No Wanee

I guess all things must pass. No Wanee for me this year, not sure I wrote about that yet. Nonetheless, it's a great line-up. But, I can't do the heat of north Florida in June. It's hot enough there in April but June will be ridiculous. Really a bummer as this is the ABB's 40th anniversary and it's gonna be fun. I will wait and see them in Charlotte in the late summer/fall. I hope the Wanee makes it back to April next year as it's become a great spring trip for me and my buddies. Not going this year will also save me time and and money that I will need for Africa. If you can't tell, I am trying to rationalize it :-)

Watching Space Chimps with the boys and Tricia tonight. Really funny cartoon action. Crazy visual effects and unique storyline. Recommended.

Tomorrow is Miles' karate graduation to the BLUE belt. He is really excited and has been working hard on all the moves. This is the first graduation for him that has required more sessions, the belts past green take 2 graduation periods to earn a new belt.

Miles was an escort in a pageant for the school last night and by all reports did a great job. Dylan and I stayed home to work on his research paper on Sharks. He wrote a great paper and had a lot of fun writing it as well.

Other than the karate graduation and some grocery shopping, we are going to hang out, watch Clemson basketball (hope they can pull out a win vs. Florida State). We are also going to put some time in on our budget. Our Dave Ramsey class has some serious budget work this week. It's gonna take some work. Already working on lots of changes and just getting the ball (debt snowball) rolling.

Having fun with a new internet browser from Apple called Safari. It's the beta version of 4 and it rocks! Tabbed browsing, preview page gallery, and AMAZINGLY fast rendering of pages. Apple does it again!!! Check it out here: Safari

See ya!

Brown Spot on my ceiling?

Miles decided to take a bath in his bath tub. We think that is the first bath in that tub that we can remember since moving into our new home. Tricia and I have a full-sized bath tub in our bathroom. All the baths are there for a reason. I think I have another reason. You may or may not be familiar with the overflow drain on a tub. I got more familiar with the one on this tub this week.

See as Miles was taking a bath, I hear the shuffles of the infamous "chicken dance" and Tricia starts yelling "Mark there is water coming from the ceiling!" Sure enough, the kitchen light fixture was acting like a fountain. We quickly ran upstairs and got Miles out of the tub. A little investigation found the overflow cover to be loose, which makes the gasket seal loose. You get the idea. I killed the lights, removed the light fixture and got a nice stream of water out of the ceiling.

I have left the fixture our of the ceiling for now, letting it dry out. That was Tuesday night. On Wednesday, we noticed the telltale signs of water damage on the ceiling just under the tub. Not too bad but definitely from the overflow leak. I have tighten the overflow cap and gasket and no leaks from a few showers since the accident. I should be able to handle the stains with some Kilz and some touch up paint. Oh, the joys of home ownership!

If you don't know the chicken dance, I will save it for another day; but, it has something to do with Tricia being very nervous or uncomfortable. I think water coming out of the kitchen light fixture qualifies.

See ya!

Wednesday Parking

I usually pick up the boys on Wednesday because Tricia has staff meetings. There is a relatively new park just down the road on the site of an abandoned mill, a Boy Scout troop has created some trails around the mill pond and guess what, it's only opened on Wednesdays. So, I surprised the boys today and made a stop by the park. We were the only ones there and the weather was perfect. I love doing things like this with the boys, especially when they don't expect it. It's a nice break after school and a nice break from work for me. Maybe something we can do every Wednesday when the weather is right.

See ya!

Personal Testimony

As I prepare to lead a group back to Botswana to work in Old Naledi, I have the opportunity to receive a scholarship from the South Carolina Baptist Convention for up to 20% of our trip cost.

Part of the application process is a requirement to write your personal testimony about your personal salvation and faith in Christ. Your calling for the planned mission is also an expected part of the testimony. Well, here it is in all it's glory. I think it must have gotten the point across because it made Tricia cry and I don't think she was sad (it's hard to tell with women sometimes, you know ;-) ).

Feel free to comment or even better take a look at my Africa 2009 page and consider any donation of support and please put the mission on the prayer list!

Africa 2009

If your church is interested in supporting our mission and would like me to come and speak and present our mission focus, please let me know also!

See ya!

Mareko morwa Johane

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Personal Testimony

Mark H. Johnson

I was raised in a church-going family and made a public profession of faith and was baptized as a believer at the age of 9. This was 1979 and at Alice Drive Baptist Church in Sumter, South Carolina. I strongly believe this was a sincere and honest declaration of faith in Christ; but, it was also what was expected of me in my family. I would remain involved with Youth ministry in church throughout high school and would even go on summer mission trips (domestic) and made some statements to friends and family about feeling a call to ministry. However, I did not choose this path and in fact ran as far as I possibly could from ministry and religion while attending college at Clemson University. I basically turned off my faith and sought a purpose and calling in all things worldly. However, because he is faithful, God was still working in my life and seeking reconciliation with me as his child.

