Rod & Anne Thorpe

Since resettling from Ethiopia to Australia in 2018, Rod and Anne have continued their role as elders to YWAM in the Horn of Africa.

Also functioning as directors of YWAM Canberra, Rod and Anne’s work encompasses pastoral care, mentoring and coaching, and team development.

A key aspect of this work includes personal visits once or twice a year. As COVID subsided in 2022, Rod made a visit to the staff and teams around the area visiting Djibouti, Ethiopia and Somalia. Despite several challenges including COVID and civil war in Ethiopia, the teams have continued to grow, reaching out to new ‘ends of the earth’ locations in Somalia and Yemen.

In 2022 the team also kicked off the Gateway Project, a youth ministry training internship with five students. This involved ministry in schools, youth groups, camps, skate parks and a host of other locations, tracking with ongoing discipleship and ministry training.

In 2024, Rod and Anne have continued to travel overseas to support YWAM bases, including Ethiopia Life Overflowing.