contacts are being made. Over all, the two groups made large contributions to a very successful summer season.

Small groups are starting to move along. Omar and Tana’s group has resulted in a new one-on-one study. Likewise, Shawn and Barb seem to be having success with their Friday group as new contacts have been visiting lately. Our group has remained fairly static while it has been generating new interest. Please keep these groups in your prayers as we continue to work to develop these in-house studies.

Of course, life here does continue to roll along. We are seeing a great work effort out of the new AIM students who are growing in their walk with God and ability to serve others. Likewise, the mission team here has been working double-time in these hectic summer months. The result is that we have seen some good fruit this summer. Our hope had been that baptisms would result from May, June, and July’s large mission push. It has been positive to see six baptisms since May and even more positive to observe the growth of leadership these past few weeks.

Jessica and I are right now planning on making a short three-week visit to the United States in late July and early August. It is planned that I will be preaching at five different congregations during this time and sharing our vision for the future work in Leon. Please keep this effort in your prayers as it will be a fast and furious visit. As always, Jessica and I highly value our partners and look forward to seeing many of you shortly. Because of our partners, we are able to assist our team in the task of world evangelism.

Thank You,
Chris Johnson

JUNE NEWS

It’s that time again for our news update. This month we are sending out our team news, which can be read by clicking on the link below this article.

This month I want to give a short update of a few of the many exciting monthly events not reflected in our team news. We did see the Let’s Start Talking students’ arrival in Leon and have been blessed by their contacts and service. Shawn has been working with the group and has done very well keeping up with their needs and getting them accustomed to Leon.

Likewise, I have been working with the AIM students daily by challenging them through scripture, and by setting up various works for them to do here. The AIMers have been a real joy and have reminded me of the way things were when life was not quite as complex.

Finally, this month has been very fruitful as we have watched all of the pieces of our ministry come together. We were blessed with 60 plus members each Sunday these last four weeks, and even reached 84 people one Sunday. Likewise we have had 4 baptisms this month and have been excited to watch God working. Of course, if it were not for our coworkers here, we would not see this level of growth. The Mexicans have done a great job and have really blessed the work in Leon.

As always, we thank God for you and ask for your continued prayers.

Please once again, feel free to click on the link below to read our team news.

Working in Leon,
Chris Johnson

MAY NEWS

May has been an exciting month with lots of changes and many new works taking place in Leon, Mexico. These changes consist of new coworkers, new contacts, and even a new convert. We are very eager to address the challenges ahead and ask for your prayers as this work begins moving at a much more rapid pace.

Joined By The Francos
Since we arrived in Leon, one family of Christians has remained a constant help in our work. Arturo and Marta Franco have shown us their constant commitment to ministry by weekly offering their home to several families for Sunday worship. Likewise, this family has assisted us over the last year as we have sought to plant Christ’s church in Leon. In late April, we were surprised to hear that the Franco family had decided to unite with us and begin worshipping with the Leon South congregation. We as a body were eager to accept this family, and those they have been ministering to. Already we have seen many benefits to the unity of these two groups, and hope to see many more blessings in the near future.

AIM Students Arrive
On May 12th, the 2006 Leon Aim students arrived in Mexico. The journey towards Leon demonstrated a great commitment to God by the six students, and has already begun to bless the local work. It is very encouraging to see the AIM students’ youthful spirits and passion for the Lord. Likewise, the Leon missionaries look forward to watching the AIM students grow in ministry.

Baptism In Leon
We were very blessed to see another sister added to the body of Christ in mid-May. Marisa demonstrated her commitment to God by accepting Christ’s salvation through baptism. The event was a good reminder of why we are here and what our passion is to always be. Leon is filled with those looking for hope and purpose. Praise God that Marisa discovered that purpose in Jesus!

Visit From A Partner
In early May we were blessed with a visit from our brother Daryl Newton of Baytown, Texas. Daryl, an elder from one of our supporting congregations, saw first hand the work, which is taking place in Leon. After the visit together, it was clear that the bond between the Baytown and Leon ministries remains strong. Likewise, the visit reminded us of how blessed we are to have all of our partners in this ministry. Thank you to all of those who assist in this work. We look forward to the possibility of one day showing you first hand what is taking place here.

