Be the Donkey: Out of the Epicenter

By Kimberley RB Johnson

Searching for your life's purpose?

It's not about what one obtains, but more about what one leaves behind. This relatable story of blind faith, patience, and trust, culminates into God's beautiful promise.

Be the Donkey is the true story of Kimberley's first mission trip to Haiti, during which she meets a young man named Bil

• Language: English
• Publisher: Trilogy Christian Publishing
• Release date: Sep 11, 2020
• ISBN: 9781647732479

Kimberley RB Johnson

Kimberley RB Johnson sponsored her Haitian "son," Jean Bildad Michel, to university in the United States. Their vision became reality with his graduation in 2016. Together or separately, their combined ministry efforts jump-started a K-12 school, a leadership academy, a restaurant, a Western Union station, and a large church in Haiti. Along with her son and her co-author husband Samuel Johnson, they constructed a small hotel, Ti Otel La, for short-term missionaries. Their Haitian school celebrated its first graduation in July 2019. Kimberley's husband Samuel is a former missionary in Turkey, a former worship pastor, and is now a critical care nurse. Together, they make their home in White House, Tennessee. Active members of White House First Baptist Church, Sam is a Deacon and Kimberley heads the Haiti ministry. Between the two, they have eleven children and four grandchildren. Kimberley is co-owner of the Goodlettsville law firm Freeman & Bracey, PLC. She focuses her practice on trial work including family law, divorce, child support, adoptions, custody, automobile wrecks and is also a licensed Rule 31 Mediator. Sam is a volunteer with the Boy Scouts of America. Four of his sons obtained their Eagle Scout status. You can follow their mission efforts on Facebook at WHFBC Haiti Ministries or TIME4Haiti or on the website www.time4haiti.org.

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Be the Donkey

out of the epicenter

Kimberley RB Johnson

Trilogy Christian Publishers

TUSTIN, CA

Trilogy Christian Publishers

A Wholly Owned Subsidiary of Trinity Broadcasting Network

2442 Michelle Drive

Tustin, CA 92780

Copyright © 2020 by Kimberley RB Johnson

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise noted, taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Scripture quotations marked (KJV) taken from The Holy Bible, King James Version. Cambridge Edition: 1769.

All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever.

For information, address Trilogy Christian Publishing

Rights Department, 2442 Michelle Drive, Tustin, Ca 92780.

Trilogy Christian Publishing/ TBN and colophon are trademarks of Trinity Broadcasting Network.

For information about special discounts for bulk purchases, please contact Trilogy Christian Publishing.

Manufactured in the United States of America

Trilogy Disclaimer: The views and content expressed in this book are those of the author and may not necessarily reflect the views and doctrine of Trilogy Christian Publishing or the Trinity Broadcasting Network.

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available.

ISBN 978-1-64773-246-2

ISBN 978-1-64773-247-9 (ebook)

Contents

Dedication v

1. The Journey Begins 1

2. Fellowship of His Suffering 5

3 Blast Off! 13

4. Let Your Smile Be Your Passport 17

5. Let’s Go! 21

6. Mountaintop Experience 29

7. Dancing in the Storm 35

8. God Will Make a Way 43

9. Stubborn Child of God 51

10. American Mom 55

11. Bye-Bye Day 63

12. Reluctant Missionary 69

13. Double-Minded 79

14. Divorced 87

15. Psalm 46 99

16. Shaken But Not Deterred 105

17. Out of the Epicenter 115

Photos 128

18. The White House 139

19. Modern Conveniences 143

20. Feeding Frenzy 151

21. The Envelope Please 155

22. It Takes a Village 159

23. Blue Bonus 165

24. Truimphal Return 175

25. Touched by TBN 181

26. Dying with Dignity 185

27. Joy in the Journey 193

28. Anchor of My Soul 203

29. Answer the Call 209

30. Separation Anxiety 219

31. Graduation 223

32. Be the Donkey 229

33. Letting Go 233

34. Cheri 237

35. Tell Your Heart to Beat Again 243

36. A Kiss from the Father 253

37. Firstfruits 263

Appendix 271

References 273

About the Author 275

Dedication

I dedicate this book to the Lord.

1

The Journey Begins

There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens; a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing, a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away, a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak, a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace.

