By Bill Sorrell
Contributing Writer, Baptist and Reflector
McKENZIE — A Cuban Christian gave Jeffery Johnson the shirt off his back.
While on a missions trip to Cuba last March, Johnson met Eduardo, a married man in his mid-30s with two children.
“We had a bond. We got to spend so much time together. At a going-away party I wanted to give him something,” said Johnson, a center on Bethel University’s football team.
“I gave him my Bethel football hoodie. He was so excited, so happy, and so grateful. He took the shirt off his back and gave it to me because he couldn’t accept it without giving me something. It was great. I tried not to, but I cried.”
Johnson returned to Cuba Dec. 27-Jan. 3 and visited with Eduardo and his family in Vinales, Cuba.
“People there were the most receptive people. They were the sweetest, most kind people I have ever met. I gained so much perspective. When you go to a place and there is a cultural divide, they do things so much differently than we do.”
A member of the Baptist Collegiate Ministry at Bethel in McKenzie, missions has been an eye-opening experience as well as a way of life for the college senior.
He has taken on leadership responsibilities including Noonday, which arranges for churches to provide free lunch for students along with getting speakers.
“He has taken that very seriously and strived to do his best with it,” said Ben Worley, BCM director at Bethel. “In leadership last year, he has been a very bright and social person who has drawn others in. Jeff proved to be a valuable asset to BCM through his ability to connect to others,” Worley observed.
Johnson, a social work major who is graduating in three years and has applied to the University of Michigan and Saint Louis University to get a master’s of social work degree, has participated in missions activities locally, nationally, and internationally.
“What I learned most about myself is how much I love people. That is what drives me. That is the biggest impact Jesus had when He walked on the earth,” he said.
The prime influencer on Johnson’s life has been his sister Cortney Johnson, BCM women’s campus missionary at the University of Tennessee at Martin and middle school girls youth minister at First Baptist Church, Troy.
“I know his sister is a huge influence in his life. She has a big heart for missions. I think this passion has impacted Jeffery,” said Morgan Owen, UT-Martin BCM director.
Johnson agreed. “Growing up, she was the biggest influence on my Christianity because she always talked to me about it. She wanted me to read the Word with her. She always involved me in Bible studies and devotions. Christ is her main priority.”
While his mother, Stacie VanDrie, was deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan in the U.S. Army when he was in elementary school, Cortney would tell him that “Christ is our strength.
“We were always together. She is the biggest impact on who I am and my walk in Christ,” said Johnson, a member of First Baptist Church, Union City, where he was baptized.
During his playing days at Bethel, Johnson has tried to be a light for Christ to his teammates.
“Some of the guys may not have faith but by living as close to God as I can, making my relationship with Christ apparent, it may be a light for them,” he said. “College is when your faith is challenged most. There is a lot of peer pressure,” he added.
Bethel head football coach Chris Elliott calls Johnson the “ultimate team player.
“He has done everything we have asked him to do. Jeff has been one of those kids who is 100 percent accountable, which is huge. He is 100 percent reliable,” said Elliott.
Dalton Turnbow, a member of the BCM who is an offensive guard from Martin, said that Johnson’s faith has always been positive for the team.
“I’ve always looked up to him. He has never cursed. He has always had a positive attitude. His character has been indescribable. He has been a leader for me,” said Turnbow, a member of Bible Union Baptist Church.
Johnson has goals spiritually.
“When you are trying to tell people the gospel, you learn where you fall short in your own walk with Christ. Through those opportunities you see where you need to get closer to God.
“My goal as a Christian is to strive to be as close to Christ as I can. When you are spreading the Word and living like Him day by day, He is your top priority,” Johnson said.