Celebrating our Saltiness

On Friday we held our final Hand in Hand conference of the year with more than 80 church leaders in attendance. Our theme has been “Being Salt and Light” and we’ve learned so much together!

At this final conference, Pastor Abram taught us how being unified as a church body helps us to be Godly examples and effective witnesses to others. Next we spent time in worship and prayer, and sharing amazing testimonies of how God has worked in and through us this year. The goal was to not only learn from and encourage each other, but also to celebrate!

Amy Riep ended the conference with a powerful teaching from The Beatitudes in Matthew 5:1-12. This passage just precedes Christ’s calling to be Salt and Light, and teaches us the attitude we need to carry it out.

Humbleness. Godly sorrow over sin. Repentance. Hunger and thirst for righteousness. Mercy. Peacemaking. Endurance.

She also gave an interesting fact about salt – that the Roman armies would pour salt out on their conquered lands to basically render them unusable and prevent them from being taken back by their enemies. As salt, not only do we season the earth with the hope of Christ, but we also claim territory for His kingdom that Satan cannot take back.

What a great day! I’m so thankful for the opportunity to equip and strengthen local leaders, and to also be strengthened and encouraged myself.

Godly Stewardship

On September 6th more than 130 leaders came together to learn how to be God’s salt and light “From the Inside Out”. The topics we taught included Godly Stewardship and Kingdom Living – things we need to model in our own lives before we can effectively witness to others. Based on the responses, God was clearly at work that day.

God was at work in me as well, as this was my first opportunity to teach such a large group. It was a challenge and a stretch outside of my comfort zone, but I really enjoyed it and would like to teach more in the future.

My two messages were about Godly stewardship – God’s design for stewardship and the practical ways we can live according to His principles. It was such a blessing to share what God has been teaching me through His Word, and also draw from my personal and professional experiences.

Did you know that the Bible has well over 2000 verses related to money? Money is definitely a popular subject in the Bible. I think this is because it’s an area where we’re so often tempted. It’s where we are humbled. And it’s where we struggle the most to trust in the Lord.

Have you ever struggled in trusting God for provision, whether for yourself, your family, or your ministry? Wondering how the bills would get paid or the work would get done? I know I have. Losing my job, raising support for missions, living on a small fraction of what I used to, depending on God and others… The Lord often uses our financial circumstances to test and refine us, to teach us to trust Him, and to ultimately strengthen our faith.

How we handle our money – whether we have a lot or a little – reflects our relationship with God. It can be a source of life and blessing when we’re fully committed to God. But it can also be a trap that Satan uses to separate us from God. We can avoid that trap by knowing what the Bible says, obeying it, and walking in the freedom it provides.

Meet Pastor Maria

Meet Pastor Maria - beautiful woman of God, pastor of a small church, committed leader, hard-working business owner, Godly influence in her village. I love this lady!!

Our recent mission team from Sunbreak Church in Washington served in her village. After their first week of relationship evangelism, 8 people came to church with us that weekend. And after service, Pastor Maria met with each of them to tell them about her church, encourage them in their new faith, and welcome them to come back again. We pray that they do.






That’s one of the great things about partnering with local churches and pastors. As the mission teams serve in an area, the local church follows-up with people afterwards continuing to water and sow the seeds that were planted.

Another great thing is how encouraged our pastors are as teams reach out in their community, joyfully and sacrificially serving on behalf of the church. Over and over again, Pastor Maria told me and the team how thrilled she was to have the team visit her area.

Please pray with me for Pastor Maria and Lighthouse Ministries Church – that her church continues to thrive and to be a light in her community.

Modeling Leadership

One of the things I love about working at Thrive Africa is our deep, passionate commitment to training Godly leaders – in our schools, in our churches and communities, and also in our own Thrive Africa family. We know that we must model Godly leadership ourselves before we are able to pass truths on to others.

So within our Outreach Department, Pastor Abram and I have been digging deep into the Foundations for Christian Growth with our team of interpreters. Our most recent lesson was about becoming free from sin and being fully alive through Christ. The weekly classes have been life-changing. It has been wonderful to grow together, challenge each other, and equip ourselves to teach others.

