THE KINGDOM LOOKS LIKE FAMILY
Who We Are
Yohanes and Olivia met on the mission field in Ethiopia in 2003 and have been together ever since, recently celebrating 14 years of marriage. Their deep love for the Lord, missions, and worship fostered a bond between them that has birthed Gihon of Hope
Yohanes is the executive director of Gihon of Hope, student at King’s University working on his Masters of Divinity in Messianic Jewish studies, worshiper leader and an elder at Kingdom Living Messianic Congregation. Olivia is a prophetic worship leader and songwriter, associate leader for Kingdom Living’s healing prayer ministry, and full-time homeschool teacher to our three powerhouse boys. They currently live in Kansas City and their family enjoys celebrating the moadim, hosting and cooking for friends, reading, traveling, doing relaxing activities as a family, KC BBQ and good coffee!
Johnny and Teresa currently are Shamashem (deacons) at Kingdom Living Messianic Congregation in Kansas City. Johnny serves as lead of the sound ministry, a sage and prophetic voice within our community. Teresa serves on the worship team, the Jewish festival’s hospitality committee, and the women’s ministry. Johnny and Teresa have been part of the Tikkun Network of Messianic Congregations since 1991, serving in multiple areas from sounds and worship ministries to small groups leaders. In December of 2001, they were blessed by the local congregational leadership of Beth Messiah and sent as emissaries to Ethiopia. Johnny served four years in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia as the director of an N.G.O. called House of Mercy Ethiopia which functioned as a home for orphaned youth. Teresa worked alongside Johnny, with the young mothers and babies’ program, training new moms in proper nutrition and early childhood development. During their time in Ethiopia, they realized there wasn’t a Messianic expression in Ethiopia, and their hearts were burdened to see the Ethiopian Jewish believers worship together and have a better understanding of God’s appointed times
Johnny and Teresa began to meet with the Jewish leaders in Ethiopia, planting the seeds of a Messianic congregation. Entrusting this vision into the Lord’s hands for the fulfillment, they returned to the U.S. in 2005 and served as an eldership couple with long-time friends and mentors Rabbi Jerry and Jo Miller. This is an exciting time for Johnny and Teresa as they are witnessing multiple Messianic congregations being birthed all across the nation of Ethiopia and they are participating in the harvest with their children and grandchildren laboring alongside them. Johnny enjoys landscaping, cooking delicious Caribbean and Ethiopian food, photography, and playing with his grandchildren. Teresa enjoys Israeli and Latin dancing, traveling, home decor, hosting, and gathering all her children and grandchildren around the family heirloom dining table for evenings filled with laughter and good food.