Our Leadership Summit department is busy going through our students’ feedback forms from this term. Here are just a couple of the responses so far:

“After attending Leadership Summit I have committed to become a Christian. I decided everything that I was doing stop doing wrong things. Now I know how I can choose friends and I must be a good leader to others.” Kekeletso – Grade 8

“I became a Christian because I learned more about God…what God meant to me and what God made me for.” Alice – Grade 8

It’s such a blessing to see how God is using the AIDS Prevention Program to impact the lives of so many young people!

The room was silent as Samantha and Amiel, two of our Twenty4Seven interns, taught our Leadership Summit Coaches how being a team player can bring about a greater impact than working alone. Even though our Coaches are working to see the youth in their community changed by the power of God, it is sometimes difficult for them to understand how working together as a team makes a difference.

As Samantha explained collaborating and cooperating, light bulbs turned on all across the room. The Coaches began to understand that when they combine their strengths, they will see the goal come to fulfillment in a greater capacity than if they were alone.

-Cassie Phillips, Coach Development Manager

In Leadership Summit the Coaches are teaching Breaking the Silence: Part 1. The curriculum covers a variety of taboo topics–subjects that need to be discussed, but because they’re difficult, are often avoided at home and in the church.

Here’s one story about how God is using it to impact lives:

“The class applauded as one of Lucas’ students shared how the previous lesson had changed his behavior. The student explained that after understanding how God felt about pornography, he had gone home and thrown out all of the pornography he owned. He wanted to live a life that pleased God and was willing to give up whatever he needed to do so.”

Please continue to pray for the coaches and students alike, as the next chapter explains the new life that God has for them if they allow Him to lead them in it.

“I want to thank our coach sir Thapelo sharing that information with us,” wrote Cecilia.

Thapelo, one of our Coaches, has been pouring into Cecilia’s life throughout her final year attending Leadership Summit classes. He has taught on finding a Godly self-image through all the messages the media sends, what makes good friends, and how drugs and alcohol can destroy someone’s future.

Cecilia went on to write, “My life has changed a lot after attending Leadership Summit. Next year I’m going to miss the class, but I will read the books when I miss it so badly.”

Working with the Leadership Summit coaches this past term has been such a pleasure.  They encourage and touch my heart in so many ways.  This year I have been working at increasing my own passion as well as over flowing into others so that they want to increase and pursue their own passion.  Recently Thapelo, one of the Leadership Summit coaches, wrote, “My passion increases more and more every time I come back from my classes.  I really feel like doing that all over Free State.” I work so hard personally and within ministry for words like these.  I am so thankful that God has chosen me to be His instrument.

- Cassie Phillips, Coach Development Manager

In Leadership Summit, the coaches are not only teaching their students valuable information, they are also building genuine relationships.  Through their classes, they are investing in their students and building a deep and compelling trust.

A student in Patricia’s class has opened up to her enough to share an untold hurt.  When the student tried to share this with her parents, she was met with cold shoulders and indifferent hearts.  Instead of being unreceptive, Patricia welcomed her with love and warmth, enabling her to find freedom in the arms of God.  Patricia helped her student embrace healing by putting her in contact with someone who could provide additional counseling and connect her with the right authorities.

“I’m free!” she exclaimed.  One of Tshidi’s Leadership Summit students had approached her with a heavy heart about being an orphan, but left school that day liberated.  “I told her she wasn’t an accident.  God made her for a purpose and wanted to use her,” said Tshidi.

Tshidi always has a testimony to share during our weekly coach meetings, but this week her faced glowed as she retold the story.  Another Leadership Summit Coach, Thapelo, practically interrupted Tshidi with a similar story.  In Thapelo’s words:

“After teaching the lesson on self-image, a boy from my class came up to me and said, ‘You really lifted me up.  The kids always make fun of me because I’m a little darker, but I’m made in the image of God and that is all that matters.’  It felt so good to be used by God to help him.”

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.

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.