We hosted our first-ever radio station mission team this month!  Life 100.3, from Barrie, Ontario formed a team comprised of promotional winners and radio station staff- and they spent 10 days serving alongside of us.

Driving through Qwa Qwa on their first day of ministry, the team needed to turn on the radio to see what South African’s listen to.  Seeming more than coincidental- the Qwa Qwa radio station is the very same frequency as Life: 100.3.

Before their time in Qwa Qwa came to an end, Life and Qwa Qwa Radio staff were talking face to face.  They spent a morning together- sharing about everything from Canadian culture to radio technologies- and in doing so, Thrive made a new connection that’s loaded with potential for spreading the love of Christ.

It was awesome to see God work through more than a coincidence- it was His providence.

Since we arrived for our yearlong internship in December, we’ve been so blessed to experience beautiful, hot, African weather. The sun has been warm and inviting, the mountains beckoning us to climb, the days have called to us to come play and bask in the beauty of God’s creation… until now. Yes, winter is upon us and suddenly the days no longer call us to come and play. Instead, they encourage us to stay inside next to a warm heater, curl up in a blanket and sip on some hot cocoa. The sun is sparse and gray skies are more frequent- but the beauty of God’s creation is in the cold and gray just as it was in the warm and blue. God’s beauty is always all around us, it’s just that now we get to enjoy it from the comfort of a windowsill.

~ Chelsea Ray, Twenty4Seven Intern

Our AIDS Prevention Program, Leadership Summit, hosts a quarterly one-day leadership seminar called IMPACT. On May 2oth we had nearly 200 students from 17 public schools in Qwa Qwa spend the day being challenged to impact their respective communities and schools.

At this IMPACT- we wrapped up and reviewed our past teachings on leadership- and then we called the kids to action. We broke up into small-groups by school, facilitated by a Thrive staff member or intern, and each group was given the task of addressing a problem in their school. These were the instructions: identify problems in your school, narrow it down to one you think is most important and then decide what you will do about it.

We know these kids are amazing. But, we were blown away by these 7^th, 8^th & 9^th graders.

By the next IMPACT on September 14^th, the kids are going to do things like: launch a campaign to increase school safety, get electricity in their school (sadly, some schools still don’t have reliable electricity), and start a peer counseling service for other students.

By the end of IMPACT, the students were charged up! They left excited about their projects and feeling equipped to change their schools. Little do they know that as a Thrive Africa family, we left the day so encouraged by what God is doing through them-that we can’t wait to hear what they report back in September.

Check out pictures from IMPACT here.

“I think I am a mistake!” admitted Dikeledi, a student in Lettia’s Leadership Summit class.  Lettia’s heart broke as Dikeledi described her situation at home.  ”Since I accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior, my parents don’t treat me well.”  Lettia replied by speaking right to Dikeledi’s heart, “You are not alone.  God is always with you and will never leave you.”  Dikeledi’s demeanor began to change in front of Lettia as she continued, “God will give you guidance on how you can get through this difficult time, if you ask Him.”

The conversation continued as Lettia encouraged Dikeledi to keep respecting her parents and demonstrating the love of God through her actions.  “You really helped me so much!”  Dikeledi said as she hugged Lettia.  Dikeledi returned home that day with a new hope and excitement in how God could use her to reach her family, because Lettia allowed God to speak through her.

Ladies night looks a little different here at Thrive than it does elsewhere.  Our Twenty4Seven female interns get together with Jenn, a member of our leadership team- and talk about all things girly;  in terms of how they relate to God and to one another.  Over the last month, ladies night has focused on the book Captivating: Unveiling the Mystery of a Woman’s Soul by John and Stasi Eldredge.  Our Thrive ladies are learning about what it means to be uniquely created by God, with aspects of femininity that make women both complex and beautiful.  They are learning what it means for Christ to be the lover of their souls- and how to passionately love Him in return.  This is ladies night- pursuing God together.

