June 19, 2023

David Johnson

June 2023 Update

June 19, 2023

David Johnson

Hey, Guys and Gals, sorry that this is so long in coming. A form of this was ready to send a month ago, but with what happened it didn’t get out. Now it needs some revising, and doing that while on medication is a monumental task. I started the other letter originally mentioning how crazy the weather is in April, 80 degrees one day snow the next, but now that it’s June, it is so irrelevant (at least it was irrelevant until this past weekend when it was 86 degrees on Saturday and 54 degrees on Sunday). So why the delay? That’s a great question which has a crazy answer.

Personal Update

I was having a lot of leg and back pain with all of the work we have been doing to renovate the new house. I tried the usual advice that doctors give, and yes, I’ve tried to walk it off. So when that failed to work and I couldn’t sleep at night, (I had just finally weaned myself off of Vicodin for back pain after 20 years; I was 2 years Vicodin-free) but the pain got to be too much and I had to go back on Vicodin. I went back to my doctor for an x-ray. They found a bone spur on the ball in the hip socket. Kellie says that I’m a “HIP-SPUR” and I can wear skinny jeans. (My friend Doug said if he ever catches me in skinny jeans he will slap me! Haha) I was sent to more physical therapy and to see an orthopedic specialist. The specialist told me that I don’t need to worry about the bone spur because I need a total hip replacement. I about fell off the table because of the shock. I mean I’m “38 years old,” (Tammy says I’m turning 60 August 9th but don’t believe her) I’m way too young to be getting a hip replaced. One of the church leaders from Kenosha said, “I guess all those miles you put on were city miles,” I had to laugh.

I had surgery on Tuesday, May 23rd, and true to my form, things never go as expected. The doctor said that it is a 2-step process to remove the hip bone…step 1 was to saw through the bone and step 2…I have no idea because he said it just popped right out after step 1, which is something he has never seen in 25 years of doing this surgery. He also said that it was really torn up and looked like a well-chewed Nylabone dog toy. They had to dislocate my hip 10 times to complete the surgery. He said that I could possibly leave the hospital same day and recover at home since I was scheduled for 7am surgery. However, I had a bad reaction to the anesthesia and was throwing up, shaky, and dizzy for three days. They were finally able to release me to go home on Thursday evening, and it took three people to get me into the house. Since then I’ve been trying to find the balance of getting off some of the meds and being on enough to do my physical therapy, or physical torture as I like to call it. My hip looks like I got bit by a shark, so I’ve added another lovely scar to the collection. All of that to say that the recovery is now going well.

City-Wide Prayer

The city-wide prayer nights have gone very well. Most in attendance have commented on sensing the Holy Spirit’s Presence. We have changed from once-a-month prayer to every-week prayer. And although numbers are not as high as I would like to see them, those who come are having an amazing time in prayer and meeting with God. We have also seen several physical healings through our time in prayer. We have several musicians volunteer their time to help lead us into God’s presence as we pray and it has been great! I have never asked anyone to lead us in worship during this time, yet there has been someone there each and every week.

Feeding Africa

The feeding programs in Kenya, East Africa, are still running because there is still a huge need to help people meet their daily needs. We consider it a joy to be able to continue helping provide for these families. With the cost of food and fuel rising, the food is not stretching as far as it once did, so they are not able to give as much food in the Kijabe program as they started out giving. Our friends who run this program have a shamba (farm) that helps to supplement the food bundles with fresh food when the rains allow for that. They are currently building a structure bit by bit for them to reside in so that their trek to and from the shamba daily will just be stepping out of their door! They could still use some money to complete this structure.

The Nairobi (Mathare) program has broken the families into 3 groups labeled Group A, Group B, and Group C, and they take turns getting food so each group is only getting food help once every 3 weeks. We are still looking for about $5,000 to help pay off the land (shamba) and make improvements for the Nairobi feeding program so they can use it to help supplement the program. We call this land SIFA BWANA which means, “Praise The Lord”. They are raising chickens and hope to grow vegetables to make this program more self-sustainable. If you would like to help, please let me know…who knows, maybe they will name a chicken after you!

As of June 4th, we have spent $154,120 on 1,389,960 meals. Thanks to all of you who have prayed and to all who have given! These meals and the words of Jesus that they are hearing when they pick up their food bundles have been life-changing for them. We know that money is tight, and we are all looking very carefully where it all goes. We are truly grateful that you consider giving through KPG a worthwhile investment. As of May 14th, we were currently about $7,110 behind and are looking for people who would be willing to help us meet these needs. Some may wonder if we are still sending money for food if we are this far behind…the answer is YES, we just take it from our own resources and watch God miraculously provide! If God is speaking to your heart about helping to feed these wonderful people, please press the link below. We appreciate it so much, along with those who are the recipients of your generosity. All gifts given for Feeding Africa go 100% to meeting some physical needs by providing food to these families. Having MONTHLY supporters is such a gift and helps us to know how much to anticipate having to disperse, though we also welcome ONE-TIME gifts!

