How One Emmaus Diploma Changed a Nation’s Police Force
August 7, 2025
The Word Came Alive: Irvin’s Story
“The entrance of Your words gives light; It gives understanding to the simple.” Psalm 119:130
Beloved brothers and sisters, today I want to share an extraordinary testimony of how God used His Word through Emmaus to transform a man’s life and ministry in Zimbabwe.
Irvin Madziwa was born and raised in a Catholic home. While he grew up surrounded by religion, he never truly had a personal relationship with God. Later in life, the Lord graciously saved him. But when Irvin came to faith, he realized something: he had no real knowledge of the Bible. His heart was burning with hunger to know God more deeply.
Serving in the Zimbabwean Police Force, Irvin longed to become a chaplain and minister to his fellow officers. With that goal in mind, he enrolled at an accredited theological seminary. For a year he studied diligently, but instead of finding life and depth, he found frustration. He felt as though he was not truly learning or growing in God’s Word.
But God had a divine appointment for him. It was then that Irvin came across Emmaus Bible School in Zimbabwe. He took his very first Emmaus course—and it completely captivated him. He described it as though the Scriptures suddenly came alive. In just one month of studying Emmaus courses, Irvin felt he had learned more than he had in a full year of seminary!
With this newfound passion, he made a bold decision: he stopped studying at the seminary and dedicated himself to completing the entire 36-course Emmaus curriculum. By God’s grace, he did just that! And here is where God’s hand of providence is so clearly seen: though Emmaus is not accredited by secular standards, the Zimbabwean Police Force miraculously accepted his Emmaus Diploma as sufficient qualification to appoint him as a police chaplain.
From that moment, Irvin became a man on fire for the Lord, for the Gospel, and for sharing Emmaus courses with others. Within just one year of his chaplaincy, he started a brand-new Emmaus Bible Centre in his province. Later, when he was promoted and transferred, he did not stop—he established two more Emmaus centres in two other provinces.
Today, Irvin is a permanent member of the Emmaus Zimbabwe team, tirelessly promoting and using the Emmaus courses to reach lives across the country. From a young man with no knowledge of Scripture, God has raised him up as a faithful minister of His Word and a powerful testimony of the transforming power of Bible-centred discipleship.
Praise God! For He alone opens doors no man can shut, and He delights in using ordinary men and women who hunger for His truth.
Let us pray that the Lord would continue to multiply the impact of Emmaus courses in Zimbabwe and beyond—that many more like Irvin will be raised up to shine the light of God’s Word in their families, workplaces, and communities.