Keep Praying
As we reported a few months back, the summer season would be filled with many changes and much work. Now, as summer arrives, we have begun understanding exactly what these changes consist of. Your prayers are crucial in this process and remain a great need of this body. Please continue to bring the Leon work to the Lord as we continue our work here.

Chris Johnson

APRIL NEWS

April Showers

Actually, the weather in Leon has been pretty nice this month with little rain. However, things have felt somewhat “muggy” and “gray” as church attendance has been lower than usual and as we iron out many of the details prior to workers arriving this summer. Of course, flowers are on the way. We will be making several large evangelistic pushes starting in May and can’t wait to see where these new works will lead us. Please keep this ministry in your prayers as we enjoy the “ups” and “not ups” of missions.

Mission Vision

The Leon missionaries constantly think back to the example of our predecessors and the ways in which other church leaders have spread a fire for world evangelism. The example of Mexico City missionaries from the 1980’s and early 90’s always strikes us as we recall their vision statement and the method of sharing that statement with others. In a similar fashion, we have formed a new vision statement here in Leon and are beginning to share it with the congregation. The concept of “Individual, Community, World” is our newly shared vision and direction for the body. In simplistic terms, we as individuals desire to be “One Person Changed By Christ, Changing The Community For Christ, That All The World Might Know Christ.” This vision of world evangelism and individual transformation is valuable to us, in that it explains to the body in clear forms exactly whom we are and exactly where we are going. We are a people that desire Christ’s change and that desire to share that change with others.

Sunday At The Park

On March 26th, the Leon South congregation held its first annual “Sunday At The Park” meeting. This time was designed both to unite the body, as well as to expose our congregation to those who would not normally step into our church building. We did enjoy the time of prayer, singing, and worship together as we saw many new and old faces meet together with us. Following the time together, we all shared in a traditional Mexican hotdog picnic together. Since the meeting, many have asked if we can make the get together a monthly event instead of simply a yearly one. We are glad that “Sunday At The Park” was a blessing to our brothers and sisters here and look forward to the next event similar to this one.

Continued Ministry

As always, ministry is still moving in Leon. The more we minister here, the more we learn and grow in our understanding of the enormous task ahead of us. We appreciate that you continue to remember our task and our work. Likewise, we praise God that you keep us in your prayers and provide for our needs. The work is still very young, but your faith in God to remain loyal to us has been a wonderful blessing.

Thank you.
Chris Johnson

MARCH UPDATE

Greetings from Leon. I hope and pray everyone is doing well and enjoying the start of a fresh new spring season. Things in Mexico are going strong with new contacts and renewed direction in our work. We as always, feel positive about how ministry is moving and continue to see advancements in our mission on a regular basis.

This month, we are sending out our team newsletter containing information about the Leon mission work on a team level. This information can be read by clicking on the link below.

Likewise, Jessica and I do want to inform you of a few news updates not mentioned in the team newsletter. In late February the Leon congregation hosted a marriage seminar, which allowed married couples to grow together in their understanding of Biblical relationships and Christian love. Four of our Christian families attended and seemed to really enjoy the time together. In another aspect of ministry, we just recently spent a Sunday afternoon together as a body, sorting through clothing for our next big benevolence project. When all was said and done, there were over ten large boxes of clothing for us to use towards our ministry for the poor of Leon. Since we so often report the good going on here, I don’t want to neglect to say when we as a body could use prayers. This week we received word that one family with us would be leaving the church. The news was disheartening, as we have really invested in those leaving us and feel that the move is not in the best intrest of the family. As stated earlier, your prayers do matter and we ask that you keep Patricia and Samuel in your prayers. Finally, not mentioned in our team news is that Alison is preparing for first grade and will be taking a test this month to determine if she is ready to begin her new school here. We are very excited about this new school, as it seems to offer a lot of activities and unique classes to the kids who attend there.

Again, thank you for keeping up with our ministry, and please continue to keep this work in your prayers.

