Launch of the Portuguese Translation of Live School!

I am writing this News Bullet to you from Mozambique. On March 18th, we launched the Portuguese translation of the Live School curriculum in the capital city of Mozambique, Maputo. Travelling with us was Dr. Phil Steyne – A lecturer in the Live School, friends from Columbia, SC, Bucky Drake and Jim Hartman, and two groups of Live School students from South Africa led by Pastor Tony Seaka and our own Isaac Modise.

Over 174 pastors and church leaders joined the joyous occasion. It sounded like a heavenly choir when all of the participants joined the worship team in singing praises to the Lord!

During the launch, we explained how local churches could implement Live School to train their members in becoming national missionaries who will reach their communities with the love of the Lord, evangelize the lost, and plant churches where they are needed. As a result, 47 pastors, including some of the most well known senior pastors of the city, asked for more information and expressed a desire to start Live Schools in their own churches. Lord willing, our Southern Africa team leader will soon travel back to Mozambique to meet with these pastors individually and determine a time and date to train their facilitators.

All the pastors who were present gathered in front of the stage to dedicate the Portuguese Live School to the Lord. Our dear friend, Bishop Zakes Khumalo from Swaziland, led all those in the room in a prayer of dedication, believing the Lord for a supernatural multiplication of national missionaries in and from the Portuguese-speaking world.

The following day we left Maputo and drove north to the town of Xai Xai. Earlier, in January of this year, we had started a few Live Schools in the town to test the Portuguese translation. The purpose of our journey was twofold. First, we wanted to visit some of the test schools and discover first hand what the impact of Live School was on the participating students. Although they had only been attending classes for a few weeks, we were amazed as we listened to their testimonies.

The second purpose was to deliver the next version of the Portuguese Live School to the pastors and their facilitators who were trained during our visit in January. We had planned to gather with 60 to 70 pastors and leaders. However, by the time we got started with the delivery ceremony, we had well over 120 people in attendance. The meal prepared for lunch was fish and rice. Because of the increase in numbers, we were concerned that we would not have enough food, but by the end of the ceremony, the ladies who prepared the meal reported that there was actually food left over! It sounded much like the Bible story of the increase of the fish and loaves of bread. Thank you Jesus!!!

During the four-hour meeting, Dr. Phil Steyne, from the USA, and Pastor Tony Keaka, from South Africa, spoke with passion to the people. After that we handed out and dedicated 10 Live Schools to the Lord. Between those 10 schools, there are 172 recruited students who will go though Live School. There is no doubt that the Lord is doing a quick work in Mozambique and He is inviting us to join Him. From a human perspective, we do not know how to keep up with all that has happened in one week. We are confident, however, that the Lord will fulfill His Kingdom purposes and plans. Our task is to listen to Him and to do all He tells us to do.

We will soon train many believers in Maputo and then further afield to the north of the country where pastors are eagerly waiting for the Live School. One of the brothers in the Xai Xai meeting offered to help take the Live School to Angola, which is one of the largest Portuguese-speaking countries in Africa.

The investment to place so many Live Schools on the field is enormous to say the least. But we dare to believe that the Lord will provide all that is needed as we continue to walk on this journey.

I am sure you can sense the excitement as 19 schools begin to train around 240 potential national missionaries from Mozambique who will have great impact on the Kingdom around the world!

Please see the details at the end of this News Bullet to see how best you can send your contribution.

Many blessings,

Willie & Lydia Crew