Prayer Request Answered!

Thanks to those of you that prayed for God to open a door for me to serve in Mexico for a week in January. I will be going to Juarez, Mexico to help translate for my old college ministry. I am also running the Sunday morning service that we will be having at the worksite. This means preaching in Spanish and English! Please pray that God would speak through me to both the college students and the Mexican families that come to the service! I hope that everyone had a very Merry Christmas!

God Bless,
Matt Johnson

A Chance to Serve in Mexico (Prayer Request)

I am asking that you all pray that I may have the chance to go to Mexico the first week of January with my old college ministry group. If there is room, they have invited me to go help translate for the group and help minister to the two families we will be building homes for. Please pray that if it is in God's will that I get to go on this trip. I look forward to possibly brushing up on my Spanish before heading to Venezuela.
All for God's Glory,
Matt Johnson

College Retreat

Well, at the beginning of December I was able to hang out with some college students from MacMurry and Illinois College. My good friend Brian from First Christian in Jacksonville asked me to help him with music for the retreat. I was delighted to join him. I had the pleasure of helping lead some 25 college students in worship that weekend. I have included some pictures from the retreat to the right!
God Bless,
Matt

Visa Update!

Wednesday I visited the Consulate in Chicago to drop off the last piece of paperwork that I needed fro my Visa! The lady that processes the Visa's in Chicago is taking my paperwork down to Venezuela by hand for me on Monday! She is going home to visit family over the holidays and offered to do this for me instead of mailing the paperwork! Hopefully this will speed up the process. Please pray that she doesn't forget anything when she packs and that my paperwork is approved quickly! Thanks for all the continued prayers and support!

All the Glory to God,
Matt Johnson

One Last Trip To Chicago!

On Friday (Dec. 8th) I received what hopefully is the last piece of paperwork I need for my Visa! I was able to get a letter signed and notarized at my doctors office stating I am in good health. This Tuesday and Wednesday I will hopefully be making my last trip to Chicago for the Visa. After submitting this last piece of paperwork my application should then be sent overseas and processed in Venezuela! Please pray that nothing gets lost in the mail so I don't have to start this process over again! I do have copies of everything, just in case! Thanks so much for all your continued prayers and support! I hope to report soon that I have a Visa!!1

Successful Trip to Chicago

What a great trip to Chicago! I got to spend time with some friends as well as accomplish some things on the Visa front. I took a work contract I received up to the Consulate on Tuesday. They accepted it and also told me what else I needed. I am in the process of securing a medical note from my doctor stating I am in good health. Once I get this signed and notarized (hopefully on Monday) I will return to Chicago to hand in this last piece of paperwork!! Supposedly this will be the last thing I need for my Visa. Once they receive this they will submit my paperwork for review. Please keep praying for the Visa! We are getting closer! Thanks so much for the continued prayers and support! God Bless!

Matt

National Missionary Convention

What a blessing! It is great to be around people that are like minded. And a missionary need not look any farther than the National Missionary Convention. I spent the weekend in Indianapolis attending workshops, hearing speakers, and worshiping with several other missionaries. I was able to attend a few workshops on church planting and training nationals. All the workshops were very beneficial and it was great to hear from experts on the field.

VISA NEWS
This week I received a work contract from my team in Venezuela. I need to submit this along with a new application form that should be faxed to me shortly. These two items will hopefully push along the Visa. I am hoping to join my team at the start of the new year but that is still contingent upon the paperwork. Thank you for all your continued prayers and support!!

All the Glory to God,
Matt Johnson

Traveling to Chicago with the Band!

This past weekend I joined PJ Summers and the Simplified band to play a few places. We started with a retreat in Oregon, Illinois. The retreat featured 75+ youth from a church in Wheaton, IL. Then we traveled to the suburbs of Chicago to lead worship on a Sunday night at the drummer's home church! What a blessing to serve the church and lead them in worship Sunday night! I also had time on Monday to make a much needed visit to the Venezuelan Consulate in Chicago. I spent some time talking to the lady that issues visas there in the office. There is a new application that I have to fill out and submit along with a contract that I need to get from my team in Venezuela. I was glad to finally find this out so I can get started on hopefully the last pieces of paperwork I will need for this visa! Please keep the visa situation in prayer. We are one step closer on the process, but not done yet!
All to the Glory of God,
Matt Johnson

Prayer Request Update

Thanks for all of you that prayed for me. The biopsy came back on the mole and it was not cancerous. It was pre-cancerous but not malignant. Thanks again for your prayers. Now please keep praying that my Visa will come through so I may leave soon! All the glory goes to God!!
God Bless,
Matt

Update for September

Well, here we are two weeks in September and I still don't have much to report on my visa. I called the Consulate in Chicago the end of last week. They told me they had no news for me. This means that my paperwork, as far as I know, is still outstanding. I am not sure where it is currently. Please keep praying as this is starting to wear on me. It can be frustrating since this is the only thing I am waiting on to leave the country. I appreciate all of the prayers and support and I know this is in God's hands. Well, I will write more as I find things out! Thanks again for all the prayers! God Bless.
Matt Johnson

Another Visa Update...