—Ecclesiastes 3:1–8

It was the best of times; it was the worst of times. Admittedly, this is not the most creative way to introduce a new book. After all, I took this phrase from the opening of the famous Charles Dickens classic A Tale of Two Cities (Dickens 1859). Probably the most famous phrase in all of literature, it foreshadows the book’s struggles between families, including such topics as oppression, good versus evil, intelligence, and foolishness. His book explores a war between the rich and the poor. Dickens tells a story of suffering on the one hand and hope on the other. Haiti is no different.

Haitian Louis-Joseph Janvier wrote in 1883, For eighty years, Haiti has been judged (Janvier 1883). Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. One can board an American Airlines flight in Miami, Florida, and land in Haiti in less than two hours. The richest country in the world sits proudly next to the least of these.

On January 12, 2010, one of the deadliest earthquakes in modern history struck Haiti. The quake killed more than three hundred thousand people and left millions of individuals in Haiti homeless (Delva 2011). Called tranbleman té in Haitian Creole, the words sound like an earthquake when pronounced. The horrors of that disaster do not come close to telling the tales this land known as Haiti has to offer. Formerly called the Pearl of the Antilles, Haiti is one of the most misunderstood countries in the world. Despite its challenges, Haiti is beautiful.

I visited one resort called Royal Decameron Indigo Beach, my favorite, during my fiftieth trip to Haiti. At the bar, I sat across from a six-foot-three-inch, gray-headed, brown-eyed intelligent man with dimples. He grabbed my hand, looked me square in the eyes, and questioned me, Tell me about this country and why you love her. I placed my free hand atop his and began.

When asked to tell the story of my experiences in Haiti, I am always quick to reply. I have experienced daunting challenges and tragedies both here and abroad. The man across from me was patient to listen. My story went something like this…

2

Fellowship of

His Suffering

Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous deeds among all peoples.

—Psalm 6:3

For seventeen years, I taught theater at Gallatin Senior High School. Upon receiving the Humanities Tennessee Teacher of the Year award, I took my scholarship benefits and applied to accomplish my dream of becoming a lawyer. I graduated from Nashville School of Law with honors in the spring of 2000. Passing the mandated test on my first attempt, I promised God that if He got me through the bar exam, I would return to His church.

Now, I know it is not Christlike to bargain with God. I could lie and save face, but in all honesty, bargaining was precisely what I did. Despite me, God was faithful. So, it should be no surprise that on the day I passed the bar exam, I began to search for a home church instead of a law office. I found that church in White House First Baptist. Located in the heart of the small town in which I live, I vowed never to leave His altar again. I became extremely involved in everything spiritual, attending each Sunday. At one point, our worship and missions pastor, Josh Burns, approached me and asked me to travel with him to a little-known country called Haiti.

Geographically challenged, I had never heard of the place. I bucked my worship pastor, proclaiming that there were plenty of ministry opportunities available inside the borders of the United States. I did not feel called to this unknown island nation. I declined his invitation.

Weeks and months passed, and Pastor Josh continued to inquire if I would go with him to Haiti. My answer was always the same: No. I used as many different excuses as I could conjure. Historically, a church does not give congregants enough notice. I advised Pastor Josh that I was too busy. I would need advanced warning to miss a full week from my growing legal practice.

One day, Pastor Josh called me on my cell. He asked in his lively voice, What are you doing nine months from today? Nine months, I thought. I had nothing on my calendar. Good, he said. You’re going to Haiti! I had no way to create an imaginary conflict. I did not want to start my day by lying to a pastor, so I complied. Honestly, there was no calling for me to go to Haiti. God did not communicate to me in a dream or any manner whatsoever. He did not demand that I get on a plane and head to this unknown Third World nation. The only reason I was going to Haiti was to get Pastor Josh Burns off my back!

As one member of a team of fifty-three, I began to prepare for the medical mission trip, my first adventure to Ayiti, what Haitians call their native land. When my law partner, Russell Freeman, asked why I was traveling to Haiti instead of helping people locally, I responded with the Great Commission. My heart, however, was not in it. That night, God made it clear to me that my help in Haiti would not be earthshaking. God reminded me that He doesn’t need my help. He’s God. God did, however, make it clear that I was going to Haiti for Him to change me. I laugh as I type these words. God did not disappoint!

God was already changing my life. One month prior, my mother began experiencing senility-like issues. Perhaps it is dementia, the doctor said. My sisters, Kerri and Kristi, consulted the local doctor behind my mother’s back. The doctor prescribed medication for early-onset Alzheimer’s. The medicine did not help. After requesting tests, the doctors diagnosed my mother with a brain tumor and double-lung cancer. Her condition was terminal. She would never smoke a cigarette again.

