Gerrit Wolfaardt is married to Celeste and they have three children, Thabo, Nadia, and Joshua. They currently live in Colorado Springs where Celeste teaches at a local high school and Gerrit runs Veritas College USA, an international program directed to leadership development in the church through the study of scriptures.

Gerrit and his family are native to South Africa where their Afrikaner roots run deep. A former racist with a diabolical plan for the “Swart Gevaar” (Black Danger), Gerrit began to change while at university where he met his wife, Celeste. He embarked on a quest to understand the hatred that permeated South African society.

As a young lawyer, Gerrit’s thinking was consistently challenged. He began to see the black struggle for freedom in the light of his forefather’s war for freedom from the British oppression that saw the death of 26,000 women and children in concentration camps during the course of the Boer wars. Why was the black struggle for freedom any different?

Gerrit became more and more involved in defending black South Africans, especially the schoolchildren that Celeste taught. As he stood up for their rights and freedom, his heart continued to change. In 1984, Gerrit had a powerful encounter with God and became a follower of Christ. As he studied the scriptures, Gerrit came to realize that all peoples originate from one blood. He understood that God loves all people equally and He has no favorites. Gerrit began asking black South Africans for forgiveness and, in 1989, started teaching the message of reconciliation in South Africa.

After leaving his law practice in 1986, Gerrit and Celeste worked as missionaries with Youth With A Mission for ten years. Gerrit served on the International Committee of the College of Christian Ministries at University of the Nations, the educational arm of YWAM. Gerrit also directed the inauguration of the University of the Nations campus in Cape Town, South Africa where he encouraged development ministry in the townships of South Africa. 

In the United States, Gerrit has worked for Development Associates International, served on the Board of Directors for Golden Genesis, Inc, (a publicly traded company for Coors Technologies), and worked as an African Development Consultant for E. & Co., an agency of the Rockefeller Foundation. Gerrit is ordained in the Anglican Mission in America and, until recently, served as the Associate Rector at Christ the King Anglican Church in Monument, Colorado.