After Clemson, I joined the Army. This was another attempt to find a purpose for my life other than ministry. It was while in the Army and stationed on the west coast that I meet my wife, Tricia. Tricia was also in the Army and grew up a non-practicing Catholic in Ohio. It seemed I could continue my path without church and God in my life. Little did I know, but God brought Tricia into my life to begin the restoration and reconciliation with him and his salvation. Not long after Tricia and I married, she was sent to Honduras for a 6 month unaccompanied tour. Tricia found a group of missionaries from Michigan while in Honduras and formed a relationship with Jesus while in Honduras. Didn’t I just say God is faithful? Although I had no plans of reestablishing my relationship with Jesus when my wife returned from Honduras, it was through conversations with her and seeing the change in her that God began to speak to me and reach out to me, his lost son.

When we moved back to South Carolina in 2000, Tricia and I sought a church home for our growing family, now including our first son, Miles. I started working night shift at the hospital and we visited a few local churches when I was not working or sleeping. Then Tricia started going to services at Alice Drive, my childhood church home. Being the stubborn man I am, I initially refused to join her at Alice Drive. I took pride in quoting all the things wrong with that church that I could remember. Of course every church is not perfect because we are all human and we have all sinned. But, I was using this as a wall to prevent me from totally sacrificing my old self that I was hanging on to. Tricia was determined and really started to enjoy the fellowship she found at Alice Drive. She was later baptized as a believer at Alice Drive. Soon I found another excuse to not go to church: graduate school while working night shift full-time. But, I begrudgingly started going to Wednesday night services with Tricia and our two sons.

It was during these Wednesday night services that I joined a men’s class studying John Eldredge’s Wild at Heart. By the end of that class, a great wall had fallen between me and God and between me and my family, including my Alice Drive church family. God used that class as the tool to finally break down the remaining obstacles. I reached out to God and found my heavenly father there faithful and forgiving. In addition, I found myself enjoying the fellowship of my church family and reconnecting with my mentors and fellow brothers and sisters, many who professed to having been praying for me for so many years. I was broken and overwhelmed by all of the emotions I was feeling. How could have been so stubborn and selfish? Reconciliation with God was so easy, yet so hard. My wife’s journey to Honduras was the seed that God planted in my life to bring me back to his fellowship. Amazingly, my relationship with Tricia began to improve and we became closer than ever before. The closer my walk with God, the closer I grow to Tricia. The forgiveness and mercy that God shows me began to flow from me towards my friends and family.

Not long afterwards, I finished graduate school and I found I could now work a normal weekday shift and had the weekends free. While I totally immersed myself back into the church and the service ministries, including choir. It no longer felt silly or fake to stand in front of hundreds of people and shout to the top of my voice how Jesus had saved me, again and again. I was even blessed with the honor and privilege to be called as a Deacon to serve the church body. My ordination with old Sunday school teachers and youth mentors laying hands on me and whispering prayers and affirmations of spirit was a powerful and emotional homecoming for me. After so many years of fighting and fleeing, I had returned to God and his family.

God made another connection to satisfy my search for purpose and a calling, you might even call it a ministry. I had studied about the HIV/AIDS crisis in sub-Sahara Africa in a health policy class at MUSC. Shortly afterwards, God put a musician in my path (if you know me, that’s an easy way for God to get my attention). This musician is a South African folk singer. He and I had a long conversation about the HIV/AIDS crisis and how devastating that was to his country and homeland. Well, God never stops until his work in us is complete. We were just beginning to see the plan. A pastor friend showed up at Alice Drive a few weeks later to speak to us about his new mission focus on sub-Sahara Africa. It was like sky writing saying “Hey Mark, do you get the message now?” At the end of the service, I found myself standing in front of the pastor saying “I don’t know when or where; but, I am going with you to Africa to be the hands and feet of Jesus.” I felt such an amazingly clear vision had been presented to me and I was no longer going to stubborn and try to ignore the message and calling.

My first trip to Africa was in 2007 to the township of Mamelodi, South Africa. We worked with the children and orphanage there. We made amazing friendships and lifelong connections. Nonetheless, this church already had a huge sponsorship from a church in Ohio that was sending hundreds of workers each year. We felt overwhelmed and somewhat diminished in spirit. But, God showed us as believers and seekers he was not going to let us turn from our focus, the children of Africa. We found God was just beginning to use us. Through our first trip, we made connections with a church in Botswana that had a more critical need for help. Old Naledi Baptist Fellowship in Gaborone, Botswana is working to show the love of God and spread the Good News of his salvation to a people beaten and battered by the cycle of HIV/AIDS and poverty. Our trip in 2008 to Gaborone was the affirmation that God really has a purpose and role for those willing to put their self aside for his kingdom.

Because I had moved from Sumter to Greer between the times of joining the trip planning for the 2008 trip, I went as the out of town member. Before going, I spoke to Freedom Fellowship, our new church home, about the mission work in Botswana. I noticed after that service that God was moving in the hearts of many at Freedom Fellowship and brothers and sisters told me that God was pushing them towards Africa and the ministry there. While in Botswana, I boldly proclaimed that Freedom Fellowship would be joining in the fight with Old Naledi and we would be joining in service with Alice Drive Baptist. Moruti James of Old Naledi was more than delighted to hear that good news and I was proud to bring the report back to Freedom Fellowship. Our church is now sponsoring Old Naledi through a monthly donation for the feeding station and ministries there.

