...the spirit of the sovereign Lord is upon me, because the Lord has {chosen me}. He has commissioned me to {encourage the poor}, to help the brokenhearted, to decree the release of captives, and the {freeing of prisoners}, to announce the year when the Lord will show his favor, the day when our God will seek vengeance, to {console all who mourn}...Isaiah 61:1-2
To hear about what Jesus is doing in this world is a blessed thing. His work in current generations is truly astounding. His kingdom is being made known in places that have never known it before and in ways that boggle the modern mind. Just in the past 10 or 15 years, missionaries have been seeing large-scale works of the Spirit of God across the globe where thousands of people come to know Jesus in a short time, exploding Christ’s body into places it’s never been before.
It’s in this that our vision begins — with an excitement and desire to see this movement toward Jesus in and through our life. And we firmly believe “Africa…!” is the call God has placed in our life.
Cape Town is the current stop on this journey. Here we work with an organization called “All Nations.” The vision that drives their work in Africa is simply this: “…from Cape Town to Cairo…” It is coupled with the firm belief that Jesus is doing a work in Africa and is wanting to see an explosion of His kingdom on this continent.
Strategically Cape Town is the stop for the foreseeable future. Many of the varied tribes, tongues, and nations of Africa converge in the townships located here; these are self-contained communities that speak to the legacy of Apartheid (poverty, separation, slavery). Our vision is to see that legacy forever shattered and these varied peoples empowered by Jesus and the move of His kingdom to change both Africa and the world.
To do this we are present in the communities, letting the light of Christ shine forth to melt away the darkness. We are getting into the homes of people — people of Xhosa, Zimbabwean, and Malawian descent currently — and discipling them to disciple nations. If each member of a family of 2 is mobilized to disciple families (and that cycle continues) by the 5th generation of discipleship a potential of 32 families (or more depending on family size!) could be touched and an entire community forever changed. By the 10th generation, that could be 1024 families! And if these families of foreign descent decide to move “home” — nations will be changed.
We firmly believe that discipleship is about entire life transformation here and now (as well as eternity). Life doesn’t “start” in heaven anymore than it “stops” when we die. Ministries that speak to this holistic redemption are near to our hearts. For Julianna, story writing classes for teenage women to empower them to take ownership of their own life’s story is one way this is being worked out. Another is through her work with a Vulnerable Children program which provides basic necessities and community (through a kid’s club) for orphaned and nearly orphaned children. For Brandon, budgeting and finance classes to empower men and women to take responsibility for their God-given resources and computer training seminars are ways this is currently being worked out. As needs change, these ministries will likely change as well.
We also firmly desire to mobilize and provide resources to spur others in missions. Currently we work with All Nations Cape Town in this capacity. Brandon is their Director of Technology and is working towards modernizing their office and presence in the world as well as provide toolsets for people going out on mission. Julianna works as their Director of Communications, insuring the flow of information (from supporters to those on the field to office staff to everyone who might have interest in this world).
