Comments

• 

  Lonnell Johnson June 27, 2008 at 4:54pm

  My Good Brother and Good Friend,
  
  Here is a quick note to keep the flow going, now that we're getting back on track with our correspondence. So much has happened since we last corresponded prior to my trip to Mexico. Shortly before leaving, I my uncle passed away, and my sister flew in from Atlanta and we drove up to Fremont, OH where we ministered to a fragmented and potentially volatile situation with relatives and family friends, who neither of us really knew. I'm not sure if I told you that I had an amazing epiphany regarding my uncle when I was in Senegal five years ago. The experience so moved me that I wrote a poem as a tribute to my uncle, and I read it at his funeral along with a letter that I wrote to him when I sent him the poem. I'm not sure if I sent you a copy or not. Anyway, I am printing it off again for you to read. My experience on Goree Island off the coast of Senegal, eighteen miles from Dakar, not only helped me to understand my uncle, but I understood myself and my ancestors who could have very well come from that very place. I have no way of knowing but I feel certain that my ancestors were shipped from Goree through "The Door of No Return." Unquestionably that visit to West Africa was one of the highlights of my life which has been so full and rich in so many ways.
  
  I will write tomorrow and share with you some of the highlights from the trip to Mexico. Our team has to make a presentation on Sunday, and I've been working on my remarks. I will probably send you the "unedited version" which has a lot more details. I had to cut out a couple of incidents because of time. Even so, "the half has not been told."
  
  Be blessed, for you are a blessing to me, my brother.
  
  Survivor
  
  Ile de Goree
  Dakar, Senegal
  July 3, 2003
  
  
  Prince Albert Crosby, my mother’s baby brother,
  with his smoking-drinking-philosophizing-street-wise-goodhearted self,
  should have been dead and long gone,
  sole survivor of seven siblings,
  survived the trauma of childbirth that left his mother dead;
  djirim, survived to hear the plaintive cry of his first lullaby:
  “Sometimes I feel like a motherless child”
  
  Uncle Prince, survivor,
  survived the lean and hungry years of childhood,
  the taunts, bearing the brunt of cruel epithets
  aimed at darkened skin and shortened height;
  cruel jokes that never made him smile:
  “Do you have Prince Albert in a can?”
  
  Uncle Prince, survivor,
  volunteered for the Navy and survived severe winters in Korea;
  discharged and joined the Army; veteran, twice-over;
  would have volunteered for Nam, but by then he was too old.
  
  Uncle Prince, survivor,
  dissolved his liver in liquor but kept on drinking and didn’t complain;
  arm-wrestled “Old Man Crab” and chuckled, “Not right now”;
  kept on smoking and outlived two wives:
  Inez, her hefty frame ravaged and wasted by cancer,
  but Uncle Prince was there to the end;
  and Precious, like the Samaritan woman at the well,
  with a string of last names;
  Uncle Prince, the last of five husbands, survivor.
  
  I saw a glimpse of Uncle Prince
  in the face of Boubacar Joseph Ndiaye,
  Principal Curator, Maison des Esclaves;
  could have been his brother,
  another long lost uncle discovered at a family reunion,
  but he spoke in flawless, Francais de Moliere.
  As I stood on Goree Island in the House of Slaves,
  I stared through the Door of No Return
  and gazed upon the soul of Uncle Prince, survivor.
  
  Some things happen that take your breath away.
  Some things happen that take your breath away.
  You just hang your head and cry:
  ‘Lord, have mercy’ is all you can say.
  ‘Lord, have mercy’ is all you can say.
  
  
  
  Lonnell E. Johnson
  July 14, 2003
• 

  Matt Miller June 27, 2008 at 5:15am

  Dear Lonnell,
  
  I once again looked at your last words "may you continue to be blessed in all your endevour" and although we say "god bless" a lot I thought how dynamic a teaching that would be - how a man can impart blessings on another - by recogizing goodness and asking God to release into manifestation his goodness and destiny and care on another - how Paul told his readers of his letter - God bless you with mercy and love and peace.
  
  So a blessing must be returned by the one that is blessed by another.
  
  I will close with a Persian blessing that I read and thought directly it was for you in return of your blessing on my life.
  
  Time & clime, & wealth & health, & root & fruit, & state & fate
  May you in your majesty, continue in year and name
  Year joyous, clime pleasant, wealth plenty, and health whole
  Root constant, fruit enduring, state splendid, and fate tame.
  
  Matt
• 

  Matt Miller June 26, 2008 at 5:35pm

  Dear Friend,
  I have kept you in my thoughts and prayers.
  
  What an eye opening trip you must have had and that part of Mexico is certainly beautiful - a whole teaching in Spanish? I do believe when you attempt to expand in their own language it can be impacting - for the effort catches their attention that you care and are putting yourself a little on the spot for them.
  
  I have thoroughly enjoyed your teaching on visitation - the word just flows from you brother both in substance and in an experiential sense as well - my heart melted in your reading of your poetry -especially the recitation of The Calling on your tape.
  I must confess it took me some time to find a cassette recorder to play your teaching. However a 1987 Lincoln Town Car that I just acquired had a JBL stereo with a cassette recorder!
  
