Jackie's Journey " Alexandra's Allegory"

Miss Dana Point and my real Princess…

“Now, it was roughly 3 o’clock in the afternoon and I was experiencing a deep midday slump. I had hustled to the gym earlier that same morning and then proceeded to aggressively attack homework assignments into the afternoon. I was feeling overwhelmed with the craziness of life and found myself trapped once again in a mindset I fight so hard to overcome. 

I sat on my bed thinking to myself, “When will I know what my career will be?, When will I feel like I am living life to its fullest?, When will the love of my life propose?, Does everyone have days where they feel a lacking of purpose?”. As I wallowed in discontentment with where God currently has me in life.  I heard a bold knock on my bedroom door. Before I could gather the words to say “come in” the door had already flung open, and “Patience” stood there glaring at me with a peaceful smirk. 

“Quiet down!” she said as I stared back at her. “I’m not making any noise!”, I shouted. She chuckled, “Your thoughts are so loud I could hear them echoing through the hallway!”. Patience then took a seat on the end of my bed and proceeded to ask me why I’m feeling overwhelmed when I know that I am living amid God’s plans. She took me by the hands, and I began to explain to her the mindset that overtakes me; this constant race to ‘what’s next’. 

Patience smiled great big and said, “Although you are praying for God’s plans for the future, you forget that you are currently living out what you prayed for in the past”. She added, “Only a heart of gratitude will yield contentment with current circumstances”. 

Suddenly, the gloomy cloud of anxiousness passed over me. Patience reminded me that when I focus only on the future I miss out on the present and ‘time’ is something that I can never regain. 

So, from that point on I went about the rest of my day praising God and seeking out ways to better express gratitude for the present and all its unknowns”. 

This Blog was recently written as an allegory by my granddaughter, Alexandra Grace.

The prayer of the “comfort and convenient” seeking American woman is, “Dear God, I pray for patience. And I want it right now!”  In Bible School, the standing joke was, “never pray for patience because that’s when the trials come!”  Of course, as moms, we see that the struggle is the opportunity to accept it with joy and grow.  The trial is our friend.  Our anger is best controlled when our choices include exercising patience!  John Dewey said, “Patience is the most useful of the virtues.”  

Go out this week and choose, as my granddaughter did in her allegory…

to rest in God’s perfect timing …

and start giving thanks for yesterdays answered prayer 

and enjoying the contentment of todays present…

~Jackie Johnson - I am a former tribal missionary to the Kuna Indians on the Colombian border in Central America.  Fluent in several languages, my husband and I currently pastor a Spanish-speaking church in Southern California.  My passion is mentoring and equipping dedicated young women for life, marriage, motherhood, and beyond. I am the mother of two daughters and the grandmother of three Princesses and four young Knights. 

Jackie's Journey "Some Contagious Things are Worth Catching!"

While living deep in the Darien jungle of Panama, we occasionally were entertained by little river otters and their playful antics.  One day an orphaned otter followed one of us home.  His talented acrobatic ways won us over, as he attached himself to David, our partners teenage son. There wasn’t anywhere David went that “his hyper-active, pint-sized otter” wouldn’t shadow.  This happy creature had a joyful and adventuresome spirit.  He could slide into the river without making a splash and could stay underwater four minutes!

 I found myself observing his happy-go-lucky attitude, as he totally trusted his new master, and as he merrily went about his day.  His cheerfulness oiled the machinery of his life and he was gliding through with grace!  It was contagious and I wanted some of that oil!  Many people go through life with their soul, like the dry axle, creaking…I did not want to be one of those!

 We had been in Pucuro, our river village, for almost three years and the Kuna’s had grown accustomed to us and were spending more and more time in our house.  Before light, we would hear a friendly call from outside our screen door, “Could we trade a little oil for 2 eggs?”  Our day, then, blurred into regular activities: like washing two dozen diapers in the river after a quick breakfast of fish and rice; then, language and linguistics study. The small medical clinic had taken off, as the Kunas had come to trust us and allowed us to give T.B. injections, deliver their babies, suture their injuries, etc.  Sweeping the entire village, two times a week with large palm leaves had become routine. Christina’s Abeka home-schooling course had begun and she was thriving.  Kim was almost three and loved jungle living and life with her dog, Tinker and multiple cats (they ate the rats and vampire-bats!).