Chris Johnson

FEBRUARY UPDATE

It’s been a great February in Mexico as we blast through the shortest month of the year. As many of you know, we are gearing up for a crazy spring and summer filled with 3 campaign groups. Likewise, we also anticipate the possibilities of visits from our partners. We are very excited about the seed that will be sown this year, and expect to start harvesting a new group of people following the work done by these groups.

Workers Coming To Leon

As I prepare to work with five new apprentice missionary students starting in May, my teammate Shawn is gearing up for Let’s Start Talking and the arrival of a Texas youth group throughout June and July. The students I will be working with come from throughout the United States and one is even from Russia. Their arrival is very exciting to us who strongly believe that these workers will be making a big impact evangelistically for the Church here. Likewise, Let’s Start Talking and our visiting youth group look to be positive for making new contacts throughout the city. Please keep all three groups in your prayers as you consider this work.

Visas Finally Coming Through

Jessica and I are very excited to say that our Visas are being processed and are just weeks away (Lord Willing) from their arrival here to us. This is exciting news as it was February 10th last year when we first made a quick run to the border to get notarized papers for our Visas. Now, twelve months and nearly two thousand dollars later, we look to actually be getting that paperwork back. The burden of Mexican legalities is finally being lifted from our shoulders, which makes for happier, less anxious missionaries.

Fitting Into The Culture

There are some really exciting things happening here that indicate to us, just how well the cultural transition is going. One indicator was that the Mexicans here threw Jessica a surprise birthday party without my initiation. It was at this moment when I realized just what an impact my wife was making in Leon. Jessica continues to grow in her Spanish and recently began teaching a new Bible study that has really challenged her. Likewise, things have been progressing nicely for me with Spanish. In our small group study, my teaching is smoother and more spontaneous. I can see conversations flowing much more freely and really feel that I am catching around seventy to eighty percent of what is being said.

Alison and Christian seem to be growing in the culture as well. Alison’s ability to converse with the kids here is remarkable and tends to frustrate Jessica and I as we long for having the language skills of a five year old (we are getting there). Christian meanwhile has started saying a few phrases (both in English and Spanish) and seems to enjoy talking when his mouth is not obstructed with food. We expect Christian will move even more quickly than Alison since he has lived most of his life in Mexico now.

Coffee And Conversation

We are starting a new weekly study group in our building called “Coffee and Conversation.” The idea behind this group discussion is to create yet another chance to connect Christ with the community. As we work through study material, visitors will dialogue in a relaxing atmosphere, while enjoying a cup of coffee. We are very excited about the possibility for this time and think it will meet a need in the community that we have not been able to meet yet.

Building Concerns

In the same month that we passed 40 worshippers on Sunday, we also learned of the possibility of losing our building. As many of you know, renting a large building for worship here can cost around $700 to $2000 (U.S. dollars) each month. Over a year ago when we first heard about the possibility of having a large two-story building for $200 monthly, we jumped at the idea. However, before we decided to rent, we first needed to figure out what it would cost upfront to “fix-up the place.” After several donations and lots of hard work, the money put into our building averaged $500 per month in rent and was thus a great deal for the amount of space and location that we were needing to start a new church. Now that we have been here one year, the possibility has arisen that we may not be able to keep our building past May 15th. We are thus in talks with our landlord and looking at various possibilities for the future. Likewise, we are making requests from agencies for grants to assist in the process of purchasing a building. Please keep this process in your prayers. Like so many other things in life, right now we are waiting to see what our next move will be. It may be that we can remain here in our location for years to come. Still, we ask for every prayer available that God can be best glorified in this situation.

World Bible School

One of the new ways that we will be reaching out to the community in 2006 is through World Bible School. We look forward to this new option that several of you have asked about in the past. As many know, World Bible School is a great tool for touching the local community with Christ, while connecting brothers and sisters in the States to foreign missions. There are many in this community who desire correspondence studies rather than one-on-one studies. World Bible School will add yet another dimension to our work and looks to be very positive within the Mexican culture.

