A New Year with Great Expectations

Hello everyone! First of all, to those of you who are new to my email newsletter list, welcome! I usually try to send updates with pictures once per month or so. You may feel free at anytime to unsubscribe from receiving these emails by clicking the "unsubscribe" link below.

It's hard to believe I've got only one more week in the States! I can hardly recall time flying faster than it has during these past two months I've been home. I've thoroughly enjoyed catching up with old friends and making plenty of new ones as I've had the chance to share at several churches and small groups. I thoroughly appreciate all of you who have been so inviting, welcoming and encouraging during this time!

As I head back to the Philippines next week (departing from Asheville, NC on January 27), you may be wondering what the next year will look like for me. Soon after I return, three students from Bethany College of Missions (my alma mater) will be arriving in the Philippines for a 4-month internship. They will be hosted by ACTION and I've been nominated as their ministry coordinator! So, much of my time until June will be spent showing them around ACTION's ministries and helping them to get involved. I will also be diving back into language school as often as I can, becoming a full time Tagalog student by June. Although my primary focus during 2010 will be language study, we will continue our ministry with the street children in Silang how ever the Lord leads.

Thanks so much to those of you who have been praying for my support level to increase and meet my budget for the next two years. I'm overjoyed for the 7 new supporters who have joined my team, and I am still praying for more. At this time I am still about $300 in monthly pledges short of what I need. Thanks for your continued prayers! As I mentioned before, I'm also hoping to increase my prayer team, a group of people back home who are committed to pray for me on a consistent basis. Please reply if you'd like to be on my list to receive regular (weekly) prayer request updates (regular newsletters are only once/month). For support info, click here: http://www.actionintl.org/documents/Newsletter_Nov09+Pledge.pdf.

For those of you in Georgia, I'd like to invite you this coming Sunday to my commissioning at Riverstone Church! The church pastors will lead the congregation in praying for me to send me off, back to the Philippines, so I'd love for you to be there. The service where I will be commissioned will start at 11am this Sunday the 24th.

Happy New Year, God bless all of you and thanks so much for reading and praying! I could not go without YOU! My next update will be from Manila!

Erin's Typhoon Update

You might have heard that last weekend we had a record-breaking typhoon here in the Philippines. Metro Manila saw its worst flooding in 42 years. I thought I'd send a quick update since you may be concerned.

First let me say thanks so much for all of your thoughts and prayers for me and so many others affected by the storm. We were actually very blessed only to have 6 inches of muddy water come into the house, and personally our only losses were food that spoiled during our 4 days without power. We've got power back now and a water coming in slowly, but still no internet yet.

I have friends who were much more affected. At Krista and Mervi's house (my Filipina ministry partners), they had water up to waist level inside, and most of their clothes were soaked in the mud for a day. They live in a flood-prone area so really it was a miracle that the level was not over the head. Everyone in their community was safe, praise God. They just had several days of laundry to do. Another missionary friend was stranded at a mall for two nights with her oldest son, while the younger two were at home with their house helper and eventually had to be rescued on a makeshift raft when the waters had reached their 2nd level. Meanwhile, tens of thousands more have completely lost their homes and belongings.

I must say I'm also so thankful to be part of an organization that's already working to organize relief efforts around the city. Click here to read ACTION's report about the flood, about more ways you can pray, and about opportunities to donate: http://actioninternational.org/index.php?page=ministries&item=89.

When I have time (and internet) I'll post more pictures and maybe some video. But for now, thank you for your continued prayers for relief and restoration efforts. I've already witnessed and heard many testimonies of God's goodness and faithfulness despite physical devastation. We are truly experiencing the value of the eternal in light of what's temporary (2 Cor 4:18). Please also pray for continued protection, as another typhoon is rapidly approaching the Philippines...

Yours in Christ,
Erin Johnson

Whirlwinds and Plans

Hi from the Philippines to all family and friends! As I write, I can hardly believe I’ve been here over seven months now! The past month has brought with it a whirlwind of changes. Though I absolutely loved living at the rural 2nd Mile Campus in Cavite province, I felt it was time to move back to the metro Manila area. I’m now sharing a small house with another single missionary in the suburb of Cainta.

Since moving to the big city, my focus has shifted somewhat. First of all, I’m finally enrolled in a language school! I couldn’t find any opportunities for formal studies in Cavite, which is one main reason I moved to Manila. I’ve really been enjoying having Tagalog teachers explain to me how to speak the language I’ve been hearing and use the vocabulary I’ve been storing up for months! I’ve also begun putting my organizational abilities to use helping out ACTION with our personnel department.

