Samira is one of a group of twelve students who graduated from an Elam three-month training program earlier this week. She testifies to the difference the training has made in her life: “I gave my heart to the Lord twelve years ago and I’ve been involved in ministry for many years.   I’ve completed ministry courses and study programs, and I’ve read so many Christian books, but I kept coming to a frustrating conclusion: despite all the studying, I was not seeing deep transformation in my character.  An acquaintance of mine did Elam’s three-month training course a few years ago, and came back a changed man. So I was so glad to get the opportunity to do the course. “For me, the biggest challenge on the Elam course was the intensity of living 24/7 with twelve people with vastly different personalities and backgrounds. During the course, I realised that in the Christian life, there is only so much you can learn from books. Christian growth happens in the messy, day-to-day reality of living closely alongside other fallen people who are trying to follow Christ. “Praise God that I am now returning to my ministry with a deeper knowledge of the Lord, and, very importantly, a deeply changed character.” Pray for Samira and the eleven other graduates as they return home The people they will impact through their ministries Students enrolled on the same course in other locations