We asked our interpreters “What impacted you most as you reflected on achieving freedom from sin?” Here is what some of them shared:

“That we are forgiven for our sins, but also that we should not misuse the grace of God by continuing to sin. We have the power and freedom to make good choices in our lives.” - Rabele

“When we sin, it’s by our own choice. We have the power to say no to sin.” – Eric

“In order to stop sinning, we need to identify the root and remove it, or like a weed it will keep coming back.” - Christinah

Please pray for our Outreach team - that we continue to grow as Godly leaders better able to serve and pour into others.

PS. In this picture are Rabele and Elias leading Children's Ministry with one of our Thrive Africa mission teams.

The Hope of the World

Abram and I spent the day yesterday in Qwa Qwa visiting local pastors. We wanted to see how they were doing since our last Hand in Hand leadership conference, and to get their feedback about how we are doing and ways we can help in the future.

Pastor Mojaki and his wife have been happily married for 32 years. They would like help pouring into other married couples knowing that Satan works hard to attack families in order to erode the foundation for leaders, churches and society as a whole.

Pastor Seobi has dreams of teaching the Word of God in the schools and currently leads a Pastor Council that consults with the Department of Education. He also dreams of a Community Action Team formed by local churches to serve the poor and reach the lost. His passion and vision were contagious, and it reminded me of what Bill Hybels, Senior Pastor of Willow Creek, often says – that the local church is the hope of the world!!!

Pastor Mile said that he has seen tremendous growth through his partnership with us. He has grown as a leader and pastor, his leaders have grown tremendously as well, and members of his church have been blessed by Launch Pad and Leadership Summit. One is now a coach with us, stepping out to mentor a group of young people.

Pastor Maria (picture) told us that she has learned so much from our conferences and cds, and teaches what she learns to the rest of her congregation. The learning opportunities, along with the mission teams that serve in her community, have raised her ministry to a whole new level.

Our goal was to encourage our church partners – they work tirelessly and have such a tough job! But I must say, we were pretty encouraged as well as they shared their hearts, expressed their gratitude, and gave us their love and support right back.

Please pray for these mighty leaders – that they continue to carry out God’s vision for their churches and communities and for this nation.

Breaking the Silence

Living on Purpose

It’s pretty much been “all hands on deck” the past few weeks with everyone pitching in to help with curriculums for next year’s Leadership Summit program. We were so blessed by a gift of curriculums that were printed and shipped from the States, and now we’re on track to finish the remainder of them in time to begin training our LS coaches next week.

Each class presents relevant topics in a “teen-friendly” way and provides an open environment for candid discussions about peer pressures and Godly choices.

7^th graders will be studying Living on Purpose - who they are in Christ, how to discover God’s plan and purpose for their lives, and how to stand up to teenage pressures in order to fulfill their God-gifted purpose.

8^th graders will be studying Save Sex - God’s perfect plan for purity, marriage, sex and faithfulness, and the consequences of poor choices.

9^th graders will be studying Break the Silence and Speak Out - a series of relevant but difficult issues facing teens today such as sexuality, drugs and alcohol, and character, and what the Bible has to say about them.

As we printed, collated, punched, bound, and boxed each book I was actually pretty overwhelmed thinking that each one would end up in the hands of a young person who would be lovingly trained, mentored and encouraged to be all that the Lord created them to be. To make good decisions, to have hope and expectations for their futures, and to reach their God-gifted potential and purpose. Pretty amazing!

Learning to Lead Like Christ

I spent time this week reviewing feedback from our Hand in Hand leadership conference. As I mentioned in an earlier blog, we hosted more than 80 church leaders hungry to learn how to BE leaders and BUILD leaders who honor God in all they do. Not only were they thankful for the opportunity to sharpen their leadership skills, but they also felt recognized, valued, and encouraged by a conference designed just for them. Many expressed that they now saw themselves as the Lord does - as children of God, disciples, disciple-makers, and leaders in their families, communities and churches.

What a blessing to serve them and sow into them in this way! Their surveys really touched my heart! We asked people what God had done in their heart and lives through the conference and here are some responses.

“I was reminded that I must be a good example. When I ask people to follow me, they must leave everything and follow because, like Christ, I’m also a fisher of men.”

“I learned a lot about discipleship, and I believe I will leave here being a great leader and making more disciples.”

“I learned about what a leader should look like, how to build leaders, the importance of living a holy life, and how to be like Jesus.”

