December, 2009
The Johnson Family Journal
The last three fourths of 2009 have been some of the most emotionally charged months of our family’s lives. In April, we experienced the sudden loss of our sister in law, Susan Johnson (age 42). In May, we lost our Sr. Pastor’s wife from Y.C.C., dear friend and mentor Aldeana Hinkle (age 66). In June, we lost Steve’s grandfather; Gabriel Gomes (age 87). In September, we lost my former father in law, Jack Kramer (age 88). Although we felt such tremendous loss with each of these graduations, we rejoice in the memories, and praise God for the gift of their lives here on earth. We celebrate with the angels in heaven over their promotions.
In June, we also celebrated one of the most joyous occasions of this year; our daughter, Nicole, wed Joel McCoy of Bakersfield. It was an incredible day of blessing as we celebrated the union of two young Christian lives becoming one. Nicole was the most beautiful bride – ever, and Joel wore the biggest grin you can imagine as they were joined in matrimony. They now reside in La Veen, Arizona, where Joel has been serving as Music Pastor at La Veen Baptist Church.
Also in June, Steve and several of the men within the Hands of Mercy ministry were able to serve and fish in Alaska. They were part of a building crew for Knepper’s Alaskan Fish Camp, Ninilchik, Alaska (A Christian ministry in the wilds of Alaska). They fished!
July and August brought many groups to Rancho Casitas which kept us out of any other trouble. We had seen quite a reduction in the size of our groups with the fall out fear of the Swine Flu and reports of violence. We also began the life changing tour from Focus on the Family entitled The Truth Project. We have been so challenged and drawn closer to our Lord by this tour.
By mid September, both boys were out of braces and in the 4th and 6th grades. Steve has stepped up as their new Math and Bible teacher beginning their days. Now I am free to catch up on Soap Operas and eat Bon Bons – Ha! Steve took a 12 day sabbatical for a short term mission trip to Ethiopia. In his absence, things really began to heat up, literally! A fire began east of Rancho Casitas on September 23rd, and by Steve’s return on the 28th it had moved within a mile or so of us. On the morning of the 29th, approximately 25 Bomberos and 80 Militarios had moved into the area. With the assistance of a helicopter they began to monitor and fight the fire. We were blessed by the opportunity to witness, feed, and provide shelter to those who stayed in camp.
On October 1st the fire reached the Ranch. It was as if God drew a line on the property just short of our homes, and allowed them to be spared. There were so many miracles witnessed during that time; too many to list in this newsletter. Go to our website at www.handsofmercy.com to read more about the fire and view some of the pictures.
In November we were invited by Calvary Bible Church of Bakersfield to build homes in Mulege which had been ravaged by Hurricane Jimena on September 2nd. We built 5 homes in three days and 5 souls were saved for the kingdom. We rounded out November with a trip to The Bridge in Bakersfield for their Mission Sunday, our 1st Thanksgiving at Rancho Casitas, and Micah’s 11th birthday.
As always, we are so grateful that God brought us here and allows us to serve Him in this place. In the words of Brian McCoy, “We thought we might have been a prescription for Mexico, but as it turns out; Mexico has been a prescription for our family.”God is doing a mighty work in our lives; molding and changing us in the process. We are also grateful for all the saints who faithfully support us in prayer and finances. You are our lifeline and we praise God for all of you! We wish you blessings for Christmas and the New Year to come. May you draw ever closer to our Lord and Savior and know His presence in deeper ways.
We’d love to see you this coming year at Rancho Casitas. We’d love to hear from you anytime as well, either via email, snail mail, or phone. Until then, be blessed!
In His love, Steve, Sara Lee, Micah, and Josiah

Johnson Update

The Johnson Family Journal

Saludos de Baja (Greetings from Baja),

Wow! It’s hard to believe that we’ve lived in Baja for a year already! This March marks our 4th year with the ministry, and this month marks our 2nd month of living at Rancho Casitas.
We moved to our new home at Rancho Casitas on October 7th. The home we’ve been blessed with is absolutely beautiful and we are so grateful to so many for their efforts. Thank you! The true beauty lies within the memories of all those who gave sacrificially of their time, talents, prayers, and finances during the building process. Our main room serves as our kitchen, dining room, living room, and homeschool room. Streams of golden sunlight permeate the room throughout the day which allows us to live without power from the generator until the late afternoon. Our refrigerator and stove both run on propane. We have to travel the 9 mile dirt road to do any shopping, (it’s a one hour journey one way) we try to keep that to once a week (stocking up is of necessity). There is no actual address, but we do have GPS coordinates. All in all, it’s an incredible place to live and raise a family – we are truly blessed!
The boys love living at the Ranch! There is so much freedom for them to roam around and get dirty. They have developed a love for golf (no, I did not pray for that) and play most days right off the dirt. I recently overheard Steve threatening to take away their golf clubs as a form of discipline. They straightened right up! Micah is 10 and is in the 5th grade and Josiah is 8 and in the 3rd grade.
Over the past year, my faith has been stretched as I’ve grappled with the reality of living in a foreign country (I’m sure other members of our family would agree). What if this wasn’t where God was calling us? (We have been so blessed I could almost laugh at that thought). Should we really have left good friends, a good church, and a wonderful support group? What if our support runs low? (It has) What if one of us gets really sick? (We’ve had our share of sicknesses). Will our children ever have friends? (They do). Will I? (I do). For 10 months of this time, we’d all been shuffling back and forth to the “Ranch”, living in our 12 x 12 loft house on the weekends when groups were at camp. In addition, we were living out of boxes and in the midst of construction.
To be honest; the road hasn’t always been easy. But, as we have sought the Lord’s strength and guidance we’ve come to an even greater awareness that we have to rest in and stay dependent upon Him. In turn, He has lovingly blessed us with more joy and contentment than we’ve ever known in our lives. We just need to be faithful and go where He calls us, living one day at a time and trust in Him regardless of what comes. We’re best to keep our focus on Him alone and not the “what if’s.” God has supplied 100 families in this area with loft houses this year. We’re grateful to be on His team and watch His work.
We consider ourselves fortunate to serve with such incredible, godly, loving families here at Rancho Casitas. The Van Nes’s and the McCoy’s are a gift and a pleasure to serve along side with.
As we approach the time we honor the “Greatest Gift of All”, we are reminded that His birth, life, and victory over sin and death all are cause for celebration. We thank Him for blessing our lives with so many faithful partners in prayer and giving. We value each of you as you continue to minister to us in these ways. We are encouraged by the investment you’ve made in our lives and this ministry.

As always, we are ever grateful to be in His Hands of Mercy,
Blessings for 2009
Steve, Sara, Micah and Josiah

Correspondence may be sent to: Hands of Mercy P.O. Box 7818 Redlands, CA 92375
tinmanof3@msn.com or forehim7@msn.com
(Steve) (Sara)