It’s a tale that starts in England, detours to Texas, and has a most happy ending in Africa.

In 2016, Kenyan evangelist Bishop Boaz was so burdened by the need for pastors in Kibera, one of Nairobi’s poorest areas, that he accepted an invitation to England—hoping against hope to find help.

There, Bishop Boaz befriended a man—from, of all places, Texas—who immediately upon hearing the need, took up Boaz’s burden himself. The Texan had no specific ideas, mind you. He simply shared his heart’s response and prayed with Boaz for the Lord to send training.

When the prayer ended, the Texan looked up with wide eyes: he’d just heard the Lord speak. God would help him find a biblically-based curriculum for the pastors of Kibera, a neighborhood in Nairobi. Again, he had no idea how—he simply believed the promise he’d just received.

The friends parted ways, and time passed. Boaz’s quest led him to Arabia and there, months later, he received a letter from Texas. His new friend had crossed paths with his old pastor and asked him a seemingly routine question—where had he been ministering to, since they’d last met?

The pastor responded that he’d been teaching students with a group called The Urban Ministry Institute (TUMI), World Impact’s Church-Based Seminary program. The Texan had never heard of TUMI, and asked to hear more.

TUMI, as it happened, helped train pastors all over the world for a global ministry called World Impact.

Boaz asked for the TUMI syllabus and when he received it, immediately knew: this biblically-based curriculum was it. God had brought him the solution to his burden. He returned to Kenya and organized a breakfast to share his discovery with as many Christian leaders as he could gather.

130 believers—both lay pastors and the ordained—showed up. And of those, 25 signed on to receive the course World Impact spent decades developing for “such a time as this.”

Fast forward to today.

Through God, eight years later, with World Impact’s continued support made possible through generous donors:

• Over 700 pastors have received the training.
• Over 500 churches have been utterly transformed.
• Over 25,000 believers have been impacted in the Kibera slum and across Kenya.

But the story doesn’t stop there.

Bishop Boaz is strategically expanding his ministry, securing a place in a Kenyan stronghold of spiritual opposition to establish an institute and prayer center.

Bishop Boaz’s story is remarkable, but far from an isolated occurrence.

It’s just one chapter in the story of how, through your support of World Impact, God uses even chance encounters to quite simply… impact the world.

My friend, you can have an impact on the world as well by becoming part of what we do through your generous gift today. More pastors and churches are asking for our support and together we can impact lives in more churches today.

Your generous gift today will empower pastors to lead thriving churches around the world. It will help thousands more experience the hope of the Gospel. Strongholds of darkness across the planet will be dispelled by the light of Christ.

We’ve seen how even small gifts add up to make a big impact.

That’s why I’ve included a small gift for you this Christmas season. You see, in addition to providing seminary level training to pastors, we provide curriculum and materials for use with their congregations. So, as an example I’ve included the gift of a devotional I hope you will find useful as you celebrate the gift of the Christ child this year. You’ll find a link in your donation confirmation email.

I’m not exaggerating: God can literally use your one gift , just like that chance encounter between one Texan and one Kenyan—in one, seemingly random English room—to light a fire of new life in Him that really does impact the world.

Whether in the poorest areas of Kenya or a community experiencing poverty in our own country, God will use your gift to empower World Impact to equip urban church leaders and transform communities of poverty through discipleship, Bible training, prison ministry, trauma support, even online learning.

All I ask is that you pray about how God would have you join in this worldwide advance of the gospel.

Then, simply follow as He leads and together, we will celebrate your impact.

Yes, Dr. Sanders, I want to impact my world!

Rev. Alvin Sanders
President & CEO, World Impact