Following God Near and Far

Do you remember as a kid completing opposite worksheets, like matching cold to hot? If you were to make Matt and Carin Johnson’s journey to serve an opposite worksheet it would have words like dry to humid, rural to big city, mountains to coast, and covering it all: Wyoming to Senegal, West Africa. But as opposite as Wyoming and Senegal are, one thing the Johnsons knew would be the same is that God’s presence would be with them.

The Johnson’s story begins unfolding all the way back in Carin’s childhood when she felt drawn to missions as a career, and for Matt in adulthood as he passionately wanted to share the Gospel through short term missions. As they each wrestled with thoughts of calling and how to realistically approach their calls, God moved in their lives quickly and mightily. In 2017, the Johnsons moved to Senegal, West Africa with their then 4 year old, 2 year old, and 4 month old.

“Our first year was full of challenges as we transitioned to a completely new way of life, but God’s grace and goodness carried us through. In December 2019 we adopted twin daughters from Liberia and just barely got them “home” to Senegal before COVID hit. Praise the Lord! We were actually grateful to spend the COVID years in West Africa where daily life continued pretty much as normal. 

Some of our favorite memories from our first 5 years were serving in the villages with our high school students during outreaches. We got to have a hand in building schools and churches, putting on medical clinics, and sharing the Gospel alongside the local Senegalese church. Matt remembers an outreach evening campaign where a small screen set up in the middle of nowhere drew a crowd of hundreds of Senegalese to watch “The Jesus Film.” Carin was reminded of God’s faithful loving kindness when she met a young boy in a village wearing a Lander, Wyoming t-shirt during a children’s ministry event. Twice every school year our students got to see first-hand how God was making His name known among the Senegalese people.

Nearing the end of our 5th year of service we realized our family had some needs that weren’t able to be addressed in a third-world French speaking African country. We made the hard choice to repatriate back to Wyoming in 2022. God was so kind in allowing us to continue serving in international ministry as Matt stepped into the role of Global IT Director for TeachBeyond. Transitioning back to American life was really hard. We suddenly felt like fish out of water in our hometowns. After 2 years of feeling a bit lost we finally began to establish a new normal in Wyoming… just in time for God to call us back to West Africa yet again!

In November 2024, we were asked to consider an urgent teaching need at a newly established school in rural Senegal. We had no God-honoring reason to say no, so with the Lord’s leading (even though it seemed totally crazy!), we said YES to returning to West Africa in January 2025. We were moving overseas again in suitcases but this time in half the time to prepare and with 5 children in tow! Once again God’s grace and goodness carried us through the chaos of leaving suddenly and the roller coaster of transition which ultimately led us to make another 4 year commitment to serving at this new school. Our family is thriving and we’re making many new favorite memories: connecting with students and watching them worship our Lord during chapel each week, eating thieboudienne (rice and fish) in the village, shopping at the local markets, and building new relationships where we can show the love of Christ our Savior and share the Gospel message.”

For the Johnsons, praising God is their upmost priority. Through challenges His love has never failed. In joyful times, His goodness is evident. Though uncertain times come, His grace has been sufficient. Join with the Johnsons in praising God through Psalm 106:1, “Praise the Lord! Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever.”