 My busy days and little sleep identified me as one of those axles that needed some of this otter’s oil of optimistic enthusiasm!  “A merry heart makes a cheerful countenance…” Pro. 15: 13   “Now, listen to me (God says),because those who follow My ways are happy.”  Pro. 8:32   If I am not expressing God’s cheerfulness to those around me, I need to make a change!  If I follow HIS will and ways…the promise is, I will be optimistically contagious and walk happy, energized and with a merry heart. I’m choosing His will and ways over my own today...

 How about you?

 Enthusiasm is contagious and so is gloom!

 Which are your children and those around you catching from you??

~Jackie Johnson - I am a former tribal missionary to the Kuna Indians on the Colombian border in Central America.  Fluent in several languages, my husband and I currently pastor a Spanish-speaking church in Southern California.  My passion is mentoring and equipping dedicated young women for life, marriage, motherhood, and beyond. I am the mother of two daughters and the grandmother of three Princesses and four young Knights. 

Jackie's Journey "The Price of Liberty"

“We hold these truths to be self-evident:  That all men created equal,

that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights,

that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”

 We are all familiar with these words but, not so well-known, the concluding words of the Declaration of Independence reads, “And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes and our sacred Honor.”  Fifty-six signatures of great patriots follow these profound words. These were the American heroes to the core!

 And what did they get for pledging their lives, fortunes and honor for our country?  

·      Five signers were captured by the British as traitors and tortured before they died.

·      Twelve had their homes ransacked and burned.

·      Nine of the 56 fought and died from wounds or hardships of the Revolutionary War.

·      Carter Braxton of Virginia, a wealthy planter and trader, saw his ships swept from the seas by the British Navy.  He sold his home and property to pay his debts and died in rags.

·      Thomas McKean was so hounded by the British that he was forced to move his family almost constantly.  He served in Congress without pay and his family was kept in hiding.  His possessions were taken from him and poverty was his reward.

·      Vandals or soldiers looted the properties of Dillery, Hall, Clymer, Walton, Gwinett, Heyward, Ruttledge, and Middleton.

·      At the battle of Yorktown, Thomas Nelson, Jr. noted that the British General Cornwalls had taken over his home for his headquarters. He quietly urged General George Washington to open fire.  The home was destroyed and Nelson died bankrupt.

·      Francis Lewis had his home and properties destroyed.  The enemy jailed his wife and she died within a few months.

·      John Hart was driven from his wife’s bedside as she was dying.  Their 13 children fled for their lives.  His fields and his gristmill were laid to waste.  For more than a year he lived in forests and caves, returning home to find his wife dead and his children vanished.  A few weeks later he died from exhaustion and a broken heart.  Norris and Livingston suffered similar fates.

 Such were the stories and sacrifice of the great Declaration of Independence and the American Revolution.  These great men were not wild-eyed, rebellious ruffians.  They were soft-spoken men of means and education. They had security…but they valued liberty more!

 So… this July 4th, as we celebrate our freedoms with family and friends,

take a few minutes to silently thank these founding fathers 

who paid such a great price for America’s freedom?

 Freedom is never free!

~Jackie Johnson - I am a former tribal missionary to the Kuna Indians on the Colombian border in Central America.  Fluent in several languages, my husband and I currently pastor a Spanish-speaking church in Southern California.  My passion is mentoring and equipping dedicated young women for life, marriage, motherhood, and beyond. I am the mother of two daughters and the grandmother of three Princesses and four young Knights. 

Jackie's Journey "God Has a Big Eraser!"

These were a gift from my daughters, Christina and Kim, over 40 years ago!

I have forever been intrigued by lambs.  They are docile and are crowd followers.  They are submissive and easily led.  They do not utter a sound when they lose their warm wool coats while being sheared or even when they lose their lives!  What they give is for the benefit of the lives of those who took it from them!

 Sheep are instructors of one of the most valuable character qualities known to mankind.  Without it, we find ourselves adrift and separated from both God and man.  Without it, we become angry and bitter.  The fruit of its absence is unresolved relationships and needless stress. Our children watch and adopt the same negative response to life’s situations, with the same harmful results! “Parents, so often, are the persons wondering why the streams are bitter, when they themselves have poisoned the fountain.” John Locke

 I was recently talking to a young married woman in ministry, who assured me that she knew the problem she had with this other person was her problem, but she could not do what is required of her to resolve the conflict in her heart and re-establish her relationship with God.

