A Running Start to 2025!

 Hello friends and family! 

Similarly to many of you most likely, we started off this year running full steam ahead! January was full of testimonies, challenges, and long days, and we are so thankful to have the opportunity to give you a glimpse into all of it! We pray you are encouraged and blessed in reading this update!

During the month of January, Ethan decided to challenge himself by reading the whole Bible in 30 days - he spent between one and a half to three hours reading between thirty to fifty chapters of scripture every day. “Why are you doing that?” was a common question I received while taking on this challenge. I chose to commit to a plan as intense as that for a couple of reasons. Firstly, I wanted to get both my body and mind into the discipline of turning to scripture when I have down time instead of scrolling or playing a video game. Those things are fine in moderation, but I just wanted to rewire my mind to “seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness” (Matthew 6:33). Secondly, I wanted to remind myself of the tree of scripture - the whole overview. I wanted to take a step back and remember the whole narrative of the books, letters, and laws that we call the Bible. I am honored and a little bit proud to say that on January 30th, I completed the Bible in 30 days. 

In addition to this, the month of January held another World Race training camp! We helped train about 90 missionaries in this window, sending them to various countries abroad including regions like Central America, Southeast Asia, Southern Africa, and the Middle East. During training camp, Baylee was assigned to the team traveling to Central America as a support staff member for their leadership team. Each day, the team met after teachings to discuss what they learned, what impacted them, and how the team can support them. 

In one of the first discussion times I was part of in this team of 18-20 year olds, one of the men confessed something vulnerable. He admitted that even though he had grown up in a Christian household, he had never experienced the love or presence of God for himself. He was struggling to believe that God loved him because of this lack of personal experience. Immediately, my heart was burdened for this young man because he was expressing that he was longing to experience the very crux of the cross - God’s unwavering, real, and intimate love for him. Over the next 24 hours, God prompted me to pray for this young man, and I would do so, not knowing that the following day, I’d hear one of the most beautiful testimonies!! In our next team discussion time, the young man who had confessed an unfulfilled longing for the presence of God expressed to us, “during worship this morning, this team all came to me, laid their hands on me, and began to pray for me. I started to feel something I had never felt before - but I knew it was God. I know it was His presence. Now, I know what the love of God feels like! I can recognize His presence! And now, because this team prayed over me, I know that they love me too”. My heart leapt for joy when I heard his story - it was 1 John 4:12 coming to life! “No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us, and His love is brought to full expression in us”. Training camp was full of long days and so many beautiful conversations like this - too many to fit in this newsletter! 

As we continue to grow roots here in Gainesville, God has been growing Ethan’s passion for men’s discipleship! Out of this passion, he has started a men’s lunch that meets once a week with the young men at Adventures In Missions! Most of what we do in that time is learn about how we can love each other well and seek to grow in intimacy with God! It’s been a blessing from the Lord to have that space to both encourage the guys and be encouraged by them! 

This past week, Ethan had the opportunity to visit another college in North Georgia to recruit for AIM’s programs. He spent the whole day at Toccoa Falls College at their “Reimagine World Outreach Fair”. The morning chapel started the event off strong with a room of a little over 300 students and faculty. “Good morning everyone, please stand to your feet and worship with us this morning!” The Venezuelan worship leader, Elias, exclaimed. “This first song is called ‘Omemma’. It’s a Nigerian word that means ‘God of Wonders’”. “That’s what I’m talking about”, I thought to myself. We then sang a few other songs changing between 4 languages, and it was as though I was tasting heaven. I was just reminded that one day, every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord! (Philippians 2:10)

After having the opportunity to praise the Lord through song, I was then able to meet a lot of the students and other missionary organizations representatives. When I say that the whole day I was completely captivated by the wisdom and experience I was surrounded by, I mean it. I heard story after story of individuals who had committed their entire life to following Jesus no matter what the cost. One of my favorites of the day was a man I met named Dan. He and his wife served as long term missionaries in Hungary for 25 years discipling, teaching and leading churches. When I asked him what his number one recommendation for preparation for long term ministry was, he simply said, “learn how to study the Bible and learn how to pray”. When he said that, I was reminded of the Great Commandment that Jesus gave. Sometimes, it can be easy to focus so much on the Great Commission that we forget that we’ve been commanded to “love the Lord your God with all of your heart, soul and mind and to love your neighbor as yourself” (Mark 12:30-31).

Looking ahead to the month of February, we have a few exciting things happening! Firstly, we are going to take a two day trip into the mountains of North Georgia to spend time with each other and with Jesus! Later in the month, Ethan will be taking a trip to Nicaragua to visit his mentor Luis. The trip is for intentional discipleship with his mentor as well as visiting a ministry in Granada that recently lost a vital member of staff. We’re believing that God will use Ethan to bring joy into an environment that is suffering from heartache. When spending time in prayer over this trip, Ethan felt as though he heard the Lord say that He is going to move in someone's heart to give a one time donation to help with the cost of the trip. Out of obedience, we will share that we’re estimating the trip to cost about $600 for flights, food, and transportation. If you feel led to give, please contact us!

    We want to say thank you so much for your continued support both through prayer and encouragement as well as through financial support. We really do love and appreciate you all for how you’re taking part of our lives and helping further the kingdom on earth as it is in heaven!!

We would love continued prayer over these things:

• God moved in mighty ways during Training Camp this past January!! Please be in prayer for refreshment for us and our staff as we recover from some long days and start to prepare for our next camp in June! 

• Please pray for our incredible teams on the field right now, that they would be filled with the Holy Spirit and would have the boldness to be ministers of the gospel throughout the world!! We also have an amazing disaster relief team rebuilding communities in Black Mountain, North Carolina. Continued prayer for resources and opportunities to not only rebuild physical homes and communities, but also for opportunities to restore hope there would be so appreciated! 

• God has given us opportunities to travel in February, and we’re excited to see how He will move in those trips! Pray that we would continue to pick up our cross daily and follow Jesus, whether we’re in Gainesville or abroad (Matthew 16:24)

• Since our last newsletter, God has provided FOUR new prayer and financial supporters!!! He is so faithful!!!! We are so thankful to report that we are now 65% funded!!! We are now working toward hitting 100% by June! If you feel led to explore what supporting us prayerfully or financially could look like, please feel free to reach out to us! You can reach us at:

ethanandbayleejohnston@gmail.com

We love you all dearly and are deeply moved by your continual love and support toward us!! What rich blessings all of you are to us!! May the Lord bless you & keep you!

Much love, 

Ethan and Baylee Johnston