Vision Week and Transformation Week

Greetings from Gulu!

Well, there’s so much to tell that I don’t even know where to start! Lol The first full week here I participated in a “vision week” for Zion Project where we spent every morning with the Congolese women (about 30 of us altogether). It was a time to pray for God’s direction for this ministry and to hear His voice concerning His desire for the upcoming Outreach Week (to be explained). We worshipped, prayed, and Sarita shared the vision of Zion Project and taught on many topics so that the women would be prepared to go out. The second to last day we had a time of baptism in the Holy Spirit/commissioning the women to be sent out (see above picture), and the Holy Spirit came in power and changed their hearts and lives and filled them up! I considered it such a privilege to lay hands on these women and pray for them with Sarita and an intern named Farida. Then Sarita asked Farida and me to lead the meeting on the last day because she would be out of town, and that went well too! We shared on guidelines for evangelism and spiritual warfare, and in our time of prayer, one of the ladies was delivered of some demonic oppression. Praise Jesus for freedom!

Outreach Week (where we all go out to pray for the sick and love on people, leading them to a personal relationship with Jesus) was planned to take place this past week, but it was postponed until this week. Before I came to work with Zion Project, I knew that it was required that I attend a Transformation Week, which is a week-long time of individual heart-healing and seeking God at a retreat center called Mto Moyoni in another city called Jinja. I planned on going the same week as Outreach Week, but then tried to change my reservation to come in December instead. It wasn’t possible, so at the last minute, I packed and jumped on a bus to go to Jinja. It was stressful, but God was with me the whole timeJ I am so glad that I went at the beginning of my time with Zion Project instead of in December. God always knows best!

Mto Moyoni is a gorgeous place (picture left)! It overlooks the Nile River and has lush trees and flowers and hills. And the serene presence of the Lord dwells there, so I loved it. It was like a piece of heaven on earth! The inner healing teaching was incredible (I learned so much), but God did more in my heart than anything else. He revealed areas I need to surrender to Him and healed up my heart from past wounds. He gave me a revelation that I am His child and that He just wants me to enjoy life and delight in Him and not work so hard for Him. He is such a good Daddy!

I also met really neat people from all over Uganda and out of the country too. I took a trip into Jinja town and to Bujagali Falls with some friends from Mto Moyoni, which was so fun (picture right). There were three excellent meals every day, and I swam in the Nile twice! After receiving more of the love of the Lord this week, I feel better prepared to pour that love out onto everyone in Gulu.

My next blog will be about Outreach Week, and I can’t wait to testify to how God uses us to love people and do miracles! May Jesus shower you with His love today, because it’s all about LOVE.

Naomi

First days in Gulu:)

Habari! (Swahili greeting meaning How are you?)

As many of you know, I had a little mishap with my carry on (it was too big so I had to buy another one at the airport), but after that the rest of the trip went smoothly. I had divine appointments of a different sort than previous flights. Usually I am able to witness to people, but this time I met three single, female Christian missionaries to Uganda, all with various organizations. One of them I met in Detroit!

When I arrived in Entebbe, Christine (staff of the hotel we stayed at overnight, pictured below) drove me to the hotel called Red Chilli. There I met Tyson and Sarita (pictured above), and the next morning we drove the four hours up to Gulu. I had a great conversation with Sarita and

Tyson on the drive, which further prepared me for Gulu and working with Zion Project.

The first night in Gulu I went to a girls' spa night with some of the other ex-patriates (foreigners) working with various organizations here. We made facial masks out of avocado, banana, and oatmeal and other girly stuff:) Tyson was right when he said I'm gonna have fun here!

Yesterday was Uganda’s Independence Day, so there were a lot of festivities including a choir/dance competition of several groups in all types of dress. I love seeing the Ugandan culture in action like that!

I was also able to visit the ZP children's rescue home, and the kids instantly loved me! They also were really happy for the gifts I brought (thank you to those who donated items for the girls). They sang songs for us. The video is soon to come:) They are so precious! I look forward to spending more time with them and also with the women at the counseling center (who greeted me with hugs when I arrived as well).

Daneen, my housemate, took me to meet one of our neighbors, and she fed us an entire meal and soda in her hut! Ugandan hospitality is very strong. I’m so thankful for the opportunity to get to know our neighbors and see how they live.

I went to Gulu Bible Community Church this afternoon, and really enjoyed it, even though the worship was in Swahili and I couldn't understand it. The message was translated, though. I'm gonna make a serious effort to learn Swahili as fast as possible! The passion that these people have for the Lord amazes me, and two people came up for the salvation alter call at the end of the service! Praise God. Everyone was extremely welcoming, and the staff and children from the ZP rescue home were at the service as well, so I felt loved. Their service was about four hours long, and by the end I was ready to rest at home.

Overall, I’m adjusting well here. There are times of lonliness, but that’s to be expected. God has been speaking to me a lot through His word, especially Isaiah 30:15, 18-21 and Psalm 37, and I’m so grateful for His constant presence in my life. Feel free to comment on here or email me what’s going on in your life.

