I met her while standing in line waiting for coffee at church. I had heard she traveled to Guatemala and when I asked her about her recent trip to Guatemala the shine on her face and intensity of her love for the poor solidified an instant connection and wonderful friendship. Only God knew at that time the ensuing journey that this friendship would embark upon as sisters in Christ and only He knows the journey that lies ahead for us. One of the few things we do know for certain on this journey is that we shall continue to serve Him with all our heart and strength!
It has been exciting to watch over the years as God has shaped and molded this dear friend, Shawn Johnson, for work in leading teams and ministering to and advocating for the Guatemalan people. Shawn has been traveling to Guatemala for 7 years and for the past 2 years she has volunteered her time outside of her full time job to found and operate Recycled Lives, a non-profit Christian organization. As her friend and the Chair of the Recycled Lives’ Board of Directors I am blessed to be a front row cheerleader for her and Recycled Lives’ mission. A mission centered on demonstrating Christ’s love through building relationships centered in Christ to change the face of poverty. We work to encourage our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ that are suffering by offering love and support in many ways. Most importantly, we offer hope to people that do not know the hope available in a relationship with Christ. We also serve to connect people, like you, that have a heart and desire to help alleviate the suffering on this earth with a way to do so.
Recently God has called Shawn to take a leap of faith in leaving the security of her full time job in order to devote more time to work and travel for Recycled Lives. This comes with the humbling struggle of having to surrender fully to faith and dependence on God for provision while she abides in His calling. We, as the board of directors, fully support Shawn’s decision and are excited to also announce that we have decided to hire her on as a part time employee. This we feel is an important step to better serving those we are called to care for and are so excited to see what God has planned through using Shawn’s love and talents!
Supporting our organization means you are supporting work that creates a lasting and impactful change. Imagine Ya Ya, a 4 year old, being able to excitedly show a visitor her newly built home and her summersault skills on her new bunk bed. Imagine a young mother’s tears of joy knowing her 3 starving children have food for another month upon receiving her monthly food package sponsored by a loving stranger. Please take the a few minutes of your time watch Shawn’s heart-inspired video, “Overwhelmed”. Once you are done watching it, pause and ask God to guide your heart in how to respond. Please immediately act on what God just told you.
Most importantly I ask that you please pray for Shawn and the board of directors to seek, clearly hear and do the will of God. We truly desire to shine God’s light in some really dark places of suffering. Please come alongside us in supporting the vision and work that Shawn has been humbled to accept by lifting her and Recycled Lives up through your powerful prayers and financial support. Shawn leaves November 5th for a month of serving in Guatemala. There is no better time than now to come together to show God how much we love Him through prayers and thanksgiving supporting Shawn in this overwhelmingly-amazing calling!

In Christ’s overwhelming love,

Kelly Wichman, Recycled Lives Board of Directors’ Chair