Brandon & Julianna Jones

...carrying hope+justice+peace to everyone we meet so that they know that they have a God-given purpose in life...

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Fire in Masi

This morning a fire broke out in Masiphumelele. By the time the fire brigade extinguished the fire, about 150 shacks were destroyed, leaving hundreds of people homeless for the holidays.

Brandon and I were on the scene shortly after the fire was extinguished, and it was shocking to see so many shacks smoldering. Everything in sight was destroyed. No one was killed (praise God!), but most people got out only with the clothes on their back. Some didn't even have shoes. The fire struck in the Wetlands, where the poorest of the poor in Masi stay. So these people have no bank accounts to rebuy what was lost.
Three of the families were part of the All Nations' ministry Vulnerable Children, which provides for some of the physical needs of orphaned children. These families had just received their monthly food parcel and it was lost in the fire. So Brandon and I went to the store today and got them another month's worth of food, while Mike and Kalyn Arndt went to another shop and bought clothes and shoes for the families. They all have their immediate needs met now, but it will take a long time to rebuild.
To add to the craziness of my day, I (Julianna) got held up at knife point while waiting in the car with Kalyn as our husbands delivered food into the Wetlands. Then later a couple of young men harassed Brandon and I as we got back into our car, trying to force entry into the car so we'd give them money. We finally convinced them to leave and drove off, only to find out later they walked to our friend Hope's house (who we'd been visiting) and threatened her in order to get money from her. Fortunately, she screamed and the neighbors came out and the young men got scared and ran away.
Masi is a wild place right now. Lots of desperation and need. Please pray for Masi as you think of it. Pray for God's peace to reign there. Ask God to provide for the needs of those who have lost their homes in the fire. 

Our Christmas Newsletter

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A long time coming...

I am ashamed to see that it's been quite a long time since I posted on this blog. To make up for it, I'm going to attach a link to a a bunch of really great pictures Brandon shot while my parents were here visiting. They treated us to a sweet vacation along the Garden Route, about 7 hours away from Cape Town. We had a great time with my parents while they were here Nov. 25-Dec. 7.

Now life is back to normal — or at least, our version of normal, which isn't very normal at all.

Ten Days for Jesus is going on at All Nations right now. It's a 10-day short-term outreach that includes people from local communities as well as those from other areas in South Africa and even Europe. The young people participating in the program receive teachings about following Jesus and then go out into the local communities and share God's love with the people there. It's been exciting to see some of our friends from Masi participate in the program. They're catching the vision for reaching out to those around them, instead of just staying in their comfort zones. Siphe, whose story I told earlier on this blog, is really taking off as he shares about Jesus to others who live in the wetlands. And a girl who was in my young girls group during CPx is also participating, reaching out in another township here.

Her friend is joining her at Ten Days, and has confided in me that she is struggling about whether to follow Jesus completely. "I heard that I can't worship my ancestors if I follow Jesus," she told me. "That's really hard." I was able to share with her one-on-one about why I chose to follow Jesus, and I encouraged her to use Ten Days for Jesus to really make a choice how she's going to live. Please pray with me that she gives her life completely to Jesus, where I know she will find grace and peace.

After Ten Days finishes here in Cape Town, I am told All Nations kind of slows down. Many staff members visit family and friends over the holidays, and many of my friends in Masi will travel to Eastern Cape or other parts of Cape Town for about a month over the holidays. It's a time that Brandon and I hope to use to start some big projects in the office, hopefully free from some of the distractions we have nowadays. We'll be having some friends of ours, a family that went through CPx with us, stay with us during the holidays as well, which we're excited about. Christmas is always more fun with little kids around.

And speaking of Christmas, I am trying really hard to get into the festive spirit. It's pretty difficult when it's hot and sunny outside, but I'm doing pretty well. I have a Christmas tree up and even had a craft night while my parents were here. We made homemade ornaments, which was a lot of fun. Merry Christmas!