Dear Friends and Family,
I hate to be the bearer of bad news but I just found out from my Team Leader in Venezuela that the Consulate had the wrong Matthew. Apparently when they went back yesterday to see when it would get mailed back to the US, they found out it wasn't the correct person. Apparently the Embassy down there has never received my paperwork. Right now we are in the process of calling the Consulate in Chicago to see if they have any information. We are essentially trying to locate a tracking number that would have been assigned to the paperwork when I initially submitted it. Well, I will keep all of you updated as I find out more. Please keep praying as I was hoping this was resolved but it appears now there may be much more work to do. Please pray that they haven't lost my paperwork (including my passport) and that God would work all of this out.

God Bless,
Matt Johnson

Visa Update!!!

Well, I got the big news from my team leader today. My Visa has cleared Interpol as well as the Ministry of Religion in Venezuela!! Those are two huge hurdles. Apparently it is pretty much a done deal. It is sitting on the desk of the guy that puts the final stamp on it and mails it back to Chicago, so it is almost done! Praise God! He is faithful. Originally I was told this process could take anywhere from 3-6 months. However it has managed to be almost completed in about 2 months! I can't tell you how excited/nervous I am. I can't believe I am actually going to be living my dream very shortly! What an Awesome God we serve! Well, I will let you know when I solidify a departure date. It should be soon!!

All to the Glory of God,
Matt Johnson

August 15, 2006 Update

The commissioning services at my home church this past weekend were wonderful. I am now at 70% of my budget! This means that when I get 10% more pledged I can head for the field! This is also contingent on my visa coming through. However, my team leader is back from his furlough and is going to try to help push my visa through in Venezuela! Please keep praying that God would provide my visa in His timing when I have 80% of my support! Thanks again for all your continued prayers and support. I can't believe that this is actually going to happen. I hope to be leaving for the field very soon.
All the Glory to God,
Matt Johnson

End of Camp

Well, the camp season is now over. It was a wonderful summer. I had the opportunity to see many lives impacted and changed by Christ as well as hang out with many of my supporting churches. I now have 60% of my monthly budget raised and will be fundraising full time till I finish my budget. My team leader is back in Venezuela from his furlough and will be trying to help push my visa through from his end. Well, thanks for your continued prayers and support. Please keep praying for my visa and the rest of my fundraising! God Bless. All the Glory to God!

Matt Johnson

A Prayer Request!

Hi everybody! I have another prayer request for all of you. This Sunday I am meeting with the missions team at South Side Christian Church. Please pray that God would speak through me and that He would cast His vision for His ministry in Venezuela! Pray that South Side would catch that vision and desire to partner with me. Please also be praying for my visa. I hope to be able to leave for Venezuela as soon as it comes through! I love you all and thank you for your prayers!
All the Glory to God,
Matt Johnson

One Month Later...

So, it has been a month and haven't updated for a while. Sorry about that. It has been a busy month of camp, traveling, and fundraising! I now have 60% of my monthly budget raised! Once I hit 80% I will be able to buy my plane ticket. This will solidify my departure date. Well, I was blessed by another week of VBS at South Side Christian Church! It was great to hang out with nearly 200 kids and difficult to explain church planting to them. But I think I got the point across. I have one more VBS at Literberry Christian Church. This will conclude my VBS's for the summer. Please keep praying for my visa, as I am also waiting for it to come through before I can leave. Thanks so much for your continued prayers and support! All for God's Glory!!
Matt Johnson

Visa Information

Well, yesterday I made the drive to the Consulate General of Venezuela. I turned in my application and passport to apply for my visa. I now have to wait as my application is sent to Venezuela to get approved and then sent back to Chicago. Please pray that God's hand would be in all of this. This process can sometimes take as long as 3 months. Pray that the process would be expedited and that the Visa would be approved. I am still on the fundraising trail and have 40% raised so far. I am speaking at 3 different VBS's this summer. Pray that those would be open doors to a few more churches that would be interested in supporting me. Thanks so much for the continued prayer! To God Goes All the Glory!!
Matt