 Are you wondering what invaluable character quality we are talking about?

 “It is nobler to forgive. ‘Love your enemies…bless them that curse you…

do good to them that hate you…pray for them that use you ill’…

these are the commands of the blessed Savior of men.”  Noah Webster

 When asking forgiveness from God, He tells us to go to the offended brother first and make things right…and then come to the altar. Matt. 6: 24 Forgiveness is when we release our offenders from angry and resentful reactions and instead look for ways to benefit their lives. 

 We always have the choice.  We can blame and poison the fountain, where those following us drink!  Who is more important in God’s eyes?  Can God forgive us, if we refuse to forgive others?  Of course not!! Eph. 4: 32  What entitlement do we have that would keep us from forgiving, as we have been forgiven? Mark 11: 25  “He who cannot forgive others breaks the bridge over which he must pass himself.” George Herbert  

Do you forgive others quickly?

or

Do you blame and allow your anger to become toxic?

Booker T. Washington said, “I will not permit any man to narrow 

and degrade my soul by making me hate him.”

~Jackie Johnson - I am a former tribal missionary to the Kuna Indians on the Colombian border in Central America.  Fluent in several languages, my husband and I currently pastor a Spanish-speaking church in Southern California.  My passion is mentoring and equipping dedicated young women for life, marriage, motherhood, and beyond. I am the mother of two daughters and the grandmother of three Princesses and four young Knights. 

Jackie's Journey "Forgotten Father's!"

 “It was Grandfather’s birthday.  He was 79.  He got up early, showered, combed his hair and put on his Sunday best so he would look nice when they came.

 He skipped his daily walk to the town café where he had coffee with his cronies.  He wanted to be home when they came.

 He put his porch chair on the sidewalk so he could get a better view of the street when they drove up to help celebrate his birthday.

 At noon he got tired but decided to forgo his nap so he could be there when they came.  Most of the rest of the afternoon he spent near the telephone so he could answer it when they called.

 His has five married children, 13 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.  One son and daughter live within 10 miles of his place.  They hadn’t visited him for a long time.  But today was his birthday and they were sure to come.

 At suppertime he left the cake untouched so they could cut it and have dessert with him.

 After supper he sat on the porch waiting.

 At 8:30 he went to his room to prepare for bed.  Before retiring he left a note on the door, which read, “Be sure to wake me up when you come.”

 It was Grandfather’s birthday.  He was 79.”

 This fell out of my Dad’s bible when I picked it up to read while visiting my Mom.  My Mother had read it in Ann Lander’s daily advice column many years ago.  It so touched my heart for lonely and forgotten father’s and grandfather’s that I decided to share it with you.

 Yesterday was Father’s Day…did you remember to celebrate your father and grandfather?

 This was worth repeating again this year…

My never-forgotten, wonderful Father…

~Jackie Johnson - I am a former tribal missionary to the Kuna Indians on the Colombian border in Central America.  Fluent in several languages, my husband and I currently pastor a Spanish-speaking church in Southern California.  My passion is mentoring and equipping dedicated young women for life, marriage, motherhood, and beyond. I am the mother of two daughters and the grandmother of three Princesses and four young Knights. 

Jackie's Journey "Cosmic Treason!"

Troubled cosmos taken from my bedroom window…

Which is it, moms?  If your child came and asked you, “What is the difference between good and evil?”  How would you answer? I am the mother of two grown married daughters and the grandmother of seven; six of them, college age young people.  As parents, getting our children ready for “life” means teaching our children to distinguish between right and wrong.  In this turned upside down culture, it is imperative as they stand on the threshold of life, that they are prepared and able to discern “good and evil” to find God’s will in their life-changing decisions. 

Where is that “plumb-line”?

 The explosion of youth crime, drugs, alcoholism, domestic violence, unwed mothers, abortion, sexually transmitted diseases, etc.…can be traced back to the removal of an absolute standard of right and wrong.  Who dropped the ball?  Is it not us, moms, that will stand and be blamed for not taking God’s Law (the Ten Commandments and the understanding of the consequence of disobedience) and searing them on the hearts and minds of our children?   (It’s always mom’s fault, isn’t it?) 

