Dear Friends and Family

Over the past six years, we (Byron and Emily) have been going to Ukraine in the summers on short-term mission trips. For some time now, we have wondered if the Lord was calling us to have a more permanent role in Ukraine, but felt that we needed to become more established in our marriage and finish school before pursuing full-time missions. Now that we both have our bachelor degrees and are about to celebrate our third year of marriage, God has told us that the timing is finally right, and He wants us to pursue moving to Ukraine and becoming full-time missionaries.

As we’ve been praying about what type of ministry God wants us to participate in abroad, we feel that He is calling us to work with orphans and youth. This coming summer (2012), we will be visiting three different churches in Ukraine, all of which are actively ministering to orphans and youth. We will be going to Calvary Chapel Kaharlyk, Calvary Chapel Ternopil, and Calvary Chapel Lviv to see which church is the right one for us to partner with as we pursue moving. Once we know which church we will be working with, Lord willing, we plan on moving to Ukraine as early as this fall.

 

As we step out in faith, seeking the Lord’s will, we hope that you will step out in faith with us. If you would like to be involved in what the Lord is doing in Ukraine, and in our lives, here are a few ways to do that:

1)       Join our bi-monthly mailing list, follow us on Facebook, or visit our blog (which you're doing right now if you're reading this!).
Email: byronandemilyj@gmail.com.
Facebook: www.Facebook.com/byronandemilyinukraine
Blog: www.byronandemilyinukraine.blogspot.com

2)       Commit to praying regularly for us and the work God is doing through us. We want the foundation of everything we do to be prayer, just like it says in Philippians 4:6, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God” (NKJV).

3)       Support us financially for the work we’ll be doing this coming summer in Ukraine. It will cost us $4,000 to go to Ukraine this summer. If the Lord leads you to make a financial contribution to us, please send your contribution to the address listed below or click the "Donate" button on the upper right side of this blog's homepage.

4)       Commit to supporting us financially on a monthly basis. We need to raise $8,000 to move to Ukraine and will need to raise $2,500 per month to remain abroad. If the Lord leads you to partner with us on a monthly basis, please let us know how much you would like to commit to giving on a regular basis via email to byronandemilyj@gmail.com. We are confident that if God truly wants us to move to Ukraine, He will provide funding for us, just like it says in Philippians 4:19, “And my God shall supply all your needs according to His riches in glory by Jesus Christ” (NKJV).

If you would like to send us financial support through  mail instead of PayPal, please send checks to:

                Calvary Chapel Aurora

                Attn: Johnson Missions

                18900 E. Hampden Ave.

                Aurora, CO 80013

Please make checks out to Calvary Chapel Aurora with Byron and Emily Johnson – Ukraine in the memo. All checks written to Calvary Chapel Aurora are tax deductible.

We are so excited about the work that the Lord is doing in our lives, and we’re so thankful that we can serve Him. We hope this letter finds you doing well and full of God’s love, peace, and joy.

In His Service,

Byron and Emily