Family

John and Marie just gave birth to their second son on April 22nd… Luke Elisha Myers. He was 7lbs 11.8 oz and 20” long. Luke and his older-brother-by-two-years, Elijah Isaac, both share the same birthday! All are doing well, and we praise God for the new addition to the Myers’ family. John, Marie, Elijah and Luke are settling nicely in Kenosha, Wisconsin. John has spent the past 10 years in Wellington, England. (Marie is British and has lived in England much longer!) John is working part time for Living Light Christian Church in the areas of youth and young adults, and part time for Youth For Christ. We are so excited to see how God will use John and Marie here in our midst!

From left: Zeke, Tammy, Roger, Sarah, Grace

We as a family are doing great despite the recent difficulties. We praise the Lord for His goodness and provision. If you would like to be a part of the ministry here with us, we are looking for both prayer partners and financial supporters. We covet your prayers as we know that that is how things get done in the Kingdom. If you would like to support our ministry financially, please click the Donate to Kingdom Partners button at the bottom of the page, and follow the instructions, or you can send a check to Kingdom Partners Global, 6015 60th Street, Kenosha, WI 53144.

Thank You

We are aware that we are asking for huge amounts of money, and that the needs never seem to be satisfied. This is 100% true! Most of the families who are being helped through these programs do not have steady work or income. It is truly a hand-to-mouth situation where they seek daily work and buy food on their way home to their families. When Tammy FaceTimes with the leaders of these two feeding programs, they are always moved to tears in their expressions of thankfulness, humility, and joy! They and the mothers whom they interview periodically have said that without a doubt, they know that some of their children would not still be here if God were not providing food for their families. Miraculously, some of these mamas have taken in other children from families who cannot afford to feed their children. Their generosity and willingness to help others in their community remind me so much of the first church in the Book of Acts. We may never know till heaven just how much this support has helped these precious families. We thank you each so very much! May God richly bless you!

Click the link below to give online. If you are giving by check, please send your check to the address listed below; do not put our name on the check, but make checks payable to Kingdom Partners Global. All checks will go towards our personal support unless stated otherwise. You will receive a receipt for tax purposes. Thank you so much for being a part of the ministry with us.

Kingdom Partners Global Inc.
6015 60th Street
Kenosha, WI 53144

- Roger Myers
Executive Director

Donate To Kingdom Partners

Donate to Feeding Africa

December 28, 2022

David Johnson

Feeding Africa, Updates

December 2022 Update: Merry Christmas! Happy New Year!

December 28, 2022

David Johnson

Feeding Africa, Updates

The Lord Provides

Tammy and I hope your celebration of the birth of our Savior was full of awe, wonder, and gratitude! We have been watching God do miracle after miracle for the past 6 months and now the need for an update can wait no longer. As we mentioned in our last letter, we needed to be out of our home at the end of November, but we have been able to extend that to the end of December. As some of you already know, we have purchased a house. Actually, more truthfully, we purchased 1/2 a house in the middle of September. Let’s back up and start at the beginning…

Sadly, our landlord Gordon passed away in 2021. He was a wonderfully generous man who allowed us to rent our home for a very reasonable price (for 19+ years) so that we could do ministry in the area. After his passing, his wife let us know in May of 2022 that she wanted to sell the home and gave us a 6-month notice to move, of which we are very grateful! As we began looking for a place, we became very discouraged at what we saw in terms of homes for sale and their prices.

As we were praying and looking, our daughter Kellie and her husband David, told us they had been praying for the past year, and felt God telling them to sell their home and purchase something together with us, so we began to look at duplexes. When we saw what was listed in that arena, it was also very discouraging.

We told our realtor what we had in mind, and she sent us a listing for a home with a business attached that was way out of our price range. Even though it was out of our price range, she told us just to go look at it. As we walked through the home, God began to speak to Tammy’s heart that this was the place. She decided to write a letter to the owners of the home and shared with them our situation and what we do for a living and what David does (he is a pastor, free-lance photographer and has a business called KDM along with my brother Matt and our friend Kirby) and asked if they would be willing to come down in the price. They called us back 6 hrs after getting Tammy’s letter, and they dropped the price $55,000…we were blown away! Even still, the home was beyond what we could afford, but we felt the faith to keep stepping forward and trusting God and He provided! We closed on the new home on September 16th!

Our new house at 6015 60th Street Kenosha, WI 53144. Photo taken the day we closed on the home.
From left: Zeke, Kaylee, Tammy, Roger, Sarah, Grace, Kellie, Paul Lando, and David.

Since David and Kellie needed to be out of their home 2 days after closing, they moved into the home side with their two children Kaylee and Paul Lando. Our side was in need of bathrooms, bedrooms, and a kitchen to make it livable. God began bringing generous people to help these things come to pass…providing large amounts of time, money, expertise, labor and love… Needless to say, it’s been a full-time job and a labor of love getting this place to a point where we can move in. Our kids were so excited to pick their own paint and help paint their rooms. However, we needed to build walls first, then put in electrical wiring, then drywall, tape, mud, flooring, etc. The work has been non-stop since we signed the papers!

