Ministry time, all the time. You’ll spend a lot of time ministering to the people of South Africa, through a variety of methods. Some will take place out in the villages, face-to-face with the nationals. Some will take place on the base, working in the office or around the property. But you’ll learn quickly that it is all equally important. Just like a puzzle, each piece is needed to make the next one work. And when they’re all put together, the end result is beautiful: lives changed forever.

What you’ll be involved in

You’ll teach discipleship classes, visit an orphanage, train abstinence coaches, and minister in homes. You’ll sharpen your teaching skills by teaching at a LaunchPad discipleship class each week. (Don’t worry too much. You’ll have a staff member and other interns with you to help!) The classes are translated into Sesotho, so one of our Basotho staff members will interpret for you. You’ll learn a lot about God and the culture as you get to know your students and build relationships with them.

Each week, you’ll love on the kids at a local orphanage. In the two hours you’ll spend there, you’ll teach a lesson, play games, and make some crafts. But most importantly, you’ll shower the children with love and help them realize how important they are to God. The kids will worm their way into your heart, and you’ll probably look forward to your time there just as much as the kids do!

Our abstinence program is taught by indigenous coaches, young adults just like you. Each Friday, some of you will participate in the coach training meeting. This is another opportunity to teach, this time without an interpreter. As you pour into the coaches lives, you’ll help them grow in their relationships with the Lord and increase the effectiveness of their ministry to their students.

Throughout the year, you’ll engage in relationship evangelism, visiting people in their homes and building relationships with them. This is such a unique opportunity to really dive into the culture. By establishing genuine relationships, you can share Christ in a way that is natural and comfortable.

You’ll discover that ministry doesn’t exactly have start and stop times. Ministry takes place when you teach classes, work with mission teams, shop in town, and lead devotions for your fellow interns.

You think you know, but you have no idea

Get a behind-the-scenes look at real missions. You’ll be involved a few times a week doing what we like to call “BTS”, which is behind-the-scenes work. There’s a vast amount of nuts-and-bolts work that needs to be accomplished for ministry in the villages to take place. Your BTS responsibilities may include answering emails, data entry, collating curriculum, calling LaunchPad students, getting the base ready for a mission team, designing flyers, or online research. Most of your BTS time is spent with one specific department. The idea is that you’ll passionately take ownership of a specific area of ministry as you use your gifts and abilities to serve each week.

We have a saying here: It’s all Kingdom business. Whether you’re involved in some heavy-lifting to get ready for conferences, putting curriculum together for students to learn and grow from, going out into the villages to teach, playing with dusty, dirty orphaned kids—from the largest to the most menial tasks, everything we are doing is Kingdom business. Every task is for His glory and His name.

Everyone has preconceived notions of what mission work really entails. Whether your mindset is “living out in the bush, making your own cereal from wheat stalks, and walking miles to pump water,” or “ministry must be a 9-5 job like the rest of the world”, we are intentional about giving you a realistic perspective of overseas ministry. Myths will be expelled, and while the reality may be harsher than you expected, it will also be more rewarding than you ever thought possible.

Working with mission teams

As we host mission teams throughout the year, you’ll have the opportunity to work alongside them. You’ll help make their trips successful by facilitating their time on the base. You’ll serve them in the coffee bar in the evenings, whipping up delicious drinks, handing out candy bars, and helping them make phone calls home. You’ll also work in the curio shop, where we sell authentic African crafts. Oh yeah, you’ll also minister alongside them in Qwa Qwa and Intabazwe for their first few days of ministry.

You’ll develop genuine relationships as you serve and spend time with the team members. You’ll also play a vital role in tying their hearts into the vision of Thrive Africa and the ways they can help us accomplish what God has called us to do here.