Johnson

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Paul Leroy Johnson

Thailand, 1923-1952

Paul Johnson was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota. When he was three years old Paul’s family moved south to the town of Lyle, near the Iowa border, and became faithful members of a Lutheran Church. Though his parents both experienced salvation, they “heard nothing of the ‘living gospel’ ” until Paul started attending St. Paul Bible Institute (Crown College) years later.

When Paul was thirteen he attended a youth Bible study conducted by two St. Paul Bible Institute students. Over time he came to realize his own need and in 1936 received Christ as his Savior. Later the “Winsome Club,” a prayer meeting and Bible study, was organized for Paul and four other new believers. A missionary from Japan challenged these young people to become active in missions projects. They responded by organizing short plays and public concerts, and were successful in raising money for missions.

During his high school years Paul lost interest in God. Following graduation, he attended Medicine Lake Alliance Camp and rededicated himself completely to God, realizing it is not striving, but yielding that brings victory. Many urged Paul to follow in his father’s footsteps, working in the family blacksmith shop. Instead, he responded to the call of God to attend Bible school and prepare for ministry.

Paul and Pricilla met at St. Paul Bible Institute and were married on June 23, 1944. Following two years of pioneer work in Lamonte, Alberta, Canada, Paul was ordained at the 1947 Western Canadian Conference, just before the couple sailed for Thailand. After two years of required language study, the Johnsons ministered first in Surin City, then in Udorn, doing pioneer evangelism and church planting. Perhaps their greatest ministry contribution was the preparation of tapes for radio programs that were broadcast by the Far Eastern Broadcasting Station of Manila, Philippines, into seventy provinces in Thailand.

On April 18, 1952, Paul and Priscilla’s missionary ministry was cut short when bandits raided the church during a regular Friday evening service and shot both husband and wife. Priscilla died almost immediately. Paul died in a Bangkok hospital five days later. Their three small children: Bryan (7), Rebecca (5) and William (2), were returned to the U.S. to be cared for by their maternal grandmother, Mrs. W. J. Bryan.

Though Paul and Priscilla did not want to die, they were willing to do so for the victory of the Gospel in Thailand.

Priscilla Lee Bryan Johnson

Thailand, 1921-1952

Priscilla Johnson was born on a farm near Red Wing, Minnesota, three years before her family moved to nearby St. Paul. When Priscilla was six her parents came to faith in Christ, and she noticed such a change in their home that she asked her mother to help her receive Jesus as her Savior, too. Priscilla’s father lost his job because of his stand for Christ, and the family moved back to the town of Red Wing. Difficult times followed, during which they learned as a family to put their complete trust in God.

During her senior year in high school, Priscilla sensed God leading her to St. Paul Bible Institute (Crown College) in nearby St. Paul. She wrote, “. . . so I entered with only two dollars in my pocket . . . the Lord filled me with His Holy Spirit and took me through the three years with no debt and gave me a precious husband.”

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