“We have had another awesome term with many Holy Spirit encounters as his presence falls upon us during regular class times. Unfortunately we don't take our camera to classes in order to be able to share those moments with you. We would however like to share a few of the highlights from our most recent graduation at the Zimpeto Bible School.   

“It continues to be a great honour and privilege to minister to and help equip the many pastors who come to the Zimpeto Bible School. The hunger to pursue hard after God is the passion which we desire to stir up in each and every student, as well as within ourselves. The picture below, of one of our pastors lost in the glory of God at a recent graduation celebration, says so much more than words could ever do.

"We are so grateful to Iris Ministries Canada and all the generous donations that make the ministry of the bible school in Zimpeto possible. There are so many pastors in Mozambique who have never had the privilege of receiving any formal training; they just know a few scriptures and use them repeatedly. These pastors are amazed at those who have come to our bible school and have then returned to their villages with much knowledge and biblical insight, gained through the training and equipping that we are able to offer.

"The last four months have been very exciting. We have initiated a new bible school recruiting program which will help us identify and bring in new students, and have started discipleship training programs in local churches. We believe that this will better prepare and provide for the students who come to study at our bible school. We believe that many more believers will be equipped and blessed because of this program, and that churches will be strengthened.

"There has been much activity and excitement surrounding the bible school since our last update. One of the highlights has been hosting the first ever "International Leaders School of Ministry", put together by a team from the Toronto Airport Christian Fellowship in Canada. Leaders from the UK and South Africa took part as well. The students from the bible school, pastors from all over southern Mozambique, and even provincial leaders from the central provinces were in attendance. It was an absolutely amazing time for them.

"Now that all of the construction has been completed in the Bible school, we have turned our attention to some much needed maintenance/renovation issues in the student dorm. Since this dorm was the first to be built here at the Zimpeto Centre, we have wanted to paint the white walls! We hired some of our former students who have experience in this area to come and paint between terms.

"Over the past months we have finished the addition of offices for the Bible school. This is providing much needed space for the translators and the directors, in addition to having everyone together in the same space now. This has greatly benefited the work environment! No longer do we need to run all over the centre looking for a translator or have a teacher confused about where his class has been moved to. Oh, the blessings of progress!

“We are FINALLY in our very own classrooms of our new Bible school. What an amazing blessing this is! Having finalized the purchase of the desks, blackboards, etc., we began the 2007 school session in our new facilities. After operating out of children's dormitories and other locations for the last eight years, we now have a place to call home. All have settled in very nicely!

[John & Sandra Ewert teaching at the Bible school]

“It continues to be our vision to impart God's love and have the pastors in turn pour into the many abandoned and orphaned children in this country. To help facilitate this and to also minister to the many children at the centre we have expanded the role of the Bible school students to have them ministering to the children at the centre. For the first time, we have all the boys dorms participating in discipleship groups with the pastors, from the 6 year olds to late teens. Teaching on the Father's Heart continues to one of our favorite courses to teach.

“The Bible school in Zimpeto continues to teach and equip the many pastors and leaders from the middle of Mozambique to the southernmost parts. In addition to training and equipping, it is our desire to impart more of God's love so that these leaders experience personal healing and wholeness. We have developed a course to try to facilitate this very thing. We want them to grasp how to give away that love, particularly to the many orphaned children of Mozambique. To that end, we have some of them discipling small groups of children who live at the center.