 “The instances are exceedingly rare of man immediately passing over a clear marked line from virtue into declared vice and corruption.  There are middle tints and shades between two extremes; there is something uncertain on the confines of the two empires which they must pass through, and which renders the change easy and imperceptible.” Edmund Burke

 We live in a world of “gray areas”.  Compromise in our own lives validates the “acceptable sins” being introduced into the lives of our children.  In today’s world, sin is not called sin, so we don’t have to deal with it, right?  WRONG!   Our children learn that our anger (or whatever it is, that you hold on to) ….is acceptable, without consequence.  God says there is a consequence for all sin.  You can be forgiven, but you still have the consequence of the sin to deal with.  Hence, the importance of clarity to our little ones regarding “right and wrong”.  There is to be no betrayal of truth within us.

 “…Imagine Moses agreeing to take part in a panel discussion with Israel over the golden calf; or Elijah engaging in a gentlemanly dialogue with the prophets of Baal.  Or try to picture our Lord Jesus Christ seeking a meeting of minds with the Pharisees to iron out differences.”! A.W. Tozer   We are to teach an allegiance to biblical truth without compromise, regardless, if it is considered popular or not. Or if the masses have accepted it as normal, not sin.

 Sin is cosmic treason. R.C. Sproul   Billy Sunday used to say, “One reason sin flourishes is that it is treated like a cream puff instead of a rattlesnake!”  James 4: 17 is the biblical definition of sin.  “To Him who knows to do right and does not do it…to him it is sin.” Using God’s definition for sin brings truth into the light.  

Let’s not forget, moms… our children are watching, imitating, 

repeating and reproducing our “right and wrongs”!  

Let’s not betray their trust…

~Jackie Johnson - I am a former tribal missionary to the Kuna Indians on the Colombian border in Central America.  Fluent in several languages, my husband and I currently pastor a Spanish-speaking church in Southern California.  My passion is mentoring and equipping dedicated young women for life, marriage, motherhood, and beyond. I am the mother of two daughters and the grandmother of three Princesses and four young Knights. 

Jackie's Journey "Have You Run with the Footmen?"

As moms, we often find ourselves overextended, fatigued and distracted.  Having the schools open again would be a reprieve from the current state of continual answerability.  We find ourselves finding comfort in conversations with others in the same circumstances.  Overloaded and feeling out-of-control…these are the words that express our position, with blame and misunderstanding, the key tones for our troubled attitude.  The very word “endurance” conjures up more “long-suffering” with constant noise and activity! How does one reconcile the given responsibilities with the “tangle” we often find ourselves in?

 “If you have run with footmen and they have tired you out,

then how can you compete with horses?

If you fall down in the land of peace,

how will you do in the thicket of Jordan? Jeremiah 12: 5

 Failing to see the opportunity in our circumstances is paramount to “missing the motherhood-boat” entirely!  The sisterhood of our commission to the success of our children is a concentrated obligation with the job description written into it.  The task is hardy and we will be accountable.  The fruit of our investment and labor is known and read by all who come in contact with us and our children.  

 Frustration and failure are a part of the package.

 When the Confederate army retreated after Gettysburg, General Lee wrote: “We must expect reverses, even defeats.  They are sent to teach us wisdom and prudence, to call forth greater energies, and to prevent our falling into greater disasters…”  This is true of the individual life. There is no retreat.  We are at war for the hearts and minds of our children.  

 Thankfully, failure is the line of least persistence. Determination and perseverance are engraved on the heart of every loving and dedicated mom.  They are scripted with a call to excellence and excellence is never cheap.  It is costly. Constant care, serious preparation and continual application are required.  Excellence involves desire plus discipline plus determination.

 Let’s be found “running with the footmen” this week.

True to our calling and committed to enduring the course

for the benefit of those that will carry the banner into the next generation.

~Jackie Johnson - I am a former tribal missionary to the Kuna Indians on the Colombian border in Central America.  Fluent in several languages, my husband and I currently pastor a Spanish-speaking church in Southern California.  My passion is mentoring and equipping dedicated young women for life, marriage, motherhood, and beyond. I am the mother of two daughters and the grandmother of three Princesses and four young Knights. 

Jackie's Journey "Life Unraveling!"

