A New Job Title

We have been Christians for most of our lives, but serving in a variety of roles and responsibilities, always asking God “What’s next?” At least, until we felt a clear call toward missions. After nearly a year of waiting, preparing, and praying, we are thrilled to share some incredible news with you: we are officially commissioned missionaries with ABWE! This milestone represents not just a new title, but a significant step forward in our journey to serve in Durban, South Africa.

Our New Missionary Orientation (NMO) week was filled with intensive training, powerful moments of connection, and the culmination of so much work and prayer. In this post, we’ll take you behind the scenes of what it means to prepare for international missions work, and how this commissioning changes everything for our family’s ministry moving forward.

As we unpack the training and share our hearts, we hope you’ll catch a glimpse of both the practical and spiritual dimensions of this calling. This isn’t just our journey — it’s an invitation for you to join us in the incredible work God is doing in South Africa.

The Journey to New Missionary Orientation

The path to this point has been filled with both challenges and blessings. From our initial sense of calling to serve in Durban, through the application process with ABWE, to the extensive interviews and preparation, and especially our Survey Trip to the heart of Durban itself, each step has reinforced our conviction that this is exactly where God wants the Bar No Sky family to be.

Reaching the NMO stage marks a crucial transition from “interested candidates” to “commissioned missionaries.” This wasn’t checking boxes; it was about ensuring we’re properly equipped for the specific work God has called us to in supporting churches and serving vulnerable populations in Durban.

ABWE’s Global Mission Framework

ABWE exists to fulfill the Great Commission by multiplying leaders, churches, and missions movements among every people. The organization structures its work into three key categories:

ABWE GO focuses on church-centric missions work — building, planting, and supporting churches We can’t work with just addition (training one disciple after another), but instead, we’re about multiplication (disciples making disciples who make disciples).

Every Ethne concentrates on reaching diverse ethnic groups within North America, equipping believers to share the gospel effectively with people from different cultural and religious backgrounds right here at home.

Live Global partners with existing overseas ministries that may not be directly church-centered but are still advancing the kingdom through business as mission, humanitarian work, and other specialized approaches.

Our family falls under the GO category since our primary focus will be working with churches in Durban. Joe’s media ministry and Abbey’s pregnancy/women’s health work will both serve to strengthen local churches and expand their impact in the community.

Official Designation: What It Means For Our Ministry

Before now, we’ve essentially raised personal funds. When we filed our taxes, we had to file as a self-employed business and pay taxes on everything raised. That 15.3% was a hard pill to swallow! Thankfully, ABWE isn’t me. ABWE is an internationally recognized 501(c)3 charitable organization that donates medicine, medical care, food, educational resources and more globally and also happens to pay its employees. We’re on the cusp of becoming employees now.

The biggest difference is that people aren’t giving to us, per se, but they’re giving to ABWE and its global ministries. Of course, funds can be earmarked for our ministry, and that’s exactly how it will work, but because a person is giving towards the ministry, not the ministers, donations are tax-deductible.

Further, ABWE has helped us develop a full budget for what life overseas will look like, and has factored in every angle based on their almost 100-year history across 85 countries. So where we got hit by a 15.3% self-employment tax, ABWE factors a 16% withholding rate to pay taxes with and get a bit back when everything is filed.

Most importantly, though, we represent ABWE when we speak with people about our mission as part of the global mission to multiply disciples, churches, and missions movements to fulfill the Great Commission. We go as they equip us, to do the work our sending church is sending us to do, all in answer to God’s provision.

Finally, this is the first of three steps:

1. We’re currently “deputized pre-field missionaries” now, representing ABWE as we begin raising financial and prayer support.
2. When enough commitments are made and the incoming budget is stable enough, we become “employees” drawing a paycheck and eligible for benefits stateside.
3. Finally, once all education is complete and all fundraising targets have been hit, we travel overseas to simply be “missionaries” in our field.

Key Training Highlights

Our NMO week was packed with essential training designed to prepare us for effective ministry overseas. We were particularly impacted by learning about ABWE’s five core values:

1. Jesus Gets First Place – Everything we do must be viewed through the lens of Christ’s lordship.
2. The Gospel is Celebrated – Moving beyond simply “knowing” the gospel to truly celebrating and centering it in all we do.
3. Biblical Family Atmosphere – Living out the “one anothers” of Scripture in our relationships with other believers and team members.
4. Humble Confidence – Approaching ministry with the confidence of God’s calling but the humility to serve others first.
5. Our Lives and Possessions are for Sharing – Recognizing that nothing we own is truly ours and cultivating a mindset of generosity.

These values deeply resonate with our family’s approach to ministry and will guide our work in Durban.

A powerful part of our training involved sharing our testimonies in a concise format (just 8 minutes for couples!) with the ABWE staff. This exercise helped us refine our story for future church visits, where we’ll often have limited time to communicate our calling and vision.

Practical Training Applications for Durban

The financial training was a huge benefit for us; understanding the IRS guidelines regarding reimbursements is incredibly important, as we want to be abundantly sure that everything is above board and honest. The second major boost for us was the Cybersecurity and IT training, as they detailed how exactly our security can be compromised and the kinds of dangers we can face.

Behind-the-Scenes: The Missionary Preparation Process

Many people don’t realize just how comprehensive missionary preparation is. Beyond theological training, we received practical instruction in areas like:

Cybersecurity – In regions where Christianity may face opposition, digital security becomes a matter of safety. We learned everything from secure communication methods to protecting sensitive information on our devices. The IT team even sent fake phishing emails to test our awareness, helping identify areas where additional training was needed.

