En route to India

We officially left for India yesterday morning on our five day journey to our first stop in Bangalore. People keep asking me if I'm nervous. To be honest I think I could get away with being nervous as its my first trip to another country outside the South America and North America continent. The food, smells, everything that I can imagine will be a culture shock that I have seen in movies or learned about over the last 3 months as a mission school student. It's my turn now to overcome cultural barriers and be light and salt to this nation. I've heard you either like or hate India, guess I still have to time to decide where I stand!

Isabel and her rose

  Last Sunday was Mother's Day here in Argentina. Most mother's are given flowers or candy and showered with love, after all she is the most important person in the house for every latin male under 30! I made some chocolate cookies and gave them to special moms in my life. In the afternoon I headed off to church like every Sunday and arrived early so I got the best parking spot, right at the door of the church. As I pulled out my makeup bag I noticed there was a lady sitting outside the steps of the church with a flower in her hand. I noticed she was crying and trying to hide it, but not doing a good job especially on the front steps of a large church. I got out of the car and approached her carefully, asking if she was ok. She then opened up to me about her daughter's problems with drugs and such, all this with a flower in her hand. It was obvious someone appreciated all she did for her family. I told her God had created her to know Him and know she was loved, and that He sacrificed everything for our sins. She began to listen when I spoke of the hope that is found in Christ, and that she was beautiful like the flower in her hands. We prayed together outside the church and she received Jesus. I know that God had planned for Isabel to sit outside the church to cry and find someone to listen to her. May we always be the right place at the right time to be there for those beautiful people like Isabel.

How you can help!!

Every YWAMer must find their own support for ministry and travels. Maybe you can't be here with me but by praying and giving, you can be a "rope holder," someone who is committed to contributing to my personal and ministry needs here in Argentina!! Here is the link to my paypal account.

You can also send give through my tax deductible YWAM account. Send checks to: YWAM Accounting PO Box 3000 Garden Valley, TX 75771. Please make the check out to YWAM and indicate it is for "Alicia Johnson" on a SEPARATE NOTE!!

 Susan Gudgeon is a friend of mine and has her own line of natural beauty products. The line is called Landera. Susanis is going to donate 25% of all purchases in November and December to my ministry, amd match the earnings with a minimum of 500 dollar gift! Try her products and help fund a missionary in Argentina!!!
 The website line is:
 Landera Spa Collection Missionary offering

This is what Mendoza Ropes Course is about!

Micky and her dog

  Micky is a 21 year old homeless girl living in Portland. She is also addicted to meth. I was not aware of this as she walked up to our group a few week ago. We had come to Portland to serve with a homeless ministry.  My group was supposed to be on a prayer walk over the city. It was during that walk when Micky came up to us crying and asking for money because her boyfriend had beat her and she left him. Obviously a young girl with a dog in such a situation does not want to sleep out on the streets. A girl in the group said she could help her and we walked around for some time looking for a cheap hotel to put her in. We also were able to pray for her and encourage her through such a tough decision she had finally made to start over without this loser. That night we got her a room and said goodbye to her under the assumption she was returning to her home back east the next day on a bus.

  That was the end of Micky until a week later when I returned to the streets, this time handing out food. Our group ran into Micky on the streets again, this time it really looked like she had been beaten. She began to cry when she saw me and said she was not able to take a bus that allowed the dog with her so she went back to the boyfriend and he beat her again. I recognized the huge potholes on her face as signs of meth use and was hurt and angered by her lies and deceit. That night we met up under a bridge where hundreds of people come to eat and find fellowship. This girl was probably just one among many users, and her lifepath is definitely unique to mine. Everyone there had a story to tell, a story that opens up the way to helplessness, addictions, depression, sickness, and maybe even giving up on everything. That can happen when everyone around you gives up on you. Micky was happy enough with her little dog and panhandling for drug money. Maybe she does want to change, but only God knows her heart. Meanwhile I had to force down my judgment and criticism, and just love her. She needed a place to sleep and we helped her. She was hungry so we fed her. She needed love and the Lord was with her as we prayed. So many people need help, so many need love, how am I responding to those needs?

 Lord help Micky turn to you and remember those moments where she felt your love. Keep her safe on the streets at night. Continue putting people like Micky in my life so I may never live by own expectations, but for yours. Risks are worth taking when I know you put them before me!! Amen

Adventures in Traveling!

  Travel story on my way to Oregon from Mendoza!!

  

     I arrived at the Santiago airport in Chile with time to spare after taking a full day bus trip over the Andes Mountains. The airlines I bought my ticket from was not open and after further investigation I found out my flight did not actually exist from that airport. Instead it was leaving from Santiago of the Dominican Republic. Apparently the flight agent had mixed up the airports for my flight. There was nothing I could do except buy a one way ticket to Houston on my card. When I got to Houston I booked another flight to Portland. It was an exhausting and very stressful 2 days of traveling, but God was faithful to our prayers and the agent recognized his mistake and paid me back. I will have to buy another one way ticket back to Argentina.