All for Jesus,

Naomi

Pack - a- lackin!

Hey everybody,

Only 6 more days to go until I fly out! My friend Laura drove down from WI to help me pack up all my stuff that I'm not taking with me to Uganda. Stuff that's been hiding in the attic and closets for years. We ended up throwing out about 6 or so bags and donating even more than that! Some things I'm saving for later on, but not a whole lot. In the grand scheme of life, material possessions don't matter anyway.

Now that Laura has gone back home (sniffle sniffle), I've been actually getting down to the business of packing my two suitcases for Uganda. My Mom has been a great motivator for me because without her I probably would have just stared at the mound of clothes and other items and thought "how is all of this ever going to fit?" But so far both suitcases are packed with only one being 5 lbs over the weight limit of 50 lbs. and a few odd and ends to add.

I'm getting really excited about my send off party, which everyone who is in the Evansville area should come to. It's going to be this Sunday (Oct 3rd) from 4-9pm at the Newburgh Community Pool Park (AKA Fortress of Fun for the kids:) ) Feel free to bring a dish to pass and be prepared to have a blast! LOL I rhymed:) Those who are friends with my brother Caleb are also invited to his birthday party at ARC Lanes immediately following my party- two in one night!

I'm not sure if I'll have time to post pics of the send off party or a blog update before I go, but if not, I'll do it after I get settled in Gulu. The grand adventure is about to begin! Pray for a safe flight for me and divine appointments on the way there. See you across the ocean soon:)

Naomi

The Countdown Begins...

So now I'm finally starting to count down the days until I fly out. I only have 20 more days! Everything is coming together nicely... EXCEPT the packing. Ugh LOL It's tough to pack for a three week mission trip, let alone for a whole year or more, in two suitcases each weighing 50 lbs or less. But slowly I am gathering all the supplies I'll need and making a huge mound in my room around the suitcase. Haha! One of the girls I'll be housemates with named Daneen has been very helpful through email, giving me tips of what to pack and what to wait and buy when I get to Uganda.

As far as finances go, I only have about $100 per month or $1100 total to raise to have enough for the whole upcoming year. If you would still like to give or pledge monthly support, just let me know.

I recently found out that the guest house I'll be living in has three bedrooms ( so when there aren't other visitors I'll get my own room), a mini fridge, a stovetop, and HOT WATER when the electricity is on. WooHoo!!! I totally didn't expect that last one:) Praise Jesus. And all the walls are...get this...purple! Purple is my favorite color:) Super fun!

I AM BLESSED

Mailing Address

So I wanted to give you all my address where I can receive any and all mail that you would like to send me, letters... or very large packages filled with goodies... haha just kidding:) Here it is:

Zion Project
c/o Naomi Johnson
P.O. Box 350
Gulu, UGANDA
East Africa

Let's keep in touch!

Naomi

God Just Keeps Blessing Me!

Hello again!

I wanted to keep you up to date on how my support-raising is going. So far God has used people like you to provide $3,100 in one-time gifts and $120 per month! Praise Jesus:) This includes money I am able to put towards missions from selling my car (which is a wonderful load off my shoulders... I do NOT like selling things haha). And the car will be a blessing to someone I love dearly, so it's a win-win situation;) I also had a friend contact me about her giving me her mini-laptop, which is so amazing because now I won't have to buy one! What's so great about this is that I just found out that Internet access is FREE at some Internet cafes in Gulu IF you have your own laptop! I will, so I can Skype with family and friends and not have to pay through the nose for it. Hallelujah! God is good. The blessings just keep on comin'... I also sent my visa application out this past week and received it back with my Ugandan visa in a whopping 4 days! I've never gotten a visa back that fast in the mail before. When things go so smoothly like this, you know it's gotta be God! I still need to raise $120 more in monthly support, but I have no fear that it will all come in. I'm not sure how many people are reading these posts now before I leave, but spread the word! I'll keep writing on here:)

Until Next Time,

Naomi

I got my plane ticket!

Kopango! (that's a greeting in Luo, the language I'm learning of the Ugandan Acholi people)

I just wanted to let you know that on July 6th 2010 I bought my first one-way plane ticket to Uganda, Africa! WOW. God really blessed me because the price of the ticket went DOWN a couple weeks after I was initially going to purchase it. So I only had to pay $960 for it, AND it's Delta all the way (and Delta is my favorite airline to travel with). Praise God:) So you're probably curious as to what date I bought the ticket for... well... I'll be flying out on October 5th and arriving in Entebbe, Uganda the night of October 6th. All in all, it'll be about a 19 hour flight. Talk about leg cramps! lol Anywayz, I decided to push the date back a little bit so my sister could leave her school to see me off. So 3 months and counting... You'll be happy to know that I have approx. $700 in one-time gifts raised and $60 per month so far. Please keep praying that God will lay it on people's hearts to support this work of the kingdom as there is still a chunk of support left to be raised. I am not worried, though because I know God will provide all I need. He equips the called. Hallelujah God Bless you all