July 28, 2009

Just as I completed the following update, a Kenyan friend/pastor “popped on” my computer screen via Instant Message with news that needs prayer. A young Kenyan friend, David Yallo, who finished Bible School/Mission Training in South Africa earlier this year, and has been very involved in the mission trips of our church, Parklands Baptist in Nairobi and helped Jack on a February feeding project in the Ukambani area “went to be with the Lord yesterday through a road accident on his way to Tanzania for a mission” trip. Praise God for the witness that Yallo was among his friends, family and all he met of his Father’s love and salvation. Pray also for these people as they deal with Yallo’s death. Bert
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How do you know that someone is a veteran missionary? When they take a vacation to America’s capital, Washington, DC, and they skip the steakhouses and hamburger places and excitedly head to the places from their adopted home – Nando’s*, a South African based restaurant that serves Mozambique/Portuguese chicken, and a Kebab place that has Kormas, Curries, Masalas, Lassis, Rotis, and Nans** on the menu! Veteran missionaries to Africa are also the ones who get excited when they spot the flags of their host continent, especially “their” flag, during the tour of Embassy Row!

We had a great time in DC and did enjoy the PeriPeri chicken at Nando’s and the Chicken Korma, Lentil Curry, Buttered Nans and Mango Lassi at the restaurant run by a family from the Punjab state of India, who served real Indian food like our Kenyan Indian friends, not the Americanized recipes usually sold in the US! We also had the joy of speaking in churches on the weekends around our vacation. Including time with our families, this is a good glimpse of the life of missionaries on Stateside Assignment. It is a time to rest/rejuvenate, but it is also a time to get others excited about how God is at work in the place where He has placed us.
Another part of Stateside Assignment for IMB missionaries is medical check-ups. Part of being a good steward of the monies and prayers Southern Baptist invest in us is that we be in good health and keep our medical costs low. Thankfully, we were able to complete most of our testing in Nairobi, but pray for Jack and me as we have a few additional tests run tomorrow – tests which we hope will lead to the final clearances needed to return to Kenya on September 5th.

Pray for us also as we head to the Baptist Assembly at Fort Caswell along the North Carolina coast next week for a World Mission’s Conference (therefore, no update next week). Pray that we will share clearly and contagiously how God has been at work in Kenya and how others can join in the harvest through praying, giving and volunteering. Pray for Jack as he prepares for a Mission Training Seminar on August 10, 17 and 24 (four hours each night) at First Baptist Church in Rocky Mount, NC. Join church members in praying that this seminar will “increase understanding of the practical applications of the Great Commission.” Pray for Jack also as he gives a one hour training to a group of pastors during August. Pray for me as I begin processing how God can use me in a new assignment upon our return to Kenya – I will still be involved in prayer advocacy for Kenya, but in my new job I will be striving to encourage and strengthen our missionaries in our newly formed Equatorial Cluster as I find ways to enable communication between/with IMB missionaries (I will write more about this later).

Rather than a picture this week, I have added a prayer guide based on the Kenya flag that I sent earlier to you. Your prayers do make a difference – THANK YOU! Bert Yates
*For more about Nando’s and a few recipes, go to: http://www.nandos.com/index1.html
** For recipes of these items, type the item you desire followed by recipe in your search box (Example: korma recipe)

July 20, 2009

I am writing before we leave again for a mini-vacation to Washington, DC, followed by a visit to a church. We do move around during our time in the States. Our Stateside Assignments are an opportunity for rest, but it is also a special time to share with Southern Baptists – a time to share how God is at work in Kenya and how others can participate, as well as a time to thank Southern Baptist for their financial and prayer support which allows us to be a part of God’s work in Kenya.

Thank you for praying for us during the last two weeks, especially as we attended an IMB training session. We asked you to “pray that we will be an encourager to other missionaries and be strengthened in our ability to serve.” Our prayers were answered. Joining with over 150 IMB missionaries, we learned to be better stewards of our actions and finances – the finances you provide through the Cooperative Program and Lottie Moon. We were astounded at the many times we “happened” to sit with a young couple who had questions/doubts/concerns that related to our past experiences and hopefully we offered encouragement and strengthening. These times were no accidents, but answers to your prayers. The sitting next to a younger couple was easy as almost everyone there was younger. With the exception of the retired couples volunteering at the training centre, we were definitely the senior missionaries! It was also a special time of reunion as we spent time with co-workers from our area and with a missionary “nephew” and his wife. We enjoyed being with a couple I met during a past Stateside Assignment on the night they journeyed down the aisle in their home church in South Carolina to commit to missions. We also visited with a couple who worked with us in the early 90’s as a part of their seminary studies. It was incredible to hear how God is now using them as IMB missionaries in very difficult places.

Another part of Stateside Assignment is being with family and yesterday was a special day as we had our families together – actually four generations of our family. Jack preached at First Baptist, Rocky Mount and our parents, children and our granddaughter were all with us for the worship service and afterwards for lunch. Jack’s theme was Acts 3:19, “Repent then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord…” This may not seem an obvious verse for a mission sermon, but we have learned that this refreshment is a very important part of being servants of our Heavenly Father. Without the joy that comes from this refreshment, we also are likely very poor ambassadors of our Father as others are unable to see His love, peace and joy in our lives.

