October Update
By Dr. Dave Johnson
Assemblies of God Missionary to the Philippines
www.drdavejohnson.blogspot.com
Dear Friends,
I just wanted to provide you with a quick update on our situation here.
We have nearly completed the moving in process. It took longer than I had hoped but we had a lot to do to get the house the way we need it, and we have both been sick. Fortunately, we made the decision not to accept ministry invitations until after we are settled. This has really helped to keep the stress manageable. The price for overworking last term, among other things, was depression, burnout, and a year long sabbatical from the ministry to deal with it. We learned our lesson and do not wish to walk that road again.
The next phase of our transition back into ministry here is to reconnect with friends, colleagues, and the district leadership team, and reestablish our relationships after being in the States for 27 months. This has already begun. As we reconnect, we will also be re-evaluating our ministry here to see where we fit and where we don’t. Since Filipinos have a face-to-face culture, such things are better done in person than by other forms of communication such as email or even telephone.
For example, the Church Planting Schools that Debbie was instrumental in launching four years ago were ably led by the Filipinos themselves while we were gone. Since our goal is to empower them and see this ministry expand, we want to be very careful about how we get involved. Getting their input is critical—and we expect this to happen as we reconnect with them. We will also evaluate the effectiveness of our evangelistic team and make changes as the Lord leads.
Also, over the next couple of weeks, for the first time ever, I will be writing my philosophy of ministry, reflecting both on becoming the man of God that he wants me to become and the work which he has called us to do. I will then write some short and long term goals. I believe that God has spoken to us to be slow, deliberate, and intentional about what we are doing on this time. We are not at all timid or afraid of the future, just cautious. We are, in fact, quite excited about what the Lord is doing in our hearts and lives.
I start preaching again on November 6 at an anniversary celebration for a church pastored by our district treasurer. This is consistent with our goal of reconnecting with the district leadership. At some point in November I will rejoin the evangelistic team for some of the outreaches. Other events will be scheduled according to the priorities I have listed above, but we will keep light in order to do the writing mentioned.
Prayer Points
1. Please pray for our continued transition. I’d prefer to let the Holy Spirit guide you regarding the details.
2. Also, we are still about $350.00 a month short in our pledges. Please pray for this and, if possible, let us hear from you. A pledge form can be downloaded at http://www.daveanddebbiejohnson.com/.
Many thanks,
Dave
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Copyright 2011 Dr. Dave Johnson
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