While in Botswana, I also promised Moruti James that I would be returning in 2009 to bring a group from Freedom Fellowship to serve and witness the work they are doing with the vulnerable children and orphans of the community. You know it’s easy to say those words while on the spiritual mountaintop of mission work; but, actually carry out the plans? I feel God was commanding me to take that stand and be that conduit for his Love and work in Botswana. As I look back on how God lead me to that church yard in Old Naledi, I can see his work and calling and I am amazed at his work and determination of spirit. It’s with great honor and privilege that I stood in front of Freedom Fellowship again to tell them of plans to return to Botswana to continue serving the children as the hands and feet of Jesus. For as Jesus told us in John 13:34, we are to love one another and that is how others will know us, by our LOVE for one another. That is also the verse I wrote on the church foundation and wall supports for the new church building we erected last year for Old Naledi. That is my purpose and calling that I have sought for so long. Just like the reconciliation with God that took me so long to find, it’s so easy and yet so hard. I continue to pray for God’s guidance and wisdom as we plan our return trip for 2009. I also thank you for reading this testimony of how God has brought me back to his family and given me clarity of purpose and mission for his kingdom.

Mark H. Johnson

(aka Mareko morwa Johane)

http://oldnaledifellowship.org

(please visit the web site I have developed and maintain for Old Naledi Baptist Fellowship)

John 13:34-35 (New International Version)

³⁴"A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. ³⁵By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."

Old Army Buddy on Facebook

It's still amazing to me how fast we can make reconnections (is that a word) on Facebook. One of my best buddies from the Army who lives in California and I are now friends on FB. Fred is the best skier I have ever known, his folks live in Berkeley and trips home with Fred to hang with the family when we had some 4 day weekends were always fun. Northern California coastline, San Fran, Golden Gate and touring Napa valley with Fred and his sister and her friend one weekend. It seems like another lifetime ago. He seems to be running his own business and finished his degree at Stanford (which is something he always mentioned he wanted to do). Check out this picture of us acting cool and all "Jack Kerouac" outside Ben and Jerry's in San Francisco at the corner of Haight and Ashbury.




His mom is Australian and actually worked for the Australian Embassy in SF. Not only did I get a chance to tour the office; but, she gave the best tours of SF ever. What a classy lady. Tricia and I also spent a wonderful evening after I got out the Army with Fred and his family on their ranch drinking Pinot Noir from grapes grown on the ranch and eating lamb, also grown on the ranch. It was a great weekend hanging with Fred and family in the California summer.  It's great to catch up with old friends and see what has happened in the past 10 years or so.  Life moves fast.

See ya!

No DC for Spring Break

Our trip to DC for spring break is going to have to take a rain check. My sister's father-in-law has been diagnosed with cancer and they are going to spend their spring break there in Alabama. It's interesting how God works for our plans, the night before my sister let me know they were considering not going, Tricia and I had a conversation about how much it would cost for us to go and were considering it to be a burden on our plans to get our debt and finances on the right track with the Dave Ramsey program. We plan to do that trip with my sister and her family next year. It will be a fun memory to tour DC with cousins and family; but, it will have to wait until next year. We are thinking of a camping trip to the mountains in NC with the boys that week to get out of the house and have some fun locally while school is out. You know I am always willing to hit the woods and trails in NC.

We are also considering the big cancel button on the trip to Orlando that Tricia and were planning for July. This is one of those condo tours that costs a little as long as you do the tour. We will likely miss that one too as it would cost more for travel and the necessary items and dinners if we went. We are determined that this will be the year to get things on the right track. We will have time and money for trips to Florida as soon as we are free to live without debt.

Hope you got a chance to watch our Zip Line video. We had a ton of fun with that yesterday. Watching Clemson look asleep vs. Ga Tech. I hope we wake up soon.

Enjoy your Sunday! See ya!

Backyard Fun

We finally got the new zip line going and boy, is it fast (if you are Dylan). It will even hold me for about 10 feet. Much bigger pole, deeper hole and tighter cable. Much better!

Also, forgot to mention the awesome time we had last Saturday with our fire pit. We gathered a bunch of big rocks from the empty lot and made a nice fire pit ring in the backyard. We had fun roasting marshmellows and I got the guitar out for a few Neil Young tunes, it was nice and mellow. My sister, Amy, joined us as did Calvin from next door. The boys were very impressed we could have a fire in the backyard. Don't worry we moved that fire pit you see in the Zip Line video. Now, it's no longer in the path waiting for someone to fall on the rocks.

Worked on the front yard, flower bed and tree bed were built up and fortified. Nice set of pansies planted too. It's looking better each day. I still have to build my rose bed for the 3 roses I got from Uncle Harold. Hoping to get the lumber for that in about 2 weeks. The cedar trees are looking good in the back along the fence, need more of those for sure.

Well, we are going to watch Madagascar 2 with the boys. Gotta run!

See ya!