An Update in Pictures

We have been here in MN for 3 week already! Time is already flying by and we've had a full schedule. We have been very busy developing content to share with small groups, supporters and churches. We have been writing thank you notes and sermons, making posters and PowerPoint presentations, and everything in between. They say you are supposed to rest at the beginning of your Home Assignment, but so far it hasn't been possible! But we look forward to things slowing down in December for us.

Here are some photo highlights from our time here so far (can you tell Ellie is pretty popular around here?):

Our little "Ellie Bear" trick-or-treating

Touching fish at the MN Zoo

Ellie playing in the box from Oma and Opa's new dishwasher

Nate helping to install a new dishwasher in Mom & Dad's house

Sticker and coloring time

Riding a train at a local mall 

Our table set-up at the Friendship Church missions conference

Nate and his brother, Neil, playing with our Austrian table decorations

Enjoying the playground near Oma & Opa's house

Before the Chaska, MN Turkey Trot 5K

After the race. Go, Team Johnson!

Doing the monkey bars

Down the slide with Papa

Playing during "toddler time" at an indoor sports center. 

Commissioning at Friendship Church

Yesterday, we had the privilege of being commissioned at Friendship Church in Prior Lake, MN. Nate grew up in this church, and it is very special for us to be sent to Austria with their support and prayers going with us. God used many individuals at the church to help shepherd Nate and lead him towards cross-cultural, international ministry.

Here is a brief video from the commissioning, where we share our vision for ministry and Nate talks about how the community at Friendship nurtured and discipled him. Enjoy!

Avoiding Suffering and Loss

This last Sunday, we attended the Shakopee Campus of Friendship Church, which is the church that I grew up in.  Pastor Mike spoke about the story of Joseph (staring in Genesis 37) and all of the challenges that he faced leading up to his ultimate reign over all of Egypt.  It is a pretty great story.  Towards the end of the sermon, Mike made an observation about the story of Joseph that stuck with me.

He said, "If you take away the suffering in Joseph's life, you have to take away the blessings, as well."  If you go through the long list of horrible things that happened to Joseph and all the injustice he experienced and take it all away, if you spare him of all that pain and hurt, then you must also take away God's provision for His people and the family of promise.  You can not have one and not the other.  Joseph would never have ended up in a position of power at the end if he hadn't first been sold as a slave by his brothers. These realities are two sides of the same coin and inextricably linked.

Our American culture often tells us that suffering is something to be avoided, something to flee from. We work very very hard to avoid difficulty and keep ourselves safe and secure. But if we avoid suffering, we also give up the blessings of that suffering. So many times as I look back at my life, I say to God, "If that had not happened, life would not be so hard" or "God, if you would only shield me, if you would only take these hard things away, my life would be more full."

But if God takes away these hard times, if all we get are the good times, then we also have to give up those moments of release where we hand our life over to God and say, "I can't do this. Please help."  We also give up the meaningful relationships that are formed in the fieriest furnaces.  We give up the deep communion we get with God as our heart becomes more and more dependent on Him and holds less and less to our emotional anesthetics. And finally, we give up God's miraculous provision that is seldom early and always on time.

Photo credit: clarita from morguefile.com