 “Though he slay me, yet will I hope in Him…Job 13:15”                               

Today we have the privilege of setting aside time to remember those who have laid down their lives for us to be able to live in the freedom that we experience daily.  I live with an army 82nd Airborne veteran and I am abundantly grateful, as we celebrate the liberties we have here in America. We need to note the sacrifice and do our part in seeing that those freedoms are not lost.  Today I was transported back to a day in the Darien jungles that brought thePanamanian Military into our remote community…

 Our village was tucked away near the Colombian border and we lived in the silence of the jungle and its peculiar sounds.   One late morning there was an unfamiliar roar in the distance.  A large military helicopter appeared and began circling our village, dropping low, looking for a place to land.  Before we knew what was happening, dust flew and the door slid open.  Men dressed in full military uniforms with machine guns jumped out and stormed into our house. Guns drawn, pointed directly at us, they began shouting commands with accusations!

 My life started unraveling before my eyes!  I quickly grabbed little Kim from her high chair and Christina came running, clutching my legs.  I reached down to reassure her, as Ralph stepped in front of us, whispering to me, “Remember, Jackie, this touched God’s hand first”.  

 We were being falsely accused of being spies for the United States and they demanded we turn over our only means of communication to the outside world…our humble two-way radio! 

I was trembling, imagining every plausible scenario of how we could be easily disposed of in the river and no one would know for months!  The truth that came surging into my consciousness was Job 13:15, “…though he slay me, yet will I hope in HIM”. 

 Still standing between the enemy and us, Ralph appeared calm and was resolutely responding in Spanish… “We are not spies from America.  We have permission from your government to bring medicine to help this isolated group of people.”  

                              How had this happened?  

What could we do?

 The next few moments stood still…their shouting gestures and my seeing no way of escape brought the verse in Job home to my heart.  I, purposefully, accepted His will, whatever that was going to be and instantly, peace prevailed.  What happened next was beyond belief!  To our utter astonishment, as abruptly as those militant soldiers arrived…they hastily, mid-sentence, without another word, turned and left!!  They did not ask for our passports or visas, nor did they take our rifles that were in plain view, hanging on the wall!  God had blinded their eyes and in an instant, redirected their path.

 In the aftermath of my processing through this current event, Ralph gave me a definition for “tribulation” that comes to mind every time I am faced with a trial and I just want it gone…no processing…just gone!  “Tribulation is God’s fastest road to maturity”.  Well… missionary life had definitely put me in the fast lane to grow up!  The more life I live, the more I realize how much growth I need!

 This is that definition in a “mathematical” formula that changed my life and the way I look at trials, inconveniences, suffering and contentment.  It goes like this:

 Trials + Acceptance of the trial with joy and thanksgiving = Growth/Maturity/Contentment

 I have two choices. I can respond to trials by:

(1) Benefitting from them! 

          The pressure of trials produces: (Jas. 1:2-4): 

§  Faith 

§  Patience

§  Perseverance

§  Maturity

§  Wisdom

§  Lacking Nothing! 

                                          OR

 (2) Reacting negatively to them emotionally, and locking down with:  Impatience, Fretfulness, Why me?, Depression, Complaining, Rebelliousness or Bitterness. 

  I choose to yield with gratefulness this morning and to recognize any form of tribulation, as a means to fulfill a greater purpose for my growth and the benefit of others.  

  What is your response? 

~Jackie Johnson - I am a former tribal missionary to the Kuna Indians on the Colombian border in Central America.  Fluent in several languages, my husband and I currently pastor a Spanish-speaking church in Southern California.  My passion is mentoring and equipping dedicated young women for life, marriage, motherhood, and beyond. I am the mother of two daughters and the grandmother of three Princesses and four young Knights. 

Jackie's Journey "Can You Spot A Lie?"

What is the truth?  Have we been deceived?

“A lie has no legs; it requires other lies to support it.” Plato

 I was going through some books that I have kept since returning from the mission field and ran across a letter, written in 1976, that speaks as clearly today as it did back then.  Emerging from a year of confusion, chaos and life-lessons, I am a mom that is left astounded at the effect our family units have experienced.  As mom’s, we carry a lot of the responsibility for what goes on in our homes. Being alert is imperative and we have certainly had that opportunity these last months with our children being home with us.

 “Absorption in ease is one of the most reliable signs 

of present or impending decay.” 

Richard Weaver

 “Civilizations do not just die. Their leaders and people are first deceived; then they are destroyed.  ‘Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things (immorality, covetousness, worship of false gods, etc.) comes the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience.’” (Eph. 5: 6)

 The deception comes in the form of ‘the lie’.  The lie was first given to Eve in the garden of Eden: ‘…ye shall be as gods, knowing (deciding for yourselves) good and evil.’  When we listen to the lie… (Gen. 3: 5)

·      It dethrones God and deifies man’s achievements.