Basement area when we moved in

Volunteers helping us putt up walls for the kids bedrooms.

Framing the bedrooms

Basement area with the three bedrooms framed out

Putting in insulation

Laying flooring

Laying flooring in Zeke’s bedroom

New flooring and paint in Tammy & my bedroom

Our bedroom as of today.

Grace’s room as of today

Sarah’s room as of today

Zeke’s room as of today.

Area just outside of the kids bedrooms. We still have to put doors on and lay the flooring here.

The living room area didn’t have windows so we had windows installed.

Some paint and windows makes a big difference.

Cabinets installed in the kitchen.

How the Kitchen/Living Room looks today.

bathroom 1 in progress

bathroom 2 in progress

Finally, our move-in process started December 17 since we figured we might not be able to get helping hands over the Christmas or New Years weekends. Although we have so much still to do (there is only a half bath, and the kitchen and laundry areas are not hooked up to water and gas), we started the move. All of the appliances and furniture have been moved, and we have beds set up. We still do not have doors on the kids rooms, a working kitchen or finished bathrooms but this too will come to completion someday soon. We do have one working toilet for which we are extremely grateful, and David and Kellie are graciously sharing one of their bathrooms, their laundry facilities and their kitchen with us. It has been so amazing to see God’s provision in this process, it has truly been one miracle after another. God’s hand is so clearly evident.

We of course want to say a HUGE THANK YOU to everyone who has helped us! From the prayers, to the financial support, to those who have helped carry boxes, beds, and appliances, to the men who helped us frame walls, drywall, run electrical, lay flooring, and run HVAC, we are so so grateful! Thank you, thank you!

Our new address is as follows: 6015 60th Street Kenosha, WI 53144. (This is also the NEW KINGDOM PARTNERS GLOBAL ADDRESS). So stop by and get the box tour (every room filled with boxes). Pray for us as we try to bring order to the chaos. Also, please pray for my body and healing. My legs and hips have been compensating for my back, and now I have excruciating pain in my legs from all the work and have extreme difficulty sleeping as I can’t find a position that does not generate pain down my legs.

Feeding Africa

We are still helping families outside of Nairobi Kenya with meals.

Feeding Africa is still up and running as we continue to meet the needs of families who cannot meet those needs themselves. We are continuing to help feed 1,000 people in Kenya who do not have the means to adequately feed their families due to the lasting effects of the pandemic, global food crisis, and inflation. As you may recall, we passed the one-millionth-meal milestone in May. As of January 1, 2023, we will have spent $137,070 and served 1,235,960 meals. It continues to boggle my mind as to what a difference a small group of us can make.

As we look to close out the year, we are in a critical spot…we are $9,235 in the red for Feeding Africa. If God is touching your heart to help meet this need, your financial help would be much appreciated. Please click the Donate to Feeding Africa button at the bottom of this update. It has truly been amazing how we can come together and make an impact and change peoples lives doing what the scriptures call us to do as Christians in this world, being the hands and feet of Jesus.

“Then these righteous ones will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink?’… And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these, my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’”
— Matthew 25:37&40 NLT

If God is not calling you to give to Feeding Africa, that is totally fine, just give to where He is calling you to give. He has not blessed us with an abundance just so we can squander it on ourselves, but so that we can be a shining light in a fallen world, especially in times like these.

Sifa Bwana Project - (means “Praise the Lord” in Swahili)

We continue to work on helping to make our feeding programs become a bit more sustainable. We are in the process of helping our Nairobi feeding program acquire a piece of property to grow vegetables that will supplement food they hand out as well as beginning to raise chickens. We have currently paid for half the property, built a chicken coop and purchased four chickens who have already hatched 6 baby chicks! It’s a small start, but we are hopeful. If you feel that you can financially help us with the Sifa Bwana project, please contact me at roger@kingdompg.org and let me know.

Family

Our son, John, his wife, Marie and their son, Elijah

Our Son, David, and his wife, Amy visiting the gravesite of their son, John Samuel on Christmas Day.

On the home front, John, Marie, and Elijah are moving back to the area January 8th, and will be looking to settle here for awhile. It has been 10 years since John left Wisconsin to help with a church plant in England, and so much has changed since then. It will be great to have them so close and to be able to see them without spending a $1,000+ to fly over the pond! Koral, Divan, and Joel will also be visiting in January — so we will be celebrating a late Myers’ family Christmas. We haven’t all been together since Koral’s wedding so there is a lot of excitement going on at the Myers’ house.

As many of you know, David and Amy’s son, John Samuel, arrived in March at only 18.5 weeks gestation and is with Jesus. While they have had huge faith in it all and are clinging to Jesus, it has been a very difficult season. Please pray for the Lord to bring them comfort and for a miracle for them to conceive again!