On the Road Again!!! Or should I say Rail.

Hello friends. I am traveling again.

Last night I boarded a bus headed to Bangalore. As I boarded the bus my big bag was following me. I asked "can you put that under the bus?" They told me it was full. So my big bad with all my belongings had to stay in the middle of the isle. I went the entire bus ride with my stuff in the middle of the isle where everyone could see it and get into it. I was not happy. I then went to my seat. It was so cramped. Thank God for the Adventures. We have reached Bangalore and I am now sitting in my friends parents house. We are about to leave and get on the train. I will give another report when I am on the train.

Before I go. I want to upload a video for you to enjoy and pray for. I just finished creating a video for our missionaries while they are in Austria. I will upload as many videos and I am allowed. Tell me what you think.

Our House In Coimbatore

Our House!!

Greetings from Coimbatore, India! We arrived here a little over 3 weeks ago and really “hit the ground running” so to speak. Saying good bye to our families was hard on all of us, but we were brave and managed to do it without too many tears. Our 32 hour trip went well. The kids were amazing and we received several compliments from other travelers on how well behaved they were. My weak stomach did not fare well, but all in all we did good. The 6 hour layover in Chennai was long, but the kids were able to sleep on the luggage for some of the time which helped. It was an amazing feeling to step off the plane in Coimbatore. We were also excited that all of our luggage (12 suitcases, 2 carry-on’s each, and one stroller) all arrived as well.

The sounds, sights, and smells of India are enough to put your senses into complete overload. We are definitely a novelty to the people here and are often watched as I am sure people are trying to figure out who we are and why we are here. We found a house a few days after arriving and have been able to find most of what we need. The kids were so happy to have their own house again and have enjoyed exploring our neighborhood and making new friends. Homeschool is in full swing and so far going well.

Our greatest joy thus far was meeting the children at the Children’s Homes here in Coimbatore. Currently there are two groups of children living at the campus here. There are several other Impact Homes located throughout India. The kids here are absolutely delightful! We have enjoyed talking, playing, and singing with these precious children. They are so full of joy that you would never realize the painful and traumatic backgrounds each of them come from. We ask hat you join us in praying for these amazing children. Brian has jumped right into work and has already completed one major project. Our next big project is putting together profiles for each of the kids here in Coimbatore as we would like to do a Christmas Angel program this year so we can purchase some clothes and toys for the kids for Christmas. Brian will be leaving on Friday to travel to Bangaluru for 4 days. In November he will travel up north to Bihar to do some work at one of the Impact Children’s Homes. There are 140 kids who live there. This trip will be a two and a half day train ride each way. Please pray for traveling mercies for Brian on each of these upcoming trips as well as for Jessica and the kids who will be at home. In November Jessica will begin teaching English twice a week to the students at the college and is really looking forward to getting back into the classroom.

Again, we want to thank each of you for your support both financially and in prayer. We are thrilled to be working here in India, and know that it is because of your faithful support that we can do so. We finally have inter-net access, so please email or Skype as we would love to hear from you all!

Sincerely,

Brian & Jessica Johnson

This was me hanging the phone out of the train from Bangaluru to Coimbatore.

I hope you enjoy this small video.

Train ride to Coimbatore

I am on a train from Bangaluru to Coimbatore. I'm very tired. I am so pleased with this train I would travel this way more. I will write more when I get to my computer, but please feel free to email me. Brianjohnson32@gmail.com

I will respond quickly. Thanks

blogging by phone

Hey everyone! We are in India and we love it. We have a great oasis to sleep and relax in. We do not have internet yet but I have a phone with internet access. Once we have internet at home, I will post some great pictures. Please keep praying for us. There is a lot to do here. We will have to travel a bit to get this done. Keep us in your prayers always.

Brian

Airport Greeting From Chennai

Greeting From JFK

Airport Greeting from RDU

LEAVING TOMORROW!

It is 10:30 PM on Wednesday evening. We leave tomorrow to fly to India. I am numb.

God you are so good. God you have given us the strength through this entire journey and I know you will continue to give us strength. If you read this tonight or even tomorrow, please continue to pray for all five of us. 32 hours is a long time with three kids. Pray for PEACE! We need peace that passes all understanding. We need peace to help us be patient. We need peace to help us stay alert. We will continue to update everyone as the trip progresses. Look for something tomorrow morning as we sit waiting for our plane to take off. I may even attempt to do a video greeting from RDU. Good night and God Bless.

