"9 Month Discipleship Training School - Rustenburg, South Africa, March 01 - November 30"

Directors: Derek & Rebecca van der Merwe
Derek, a native South African and Rebecca, a Texan, met in 2000 while doing their DTS with Youth With A Mission in the Middle East. Before coming to South Africa, they served at Teen Challenge in Swaziland, working with students who struggled with various addictions. Derek led a team of young men who traveled and ministered in schools and churches, and Rebecca ministered to women caught in prostitution and drug addictions.

From 2002 until 2006, they served with David and Janis Betzer at the Lighthouse Children's Shelter where they cared for children who had been orphaned or abandoned because of HIV/AIDS. This was an incredible season for them and the Lighthouse and orphan care outreach continues to be a focus in their ministry.

In 2006, Derek and Rebecca pioneered the YWAM Rustenburg base. Their vision is to affect the destinies of cities and nations around the world by equipping and empowering Believers to walk in a greater measure of the fullness of God. True discipleship is the burden of their hearts and through mentoring and spiritual parenting, they hope to see God's children go from glory to glory in intimacy with the Father, and display His character and nature and demonstrate His power.

DTS Leaders: Mitch & Sarah Hassell
Mitch and Sarah are from Raleigh, North Carolina in the United States. After getting married in March 2008, they attended and completed the July '08 DTS with YWAM Rustenburg.

Together they have experience in Young Adult, Youth, and Children's Ministry. Sarah spent two years working at a Children's Ministry facility in South Africa before returning to the states to marry Mitch. Mitch is a talented graphic designer and Sarah has an incredible gift to work with women.

They are excited to be a part of equipping the students that pass through the various schools, as well as ministering in the community of Rustenburg and its surrounding areas. Their passion is to impact people's lives through relationships and to encourage people to live up to their potential.

Base Staff: Matt & Angela Meng
Matthew & Angela got their first taste of YWAM while doing their DTS' in 2000 and 2003 respectively. They later both attended the SOSM with YWAM in Taiwan where they were also married in October 2003. 

In 2004 they moved to Jacksonville, FL where they would spend the next 3 years working as the Assistant Directors of Discovery Missions. Their main focus was serving the local church to help facilitate and run short-term missions trips to locations all over the world. The purpose of these trips ranged from evangelistic outreach to mercy ministry. In all Matthew and Angela helped facilitate some 50-60 trips to Asia, South America, Africa, and the Middle East. 

Towards the end of 2006 they began to feel the Lord leading them in a new direction. When they received an invitation to join the YWAM Rustenburg Base staff, they knew this was where they were meant to be. So after a year of preparing, Matthew and Angela moved in January 2008 to Rustenburg, South Africa where they joined the YWAM Rustenburg team. Their heart has always been to disciple others into a deeper relationship with Christ and a life sold out to Him. Serving in this capacity they are daily working towards fulfilling that call upon their lives. 

Sarah Butler
Sarah grew up on the beautiful island of Newfoundland, Canada. She completed the January ‘08 DTS with YWAM Rustenburg and has an incredible heart for Africa and its people. She hopes that through serving with YWAM, she will continue to grow in her intimacy with the Father, and in turn, share God's love and freedom with the people of this nation and continent. Sarah has a great love for children and desires to see the power of God working through even the littlest ones.

Ryan Adeline
Ryan is from the island of Seychelles and completed his DTS in 2008. He is a teacher by heart and desires to see people come into a greater knowledge and understanding of the truth of God's Word. Ryan also loves to connect with people on a one-on-one basis.

Sibongile Thage
Bongi completed her DTS in Jeffrey's Bay, South Africa and currently resides in Luka, which is a village situated 20 minutes from the city of Rustenburg. She is currently the director of Leragane Early Learning Centre, a pre-school that provides quality education for over 40 children. Bongi's desire is to see children from the villages receive a proper education and the necessary spiritual insight and guidance that will help them become all that God has destined for them to be.

Sanel Notle
Sanel is from South Africa and completed her DTS in Malawi in 2007. She has a real passion for Intercession, Spiritual Warfare and Prayer and has a heart to see people released in their giftings and calling. She also completed the School of Intercessory Prayer in Muizenberg (Western Cape) in 2009.