Thank You

As I read First John yesterday on Valentines Day, I was reminded once again exactly what love is. Love is treating others as Jesus did. As we work here in Mexico, we remember your love for us. It must take a great deal of faith to financially support missionaries. It is no wonder why so many congregations struggle with the balance of having missionaries when missionaries have at times left a bad taste in people’s mouths. There is rarely a day that Jessica and I don’t consider your faith and love for God, displayed towards us. We love you as well, which is why we really do strive to give 100% to our work. Our dream is that your faith in God will be renewed as you see what is happening here. Thank you for lending us that opportunity.

JANUARY NEWS

Happy New Year to everyone from Mexico. It has been a good start to 2006 here as ministry moves forward and work remains busy. We have enjoyed another Christmas in Leon and prepare for a crazy spring and summer.

FAMILY UPDATE
As a family, things have been going well. Alison was in a school play at Christmas time and like the other kids, demonstrated her Spanish singing ability. On a weekly basis, Alison’s language skills increase and keep Jessica and I constantly amazed. Our son Christian prepares for his third birthday next week and evidently has just now begun his “terrible twos.” Actually, Christian has always been very timid and is finally showing a bit of attitude (probably learned from watching his sister). Jessica keeps everything around the house in working order and feels really good about the culture. Regularly the nationals here tell me that her Spanish is good and her cooking is great. Mexico has been a lot of fun for our family and feels very natural to us. Things like culture shock or language struggles that used to be regular difficulties are now much milder and often ignored. Work and life is going great and we are just glad to be here.

A FEW FIRSTS
There were a few first events in our lives this last month that we did want to report. For the first time I taught the teenager’s Bible class. The youth seemed to pay attention and learn from the study. As most know, teenagers can be the harshest critics and so teaching their class was a good milestone in my language development. Likewise, on January 1st, we had our first Sunday worship without the rest of our mission team. While the Gary family was in the States and the Palafox family was in Guadalajara, I enjoyed the challenge of taking on full responsibility. I did utilize Mexican leadership of our congregation (something that we do often), while I wore quite a few hats of my own. My experience in the States is that it is never easy trying to coordinate all of the worship service as a leader without help. Doing so for the first time in Spanish was a great test, filled with many rewards.

CELEBRATING THE SEASON
We did enjoy several congregational get-togethers during the holiday season. My parents got to come down for Christmas. Obviously Jessica and I enjoyed a good visit with the family and needed some good conversation time with English speakers. On New Year’s Eve, Jessica and I visited another Church of Christ congregation in Leon and “rang in 2006” with our Mexican brothers and sisters across town. Then, on the Mexican holiday called Kings’ Day, we invited that same congregation over to our house to join our congregation in games and fun. The winter season was wonderful and a good opportunity for congregational unity.

MEDICAL AWARENESS DAY
One way that the congregation here is trying to impact the community is by offering up various social services to reach out to those within our neighborhood. This service takes place in our benevolence work as well as in the form of education. When we learned of the possibility of bringing in a health advisor from Mexico City to host a medical awareness day, we jumped at the opportunity. The seminar, which focused on cancer among women, did bring into the building some new contacts and allowed us to serve on a physical level. We are always open to new possibilities of neighborhood service for the future and welcome anyone visiting to Mexico to join us in this endeavor.

PRAYER UPDATE
Last month I did ask for prayers for our visas as we were unaware whether or not we would be running back to the border for one day to fill out paperwork. As of today we still are unaware of what the future will hold in this way, although we are more confident that such a trip may not be necessary. If the government is satisfied with all of our paperwork than we should be in the clear. However, things tend to be vague within the Mexican immigration system, and we remain at the mercy of “the next guy” who looks over our information. Every time that the government asks for a new form, a cloud of stress begins to loom over our heads. This process has been very frustrating for us, but seems to be finally looking up. Please keep this process in your prayers.

THANK YOU
Again, we thank God for you in so many ways. Often my prayer for you is that you will see in some physical way the rewards that you store up for yourselves by helping us. Your service influences the kingdom of God. Thank you for your service.
- Chris Johnson

New Year’s Eve With Other Christians