After seeing the impact that Leadership Summit had in her son’s life, Emily wanted to have the same kind of influence on others- so she joined our staff as a Leadership Summit Coach.  After reading through our curriculum materials, Emily expressed, “I didn’t know how important I am to God.” Even though Emily’s reason for joining staff was to reach out and empower her students- she’s also been changed within.  Emily said, “My husband told me that God is using me and when the hard times come, I need to push through and let His power work.”  It is such a privilege to watch our coaches grow spiritually through their commitments to impact others with the love of God.

Job at Thrive: Administrative Assistant

Hometown: Forest City, IA & Orlando, FL

What’s your favorite part of living in Africa? It’s gorgeous. I’ve been really blessed to have visited some amazing places, but Southern Africa tops the list.

Tell us the best part about your job. It’s amazing to be part of something bigger than myself. I spent all this time working before, just for a paycheck-now, what I’m doing is having a Kingdom impact. It’s really humbling.

If you have a few hours free on a Saturday, what will we find you doing? I wish I could say something active like hiking or running. But, I’m a big couch potato-so probably watching tv.

What’s your favorite African animal? It’s a tie-elephants and leopards. But, African birds are pretty cool too.

Share one of the most impactful moments you’ve had in South Africa. Last summer, I was in Qwa Qwa and we had a really candid conversation with a woman about HIV & AIDS. I think moments like that make it all real. Suddenly, it becomes more than just numbers and statistics.

What do you miss most from home? Tijuana Flats, hands down.

What’s playing on your iPod these days? Charlie Hall, Phil Wickham, Marc Broussard, Duffy

What’s a movie you can watch over and over? The original Parent Trap

Share something unique about yourself. I like African birds, a lot. So, I’ve decided to take up birding (South African for bird watching).

God has chosen each one of the Leadership Summit coaches and entrusted them with His valuable Word.  They are showing Christ to students who never may have sought or understood Him otherwise.

Thapelo, a coach, is encouraged to use this gift, “Nothing much to say I only see God’s grace every time after class. And I become like wow God is using me to pass out his message to his lost people. Obviously God trusts me that is why he chose me. So now I am looking to reach more souls for God’s glory.”

It is so important that as we do God’s work, we are driven by the desire to glorify Him.  The message being taught in the schools is not our own- but God’s- and it’s making an eternal impact in the lives of many.

~ Sam Behrman, Twenty4Seven Intern

Our coaches do an amazing job of pouring into nearly 4000 students every month in Leadership Summit. And we take every chance we can get to pour back into and disciple these Basotho young adults! During the recent two-week school break, we took full advantage of extra time with the coaches. We spent two days focusing entirely on their spiritual development.

As a group they were able to delve into what it means to glorify God by giving Him our best. Some of our interns and staff members challenged the coaches with topics like: what it looks like to glorify God with our time, giving Him our best energy, how to use our talents to further His kingdom, what it looks like to give Him our first-fruits and steward our money well, and how we can give God our best love.

The coaches left the two-day retreat encouraged, challenged and refreshed. We can’t wait to see what God has in store for the rest of the term!

Job at Thrive: Creative Department Video Editor

Hometown: Royal Oak, MI 

What’s your favorite part of living in Africa?
What I love most about living in Africa is the people and the variety of culture here.

Tell us the best part about your job.
The best part about my job is that I am constantly in the villages working with the beautiful people here.

If you have a few hours free on a Saturday, what will we find you doing?
Hiking or climbing one of our mountains here on the base.

What’s your favorite African animal?
Zebra

Share one of the most impactful moments you’ve had in South Africa.
Last year’s Thrive Trip team lead a 60 year old man to Christ. He was sick and could only walk a few steps at a time. They prayed for healing and the next day when they returned he was walking and his sickness had left him. He was completely healed and God was the only answer to that amazing miracle.

What do you miss most from home?
Starbucks Coffee

What’s playing on your iPod these days?
90’s one hit wonders. All the classics.

What’s a movie you can watch over and over?
The Green Mile