We spent this past weekend redefining passion.

The Passion Conference came to Johannesburg, and we were lucky enough to be a part of it. The entire day was electrifying, and the shadow of it still impresses itself on our hearts and minds. We were with 6,000 other students praising the name of our Lord, and the best part was that we weren’t even in our home country. We had the opportunity to unite ourselves with thousands of South African students in the Name of Jesus, and it was absolutely breathtaking.

In case it wasn’t clear enough, Passion’s purpose is to ‘glorify God-uniting students in worship and prayer for spiritual awakening in this generation’, and that’s exactly what they’re doing. Passion is uprooting students all over the world and bringing them to a point of awareness where they can begin making a monumental difference even in their generation, and the excitement is catching.

We said another goodbye.

Amidst many tears and heavy hearts, our Outreach Staff left Monday for debriefing and will soon leave for the States. They served alongside us for these past two months, and have impacted us and the many teams that came through more than they’ll ever be able to understand.

Your servant hearts have made this summer’s ministry possible. The early mornings, late nights, and hectic days have all come to a close in a bold and passionate statement of God’s love. Through your works He has been made evident in every aspect of life and ministry, and I’d like to hand-deliver a heartfelt and genuine thank you from all of us here; each one of you has made a lasting impression not only on us, but on this ministry as well.

You know the kind of person that walks into a room and instantly holds your gaze? The kind of person that, when he speaks, you listen? We recently had the priceless opportunity to mince words with Terry Prisk, pastor of The River in Michigan and renowned motivational speaker. I would say that we heard him speak, but it wasn’t like that. It wasn’t a stand-up, distanced podium speech; it was something much more revelatory.

He came through Thrive on the tail-end of a trip through a few African countries, and spoke in our Leadership Lab as well as preached at our church service. He was here because he wanted to fully grasp Thrive Africa and the things we stand for before sending a team our way, but he ended up doing much more for us than we could for him. The things he had to say about leadership, church, and life in general struck such true chords, and resonated all throughout his time here.

He spent his last day here with the young leaders of South Africa; with the leaders that will change this nation. He spoke at Leadership Day about clarity, and impacted many with his words. We were blessed to have him here with us, and continue to be blessed by the words of wisdom he left behind.

Kelly is very involved in leading the interns in Twenty4Seven. One major way she does that is by teaching a class called ISOM—International School of Ministry. She recently shared this great story about an experience in class:

While in ISOM the other day we talked about different ways that God will lead us, specifically focusing on how God communicates with our spirits. It was awesome to see the interns delving into discussion and even some debate on the topic.

We discussed everything from “Does God always warn people before something bad happens - and what about natural disasters?” to “Why do some people experience the prompting of the Holy Spirit so easily and frequently while others don’t?”

I have no doubt that all of our interns walked away from the class with new ideas, new beliefs and new questions. It’s amazing to witness the Lord as He teaches our interns new and exciting things about Himself and about His Word, the Bible!

A guest post from Megan Irwin, one of our 2007 interns:

Living with, working with, eating with, and hanging out with the same group of people for a year has its challenges, but it also has many benefits. That close-knit community is one of the things I miss most from my time as an intern with Thrive Africa. Yes, it was challenging at times, but I wouldnʼt change it for the world. The friendships that developed were the most genuine relationships Iʼve ever experienced. As an intern class, we experienced our share (sometimes more than our share) of trying times, heartache, and transition. We also shared many laughs, fun times, and ministry opportunities. But, most importantly, we kept God at the center through it all and allowed Him to shape our friendships. My year with Thrive Africa mirrored to me what true Godly relationships are to look like. And it reinforced the importance of community in my life.

When I came home, that close-knit community of people that had surrounded me for a year was suddenly gone. And I knew the community I was coming home to had also changed, along with the people in it. At debriefing, I remember Alece telling us that reconnecting with people takes effort. I didnʼt want to believe that. I wanted things to be the way they had been. When I realized the reality of change in the community I found myself in, I felt overwhelmed and found it easier to hold on to the Thrive family that I had come to know so well. And thatʼs just what I did. I found myself living on the memories and stories of my year in Africa. But living on memories and the relationships of the past left me feeling empty and even more disconnected.

Iʼm not saying my Thrive family became extinct when I came home; Iʼm just saying that theyʼre no longer the community in which I live. When I came to that realization, I knew what I had to do. I had to start putting the lessons I learned in Africa into practice. I needed to step out, put some effort in, and start reconnecting with people and rebuilding relationships. Putting that effort in has been scary and challenging at times, but it has been greatly rewarding. I was made for relationships—with God and with His people. And I thank God for that.

