...it was he who gave some as {apostles, some as prophets, some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers}, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, that is, {to build up the body of Christ}, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God - a mature person, attaining to the measure of Christ's full stature...Ephesians 4:11-13
We’ve got a big vision and a big calling and we aren’t going to be able to do this on our own. Community is our biggest necessity now more than ever. It’s something we all need as people. We’ve learned this in our time in mission work, even on our short-term trips. It truly is amazing what happens to people when they catch a bit of the radical call of Jesus and start reaching out to their neighbors and building community. People change. Places change. Nations will never be the same. Where once there was dark, now there is light. Or at least that’s a hope we cling to tightly.
Our Community
Let me share about our vision for the community surrounding us. We desire to be a part of a community excited about what Jesus is doing in our lives — and the lives of people in Cape Town and the rest of the world. Traditionally, missionaries have looked for supporters; more than simply supporters we are looking for friends and partners that we can share our lives with as they share theirs with us.
We are looking for people like you! Why, you might be wondering?
We need intercessors. We could probably have gotten away with loading up and heading to Africa on our own. But we’ve both learned the importance of prayer in our own lives and how important it is to unite in prayer as a community, even if separated by great distances. Our prayers are a sweet incense to our Father and He acts on them. Not a single one goes unnoticed! Our desire is to see His kingdom filled with the prayers of His people calling for Him to bring His kingdom to Africa and the people there, through our life (and the lives of those like us).
We need financial partners. For the time being, we have to enter the African nations on volunteer visas, so as not to take jobs away from the native Africans. And while we are officially on staff with a nonprofit mission organization, All Nations, they cannot provide a salary as their monetary resources are sufficient only for basic administration needs. Because of these factors, we won’t be able to find local work to support us in our church planting endeavors. Monthly support (as well as one-time gifts) are greatly appreciated as we have monthly needs of about $3,000 per month (this covers both “life” and work/ministry expenses).
We need encouragers. It’s hard being so far away from friends and family. We’ll make new friends of course and we have an incredible local community here with All Nations, they could never replace you all. We look forward to times we can visit in the states and our home here will always be open for you to come and encourage us in person. We also have a site where people can send thoughts and prayers to us (Encourage • BranAndJuli) by emailing posterous@enc-bran-juli.posterous.com .
We’ll readily admit that this is a little scary for us but Jesus has spoken into both of our lives that He will provide if we are faithful to follow after Him. He’s already done it (with our short term trip and initial move here); we are excited and incredibly hopeful about the future. So many of our friends and family have been excited about what we are doing and want to join with us and we hope that many of you will consider partnering and journeying with us as well!
If you are interested in learning more or talking with us one-on-one please fill out the below form. On it, you can also sign up for our monthly newsletter, weekly prayer letter and/or occasional physical mailings. We would be happy to provide more information, set up a meeting or answer any questions that you might have. And for any financial partners - we will have a monthly/yearly budget that outlines what expenses are for. Our hope is truly for transparent community with you all.