So as I close by asking you to continue praying we will share clearly and “contagiously” how others can be a part of God’s work in East Africa and others parts of our world as they pray and as they give of their time and finances, I also add our prayer for you – that you know the blessing of the refreshing that can only come from our Father and that you know the joy of living a life that expresses His love and eternal life with others. Bert Yates

July 8, 2009

Battery tester, tiny re-useable hooks, plastic ivy, a laptop external drive, 1st and 2nd grade workbooks on American States – these are some of this week’s purchases. This is also the list shared with a friend who offered to shop for items we need in Kenya – and yes, she quickly decided to let me do the shopping! The battery tester will help me make certain I have fully charged batteries for my camera; the external drive is to make sure I don’t lose any pictures taken on my camera! The hooks and plastic ivy are to liven up our Nairobi home which is surrounded by beautiful flowers, but doesn’t receive the needed light for indoor plants – a negative balanced by the house staying cool even on our hottest equatorial days. The workbooks will be a gift for a missionary kid who lives hours from a good bookshop.

This week’s shopping list also included peaches straight from the farm and bananas definitely NOT straight from the farm! Other purchases were 4th of July plates and napkins for a family get-together and a small stuffed hippo and Lion King book for our new granddaughter – reminders of her Mom’s background. We enjoyed sharing the 4th with our son, John, and his girlfriend, but we missed being with IMB and Kenyan co-workers in Nairobi for the traditional cookout. Yes, life is different for us while we are on leave including walking for blocks without seeing anyone during my early morning walks – in Kenya, I continually spot people and have to slow down to manoeuvre around them! I do enjoy spotting all the bunnies I pass each morning, but I am thankful, very thankful that they aren’t in our Nairobi neighbourhood to drive our dogs crazy along with the resident hedgehogs (*see note), monkeys and mongoose.

Shopping is a part of leave, another part is sharing our love for Kenya and enlisting others to be apart of the God’s work. Pray for us as we meet with several churches in the next few weeks – pray that we will share clearly and “contagiously” how others can be a part of God’s work in East Africa and others parts of our world as they pray and as they give of their time and finances. Pray for us also as we attend an IMB training session next week. Pray that we will be an encourager to other missionaries and be strengthened in our ability to serve. Continue praying for the IMB during our time of transition. Pray for God’s wisdom, strength and peace as some begin new assignments, others make changes in their work, and some of us await information on our assignments (I’m in this last group; Jack will continue as a trainer/strengthener/encourager with Kenyan Baptists). Pray also for our national brothers and sisters as they make the needed adjustments and that this will be a time of spiritual growth for them. Pray that all decisions, changes, etc, will lead to our being more effective harvest workers for our Father.

Due to the IMB meeting, I will not write next week, but please keep praying! We do need and depend on your prayers, Bert Yates
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* To hear a hedgehog’s cry or save a hedgehog wallpaper for your computer, go to: http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/enlarge/hedgehog_image.html

July 1, 2009

Enjoying peaches, but missing mangoes; looking for deer while we travel rather than zebra or giraffe; hoping to spot an elusive bear rather than a lion – these are a few of the differences of life while on Stateside Assignment. We also are finding ways to use our special skills, such as helping our daughter, Jenny, her husband and baby settle into a new home – trust me, most missionaries are pros at moving and knowing how to unpack quickly and get settled! Another skill – spotting sale rack/counters and finding bargain stores! This is a result of years of stocking up on clothing, shampoo, toys, etc., for the next four years for our family. We can now buy almost anything in Kenya, so this is a less needed skill today, but I still prefer finding the best price for the items on our wish/need packing list.

The moving bit is the part that I want to highlight for prayer today. The IMB is in the last stages of a transition time, transition for a good purpose – to be more effective harvest workers for our Father. Yet, the good comes with much pain. Many, many IMB personnel are packing or unpacking at the moment as they move to new areas. Some are in a hold pattern as housing is located/readied. The moves require finding new “home” churches, schools for kids, friends, places to shop, trustworthy repairmen, etc. Others are staying put in the same country, but transitioning to new jobs. This means learning new jobs and ending old jobs/assignments. This sometimes is welcome, but can also come with pain and even fear.

Missionaries are not the only ones facing change. Many people of our host countries are also affected. Some have lost jobs as missionaries move or jobs are transitioned. Others are confused and don’t understand the purpose of the changes. The revised ways of doing things also can lead to new relationships with local Baptist conventions. All of this can lead to many misunderstandings which are compounded by cross/cultural differences of how things are valued and interpreted.

I think I have given you more than enough to lead you to prayer, but I will share these specific prayer nudges:
Pray for extra-ordinary wisdom, sensitivity, discernment, awareness of God’s will as IMB leadership makes decisions.
Pray for missionaries who are “moving” to new localities or new jobs. Pray for wisdom as they decide how to be about God’s work in the new place.
Pray for good communication with the people of our host countries, our co-workers and especially the leaders of our Baptist conventions/churches. Pray that the Holy Spirit will give our missionaries and national co-workers an extra awareness of HIS sensitivity and guidance.
Pray that God’s will will be done in all that happens and that the end result of the IMB transition will be a speedier and stronger proclamation of the eternal gospel “to every nation, tribe, language and people” (Acts 14:6). Bert Yates