Louisville and LSCA

Well, the past week I have been in Louisville, KY. I spent some time with the new summer interns with Team Expansion this year. I was good to meet other people that have a heart for missions and are excited about serving God! I had a few chances to sit down with the interns going to Venezuela and answer some questions for them. I also spent the week hanging out with some very good friends of mine. These are friends that I could possibly be serving with in Argentina some day. We have a dream to start a coffee shop and target college age as well as young adults.
Well, staff training starts this week for summer camp. It will be exciting to meet other staff members. This is the last week before campers begin showing up. I am still in the support raising process and training to obtain my visa. I currently have 40% of my budget raised. Please pray that God would continue to provide supporters! Please also pray that my visa would go through quickly!! Thanks for your prayers! God Bless.
Matt

Back on the Fundraising Trail!

Well, now that I am back from Colorado it is time to really push fundraising till I leave in August. I have about 70% left. This seems like a lot but I know it is very acheivable and God will provide! I have a meeting Saturday May 20th with Rochester Christian Church, and Tuesday May 23rd with West Side Christian Church. Please pray that God would speak through me as I cast a vision for His ministry in Venezuela! Thanks for all your prayers and continued support. I also found out that I am going to be the missionary for First CC in Jacksonville's VBS. This means I am presenting for Kindergarten-6th Grade. God Bless! To God goes all the Glory!
Matt

Back Home!

Well, MTI was quite the experience these last three weeks in Colorado. I can't begin to tell you everything that I learned. It was so exciting to live in Christian community these last three weeks. What a blessing! Well, summer is finally here. I start working at Lake Springfield Christian Assembly soon. I will be there all summer and working as the groundskeeper. I really look forward to staying in touch with my supporting churches and forming new relationships during the summer. I have to finish up my support raising as well this summer, so I plan to be pretty busy. Please keep praying that God would form new ministry partnerships so that I can meet my departure date of August 17th! To God goes all the Glory!
Matt

Second Week of Training

Wow, time really does fly out here in Colorado. Maybe it's the elevation, maybe it's the snow, maybe it's the 7 hours of class a day. Whatever the case may be, my time here is really moving fast. This last week was quite the emotional rollercoaster. The majority of the week was spent talking about conflict styles and transition into a new culture. We even had a hostage scenario on Wednesday. Friday was a wonderful balance as spiritual vitality and the Sabbath were discussed. It is amazing how much their is to digest and sort through in just one weeks worth of class. God has really taught me a lot these last two weeks and I look forward to my last week here. Thanks again for everyone's prayers. I will be flying out of Denver this Saturday, May 6th. If you could be praying for safe travel I would really appreciate it! To God goes all the Glory!!
Matt

First Week of Training

Wow, what can I say. MTI has been an incredible experience so far here in Colorado. My emotions and intellect have been stretched so far, but for the best. The community here is incredible. God really has called some incredible people into the mission field! It is also interesting to see all the different denominations that are here to train. I can't help but think that this was partly what Jesus was praying for when He prayed for unity among all believers. Please keep praying for the country of Venezuela and the political unrest. I also just found out from my team leader that I need to start applying for my Visa as soon as I get back from Colorado. God bless you all! To God goes all the Glory!!!
Matt

Sunrise Service in Colorado

Well, my flight made it in to Denver yesterday and my good friend Daesha was right on time to pick me up. I had the pleasure of hanging out with Daesha's wonderful family this weekend. This included three church services. I was able to hear Daesha's father Eric speak Saturday night at their church service. Excellent message. I think I would really enjoy him as a teacher. Sunday I was able to attend the sunrise service at their church. The service was held in the atrium. It is quite picturesque since the front is glass pained and it looks out on the mountains and Pikes Peak! What an awesome experience.

Tomorrow I start training at Missions Training International. I have classes five days a week for the next three weeks. I really look forward to this time of refreshment, renewal, and spiritual growth. Thanks again for all your prayers. My fundraising is kind of on hold for the moment while I am here in Colorado. When I get back though I anticipate it jumping back into high gear! All the Glory to God!
Matt
PS> I forgot my camera but if I can borrow one I hope to take some pictures and get them posted on this sight.