Brian

9 more days!

Wow! Nine more days, and we are boarding plains to go to India. God, you are good!

I was asked today by a friend, "Why India?" I have been asking that before, and I think my answer was the same as I always answered. "I honestly don't know." This time however it struck me differently as I proceeded to explain the fact of our faith in God to do what He needs to do in us now in India for what is next.

Why India? Why America? Why now? Why difficulty? Why pain? Why suffering? Why? I honestly don't know, but what I do know is God will take care of us where ever we are, and what ever we are going through. That is Faith. Faith is working when you don't have an instruction manual in front of you. Faith is jumping when you cannot see what you are jumping into. When God said India to us, we had a choice to say no, but in our mind if we would say no to God, we would miss the opportunity for something greater. Why India? Maybe to be there for the rest of our lives. Maybe to be there for a few years then go somewhere else God is leading us to. All I know is he wants to take us to India to make us better. India will be a time of shaping and forming. We will be trained and developed there. We chose "Yes." Because in our 11 plus years together we have seen God speak and do amazing things. Never in those 11 years did He let us down. When God spoke he provided. Isaac, Gabriel, and Sophie are living testimonies of God's great provision. He spoke to us to adopt. He provided every bit of money. He spoke to us to go to India. He has provided once again. His provision is so amazing. His love for us is so great.

I close this blog with this scripture below. This is the perfect example of what I have written about here.

Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Hebrews 12:2

This scripture uses the description if an author writing a novel. I look at it as a composer putting the most beautiful music together, or an artist creating his masterpiece. You may ask me Why India? I want to ask you "why" are you going through what you are going through? Why are you headed in the direction you are headed? Is God leading you? Have you given him authority (Is He your author) or are you in authority? I choose Him as my "author." I want to be a masterpiece created by the master. I choose "yes" every time he speaks because I know He will make me something great. It may be hard in between, but in the end He will have a masterpiece. Why India? So God can do what ever he wants in us. It is not my life. I am His!

His Servants Forever

Brian & Jessica

10 more days!

Ten more days until we fly out! Oh My! How time flies by so quickly. Jessica and I are thrilled that we have made it. I know this blog has been neglected, but I promise to begin writing regularly. Keep an eye on this blog for future updates. The countdown is on. We are almost out of here!

We appreciate everyone who assisted in getting us to this point. Everyone's prayers and donations are greatly appreciated. We still need all the prayers and financial support while we are in India, so if you feel you would like to support us, know that your donation is tax deductible. you could send checks to P.O. Box 91753 Raleigh, NC 27675 or you could visit www.impactofhope.org and pay via paypal on the donation button. If you ever have any questions feel free to shot me an e-mail at johnsons@impactofhope.org

We love and Appreciate you all.

HIS Servants Forever,

Brian & Jessica

Today marks 12 more days until we fly out. Time has flown by. Jess and I are amazed at how God has provided.

We had a wonderful summer, and believe our time in India will be even better. As you continue to follow our journey please feel free to comment and let us know you are following. I will do my best to keep writing and maybe even give you a video blog from time to time. Remember in your prayers and remember any contribution is greatly appreciated. We love and appreciate all of you for linking arms with us.

HIS Servants Forever

Brian & Jessica

The last few weeks have flown by and September is literally right around the corner. Since our last newsletter we have been able to do a lot of traveling and see many of our dear friends and family. I resigned from my job on July 1st and we headed for Florida July 6th. It was wonderful to spend time with the Johnson family. We were also able to see many of our friends from college who live in the Tampa area which was fantastic. Brian spoke at several churches while we were there and was able to share what we will be doing while in India. Filling out the paperwork to apply for our visas was a daunting task, but we got it done and sent them off. There was one small glitch, but the Indian Embassy was kind and walked us through the changes. We were excited to have our 10 year visas approved in 3 days, and back in our hands in 7 days. What a miracle! This can often times be a difficult document to obtain, but the Lord was on our side and things worked out just fine. We returned to Raleigh on August 6th. Thanks mom and dad Johnson for helping us with the drive back to Raleigh! Our plane tickets have been purchased and we leave for India on September 3rd. It is a 32 hour trip, so please be praying for us during that time! We arrive in Coimbatore on Saturday morning, September 5th. The kids are all set for their first year of Home School. Most of the curriculum we needed was given to us which was wonderful. We had to purchase some things, but not nearly what we originally planned for. A huge “Thank You” to everyone who helped with school materials! Johnson Home School is stocked and ready for a great year. God has truly blessed us as we have prepared to depart for India. He has proven that if you put your trust and faith in Him that He will show you how awesome and faithful He is.

