Our leadership training conference has expanded to over 350 students. We’re looking forward to a year charged with energy and excitement, as they become our “Leaders in Action”. February 17th begins this season as a Flash Point of change. Radical change. Transforming students without hope, without dreams, without God to a whole new level. A life of purpose, a life of leadership, a life devoted to being a God follower who is the ultimate dream maker.

Join us in prayer as we begin this new season of change.

“Thrive Africa has taught me how to face the problems in the world and to respond.” – Ouma Buthelezi

“I have learned many things today, I am loaded.  I know who I am, I know why I’m here on earth, and I know how I can impact people around me.  I just want to thank God for bringing Thrive Africa and Hand in Hand into my life today.” – Amos

“I am so blessed to know that I am the Light and Salt of the world.  I’ve also realized that I don’t have to keep my problems to myself, others face them as well.” – Jermina Tsotetsi

“I learned that to be a light- it is a calling from God.” – Mathobisa Maria

“As leaders we must act like Jesus.” – Botodi Jan Khanye

“I have been revived through this seminar by having other preachers help through the Word of God.  I am blessed.” – L. S. Mosia

“I have reached a new understanding about being Salt and Light in the world – that I can impact my community and attract them to the Lord.” – Joyce Motete

“God is in this conference every time.  I always feel the Holy Spirit present in the Hand in Hand conferences.  Thank you for teaching me about Godly leadership.” – K. V. Malinga

“I felt changed by today’s seminar.  I saw God today.  I learned to read and meditate on the Word of God to be able to hear from Him and to realize my purpose.” – Engelina Tsholo

South Africa is ripe with potential.  You can see it in the eyes of the youth- this is a nation hungry for change.  With insurmountable obstacles standing in opposition to hope (the AIDS pandemic, extreme poverty and crime- to name a few), Thrive Africa exists as a light in the darkness.  We are raising up leaders who will change this nation for God. See what we see: The Face of Leadership.

Our Hand in Hand pastoral development conferences kick off this year on February 1st.  Our theme for the year is Being Salt and Light. Each conference, held quarterly, will provide foundational teachings and practical applications about how to live as the salt of the earth and the light of the world (Matt 5:13-14).  These conferences are life-giving to our pastoral partners, many of whom have no formal training and serve in communities ravaged by poverty and HIV/AIDS.  Choosing to live as salt and light in their communities is choosing to pierce the darkness with the love of God.

Pray with us for the Hand in Hand conference on February 1st!

We had the wonderful opportunity to host a team of 26 students from all over the United States for 3 weeks this summer. They changed many lives and had their own changed as well. Take a closer look at this video to gain a better understanding of how they spent their time here, and to get a feel for the authenticity that served as the backbone for the entire trip.

Does this sound like something you’d want to spend a couple weeks doing? Hop on over and take a look at our student and adult Thrive Trip opportunities.

Hope House is a small orphanage located in Harrismith that we’ve partnered with over the last year. With about 33 kids living there, there is plenty of opportunity and need for discipleship and love. Our goal is to spend time at Hope House each week so that we can impart knowledge of the Bible, inspire love for Christ, and demonstrate love for each other.

Each week our ten interns go to the orphanage ready to teach a Bible lesson, lead a craft, and spend time playing with the kids. We hope you enjoy the video.

We get lots of questions from people interested in our 1-year internship about what they’ll do as an intern. Will I get to teach in a village? How involved am I in the ministry? Will I get to work with orphans? Well, hopefully this video will help answer some those questions as we let our interns share about what they’ve been up to so far this year.

As we start our second decade of ministry, we’ve been reminiscing about all that God has done in the past ten years. Back in 2003—less than a year after we bought our property–a wildfire broke out and burned over 800 acres of our mission base. It was definitely a challenging time, filled with uncertainty and a lot of questions, but we pressed on. In spite of the setbacks, the vision God gave us to reach South Africa grew even stronger in our hearts.

We thought you might enjoy seeing the the video we’d made shortly after the fire—a glimpse into years-gone-by here at Thrive.

Africans love to dance! And what better way to spend a lunch break.

Learn more about what’s it like bringing a team to Thrive Africa.