Please pray with us that our local church leaders continue to be like Christ, lead like Christ and build the leaders of tomorrow. And please pray with me as I plan for next year’s Hand in Hand pastoral development program.

Building Tomorrow's Leaders

This is my graduation picture (with my friend Kristie) from Michigan Theological Seminary. Pretty cute, huh? This week I was reminded of how blessed I am – that I had the resources, opportunity, encouragement and expectation to receive a first-class education. Bachelor Degree and MBA from Oakland University. Graduate Certificate in Bible from Michigan Theological Seminary. Classes through Kensington Community Church. Various leadership conferences. And a passion and pattern for life-long learning that continues on.

These degrees aren’t listed to “show-off”; rather they are to count my blessings as reasons to be deeply thankful. They are also a contrast with the sad reality faced here - that in Africa, 90% of our church leaders have no formal training.

As I mentioned in a previous blog, I am now helping to manage our Hand in Hand pastoral development program. Our vision is to equip pastors and strengthen local churches through leadership training and mentoring. One of our goals is to offer quarterly leadership conferences and workshops free of charge.

On October 12th, we hosted another conference for more than 80 local pastors and church leaders. The theme was Building Tomorrow’s Leaders. Interim Director Amy Reip began by teaching about the Leadership Checklist - how to develop ourselves and identify leadership potential in others based on scriptural standards. Next, Thrive Africa ministry partner Leon De Haan continued with a series of teachings on how to make disciples and build the next generation of leaders. He provided insight into the tests of character, leadership and calling, and also gave practical instruction on how to cast vision and set goals to achieve that vision.

We received great feedback after the event. Not only were people thankful for the opportunity to learn; but they also felt recognized, valued and encouraged as leaders and inspired to apply what they learned in their churches and ministries.

As someone who values education and training, and has a passion for leadership development, it was such a joy to provide this opportunity for others. Glory to God, and thanks to everyone who helped it happen through faithful prayers and support.

Making an Impact

Leadership Summit is our school outreach program (currently 7th, 8th, 9th grade) where students are trained in leadership development and life skills. It is also the heart of our AIDs prevention approach as young people are inspired to hope for the future, recognize their potential, and discuss peer pressures in an open environment.

This month I had the opportunity to attend their Impact Day – a special quarterly conference and celebration for young leaders from each of the LS schools. Principals and teachers nominate up to 20 of their top students to participate in the Impact program. It’s an honor to be selected, but it also comes with responsibility and hard work. This year the students took on community service projects. They discussed the issues their schools and communities are facing, selected problems to tackle, generated ideas, developed plans, raised money, and then implemented their solutions.

As I met with students from each of the schools, they were so excited to tell me about their projects. Their accomplishments were amazing! A Community Garden that gave food to the local orphanage. A Green Recycling Program that saved money and kept their community clean. Funds raised to provide Electricity for their classrooms. A School Safety Program that included training younger students. Computer Training Classes. An Anti-drug and Smoking Campaign. And the list goes on…

In a way it’s sad to think these kids have such difficult problems to face in their schools and communities. But it was amazing to see them rise up, lead positive change, and serve as role models to others. Did I mention these were 7th, 8th, and 9th graders? Wow!

Equipping Church Leaders

In Africa, 90% of our church leaders have no formal training. Our vision for Hand in Hand, our pastoral development program, is to stand in the gap equipping pastors and strengthening local churches through leadership training conferences and one-on-one mentoring.

On September 4th, we hosted a Hand in Hand conference for our local pastors, coaches and interpreters. It was an opportunity to thank them, serve them, and pour into them as leaders and co-workers for Christ. The theme for the day was “Run the Race” - how we are to “press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called us” (Philippians 3:14).

Abram Moloi, our Thrive Africa pastor, taught about how we can position ourselves for success by knowing who we are in Christ, having a vision for our lives, and being confident in God’s provision each step of the way. Terry Riggs then taught about running in such a way as to model the life and work of Christ. Amy Riep, our Interim Director, closed by inspiring us to have courage for our calling drawing key lessons from the lives of Daniel, Noah and Joshua. What made this day extra-special is that Terry is Amy’s father visiting from the US, and it was blessing for them to be able to teach together.

In addition to powerful and practical teaching, we also enjoyed fellowship, a great meal, and heartfelt worship together. It was a blessing for me to serve and learn at the conference, and I’m excited about coordinating the next one in October.