DAN JOHANSON'S MINISTRY
IN THE PHILIPPINES

Dan Johanson, missionary to the Philippines for the Navigators organization, was the guest of honor luncheon for the congregation on Sunday, Nov. 20.

Dan, a longtime FPCH member, was interviewed during both services and shared more details about his ministry at the luncheon.

Navigators is an international Christian outreach ministry to college campuses, military bases, inner cities, prisons, and youth camps.

Dan has had an extensive ministry with Filipino university students, particularly in the Cebu region, but most recently he has filled several positions while working out of the Navigators’ Philippines headquarters in Manila. As director of development, he raises funds for ministry initiatives such scholarships for needy youth and missions projects in
Cambodia. He also helps the Filipino missionary staff raise their own financial support.

Among his other jobs, Dan produces a newsletter about the Navigators' Philippines ministry that is sent to 2,500 persons worldwide. His technical expertise comes in handy in his role as lead computer and
network maintenance expert at “Nav” headquarters, and he also helps coordiante the visits of groups who come to learn about the organization’s ministry to a country made up of 7,000 islands.

Outside Navigators, Dan runs a small foundation that provides assistance to kids with special disabilities that prevent them from breaking out of poverty.

Dan is the son of FPCH members Tom and Diane Johanson. Members of his church mission “home team” support group include Lorraine Flynn, Joyce
Clydesdale, Kim Huggett, Pete Ritchie, Lois Samarron, Janet Tsuchiya and Nancy Turner.

The team has worked to support Dan from his home church by demonstrating the importance of FPCH financial support for his ministry. It has set up a bulletin board tribute to Dan’s work in the library hallway, and
helped spread the word about his important work while serving the traditional Filipino dessert, "bibingka", from its booth at the church ministry fair in September.

The team even sent birthday cards to Dan this summer that happened to arrive in his Manila mailbox right on his 30th birthday August 8.

When the home team meets, the sessions include a healthy dose of prayer to help Dan endure trials. Just this summer he had visa difficulties, his apartment was broken into and vandalized, and he had to arrange nine doctor appointments for three visiting missionaries.

“Thanks for all the ways you support me,” Dan wrote in an e-mail to home team members recently. “I’m delighted to tell you some recent struggles have been resolved, in large part no doubt by our prayers and petitions.”

Dan was back in the United States in November to reunite with family and to continue to raise support for his ministry. As health care premiums and the cost of living have risen, his financial support from churches and individuals needs to increase as well.

“Please consider praying for more people to support this ministry,” Dan wrote recently. “I’d be delighted to pray for you, too. Please feel free to write me with some of your burdens and/or praises.”

Links

To see Dan’s work on the Navigators’ Philippines Web site, go to
www.philnavs.org.

To write to Dan: danj@philnavs.org.