·      It exalts human reason as supreme.

·      It trusts education and science to solve problems.

·      It believes that man is evolving into perfection.

·      It replaces God’s moral standards with situational ethics.

·      It promotes sensual pleasure and instant gratification.

·      It strives for a world utopia of prosperity and peace.

·      It makes the State the sovereign dictator over everyone.

 Do you see a pattern here?

 The tragedy is that ‘…because iniquity will abound, the love of many (Christians) will wax cold (toward God, toward their marriage partner, and toward their own sons and daughters).’ (Matt. 24: 12)

 Civilization is not destroyed because of the wickedness of unbelievers., but because of the carnality of Christians. An illustration of this is in God’s willingness to spare Sodom IF there were only 10 righteous in it! (Gen. 18: 32) This is why there is a call to rise up as one voice for our land, our God, our families and for the principles of His Word!” Bill Gothard, “Be Alert to Spiritual Danger”

“The doorstep to the temple of wisdom

 is the knowledge of our own ignorance.”

Charles H. Spurgeon

~Jackie Johnson - I am a former tribal missionary to the Kuna Indians on the Colombian border in Central America.  Fluent in several languages, my husband and I currently pastor a Spanish-speaking church in Southern California.  My passion is mentoring and equipping dedicated young women for life, marriage, motherhood, and beyond. I am the mother of two daughters and the grandmother of three Princesses and four young Knights. 

Jackie's Journey "Does This Say It All...About Us?"

“A trouble-making woman once told John Wesley, ‘God has given me the talent of speaking my mind’.  Mr. Wesley snapped back, ‘God wouldn’t mind if you buried that talent.’”  We, women, are notorious for our chatter and a multitude of other attributes!  What we all have in common is a life being spent!  “Life is so short that the wood of the cradle rubs up tight against the marble of the tomb! Where is the life we have lost in living?” T.S. Elliot

 This could NEVER say it ALL about us, but it can put the life of “womanhood” in perspective: 

Time passes…

Life Happens…

Distance Separates…

Children Grow up…

Goals are set…

Responsibilities take hold… 

Jobs come and go…

Love waxes and wanes…

Men don’t do what we think they’re supposed to do…

Hearts break…

Parents die…

Careers end…

We grow older…

Eternity looms…

BUT

God is there…

No matter how much or little the time:

He gave us “womanhood”: mother’s, daughter’s, sister’s or girlfriend’s that are never far away…

than a needy helping hand can reach…

When we have to walk that lonesome valley and we have to walk alone, the women in our life will be on the valleys rim, cheering us on, praying for us, pulling for us, intervening on our behalf, and waiting with an open heart at the valley’s end.

 “Friends are an indispensable part of a meaningful life.  They are the ones who share the burdens and multiply our blessings.  A true friend sticks by us in our joys and sorrows.  In good times and bad, we need friends who will pray for us, listen to us, and lend a comforting hand and an understanding ear when needed.” Beverly LaHaye

 Sometimes, friends will even break the rules and walk beside us…or come in and carry us out.  Girlfriends, daughters, granddaughters, daughters-in-law, sisters, sisters-in-law, Mothers, grandmothers, aunties, nieces, cousins, extended family…all bless our life!

 The world would not be the same without women and neither would you or I.  When we began this adventure called womanhood, we had no idea of the incredible “joys or sorrows” that lay ahead.  Nor did we know how much we would need each other.  God’s plan for womanhood has kept us this far and His promise to use us to bless, encourage, teach and learn from one another will sustain us, as we persevere and finish the course. 

 We do not want to be the woman who, looking back says, “it seems that we were all in the same boat with Christopher Columbus.  He didn’t know where he was going when he started.  When he got there, he didn’t know where he was, and when he got back, he didn’t know where he had been!” Alexander MacLaren

Let’s walk together…

 It is only as we develop others in life that we permanently succeed…

~Jackie Johnson - I am a former tribal missionary to the Kuna Indians on the Colombian border in Central America.  Fluent in several languages, my husband and I currently pastor a Spanish-speaking church in Southern California.  My passion is mentoring and equipping dedicated young women for life, marriage, motherhood, and beyond. I am the mother of two daughters and the grandmother of three Princesses and four young Knights.