Jessica and I want to thank everyone who has joined us on this amazing journey. We know that it is not always easy to give, and that many of you have done so sacrificially. Thank you for your support both through prayer and financial giving. We ask that you continue to join us in both areas as we get ready to leave home and move to Coimbatore. There will be many tears over the next few weeks as leaving family and friends is not easy. However; we are confident that we are in the best place to be, God’s perfect will for us and there is no where else we would rather be. Please keep in touch and we look forward to sending our next newsletter from India!

God Bless,

Hello friends! In our last newsletter we had several prayer requests, and we are happy to report that most of those requests have already been answered! We found renters for our house who moved in two weeks after choosing our home. They are a really nice couple that moved to
Raleigh from Florida (isn’t that ironic). After a whirlwind of packing, a final yard sale, and a few tears we moved out of our house two weeks later. Our good friends; Jenn and Alain Aguilar, and their three month old Coby, welcomed all five of us into their home and were gracious hosts for
about two weeks. We then moved into my parents house for nearly 10 days, which the kids thoroughly enjoyed! Thanks Nana and Pop Pop! On Monday we traveled down to North Florida where we will stay with Brian’s parents for the rest of July and possibly some of August. My last
day at work was last Wednesday, which left me with a variety of emotions, but we were all ready for the next step in our pre-India preparations. The kids have done well with all of the moving and shuffling over the past month. We keep telling them that this is a part of the adventure of serving God and preparing to move to India. We have also all received our passports since the last newsletter.

God is amazing and has provided for us beyond our wildest dreams. We are happy to report that we are approximately 94% to our monthly goal! Brian I want to thank each and every one of you who have committed to give faithfully and financially support our family while we work in India. We also want to thank all of you have committed to pray for us. Jessica and I are blessed to have partners like you! If you have committed to give monthly, and have not begun to send in support we ask that you begin to do so in August as we need to continue to prepare to leave in
September. Thank you again and know we are praying for you as well as we partner together.

As we prepare to depart for India in September we want to let you know some of our current needs and prayer requests. We are right at the threshold of leaving the states and moving to India for the next two years. This is crunch time for us. We have our passports, will be applying for our visas this month, and need to purchase our plane tickets soon as well. In order for us to purchase our tickets we need to raise approximately $6,000.00. We also need to finish raising the funds for our Emergency Cash Fund which will assist us with furnishing our home once we arrive in India, help with any emergency situations that may arise and allow us to purchase our tickets to return to the US in two years. The amount we need to raise for that fund is another $12,000.00 which again can feel overwhelming, but we trust that God knows our need and He is going to meet it! If you are not able to commit on a monthly basis but are able to make a one time donation we ask that you would pray about assisting us with these final two areas of need. $18,000.00 is a lot of money in our eyes, but we serve a big God who has provided and will continue to do so. Would you pray about partnering with us as we complete the final phase of our fundraising? Our goal and desire is still to leave for Coimbatore the first week of September.

Brian’s brother, Michael, has come up with a creative way to financially support us while we serve in India. He has started a T-Shirt business called LifeFit. All of the proceeds from the sale of these shirts goes to missions. We are grateful for the work and creativity he has put into making these shirts which have in turn enabled him to support our work in India. Brian and I are so looking forward to heading to India and can’t wait to wrap our arms around the children there. Thank you again for your prayer and support over the last few months. This journey has been a real test of our faith, and it is exciting to see that time and time again God has met our needs and opened the doors for us. Please continue to pray for us as we are now within two months of leaving. We hope to get together with many of Floridian friend while we are in Florida, so give us a call!