At Thrive I felt and experienced what it means to have friendships centered on God and bringing Him glory. That is one of the experiences and lessons that I treasure most from my internship. Because of the friendships that developed, I know that I have the support and prayers of my fellow interns and the staff at Thrive as I step out and start living the lessons I learned and implementing them in my life. And I pray that my Thrive family knows my prayers are with them. We may be miles apart, but prayer can cross the ocean and touch the heart.

Jody, one of our interns, loves working with the kids at Hope House. Here’s a glimpse at what’s been going on there, through her eyes:

A few weeks ago, we began to paint the inside of Hope House. The interns spent a full Saturday painting while the Outreach Staff played with the kids outside (although a few did end up with paint on them accidentally!). By the end of the day, we had finished a first coat on half of the building: all of the girls’ rooms and half of the hallway.

This week, we were able to continue the project. Half the interns spent time with the kids, while the other half painted a second coat in the hallway. We will continue to do this until we finish! The end goal is to have the kids pick themes for their rooms that we can paint for them, and I really look forward to the chance to do that.

I love this opportunity to leave a tangible, lasting impact at Hope House. We get to serve not only the kids, but also the caretakers of Hope House as we make it a brighter, cleaner, more enjoyable place to work. It filled me with joy to see the caretakers smile and excited about the “new” Hope House! One caretaker in particular seemed to be filled with such a great pride that she worked in a place that looks so good! I am glad to get to be a part of that.

Matt Peirce, one of our interns, wrote something on his blog recently that really resonated with my heart. You need to read this. It’s that good.

This morning I started binding thousands of curriculum with 5 other interns. At first glance, this is obvious behind-the-scenes work for the ministry. I see no people, I talk to nobody except the other interns, and I’m in the office close to 8 hours a day sitting in a chair. But I refuse to accept that the work I’m doing for the next three weeks is behind-the-scenes. Here’s why.

The books we are binding are Leadership Summit curriculum, specifically the Save Sex book. This curriculum teaches young people in Qwa Qwa how to save sex for marriage. It is full-color, interactive, and effective in changing the lives of youth. Teen pregnancy rates have dropped drastically in many of the schools where Leadership Summit has been taught for the past few years.

Every time I bind a book I’m giving a high school student a chance to learn how to make choices that will change their life. Every time I bind a book I’m helping a young person avoid AIDS. Every time I bind a book I am not behind-the-scenes, I am on the front lines of the battle to help change the continent for the better. God has privileged me with this work. Far be it from me to say that God was wrong in putting this task before me.

Here’s to an Africa that is not just a stereotype, but an Africa where people are strong, healthy, Godly, and completely sold out to Jesus Christ.

Interns, thank you for your dedicated hard work and positive attitudes. It’s all Kingdom business, and you are changing the continent of Africa. I am so proud of you!

We didn’t just celebrate the Fourth of July this year, we celebrated it.

Complete with sparklers, too much good food, ice cream, and rousing choruses of our national anthem, it couldn’t have been more perfect.

The mission teams, Outreach Staffers, interns, and staff were all treated to cheeseburgers and ice cream on the Fourth, and we filled out a local restaurant. Everyone else in the restaurant seemed to enjoy our glee and one little girl had the privilege of having Happy Birthday sung to her not just by the restaurant staff, but by the entirety of Thrive.

All in all, the evening was brilliant; everyone seemed heady with freedom, even though we weren’t on the free soil we were celebrating.

It’s great to have something familiar to comfort yourself with when you’re so far from home. We all decided when we got here in January that we would celebrate everyone’s birthday, even if it meant their half-birthday. It’s one of those traditions that have been ingrained in us so long ago that it’s almost impossible to forget. Plus, it means cake and other yummy desserts, and who wants to pass those by?

We just recently celebrated Marc’s half-birthday with an amazing costume party. I’m not even close to exaggerating when I say amazing. We had to get creative because it’s not like we can buy costumes here, and some of the creativity astounded me! The Outreach Staff were invited as well, and some of them did wonders with the little that was in their suitcases.

Our amazing evening was speckled with delicious cake, fun dancing, and a costume contest judged by none other than Niel and Dave! The whole evening reminded me of home and how much I appreciate a good birthday party with good friends.

The busiest time of the year is finally upon us, but we’ve managed to cram all sorts of fun and many friendships into our schedules, making it as enjoyable as it sometimes is hectic! Enjoy this month’s update!

June 2008 - Intern Newsletter (PDF)