My mother underwent brain surgery in the spring before my first trip to Haiti. I took one full week away from work to care for her in Memphis. My mother pulled through the surgery just fine. She even withstood staples placed directly into her scalp, without anesthesia, so that she could be dismissed a day early. While my mother handled her circumstance with grace, I developed shingles! My mother’s terminal diagnosis was more than I had anticipated at that stage in my life. While my mother faced her first oncology appointments for radiation and chemotherapy, I planned to get on a plane and travel to Haiti. My mother prepared for a battle.

On the Saturday following mom’s surgery, I ran my first 5K. I was running to catch my very air. While running, I spent my time listening to God, instead of talking, pleading, or screaming my string of demands, per my usual. The night before the big race, I drank an entire bottle of wine by myself, suffering in solitude regarding my mother’s newfound condition. Running the 5K was challenging to complete with a hangover. If my mother could face terminal cancer, I reasoned, I could run 3.18 with a little less water in my system than usual. I made it to the finish line, but I paid the price.

After the race, I met with fellow Haiti team member Kathy Blair. I was shocked to learn that the very pastor who had coerced me into committing to Haiti sold his home and planned to move his entire family to that little-known island. I was thinking about the plane ride to Haiti more than I should. Satan would be gunning for us.

I spoke to my husband about purchasing sundresses for myself to eventually leave and donate to whatever cause I saw a need in Haiti. Little did I know, there would be no area absent of need.

Over the weeks leading up to my departure for Haiti, my mother received cards and flowers from individuals, supporting her. I texted my Aunt Jan, my mother’s sister, and informed her of mom’s upcoming oncology appointments, which were to occur in my absence. I just kept thinking how weird it was that my mother had a deadly disease! Yet, she appeared in no pain. Would the medicine make her sick? I wondered how my father was faring after hearing the news. Was his brave front the true grit of the man I admired as a hero, or a mere facade? Was he crumbling on the inside, knowing he was about to lose his love of over fifty years?

My sisters cleaned my parents’ home on Friday evenings. I felt terrible, not being in Paris, Tennessee, to help. The entire family lived over two hours away. On Mother’s Day, I called and could hear the family giggling together in the background. How could they laugh, knowing she was dying? I wanted to beam myself home into their jovial atmosphere. Instead, I prepared for Haiti as tears ran down my cheeks.

My roommate-to-be in Haiti, Beth Meyer, notified me that her father-in-law had suffered a major heart attack. I couldn’t help but wonder, How will I get home if something were to happen to one of my parents while I am in Haiti? Maybe this was the excuse I was looking for to stay home. Yet, everyone assured me I would be able to travel home in the event of an emergency. I thought of the sick people looming around me, and I prayed. I not only prayed for them; I prayed for me. I was selfishly afraid I wouldn’t get to travel to Haiti after spending thousands for the opportunity. I wanted to stay healthy so that I could do as much as possible with my life. I felt there was no time left, not even to sleep.

It wasn’t long before everything began to fall apart. My mother’s cancer worsened, and her chemotherapy treatments commenced early. They made her sick. Her breath short, my mother was rushed to the hospital. My father himself was admitted to the local hospital up the hill from my homeplace no less than twice before I left. My father had a fully clogged artery in his neck. Surgery would occur while I was in Haiti. Dad encouraged me to stay my course. Should I go or should I stay home? Home, that word has a double meaning. Did I mean Tennessee, or did I now mean Haiti? It was hard for me to distinguish.

My husband and I were experiencing trouble in our marriage. I couldn’t quite pinpoint the strain. Work was overwhelming. Even my dog, Edward, the most beautiful West Highland terrier in the world, fell and broke his leg. I opined that Satan didn’t want me in Haiti. Deep down, I was overwhelmed by it all.

My soul bruised, I went to church. I reminded myself to trust God, no matter the circumstance. The Sunday before I boarded the plane for Haiti, the sermon covered the persecution of Christians. Pastor Ashley Mofield proclaimed, When the church gets persecuted, the church takes off and gets going! A revolution begins. As Romans 12:1 states, We are to be living sacrifices. How much was I going to have to sacrifice for Haiti?

3

Blast Off!

The LORD keeps you from all harm and watches over your life. The LORD keeps watch over you as you come and go, both now and forever.

—Psalm 121:7–8 NLT

The day finally arrived for our group to depart for Haiti. Meeting at the church at three o’clock in the morning, our team was fifty-three strong. Most were doctors and