My constant recent prayer is that I will sense God’s guidance as I seek to encourage and strengthen the work of our co-workers by sharing their stories through blogs, e-mails and Facebook. I always prepare the daily Prayer Nudge from East Africa at least a day in advance and set it to automatically appear at 7 (Kenya time) in the morning on the blog, 2012 Prayer Nudges from East Africa.
Early last Friday morning, I received an update on a student mission trip. My reaction: “I wish this could be the day’s Prayer Nudge (PN) so people could be praying ‘wisely’ on the last ‘work’ day of the trip.” But it was after 7AM and the day’s PN should have already ‘appeared’ on the blog. Then I discovered that due to a glitch, not a ‘coincidence’, but a God-incident, the scheduled PN was not yet posted – so I prepared a new PN to guide prayers for the university students as they ministered among people of another faith! Prayers were answered – the students saw eight people from the ‘other’ faith become Believers, as well as eight others from ‘Christian’ background!
Now for a story of answered prayer that began over 30 years ago when we first asked you to pray that we would have a clear sense of God’s will and guidance as we serve in Kenya. Jack shared this story at the Memorial Service of one of the first East African home missionaries last week:
The day after our arrival in Kenya in September, 1978, I went to where I would be working, the Shauri Moyo Community Centre. I was 29 and amazed by the culture and people I saw. It was another world from my Eastern NC roots. As I stood outside the mission house talking with the Centre Director, my new missionary ‘boss’, two men approached and greeted us.
The taller man, who I later learned was one of the great hunters of Kenya, was Daniel Muthuku Nguku, a former pastor of the Shauri Moyo Baptist Church. With him was a short and extremely robust man named Arthur Kinyanjui, the Moderator of the Baptist Convention of Kenya. After talking a few minutes, Arthur suddenly seized my hand and without letting go said, “Come with us.” It was said in such a command that I had no choice but to go! He and Daniel then took me on a tour of the city.
As we drove around Nairobi, I don’t remember what was said and only a few places we passed. What I do know is that I had been ‘kidnapped’ into the African mission experience! Arthur, who passed away in late March, was a magnetic, dynamic person, totally fearless, indomitable and focused – which did lead to confrontations with others over the years! For the next 30 plus years he was my teacher of Africa and its people, mission and its requirements, and faith and its limitless obedience. But that day in 1978, all I remember was his touch. When he grabbed my hand, God grabbed my heart. It was as if I had taken hold of a live-wire powered by the Holy Spirit. In that instant, I began to sense the plans God had for us. Thank you for praying for us – God does hear your and our prayers as He continues to show us His plan as we serve in East Africa, BERT
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To view last week’s Prayer Nudges from East Africa at http://easternafrica2012prayernudges.blogspot.com/ or you can view them on Facebook by finding Bert Yates (https://www.facebook.com/bert.yates) or find the FB page, Imb EastAfrica ( https://www.facebook.com/Imb.East.Africa )
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