Meanwhile we’ve been continuing our street outreach in Cavite (a couple hours from Manila). During July and August we had a special opportunity to put on a series of programs at the Bahay Kalinga (BK) juvenile detention center in Dasmariñas. The government of Dasma has been rounding up children who are found on the streets in the middle of the night and keeping them in the center until (or if) their parents come. BK is also the holding center for juvenile offenders, even rape and murder cases. After some of the kids from our outreach had been taken to BK, when we went to visit them, God opened up the opportunity for us to schedule an outreach program for all the kids. For four Sundays we taught some 20 kids, as well as 20 teen law offenders, about Jesus being the way, the truth, and the life. God even provided Bibles just a few days before we planned to teach about His word being the truth! Each time we visited Bahay Kalinga, the kids were eager to learn and grow, and we witnessed Light penetrate the darkness in that place as lives were changed and encouraged. Praise God!

We also continue to visit the kids in Silang. The group is constantly changing, kids moving on to other towns, some returning after being gone several months. Often our outreach does not go as planned, but God always opens up opportunities for His Word to be proclaimed and for us to encourage the kids. Most often these days we’re seeing Willy, Leo, and Roberto, and the kids who have left Silang recently are Christian, Baldo, Gildo and Hubert. We still see Jelo, Marvin, Gerald, Celson and Carlo occasionally, since they have homes in Silang but spend much of their time (and some of their nights) on the street. Please continue to pray that God would move on the hearts of these kids and that they would place their hope in the only One who can truly transform their lives! Also please pray that we will be able to connect the kids with a local church in Silang who can bring them into their family.

Thanks also for your prayers for God’s guidance for my future. For the past few months I’ve really been considering a lot of factors as I’ve prayed and begun making decisions about which direction to take. In August things began to become much more clear, and thus I have decided to commit to stay with ACTION Philippines for the next two years at least! I still plan to come home as planned for this upcoming holiday season (arriving November 22), and then in early 2010, Lord willing, I will return to the Philippines. Soon I will write (and mail to you by post) a more detailed letter about my vision and plans for the next two years. But for the meantime here are the highlights of my heart for the upcoming time: concentrated language study, hosting of Bethany short-term interns, ACTION personnel, continued street outreach, and ministry training.

I’m really looking forward to being able to share with you in person soon, both about my experiences so far here in the Philippines and about my future plans. In fact, since I’ll only be home a couple of months, I need to go ahead and begin to schedule meeting times. God has really laid on my heart a burden to share with you about what He is doing in the hearts and lives of street children in the Philippines! Would you prayerfully consider allowing me to speak at your church, small group, Sunday school class, or even a meeting of friends? Please reply to this email soon and let me know of any available opportunities.

Thanks as always for reading, praying, encouraging and supporting! The longer I’m here, the more surely I know that I couldn’t do it without you. I’d love to know how you are doing too!

In Christ,
Erin

Note: Support checks may be sent to: Action International Ministries, PO Box 398, Mountlake Terrace, WA 98043. Checks need to be made out to ACTION, with a designation for Erin Johnson's support. Thank you.

Big event this weekend!

Hi from the bright, sunny, and hot Philippines! We are in the middle of our summer season here, most days with the sun beaming down and not much rain. However we have already had a few typhoons this year, which is unusual so early in the season. The Philippines sees an average of 20 typhoons per year, varying greatly in intensity depending on how close the eye comes by. I guess it’s not surprising considering this is a nation of over 7,000 islands in the middle of the Pacific!

At the end of April, I had a delightful trip to Thailand and Cambodia! In Chiang Mai, Thailand, I thoroughly enjoyed the chance to catch up with some good friends who are involved in leading the new Bethany internship site there. Then I was able to spend a week in Cambodia, exactly one year after I completed my Bethany internship there. It was a wonderful time of reuniting with old friends and making new ones! I was able to visit the ministry where I used to work, the Bridge of Hope, and visit some of the families and children in Bang Tumpon slum. I even had the privilege to be a bridesmaid in my Cambodian friend’s wedding! While I was in Phnom Penh, I was also able to spend some time with the ACTION Cambodia team, seeing how God is using their team in ministry with Khmer churches and also with the poor. God used my time in Cambodia to encourage me about the passion He has put in my heart. I can see that God has blessed me with so many opportunities for the future, and I will continue to seek Him for His best plan for me.

Upon my return to the Philippines, I came back to the 2nd Mile campus, where I’ve continued to be involved with the Mustard Seed program as well as our street outreach. About two months ago, a Filipina friend, Krista, and I started visiting the kids who sleep on the street in the nearby town of Silang. Each week we’ve been going with some food and a quick Bible story to share with the kids. They enjoy that, but most of all they are just excited that someone knows their names and cares enough to come see them every week. Praise God that we are already starting to see change in their lives!