Healthcare Resources – ABWE provides incredible medical support, including a 24-hour helpline where missionaries can speak with doctors in the States to determine if local medical attention is needed and even have medications ordered at local pharmacies.

Cultural Intelligence – Training on how to navigate cultural differences respectfully while maintaining our gospel witness. This includes understanding when to adapt to local customs and when to gently challenge practices that may conflict with biblical teaching.

Partnership Development – Learning to view fundraising not as “asking for money” but as inviting others to participate in global missions through their giving, prayers, and encouragement.

The Commissioning Ceremony

Thursday evening marked the emotional high point of our week: our official commissioning ceremony. After worship and a powerful message about fulfilling the Great Commission, we received our certificates as officially commissioned missionaries under ABWE.

The ceremony included a profound reminder that we are answers to prayer—that churches and believers around the world have been praying for workers to be sent to the harvest field, and God has called our family to be part of His answer to those prayers. This perspective has deeply humbled us and reinforced the seriousness of our calling.

Standing with other newly commissioned missionaries, all heading to different parts of the world with unique ministries but the same ultimate purpose, was a beautiful picture of the global body of Christ at work.

Our Team in Durban

The Team Leaders in Durban are absolutely amazing, and I’m not just saying that to suck up, haha. They’re truly wonderful people. I honestly expected to grit my teeth and deal with a few irritating personality traits, because everybody has those, right? I get annoyed with myself. But God bless them, they’re so wonderfully humble and open and honest and caring… and vigilant, and cautious, and intentional. We love them deeply.

They are church planters, and they have done an incredible job working with churches in Durban to provide ministry oversight, guidance, and inspiration, as well as educational resources and opportunities. They’ve helped manage a building fund for many years, building and renovating some of the churches in the area. They’re excellent missionaries, and I would never want to step on their toes or take over part of their responsibilities. Thankfully, our God is an awesome God who lines things up, and I am gifted in virtually none of those areas. I get to come alongside and help them (the missionaries and the churches) do ministry better with modern technology. Abbey gets to equip them to serve some of the most vulnerable populations in any culture. We get to expand each church’s outreach in Durban, without getting in anyone’s way. That’s pretty dang cool, if I say so, myself.

Financial Partnership Path Forward

One of the most practical outcomes of our orientation was gaining clarity on our support requirements. After detailed calculations based on the cost of living in Durban, ministry expenses, healthcare, retirement, and other necessities, we now know our target numbers:

• One-time moving costs: $60,700 (this doesn’t include training costs between now and departure)
• Monthly support: Approximately $8,500 per month

These figures might seem substantial at first glance, but they represent a comprehensive approach to sustainable ministry. Rather than scrambling for emergency funds or having to return early due to insufficient support, ABWE helps missionaries raise what they’ll truly need for effective long-term service.

Your partnership in this journey isn’t just about funding our family’s needs; it’s about enabling ministry that will impact countless lives in Durban for generations to come.

I will write a future blog post that details each line item of our fundraising goals, and come back to this post to add a link to that blog when it’s finished.

Next Steps in Our Missionary Journey

With commissioning complete, we’re now focused on several key priorities:

1. Partnership Development – Building our financial and prayer support team through church visits, individual meetings, and sharing our vision widely.

2. Continued Training – Completing required courses like Essential Missions Components, which covers cultural intelligence, holistic ministry, networking, and teamwork.

3. Individual Development Plans – Working through personalized reading and training assignments designed specifically for our roles in media ministry and women’s health work.

4. Medical Clearance – Working with ABWE’s staff doctor to ensure our family is physically prepared for life in South Africa.

Our long-term timeline depends largely on how quickly our support team comes together, but we’re trusting God’s perfect timing for our departure to Durban.

Prayer Requests

Prayer support is critical!

• We desperately need people to join with us in praying for the situation in a post-Apartheid South Africa, still healing from decades of abuse and racial strife.
• We need prayer partners for the people in the province of Kwa-Zulu Natal, or K-Zed-N, who seek Jesus but are starting with two strikes against them: cultural practices such as ancestral ceremonies being blended with the gospel (i.e. praying to the ancestors, who can relay your prayers to Jesus), and the prevalence of a wicked and predatory prosperity gospel.
• 42% of South African children are in single-mother homes. 60% of pregnancies in South Africa are unplanned, and a full 24% of pregnancies in South Africa end in abortion. Up to 70% of women have experienced relational abuse. We need God to move on the hearts and minds of leaders, families, men, women, and children in South Africa.
• We can help train good churches to become more visible and handle these situations with greater degrees of care and consideration, but it’s incredibly hard to do that from here. God has called us to go there and help, but we cannot afford it on our own. We need people to partner with us financially so we can go and focus on the work God has called us to do.

In Conclusion, with a Call to Action

Our commissioning as ABWE missionaries marks not an ending but a beginning—the start of a new chapter in our family’s journey of faith and service. We are humbled, excited, and ready for what lies ahead, but we cannot do this alone.

Would you prayerfully consider joining us in this mission? Here are three specific ways you can partner with us:

1. Prayer – Commit to praying regularly for our family and for the people of Durban. [Sign up for our prayer updates here](https://barnosky.africa/newsletter/).

2. Financial Support – Whether through one-time gifts toward our moving costs or monthly commitments to our ongoing ministry, your giving makes a tangible difference. [Donate securely through ABWE here].

3. Spread the Word – Share our story with your church, small group, or friends who might be interested in missions. Connection often leads to unexpected partnerships!

Thank you for being part of this journey with us. We are deeply grateful for each of you who reads, prays, gives, and encourages us along the way. Together, we can make a lasting impact for the Kingdom of God in Durban, South Africa.

“The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.” – Matthew 9:37-38