Our Story · Missions Ablaze since 1995
One Vision. One Town. 31 Years of Showing Up…
In 1995, a man came home from a building site in Matchana, here in KwaZulu-Natal, and lay down to rest, waiting for his wife to come home from work. An ordinary evening. Then God gave him a vision. He saw the world, a cross standing in front of it and an eagle rising over it. Above the world, a name: Missions Ablaze. Below it, four words he could not walk away from: We Feed The Poor.
That man was Tinus Lindeque. 31 years later, what he started with 8 missionaries and 2 kombies still goes out every weekday, to a network of community partners across KwaZulu-Natal.
This is how it started. And why we are still here.
How it began
A Vision. A Piece of Land. 8 Months of Waiting.
Tinus did not know how far that vision would take him. But it burned deeply enough to change the course of his life, and many others.
Back in Durban, his senior pastor told him the small missions team he had started under the church's wing had outgrown it. It was time to step out. Time to fly.
Tinus stepped into independence with Meisie Lindeque, who co-founded this work with him. 8 missionaries, 2 kombies, 300 meals a day. The early days were raw and real, scraping together food, fuel and faith.
But support came from unexpected places. Dr Conrad Mershon and Mr Robin Read, both from Georgia in the USA, brought a team of 50 volunteers and breathed momentum into the young ministry.
Then came the turning point. While searching for a permanent base, Tinus stood on a quiet plot on Hospital Hill Road in Tongaat. Twice, he heard the words: “This is your land.” There was no money in the bank. No logical path forward. But faith does not always follow logic.
8 months later, the funds appeared, as if placed there by a hand unseen. That plot is where the mission still stands today.
Meisie walked the first 23 years of the mission alongside Tinus before she went home to be with the Lord in 2018. Brenda joined the mission in 2021 and serves alongside Tinus today.
31 years, in brief
What a Whisper Becomes When You Keep Showing Up.
1995
The foundation years
With humble beginnings, a vision was born. Just 8 full-time missionaries and 2 kombies served 300 meals daily, supplied by only 2 organisations and 2 stores.
With the support of Robyn Reid and Dr. Conrad, the ministry began hosting tent crusades to reach the community.
During this foundational year, they brought 50 visiting missionaries to assist the fledgling mission, establishing the groundwork for decades of service to come.
2000
Growth and establishment
The ministry's roots deepened as its reach expanded. Daily meals doubled to 600, served by a growing team of 15 full-time missionaries with 3 kombies. Food supplies increased with support from 3 organisations and 3 stores.
This period marked significant institutional development: the Bible School was established, the Jesus film ministry began reaching new communities, and the transformative Braveheart Course was launched.
A church was planted on the Missions Ablaze property, Tinus was ordained as Pastor, and the ministry gained official NPO status.
Rick Chappel from Georgia USA, the car specialist, became an essential team member, ensuring the mission's vehicles could reach those in need.
2005
Breaking new ground
Vision expanded as needs grew. Now 30 full-time missionaries served 1,000 meals daily, supported by 3 organisations and 3 stores, using 3 kombies to reach the community.
A significant milestone was reached with the acquisition of land to build the Ablaze Center Orphanage. Andy Schmidt made a lasting impact by building a Ladies Dorm at Missions Ablaze.
Tent crusades continued to bring spiritual nourishment to the communities.
2010
Opening doors
The dream of sheltering vulnerable children became reality.
The Ablaze Center Orphanage officially opened its doors, providing a haven and education for children in need.
The ministry now served 1,500 meals daily through a team of 28 full-time missionaries and a fleet of 2 Kombies and 2 Caddys. Food supply partnerships grew with 3 organisations and 6 stores contributing to the cause.
Tent crusades continued to bring hope and spiritual renewal to surrounding communities.
2015
Expanding horizons
Under new leadership, the ministry reached unprecedented heights.
Under Hein van der Merwe's leadership, Missions Ablaze grew to 3,000 meals a day, by then supplying 22 community kitchens and 2 creches.
The supply network grew to include 6 organisations and 10 stores, with 25 full-time missionaries, 2 Kombies and 2 Caddys serving the community.
The Chef's School opened its doors, and the ministry registered for the "My School Program."
Crusades extended internationally to Mozambique, bringing the message of hope across borders.
2017
Tinus rejoined the team
Hein handed the leadership back to Tinus, who has led the mission since.
2020 – 2022
Resilience through storms
Through Covid, the work did not stop. 2,000 meals a day went out to 14 community kitchens and 3 creches.