This coming Saturday (May 23), we will be hosting our first big event for these kids, here at the 2nd Mile campus. The theme of the day is “Birthday Party” for several reasons. First, we know these kids have likely never gotten the chance to go to any birthday parties, which are a very big deal in this culture. You should have seen the looks on their faces when we first invited them! But we are also really praying that it will be a birthday for each one of them, to be born-again into the family of God (if you’re interested what that means, see John 3:1-21 and 2 Cor 5:17). We have already been teaching about Jesus and his love for them, but this big event will give us the chance to present the good news of Jesus, hopefully in a very impactful way. A visiting drama team from Krista’s church are planning to do an interpretative song/dance, and afterwards Krista and Pastor Mel (of ACTION’s Honest Hands) will clearly explain the gospel and invite the kids into a saving hope in Jesus.

Would you pray along with us that each of the children will make the life-transforming decision for Saturday to be their “Birth Day” into the Kingdom of God? We want to help these kids with all their physical needs, but we also know that it all means nothing compared to the hope that can only be found when they trust Jesus for true life. I know from the bottom of my heart that God has a good plan for each one of these kids (see 1 Tim 2:4 and Jer 29:11), and I’m excited to see how He will transform their lives.

As always, thanks for reading along with my journey here in Asia! I’m whole-heartedly grateful for your continued prayers for my health and safety—God is sustaining me! Also as always, I’d love to hear from you!

Here are some links (and pictures!) you might be interested in:
My blog (a weekly or more update of my life here): http://erin-musings.blogspot.com/
Cambodia wedding pictures: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=70113&id=636469360&l=2201633c47
ACTION web site: http://www.actionintl.org/

Blessings to you!
~Erin

New faces and new places!

Hello to everyone from the sweltering-hot Philippines! We are in the midst of summer, as the kids have all just gotten out of school for the hottest time of the year. My first two months here have brought wide variety of experiences, emotions, and new relationships. I spent my first five weeks based in downtown Manila, taking advantage of the opportunity to visit many shelters, agencies and churches, all involved in some way ministering to street children. For four of those weeks I was struggling with throat problems and a cough due to the excessive air pollution.

But praise God that my health improved right away after moving out of the city for awhile. After a refreshing ACTION annual conference at a retreat center in mid-March, I moved out to Silang, Cavite to learn about another branch of ACTION’s ministry. Several of ACTION’s missionaries are involved here in training programs for former street children and others from poor backgrounds. At the Second Mile Campus, they have three programs running:

Honest Hands – a shelter and discipleship program for street boys (currently not in session);
Working Hands – a skills training and discipleship program for young men, in the areas of automotive, computers, and woodcrafting; and
Mustard Seed – a discipleship and sewing program for young women.

I came here to the Second Mile campus to learn about these programs, especially Mustard Seed for the girls. My first week I spent a large part of my time with them, in their dorm participating with them in their daily routines (even learning to cook a little!) and here at the campus a bit in their sewing class. We also had some “Fun Nites” together, including one I spent with them in the dorm!

Meanwhile, I've been getting to know the Mustard Seed staff, and one of the volunteers, Krista, has a passion for street kids ministry as well. We soon made a plan to go into Silang to start an outreach for the kids there, and we’ve now met with them for three weeks! Krista just finished her 3rd year of Social Work study and has been involved with other outreaches, so she has some good tools and ideas. I have loved being along from the very beginning of an outreach! Also she and I have already become good friends, so that has been a big encouragement to me and a big answer to prayer. Please pray for continued wisdom as we get to know the kids and figure out how best to minister to their needs as well as lead them into the arms of Jesus. Also praise God that I have found a good friend!

I’ve also had the chance to travel a bit. Early last week for a few days, I traveled 10 hours by bus to Cauayan with a missionary friend from Bethany, Alberta Knudtsen. In the 80s and 90s, a team of Bethany missionaries were starting churches and even began a church planting school up in that area. A few of those missionaries were my teachers at Bethany, so I had already heard many stories about the area and I was excited to see it for myself! Then late last week, I went with Krista’s church on a camping trip to the beach! It was quite the cultural experience with 80 of us piled into 2 jeepneys and a van and sleeping in a few small rooms! The beach was beautiful though, and I was so glad for the chance to experience the trip with a wonderful group (almost all related to each other!). For more details about these trips, see my blog at: http://erin-musings.blogspot.com/.

And the travelling continues! On Saturday the 18th, I will be flying to Chiang Mai, Thailand to visit some good friends who are leading the upcoming Bethany internship team there. Then on the 22nd I will go to Cambodia for a week! A good Cambodian friend has asked me to be a bridesmaid in her wedding. Also I hope to visit the ministry where I worked before and see some old friends. I have quite a mix of emotions about visiting the country I had come to love so much and had to leave one year ago!

