Meet Our Founders
Dr. Jim Blessman is a board-certified family physician, pain specialist, and entrepreneur. In 2001, Jim and his wife Beth formed Blessman International, a Christian faith-based mission organization working to meet the needs of impoverished families in Limpopo, South Africa. Now, they serve as President and Vice President of Blessman International and oversee all operations in the United States and South Africa.
US Board Members
Dr. Jim Blessman
Beth Blessman
Scott Blessman
Glenn Destigter
Gary Goodhall
Barb Halverson
Dick Matheson
Jeff Ostrander
Bif Ridgway
US Staff Members
Lisa Berry-Dirks
Bethany Kester
Heidi Kramer
Larry Vanderpool
Steve Tuttle
Robert Seaberg
South African
Dustin & Alex Blessman
Christel Bezuidenhout
Johanney Chongani
Amber Masetwa
Team
Stephen Phakisi
Orrie Baragwanath
Estie Venter
Maxwell Chongani
Scott Blessman
Group IT Director, Albaugh, L.L.C.
Stephen Phakisi
CEO, Jumanji Gel Fuel and Perriwinkle, Ltd
Orrie Baragwanath
Rotarian
Beth Blessman
Founder
Dr Blessman
Founder
Gary Goodhall
Robert Seaberg
Director of US Operations
Steve Tuttle
CFO
Barb Halverson
Creative/Owner Director, ET Products, Inc. and Halverson Family Farms
Dustin & Alex Blessman
Directors - Blessman International South Africa
Jacques Bezuidenhout
Operations Manager
Christel Bezuidenhout
Office Manager
Hilda Chongani
Sewing Center Manager
Johanney Chongani
Mountain View Farm Manager
Jonathan Mkulama
Pastor of Lighthouse Church
Amber Masetwa
Manager – Del Cramer Child Development Center
Estie Venter
Marketing and Project Coordinator
Maxwell Chongani
Maintenance Manager
Glenn Destigter
CEO, Weitz Company (retired)
Dick Matheson
CEO, Raccoon Valley Partners, L.L.C
Jeff Ostrander
Executive Pastor, Reach Church
Bif Ridgway
Sales Manager, Bike World
Lisa Berry-Dirks
Church and Pastoral Relations Co-Director
Bethany Kester
Program Coordinator and Co-Director of Church Relations
Heidi Kramer
Development Director
Larry Vanderpool
Finance Director
MISSION
VISION
VALUES
Blessman International, our donors, and volunteers bring God’s love and eternal hope to South African families. We do this through faith formation and locally sustainable programs that:
- – Feed hungry people
- – Foster food-secure communities
- – Offer dignity through the provision of basic water and sanitation
- – Provide opportunities for child development and learningÂ
By 2030, tens of thousands of South African children will know eternal hope through Jesus Christ, have access to basic human services, and receive the nurturing support necessary to reach their potential.
- – Share unconditional love and acknowledge the dignity within all people
- – Be accountable and transparent to our community, donors, and stakeholders
- – Remain focused on developing local solutions and sustainability
- – Use our God-given talents to bring about physical and spiritual restoration through faith in Christ
- – Put our faith and hope in Christ alone
- – We believe in one God, the creator of all things revealed in three persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
- – We believe Jesus is the Son of God, born of the Virgin Mary. He is fully God and fully man, completely holy.
- – We believe the Bible is the Word of God, it is the final authority, and it is divinely inspired and inerrant.
- – We believe Jesus Christ died on the cross, shedding His blood, and rose again in atonement for our sins giving us eternal life in Him.
- – We believe that to be forgiven, we must repent of our sins and believe that salvation is by grace through faith in Jesus Christ.
- – We believe that Jesus Christ will return as promised and will rule and reign on the earth.
- – We believe in the Lord Jesus’ power and the resurrection of the dead. The wicked will be judged, and the saved will enter a new Heaven and new earth.
- – We believe those who have accepted Jesus Christ’s gift of redemption are part of the body of Christ, regardless of religious denomination.
HISTORY
After visiting over 70 countries on short-term mission trips, Dr. Jim and Beth Blessman began working with Jacques van Bommel, the founder and director of Reaching a Generation (RaG). Eventually, the ministry grew and developed into its own entity to offer South African children and young adults God’s love and eternal hope through faith formation and programs to feed hungry children, foster food-secure communities, and offer dignity through basic water and sanitation.
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Blessman International now has three campuses in the Limpopo province of South Africa. The Thompson Campus is home to our offices, Lethabo Sewing and Training Center, staff housing, and the Leroy Blessman Lodge of Dreams which houses guests and service teams. The Del Cramer Campus is home to Lighthouse Christian Church. It is also where the Del Cramer Child Development Center operates, which includes an after-school program for impoverished children, a computer lab, a bakery, a soccer and netball sports complex, a sewing center, and a small agricultural area. The Mountain View Farm campus is where Blessman International has a more extensive farming operation that supplements the feeding centers, additional staff housing, and the Ridgway Youth Hostel, where agricultural students are housed. Mountain View Hope Christian Church is located nearby.
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Blessman International, Inc. is a non-profit corporation established as a charitable organization under IRS Section 501(c)(3) in the United States. In South Africa, Blessman International, Inc. is a registered NGO. All gifts are tax-deductible and are used to purchase ministry supplies and to pay for direct expenses of the ministry. The ministry employs US office staff to handle day-to-day administrative responsibilities; however, Dr. Blessman does not take a salary from the ministry.
CHURCH PARTNERS
We are grateful to the churches that support our ministry. Learn more about being a church partner with Blessman International by contacting Bethany Kester at bethany@blessmaninternational.org or (515) 343-5920.Â
STRATEGIC PARTNERS