Macomb and McDonald's

I had another wonderful weekend! This past weekend I was able to return to Macomb, IL and my campus ministry. I shared with them on Sunday night and a few more prayer warriors joined the ministry team! It is so exciting to share the passion that God has given me for the lost and to see other people catch that vision and support the ministry! This Wednesday I also had an awesome experience. I went to meet what I thought was going to be 4-5 prayer supporters at McDonald's. Well, when I got there I was surprised to find 12-13 people that were eager to hear about my ministry. They then got up and we prayed in a large circle right in the middle of McDonald's. What a way to start the morning! One more exciting announcement. I met with Tim Rowles from Abundant Faith and they have officially decided to support me!! I may also have the chance to speak there on a Wednesday night! Thanks again for all your prayers. I hope to start sending out my monthly support letter in April. I will be in Colorado for three weeks of spiritual, cultural, and team building training. That will be the highlight of the first newsletter! All the Glory to God!!
Matt

Meeting with a prayer team

Hey everybody! I just wanted to let you know that this coming Wednesday morning I am meeting with a group of ladies that are praying for me at McDonalds! Alright! I am very excited to meet them and share my ministry plans with them. They are already praying for me and don't even know me. How cool is that? Some more news. I had an excellent meeting with Steve Stewert from West Side Christian Church the other day. It is so enjoyable to share ministry plans with another person and to hear their plans as well. We really do serve an awesome God that loves His people! One more note. In just two and a half short weeks I am leaving for Colorado for 3 weeks of training. Pray that God would give me safe travel and really prepare my heart, soul, mind, and body for the ministry He has planned for me. If you have any prayer requests you would like me to pray for, please email me at mjohnson at teamexpansion dot org (replace at with @ and dot with . , this is to cut down on spam email) If you haven't received one of my prayer cards to hang on your refrigerator and would like one, you can email me your address as well and I will send you one!
All the Glory to God!!
Matt

Another Pray Request Answered!!

Thanks to all of you who were praying for my trip to Collinsville and Jacksonville. This weekend was a great trip. It was quite refreshing to spend time with some good friends and also a great time of sharing at their church. I was able to speak to the Sunday School class that my friends attend at their church, Copper Creek Christian Church. I think I encouraged some people in the Sunday school class and I was definitely encouraged by their enthusiasm. Thanks to all of you who prayed for my meeting with the missions board at First Christian Church in Jacksonville. They caught the vision for my ministry and decided to support me!! I now have 30% of my monthly budget raised! Thanks for your prayers, God is faithful and He does answer them!! I have a meeting with the head of the missions board from West Side Christian Church tomorrow. Please pray that God would speak through me at that meeting as well! To God goes all the Glory!!
Matt

Collinsville then Jacksonville...

Well, here I am at Tim and Liz Casey's house! It really is great to hang out with old college friends and reminisce about the past! I also had the opportunity to get a hold of a gentleman at First Christian Church in Jacksonville. I will be presenting to their missions board on Monday night! Please pray that God would guide that conversation as well! It is really exciting to see how God is opening doors for me to speak at multiple churches!! Thanks so much for all your prayer and support. I can't emphasize enough how important all of you are in my ministry! If you have any prayer requests please send them my way so I can pray for you!! To God goes all the glory!!
Matt

Another trip, some more prayers, another partner?

Well, this weekend I will be road tripping to the Collinsville/Belleville area this weekend. I am visiting some good friends from college, the semi newly married Tim and Liz Casey! I am also going to sit down with some of the leadership at their church and talk about my ministry in Venezuela! It is very exciting to see how God is opening doors for me to talk to people and how excited people have been so far to hear about God's plan for my life! Please pray that God would speak through me this weekend as I meet with them and cast God's vision for His ministry for me!! Thanks so much for all your prayers and support so far! To God goes all the glory!!

Matt

Prayer Request Answered!!

Thanks to all of you who have been praying for Koke Mill Christian Church to support me in my ministry! Monday night God answered that prayer! I now have 20% of my monthly budget raised! I am meeting with a gentleman from Abundant Faith Church on Thursday at 5:15pm. I am also eating breakfast with another man from Hope Evangelical Free Church on Friday morning at 6:30am. Pray that I would let God speak through me and that both of those churches would catch God's vision for the ministry He has laid out for me! Thanks so much for your continued prayers! God does answer!! To Him goes all the glory!!
Matt Johnson

New Update

Well, thanks to everyone that has picked up a prayer commitment card at church and turned one back in. I have about 15 prayer warriors right now!! I hope to have a list of about 75-100 some day. That is the goal. Here are a few more prayer requests. Pray for maintained relations between USA and Venezuela. It seems like the politics just get a little bit hairier everyday. I have a meeting scheduled March 10th with a missions board member from Hope Church. Pray that God would speak through me at that meeting and that they would consider partnering with me in my ministry! Well, that's about all I can think of now! Thank you so much for your support as this wouldn't be possible without God's people interceding in prayer! To God goes all the glory!
Matt

Prayer Warriors!!

