We are blessed with an incredible team. We have missionary and national full-time staff as well as interns, coaches, interpreters, and other indigenous staff. Together, each one helps accomplish what God’s called us to do here in South Africa.
Be sure you also meet our interns and AIDS prevention coaches.
Introducing our Full-Time Staff
Niel and Alece van Rensburg are the founders and directors of Thrive Africa. Their hearts beat with the vision God has given them to develop emerging leaders in Southern Africa. Read More
Rebecca moved from Flagstaff, Arizona to join Thrive Africa in January 2005. She has been on six short-term mission trips, three of which were to South Africa. The Lord placed a passion for the people of South Africa in Rebecca’s heart. After her internship with Thrive Africa in 2003, she felt a longing to return to partner alongside us. As Executive Assistant to Niel van Rensburg, Rebecca does a lot around here! She also oversees the in-country experience for all our mission teams.
Kelly began her missionary journey at the age of 15 when she went on a mission trip to Kenya, Africa. Since then, she has been on 8 mission trips to various parts of Africa and Mexico. After spending 2004 as an intern in Thrive Africa’s Twenty4Seven program, Kelly felt the call of God to once again return to the mission field. She moved from Stockton, California in 2006 to join Thrive Africa’s staff team as the LaunchPad Director and Outreach Base Coordinator.
Never thinking he would be a full-time missionary, Dave was surprised that not a year after his first mission trip to South Africa, he decided to move from his home in Jacksonville, Florida to serve alongside Thrive Africa for the next few years. After spending time with the families he met in the villages, Dave could simply not resist the calling God put on his heart to come back. Since July 2005, Dave has been the Director of Creative Services at Thrive Africa. He designs our ministry material, which includes brochures, village curriculums, apparel, and monthly email newsletters, as well as fields all “technological challenges” in the office.
Since her first mission trip at the age of 19, Charlene knew that her life would involve missions. She spent most of her twenties in college, receiving a BS degree and an MBA. After visiting Thrive Africa on a short-term trip in 2006, Charlene knew that God was leading her to make a full-time commitment. Her life mission is to “help leaders stay where they are called”, and she joins the Thrive Africa team as Alece van Rensburg’s Executive Assistant, Director of Human Resources, and Director of Outreach.
After spending a summer as Outreach Staff and a year in the Twenty4Seven internship, Aimee joined our staff team in February 2008. Listowel, Ontario is her hometown, making her our only Canadian staff member in a sea of Americans and South Africans. Aimee is our Finance Manager and assists in the development of Leadership Summit.
Jennifer’s heart has always been for teaching. She graduated from Northwest Nazarene College and went on to NOVA Southeastern University in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, obtaining a Masters degree in Speech and Language Pathology. Jennifer was employed in the school system in Hawaii as a Speech and Language Pathologist, where she assessed and trained students as well as the administration staff. She joined us in January 2007 as the Director of Leadership Summit. Jennifer continues to teach from her heart to impact students, coaches, schools, and the people of South Africa.
Pastor Abram joined Thrive Africa in 2001 after proving himself faithful as a student at our early LaunchPad classes. Having been with us the longest of all our staff, Pastor Abram is very involved in many aspects of the ministry. He coordinates ministry and follow-up for our Outreach department and oversees the activities of all our interpreters. He also teaches weekly at LaunchPad classes and liaises with the local pastors in our Hand in Hand program.
Cassie has had a desire to be a missionary since she was a young girl, and has always been planning and preparing to go to the mission field. She graduated from Olivet Nazarene University and then interned with Thrive Africa in 2007. After spending a year in South Africa, answering God’s call to return full-time was easy. Cassie’s childhood dream of becoming a missionary came true in January 2008 when she joined Thrive Africa as the Coach Development Manager in the Leadership Summit department.
Amanda joined our staff team in February 2006 after faithfully volunteering for a year in our Leadership Summit department. She continues to assist in our school outreach by teaching in the schools, training coaches, and helping with program development. Amanda also teaches a weekly LaunchPad class, interprets for ministry events, assists with office work, and is involved in writing curriculum and other ministry publications.
After receiving her teaching degree, Irene joined our staff in 2001 to teach the handicapped children at Limakatso Disabled Center. Irene now directs the entire program, including curriculum development, lesson planning and teaching, and student activities. Irene has a direct impact on these young lives, teaching them weekly about the Bible, English, reading, writing, math, and sports.
Diane has played an important, behind-the-scenes, supportive role in the ministry since its inception and became our Stateside Administrator in 2005. Diane’s multiple trips to South Africa and lengthy experience in church administration, office managing, and non-profit work have proven invaluable to her role in Thrive Africa. Based on Long Island, New York, Diane manages our Stateside office: processing donations, keeping the books, handling accounts, fielding information requests, and facilitating the mailing of all ministry publications and mailers.
After interning in Thrive Africa’s Twenty4Seven program in 2005, Josh decided to join our staff team. He moved from Lynchburg, Virginia to serve with us full-time in February 2006. Josh is Thrive Africa’s Property Supervisor, in charge of the maintenance and upkeep of our 2500-acre mission base. He also assists in the Outreach department and with Hand in Hand pastors’ conferences.
Growing up, being a career missionary never crossed Brittany’s mind. But once she was exposed to cross-cultural missions the summer after her freshman year of high school, the desire to live on the mission field was always on her mind. She was constantly seeking opportunities to minister in foreign lands. In all of her travels overseas, no people group gripped Brittany’s heart like the people of South Africa. The burning desire in her heart to serve the Lord in South Africa led her to join the Thrive Africa staff team in January, 2007. Brittany works in the Leadership Summit department, writing and developing the life-changing curriculums taught each week.
Our staff team also includes many other Basotho men and women that help maintain and manage our mission base. They serve in various functions, including maintenance, teambuilding facilitation, office work, and meal preparation for teams and conferences. We also have a wonderful team of interpreters who translate for our mission teams, and our Leadership Summit coaches facilitate our school program by teaching in the schools on a weekly basis. As our heart is to equip and empower local leaders, our indigenous staff are vital to the accomplishment of the vision!
-
God has blessed us with an amazing 2,500 acre property. See the photos.