We're Going Overseas . . . Again!

Hey family and friends!

We pray you're all enjoying a wonderful summer! We're excited to share some updates with you on how God has been moving in the first half of the year, and we have some big news to share with you about the second part of 2026 too! As always, thank you for taking the time to read this update - we hope it blesses you!

Looking Back

After spending a couple of weeks in Guatemala in March and April caring for and debriefing our team of young missionaries, we returned to the US and prepared to welcome them home after spending 9 months on the field! We spent time facilitating debriefs, having our final conversations, and walking them through re-entering into life in the US. After sending them home, we spent a week with the leadership team reflecting on our year, processing all God had walked us through, and just spending quality time together to wrap up our year leading together. We’re so thankful for all the ways God revealed Himself to us and the people we led this year - He is always faithful!

A New Season Ahead

Just when we were beginning to think about our next steps, God put an opportunity in front of us to lead another group, however, instead of taking a stateside leadership role, we were asked to take an on-field role. After taking some time to seek the Lord in prayer and wise counsel, we committed to leading a group of about 25 young adults on the field! From September 2026 - May 2027, we will be doing ministry in 5 different nations, including Guatemala, South Korea, Vietnam, South Africa, and Eswatini. 

Over the last few years, God has been stretching and strengthening us in shepherding young adults in their journeys, and we’re honored to be part of it with them on a daily basis overseas! To give a small glimpse into what our world will look like this year, we will be traveling and living with this group of 25 young adults for their entire journey on the World Race. We will be managing the logistics of on-field travel and ministry as well as providing teaching, shoulder-to-shoulder discipleship in daily living, and care and counsel as they learn to walk with the Lord each day! Our lives have personally been transformed through discipleship - walking shoulder-to-shoulder with others as Jesus did with His disciples - and we are so excited to be part of God’s life-changing work in this way! We fully anticipate that even as we seek to love and care for this group of people as we minister in the nations, we will find ourselves more full of life, as “it is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35) - God is just that good!

Why We Say “Yes”

In preparation for our upcoming year overseas, we have been part of a leadership course at Adventures in Missions. During this class, Ethan and two of the guys in the class ran into a man who invited them to go to lunch with him. While talking with this man, they learned about some life struggles he has been having recently, including the loss of his significant other of 20 years, who passed away last year. While that was really hard to hear, Ethan and the guys he was with were blessed to share a meal with him, get him some new clothes, encourage him through Scripture, and connect him with a church he will be attending to continue in the faith, even in the midst of trials and hardship. It’s moments like these, as we go about our daily lives, that God invites us to look deeper at what He’s doing and be part of it, and we pray that no matter where we are in the world, we’d take opportunities to see His Kingdom on earth. 

What's Next?

Our leadership program ends on July 24th. Shortly after, we'll reunite with the group we led last year in Gainesville, Georgia, to hear how they've been doing over the past couple of months, encourage them in their walk with the Lord, and spur them on to greater faith.

After that, we'll spend a couple of weeks with family before returning to Georgia to take a few days of intentional prayer, with silenced phones and open hearts, seeking the Lord and enjoying some final moments just the two of us!

Leadership training begins on August 20th before our full team arrives on August 28th. After a few weeks of training and ministry in the United States, we'll leave the country on September 16th.

Prayer & Partnership

As we prepare for this transition, we’d welcome your prayers in the following areas:

• We’re preparing to pack up our home and say goodbye to our family, friends and beloved church in Gainesville, and while we are excited for the year ahead, goodbyes are always difficult. We’d welcome prayers for comfort and courage as we prepare to go international again. 

• We love being in ministry together as a married couple - it has strengthened our love for the Father and each other so much! Pray for continued grace for us to keep Christ at the center of all things, especially in marriage.

• Above all, pray with us for our hearts to be moldable to the hands of God, for our faith to be stirred, and for our lives to rest fully in the love of Christ! We want to be close to Him for all of our days!

We want to take a moment to thank each of you who have loved us, supported us, and prayed for us from the moment we began our journeys in ministry in 2022! The Lord has worked through the Body of Christ to encourage us, spur us on, and send us where He’s leading over and over again - it’s such a blessing! In addition to prayer needs, we have some physical ones as well! As we prepare to head to the field in September, we've compiled a list of some items we'd benefit by having with us. After spending many months on the field over the last few years, there are a few things that have proven to be extra helpful in supporting our health & making us feel a little more at home while we're away! Since we pack light, everything counts, and it's always extra special to have physical things that have been gifted to us to remind us of people we love! If you'd like to be part of blessing us by filling some of our physical needs as we prepare, we'd be so thankful! Feel free to visit our list of needs here: https://www.myregistry.com/wishlist/ethan-and-baylee-johnston-gainesville-ga/5544119/giftlist

Additionally, we are still raising monthly finances to support us in our time overseas! Because we completely trust that God will provide, we want to invite you to prayerfully consider partnering with us. You can visit our support link here: https://adventuresinmissions.servicereef.com/events/adventures-in-missions-3/affiliated-missionaries/participants/baylee-murphy2?id=54107

Thank you for walking alongside us over the past few years - we are incredibly grateful for your prayers, encouragement, and generosity, and we're excited to see what God will do this year!

We would love to pray with you, talk with you, and answer any additional questions you might have. Feel free to reach out to us or respond to the email through which this came to you!

With love, 

Ethan & Baylee