Back in August of 2012 I receive an email (see below) from Randy Legassie. He's a Canadian missionary teaching in a training school for pastors in Kenya, working with an independent African-based denomination which has done some significant evangelism in the past - from about 40 members in their inception in 1947 to well over a million in five different East African countries today.
Randy asked me if he could use my book, "The Gospel:For Here or To Go?" as a curriculum to train these pastors at the school in Kenya. They don't have the money to purchase individual copies of the books for each student, so Randy asked if they could have permission to photocopy the PDF version and pass them out to the students.
Of course, I gladly said "Yes!"
Today, Randy emailed me to let me know that they started their class this week and that 11 of these students have received a copy of my book (literally, a photocopy because they don't have the funds to purchase these books), and they are beginning to use it to train them to share the Gospel of the Kingdom in their community.
I'm so blown away!
Not sure how God will use this resource in the future, but already this same little book has been translated into French (also in Canada) so there's a great potential for it to reach many others.
Here's the email I first received from Randy in 2012:
I downloaded and read your ebook, The Gospel: For Here or To Go?...and found it a very helpful tool for understanding the reality of evangelism today. That is important because I am a Canadian missionary teaching in a training school for pastors in Kenya, working with an independent African based denomination....However, they too are discovering that the old ways don’t work and are struggling to find how to get the message out. One of the courses I teach is evangelism and I have been exploring the cultural shifts and talking about ways to do evangelism that are bout effective and Biblical. I would love to be able to use your book as a text when I next teach the course in January but there is a problem.
Although the denomination is big, they are a rural-based denomination, which in East Africa translates as poor. The students don’t have money for texts, let alone computers and tablets. I was wondering if I could have permission to print out your book and make a photocopied version for each student—in January, I anticipate 9-10 students, with a another class of 22 coming the next year. I have access to mission funds for the photocopying.
I work with Canadian Baptist Ministries (cbmin.org) and am currently teaching at the Eastern Kenya Integrated College in Mitaboni, Kenya. EKIC is owned and run by the Africa Brotherhood Church, with its headquarters in Machakos, Kenya.
Thank you, first of all for your book, from which I will be drawing ideas for the course (with appropriate citations, of course—I also teach ethics) and for your consideration of this request.
Randy L.
**
Here is the email I received from Randy this week:
Hi, We have begun our term here in Kenya and I distributed copies of your book to the11 students in my evangelism class.
They were excited to receive them and wanted me to thank you for allowing them to have this resource. Our students are poor as is the denomination and this book represents a valuable resource for them.
I will let you know later in the term how they respond to the book, Thank you again for your permission to use the material.
-Randy Legassie .
**
I'll be praying for these eleven students as they go through the book and learn how to share the Gospel of the Kingdom in Kenya.
BONUS VIDEO:
-kg
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