Our first week of LaunchPad was great! It was such a blessing to be reunited with our students and to see what God has done in their lives over the last couple months. In one of our classes this week there were even 8 salvations! We know God is going to continue to do great things throughout this term.

Over the next few months we’re teaching curriculums covering the foundations of faith, a new testament survey and what it means to have Christ living in us.

We’re excited to see how God is going to use this term of the village discipleship classes to impact communities for Christ!

Our next term of LaunchPad starts on Monday! We spent two full days this week at schools across Qwa Qwa getting students excited for the upcoming term.

Over the last two months our interns worked on a drama to share with the schools. Throughout this week, they preformed for hundreds of young people! At each school, a current LaunchPad student shared how God is using LaunchPad to help them dig deeper into their faith and strengthen their relationship with God.

Check out photos from our week here!

Will you join us in praying for our first week of classes that start on Monday?

Just as our students are impacted by our village discipleship classes, so are the teachers. God has used preparing and teaching their classes to strengthen their faith!

This past term of LaunchPad I’ve been able to go out of my comfort zones in giving salvation messages, praying over students that never knew God and knowing that big things were going to happen. My whole outlook on what it means to be a disciple to others has changed with the result of instilling truth in others. I had the opportunity to instill truth in my LaunchPad students and beyond that the people they choose to reach out to. – Jace (staff)

I remember being nervous for our first day at Clubview and hoping we were all ready to teach our first lesson. Our class was crowded with about 70 kids. Throughout this term I have learned to resist the devil’s attacks and lies, and to be confident to teach and go out of my comfort zone to present the truths God has for our learners. I have also learned to be creative in capturing the attention of our young learners. I was very encouraged at the end to hear their testimonies of how we have helped change their lives. I know the learners weren’t the only ones. Through teaching I have grown and changed in many ways! – Jessica (Twenty4Seven Intern)

Last Wednesday was our last day of LaunchPad and just before handing out the certificates to those students who had graduated, we opened up the floor for students to share testimonies about how LaunchPad had impacted them.  Several students shared what they had learned that had stuck with them the most, and it was exciting to know that we are instilling wisdom and knowledge to the girls that come to our class.

One girl, though, shared that a few months ago, her family had moved and stopped going to church.  She was so upset about not being able to go to church that she began to pray and ask God to provide a way for her to learn more about God.  Shortly after she had been praying this prayer, she found out about LaunchPad.

As she was sharing with us, she began to cry and it was evident that what she was saying came from her heart.  It was so encouraging to know that we have been put in the teacher position in order to pour into the lives of the girls we spend our Wednesday afternoons with. God is so great!

-Alaina, Twenty4Seven Intern

Last week our village discipleship program graduated 70 students! The graduating students couldn’t have missed more than 3 classes, and received a certificate for their faithful attendance. Graduations are a fun time for us to celebrate with our students and praise God for all He has done in their lives throughout the last few months. Here are just a few of the testimonies:

LaunchPad has changed my life very much. After my father passed away I no hope in life because I knew that we had lost a bread winner in our family and my mother had no job. LaunchPad taught me about God and His will so I realized that God has His ways in life, there’s always time for everything. – Dintle

Since I came to LaunchPad I realized that forgiveness is the best medicine to a better life, and I also learned the fruits of the spirit. – Maki

I used to sleep without praying but now I pray at night before I go to bed and it’s all because of LaunchPad; I forgive those who do me wrong so that God could forgive me for my sins. – Dineo

We measure success so differently than God does. I often feel discouraged that our girls (in our LaunchPad class) can’t answer the questions we ask, even if we literally just gave them the answer. I wonder if we’re making an impact at all when I see them distracted throughout the whole class time.

But then a question is answered correctly, a profound prayer request is received, and they make the choice to come to class each week. I see that hunger for God and His Word. Yes, we are achieving success in God’s eyes. We are following His call for us to prepare and teach each week, to continue loving on these girls even when we don’t see what we call “success.”

Making that distinction between our measure of success and God’s measure of success has freed me from a sense of obligation to see results. I wish I had grand stories to share of how drastically the girls in our class have changed, but for now, the little things are big enough.

-Jenna, Twenty4Seven Intern

Part of our commitment to our Basotho ministry staff is to give them tools to help them grow in their faith.  At the beginning of this ministry year, we kicked off teaching our coaches and our interpreters a Foundations of Christian Growth class.   It’s an intense study of Biblical and theological basics that requires them to dig-in to the Word, respond to study questions, memorize scripture, and demonstrate their acquired knowledge through tests.  When the class commenced- many of our staff were nervous about the time commitment and they didn’t know if they would have the discipline or the motivation to take their study of God’s word to the next level.  And now, they’ve been invested into the course for three months and they look forward to the classes and the homework because of how they’re growing through it.  They’ve been learning how sometimes spiritual growth is fostered through a commitment or a decision to see something through- even when it feels hard or seems overwhelming.

What are you growing-through right now? How is God challenging you to press-in to more of Him?

Last week, our interns traveled to about ten different schools in Qwa Qwa and Intabazwe to perform a short drama to get students excited for LaunchPad classes (they started this week!).  Tumo’s Journey helped students realize that they do have a God-given purpose and that they can find this purpose throughout this term in the discipleship classes.

“I enjoyed the kids telling me that they wanted to find their purpose and to know more about God,” Jeremy said, “it was exciting to see their joy.”

On the last day, the interns even had the opportunity to pray with about fifty students. There were even three salvations! God moved in big ways throughout the week. We’re excited to see all He has in store for this term of LaunchPad!

We have been encouraged and amazed at how the Lord has been using LaunchPad to raise up young leaders.

Not only are young men and women learning to apply scriptural truths in their daily lives, they are also learning valuable lessons about commitment, using their God-gifted talents, and giving 100%.

Abram, a long-time Thrive Africa staff member our Thrive Church Pastor, teaches two of our village discipleship classes. He ended both of his classes this term by encouraging his students to live lives that model Christ.  He also challenged them to be witnesses and to put what they have learned into practice.  “It’s important for young people to be committed to learning about God and God’s purpose for their lives, and to be committed both inside and outside of class.  I’m glad to be teaching the next generation how to help others in their homes, schools and communities.”

It’s always amazing to hear how our students are impacted through our LaunchPad classes. But many times, as we teach and pour into others, our lives are also deeply impacted. Here’s what one of our interns, Chelsea, had to say about her experience teaching our village discipleship classes:

“I have learned so much from LaunchPad. I have been changed by the opportunity to teach and pour my life into the students that I got to meet. I learned what it means to lay my life down for someone else and I learned so much from the students I met. They taught me what it means to persevere, to hunger and thirst for God, to be teachable. I was blessed to see the changes that took place in each person that came to our class!

I was amazed to watch them come to Christ, grow in Christ, and learn who they are in Christ. It was absolutely beautiful to see them come up and ask for prayer as they go out and share what God has done in their lives with their families, friends, and peers. I will never forget the people I met because I had the opportunity to teach LaunchPad. There are lessons I learned teaching LaunchPad that I could have never learned anywhere else. I will never be the same because of the students I met, the lessons I taught, and the opportunities I had to share my life with these amazing people.”