  Your theme on visitation was remarkable in timing as I spent that Saturday - the day after I listened to the tape visiting dear friends that I had not seen in thirty or more years - a high school reunion up in Minneapolis. As you might know I graduated from high school in India and these were sons and daughters of missionaries and we all went to boarding school together. A lovely lady invited me to her home - her name was Hope - and there were about 20 of us that got together. We had an Indian dinner and stayed up til about 4 AM visiting. Of note was a guest there - a young Indian PHD student at the University of Minnesota writing his thesis on Chemical Medicine. He told me an interesting story about he and other scientists had isolated in the lab a chemical compound recently that cured melanoma and that the compound came from Madya Pradesh in India from a specific plant that grew only there. He told me he is within weeks of identifying that exact compound. We became friends on this visit and will be getting together later this week.
  
  It was such a complete visit - with so many elements - just as a delicious meal with all the flavors and aromas - a perfect gift from God to learn from an experience what you shared.
  
  How I enjoyed your birthday poem. It is awesome to think of being what you are meant to be and to be where you are supposed to be at a given moment is it not?
  
  The news of Sam being wounded hit me a little hard - even though I don't know him personally.
  
  So in honor of his service in Afghanistan I will share with you about Poppy's. In Afghanistan the Poppy's are almost natural to the landscape and among Poppy's our Canadian and American soldiers fall.
  Wild poppies flower when other plants in their direct neighborhood are dead. Their seeds can lie on the ground for years and years, but only when there are no more competing flowers or shrubs in the vicinity (for instance when someone firmly roots up the ground), these seeds will sprout. It is interesting to note this as spiritual analogy - God can show you and expand on this.
  
  The poppy is known as a symbol of sleep. We get morphine from Poppy's and morphine is used to stop pain.
  
  The spirit of sacrifice is symbolized by the burning torch.
  
  So a young Canadian physician wrote this poem in World War 1.
  
  
  In Flanders Fields
  
  In Flanders fields the poppies blow
  Between the crosses, row on row,
  That mark our place; and in the sky
  The larks, still bravely singing, fly
  Scarce heard amid the guns below.
  
  
  We are the Dead. Short days ago
  We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
  Loved, and were loved, and now we lie
  In Flanders fields.
  
  
  Take up our quarrel with the foe:
  To you from failing hands we throw
  The torch; be yours to hold it high.
  If ye break faith with us who die
  We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
  In Flanders fields.
  
  I particularly love the third part of the poem.
  Our adversary must be dealt with - by taking up the quarrel with our foe! Do not break faith with those that sacrificed who went before us to give us our true heritage of liberty.
  
  Matt Miller

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• 

  Matt Miller June 26, 2008 at 10:55am

  Dear Lonnell,
  
  I plan to write a little more tonight but could you pray for Sam Schoenheit - the son of the man that served in the Research Dept of the Way I heard indirectly through a source that he is in intensive care for taking a bullet in the head in Iraq - where he is serving. I believe he is still alive.
  Love you bro,
  Matt
• 

  Philip Dean June 24, 2008 at 1:09pm

  Hello Lonnell, I just wanted to say Hi. I remember the year I spent in residence with you, and you were a great example and leader. I also remember Brenda and congradulations on 34 successful years.
  I just got approved to be on this site yesterday and it's great. I had kind of lost hope of reconnecting with fellow corps so it is exciting. Let's stay in touch and if you ever get out to Arizona it would be great to hook up with you.
  My best to Brenda and your family.---Regards--Phil Dean
• 

  Tim Bishop June 22, 2008 at 5:52pm

  Brother Lonnell! What a guy. Beautifil soul. Give my love to Brenda too. Life continues to amaze. You might like a Book by William Sloan Coffin called "Credo". He and my dad knew eachother when the marched with Martin Luther King in 1963-4! You can read it for a second or longer. A sweet inspirational and infor mative work. to me he was the best of what it means to be a Christian. Call anytime 727 259 3663.
  peace & Love
  Tim
• 

  Glenda Sue Morris June 22, 2008 at 2:20pm

  Lonnell, still remembering our sweet encounter of reminiscing in your living room a few years back. It was so precious being with you and Brenda again. I'll never forget you. I still have all your wonderful poems and haven't done a thing with them, but time's not up yet! Amen?
  
  A J is working on two booklets: "The Blessing of Wine" and "How We Got the Trinity." Tell us a little about your publishing enterprise! Wanna call us? 316-260-2244
  
  I love you,
  
  Glenda Sue
• 

  Christine (Alleva) Cole June 5, 2008 at 1:55pm

  Hi Lonnell,
  
  Just arrived here a few days ago. I saw your picture and just had to say hello. You always warmed my heart and still do. I remember how loving and kind you were to me.
  
  Keeping you in my prayers.
  
  Love Christine
• 

  Paddy Heron May 29, 2008 at 5:40am

  Hi Lonnell,
  
  Sorry I was so long getting back to you. Have been up to my goolies in work.
  
  I would be delighted to hear from Michael. His work sounds very mathematical which scares me. Maths was not a strong subject of mine. In fact I may as well have been looking into a ditch as trying to figure out how algebra worked!
  
  I would not say my book on The Nephilim is abstract at all. In fact there are a lot of scientific and, dare I say it, mathematicl facts in it. (Not to mention spiritual truths). But I will allow you decide that when you get around to reading it.
  
  Delighted to hear of your daughter's achievment. The apple doesn't fall far from the tree, what? I have three beauties myself so I know how you feel.
  
  So give Michael my details and we''ll hook uo.
  
  God bless Brother,
  
  Paddy
• 

  Chris Newcomb May 27, 2008 at 3:40pm

  Lonnell,
  How wonderful to see your smiling face.
  I'm off to bed, but wanted to say hi.
  Fond memories of you and your mom.
  Chris Newcomb