For awhile I had thought I would return to Cambodia as soon as possible, but instead God led me here to the Philippines to join ACTION for getting experience in street kids ministry. I am still not sure of God’s long term plan for me, whether to plant myself here in the Philippines for a few years or to return to Cambodia as has been on my heart (or somehow, both). I’m really praying that this trip to Cambodia will help clarify some things, especially as I meet with the ACTION team there and get a feel for their vision for street kids ministry and how I could potentially be involved. I would really appreciate your prayers for guidance and clarity as I seek God for His plan, which I know is the best!

Thanks for reading and for praying. “I thank my God every time I remember you” (Phil 1:3), because I could not be here without your faithful support and encouragement! I’d love to hear from you!

Hi from the Philippines!

Magandang japon (good afternoon) from Manila, Philippines! It’s hard to believe I have been here only a week now—I have experienced so much already.
I am so happy to be back in Asia! In many ways, it feels like coming home. Here in the city, society is pretty westernized, so sometimes at the very surface it looks American. At other times, it feels like Guatemala, since much of the architecture and layout of the city has similar Spanish roots. Certain customs of the Filipino people remind me, too, of Cambodians, as well as does the food. Yet despite all these similarities to other places, the Philippines certainly has its own unique culture, which I am only beginning to unravel.

Since the moment I stepped out of the airport, I have been warmly welcomed and accommodated by ACTION missionaries and staff. They are excited for a new missionary to join the team, and I’m equally thrilled to become a part of what God is doing in Manila through this organization. One of ACTION’s main functions is to maintain a network of all kinds of outreaches, churches, shelters, and training centers working with street children, reaching far and wide across the metro area and beyond. So far I have joined with the Street Impact Team for their weekly meeting as well as accompanied them to several of these ministry sites.

What has blessed me the most as I’ve visited around is to see the dedication and passion of the Filipino pastors and ministry leaders. I have met pastors who have given up all they had, even their own plots of land, to move into a very poor area to start a church. It is ACTION’s heart to empower local leaders like this in any way we can.

Did I mention that this city is BIG? Some estimate Manila to have over 15 million people. Certain parts of the city have even been designated the most densely populated in the world. This many people means an overabundance of traffic, pollution and noise. I am learning to navigate but getting around certainly has its challenges! I never thought I would do this, but for respite here we find ourselves going to malls, for their air-conditioned wide array of provisions and entertainment! I have been living at a guest house near the ACTION office, which has been very nice, and as soon as I decide where to settle down and get involved I will likely move closer to that location.

Thank you so much for your prayers that have gotten me where I am today! I made it here safely, and at this point, I am being fully supported! Please join me in praising God for that, especially in light of hard economic times. I consider it a miracle to be here. God makes the way! I would like to ask for your prayers as I continue to adjust here. As I mentioned before, Manila is not the easiest place to live and it can be quite a challenge. Also please pray for wisdom as I seek God for how to get involved as I survey many ministries during the next month. I have a tendency to want to know the plan now…

Please continue to keep in touch and let me know of any prayer requests you may have as well. I will send these news emails about once per month, but if you’d like updates more often you can go to my blog at http://erin-musings.blogspot.com/. To see pictures of my first few days, you can go here: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=55891&id=636469360&l=7f952, and I will write my contact info below. Many blessings to you!

In Christ,
Erin Johnson

Post: c/o ACTION Philippines; PO Box 110, Greenhills PO; 1502 Metro Manila, PHILIPPINES
Mobile: (011) 63.915.913.7728
Organization Website: http://www.actionintl.org
Organization address (for support): Action International Ministries; PO Box 398; Mountlake Terrace, WA 98043.

One Last Stateside Check In!

Hello everyone! This will probably be my last post from the Western Hemisphere for a long while. I will be flying to Manila, Philippines in less than three weeks now!

This coming Sunday (January 25), I will be commissioned at Riverstone Church. It will be a special time for me, as the church leaders and congregation will officially send me off to the mission field by praying for me. For those of you near Marietta/Kennesaw, I hope to see you there! (Riverstone is located on the corner of Stilesboro Road and Barrett Parkway, and service times are 9am and 11am.)

You should have received a newsletter and prayer card from me in the mail this week, sent from ACTION's office in Seattle. If you have not gotten it and would like to, please reply to this email with your mailing address. In the future, I plan to send paper newsletters by mail every few months or so. Also, I've updated my email list service. As before, you will have the ability to unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link at the bottom of the message.

As I wrote in my mailed newsletter, I would like to build a team of people who will commit to pray for me while I am in the Philippines. I am looking for a group of partners who can commit to pray at least once a week, several times per week, or every day for me and related needs of my ministry. Would you consider making a commitment to be on this prayer team? Please reply to this email if you are interested to join.

Once again, thanks to every one of you on this list for being interested to keep up with my missionary journey, which next takes me to Manila. I look forward to updating you soon after I cross the big blue sea on February 8! From the bottom of my heart, thanks so much for your support and prayers!

~Erin Johnson