The team of 25 full-time missionaries with 2 Kombies and 2 Caddys continued their dedicated work, supplied by 5 organisations and 10 stores.
A special initiative began, providing crucial support to 25 households in Elwyn Court Durban during difficult times.
2024
Tornado response
Tongaat area suffered a devasting Tornado in 2024, the Missionaries were at the forefront serving 250 hot meals, delivering household goods daily and bringing hope to those affected.
2025
31 years
As they approached their 30th anniversary in 2025, the numbers told a powerful story: 57.4 million meals packaged. 3.6 million lives touched. 78.9 million meals distributed.
But numbers are only part of the story. Behind every meal is a face. Behind every outreach is a heart healed, a child fed, a soul reminded that they are seen and loved.
What began with a vision one ordinary evening in 1995 is still going out every weekday, 31 years later.
These figures come from our own records and are updated each year as the kitchens report in. What once was a whisper had become a wildfire of compassion.
Where we are now
1,000 Meals a Day. Zero Rand Spent on Food.
Today, Missions Ablaze runs a food rescue and redistribution network across KwaZulu-Natal.
We collect surplus, unsold and overflow food from retailers like Checkers, Spar, Woolworths, Food Lover's Market and Food Forward SA. These partners donate the food freely. We handle the logistics that get it to community kitchens across Tongaat, Durban, Inanda, Hambanathi, Ntumzuma, Cottonlands, Shakaskraal, Verulam, Phoenix, Hazelmere and beyond.
Each kitchen collects from us and feeds its own community daily. We also feed the Tongaat community ourselves every weekday.
And we step in during disasters, floods, tornadoes and pandemics, when the community needs someone who has not left.
That is the model. And it has worked for 31 years.
What we believe
Faith Started This Work. You Can See It in the People It Rebuilt.
Missions Ablaze is a faith-led mission. Tinus's original call came from a vision, and faith has held the work steady through 31 years of storms. But we would rather show you that faith than tell you about it, because the proof is not in what we say. It is in who walks out different.
Dewald arrived in 2016 with an addiction and a life he could not steer. Here he found discipline, then direction, then faith, then a wife named Odette he married at the mission. Today he serves the same community that once carried him. Shama came in 2022 to volunteer, met her husband Leslie mending things around the mission, and married him a year later. Couples meet here. Lives turn here.
And faith-led has never meant closed off. You do not need to share our convictions to support the work, to volunteer here, or to be fed by us. Everyone who walks through the gate is met with the same dignity. That has been true since 1995, and it is not negotiable.
The paperwork
You Do Not Have to Take Our Word for Any of It.
- Trust registration
- IT 2049/2000
- NPO registration
- 019-028
- PBO / Section 18A
- 930020955
- VAT registration
- 4310194297
Section 18A tax certificates are available for qualifying South African taxpayers, up to 10% of taxable income deductible. Annual financial reports are available on request, and you are welcome to email us and arrange a visit to the Ablaze Centre or any kitchen in the network.
Write to ablaze@missionsablaze.org.za and we will set it up.
We are not perfect. We are specific. 31 years on Hospital Hill Road, the same land, the same team, the same operating model. That is the best proof we can offer, and we would rather you came and checked it than believed us.
Who keeps it going
Small Team. Big Country. A Lot of Kitchens.
Tinus has led the mission since Hein van der Merwe handed leadership back in 2017, alongside a dedicated team of volunteers across kitchens, logistics, admin, creches and outreach.
Some arrived for a day and stayed for a decade. Others drive routes, cook meals, or keep the office running from the moment the first kombie leaves at sunrise. A few, like Peet and Corinne, were sent out from here into mission work of their own, as far as Mozambique.
Faith in action. Lives transformed.
Celebrating 30 Years of Impact.
An inspiring look into the journey of Missions Ablaze and the heart behind it, our founder Tinus Lindeque. The unwavering support of the Lindeque family has been a cornerstone of our growth. We are deeply grateful.
Thank you, Tinus, for your words of wisdom, your unwavering faith in our Father, and over 30 years of selfless service to Missions Ablaze. The poor and needy, along with both current and former missionaries, are forever grateful.
Join the work
31 Years Is Long. We Are Not Done.
- Start here
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Join our teamSee the impact
78.9 million meals. 3.6 million lives. The numbers, the methodology, and where every rand goes.
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Trust IT 2049/2000 · NPO 019-028 · PBO 930020955