Well, now that I am back from Candidate Lab in Louisville, KY, it is time to swing support raising into full gear! So, time to wake the prayer warriors! Yes, this is your chance to partner with me in my ministry to really see this thing to fruition! I am asking everyone to pray that God would raise up people and Churches that would desire to partner with me in my ministry! I hope to have a forwarding agent soon. I hope to start publishing support raising percentages so everyone knows how close I am to reaching my budget! Remember, I hope to be on the field by August! Again, to God goes all the glory! Philippians 4:6

Candidate Lab!!

Well, this week (Feb. 5th-11th) I am in picturesque Louisville, KY. I am currently in the middle of what they call Candidate Lab! It is all the ins and outs of what I need to get done before I leave for Venezuela. We have covered things such as prayer support, fundraising, forwarding agents, and a bunch of other things. And, there is more still to come, it's only Tuesday. Another prayer request: As of late I have really been feeling down. They say that everyone goes through the desert before their ministry time and I hope this is just my desert. Satan really does step up his level of attack when we step out to serve our Heavenly Father. It is very discouraging and emotionally, spiritually, and physically draining. Pray that I would seek God in the midst of all of this. I know I will come out stronger and more reliant on Him. This is what I desire, I just wish the desert part wasn't coupled with it. To God be the Glory in all that I do!!

And so it begins!!

Well, with much anticipation to what the deputation process is all about I officially started the financial fund raising ball rolling! It is a little bit easier going into this process knowing I have people praying for me and a prayer team assembled! Thanks to all of you for lifting up my request the other night. For those of you who don't know, I gave my first official presentation to a missions board yesterday. I presented in front of the missions board at my home church, Koke Mill Christian Church. I called a few people, last minute, and asked them to pray while I gave my presentation. Mostly praying that I would speak clearly and that I would cast the vision that God laid upon my heart after being in Venezuela this summer! The presentation itself went very well I thought. Please pray that Koke Mill CC would make the right decision as far as to what extent they want to partner with me as I endeavor to serve God in Venezuela! Thanks again for all your prayers and support! I hope to be setting up more appointments with more churches soon! August 17th is all too quickly approaching. Also, if you could be in prayer for the week of February 5th-11th. I will be traveling to Louisville, KY for training with my sending organization, Team Expansion. During this week I will be really setting up a time table for everything that must get done before I leave for the field in August. I also hope to have a job description and personal ministry plan established. Any questions? Feel free to email at mkjohnson1@gmail.com, or call my cell: 217-494-1836. To God be the glory!!!

Prayer Request Answered!

These are the type of posts I enjoy publishing. I hope to see lots more of these!
Thanks to all of you who have been praying that I might find a job. I had an interview on Friday, which I posted a prayer request for, and sure enough, Friday night I was offered the job! It is a temporary job I have until April 14th. This works out beautifully as I have training in Colorado for 3 weeks that starts April 17th! Man, God really works this stuff out really well. He is definitely way better at managing my time then I am! Well, more to come as God answers more prayers!!

Job Interview Prayer Request

Hey Guys!
Here is a new prayer request for everyone. I will be interviewing for a job on Friday and hopefully (if I get it) starting the following Monday. This has potential to be pretty sweet as it is a temporary job and ends right before my training will begin in Colorado! Not to mention I can pay for some of my training with the money I earn from this! Thank you everyone for all your continued support!

News and Views from Matt

Hello Everyone! I decided to create this blog to keep everyone updated on my desire to serve God in Venezuela! Hopefully I will visit this blog frequently and update it on all things related to me and Venezuela. Well for starters, I will be presenting my plan and heart to my church next Sunday, January 22nd. This will be a time for me to inform my church what my job will be in Venezuela, what things I will be doing specifically there, and my time frame for leaving. (Which by the way I hope to be leaving some time mid August, around the 17th hopefully).
February 6th-10th I have a week of training in Louisville, KY. During this time I will be writing out my personal ministry plan, learning all there is to know about my sending organization, Team Expansion, and learning the ins and outs of mission life. I would like to close each blog with my current prayer requests. The name of this blog says it all. Please pray for Venezuela and consider that to be an understood prayer request! My first would be my presentation at church. Pray that God would speak through me as I present my heart for the gospel and God's heart for the lost. Pray that individuals and churches would partner with me prayerfully and financially. I will be sending out individual support letters shortly and I will also be calling churches and talking with them as well. God Bless all of you!