Because of still hibernating at
home, I was unsure what to share with you this week and then two things ‘occurred’
this morning, both related to stories shared during the week as Prayer Nudges/What
God is Doing In East Africa and both reminders of Scriptures that ‘jumped
out’ this week. Mark 1:14,15 records
that soon after Jesus began “proclaiming the
good news of God” and challenging people to “Repent and believe the good news,” He told His disciples, “Let us go somewhere else—to the nearby villages—so
I can preach there also. THAT IS WHY I HAVE
COME” (Mark 1:38).
I had used that
scripture in today’s Prayer Nudge: “Missionaries
are often confident of what, where, and why God has called them to East Africa,
but they face obstacles – from illnesses, to impassable roads, to an ‘expired’
box of JELLO delaying needed legal clearance of a passport needed for travel –
YES, you read that correctly! Pray for
wisdom and patience as Believers seek to obey their Savior who confidently
stated His destination and planned work because He knew, “That is why I have
come” (Mark 1:38).”
The first of this morning’s ‘occurrences’
occurred as I took photos of my JELLO boxes, most inherited from retiring
friends, to illustrate the frustrations of co-workers unable to return to their
research/ministry in another East African country, thanks to a wee box of dated
JELLO! As I took the photos, I remembered discussions with these friends about their
delay in returning for research, discipleship and service in their temporary
assignment—Is the devil being very creative or is this a part of God’s plan for
accomplishing His work? AND then God sent
a bit of humour as I returned my JELLO (which I rarely use) to their storage
spot, I checked the expiration dates – ALL were ‘expired’, the grape one above was really, really EXPIRED!!! ALSO, we no longer have that box of JELLO – we gave it our co-workers as a
special gift! So another praise
today: God’s gift of a sense of humor!
Today’s second story is not one
of humour. I have spent hours this week
preparing nudges for co-workers who travelled from their home in Rwanda with plans
to obey our Savior by proclaiming the Good News in the eastern part of the
Democratic Republic of the Congo. As
they travelled last weekend, they realized that God also had plans to soften their
hearts and open their eyes and ears (Mark 8:17,18) as they viewed thousands of refugees fleeing new fighting in eastern
DRC. Their prayers will be shared later
this week in Prayer Nudges.
Today’s second ‘occurrence’ came as I searched the internet
for a “Congolese flee to Rwanda” news
story to guide your prayers and I was
astounded by what appeared on my screen – the first suggested articles, like the
infamous box of JELLO, were ‘expired’ as they were accounts of stories from 2005
to 1999, and I realized that if I kept searching, the dates would lengthen. I finally found a current story for you, Thousands
of Congolese Enter Rwanda to Flee Fighting. I’ll not share any more of my thoughts this week, but simply allow this story of on-going suffering to also
soften your heart and open your eyes and ears – a story of people from the DRC
who lack our Father’s Good News – including People Groups who have not yet
heard a proclamation of our Savior’s Good News! BERT
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“Thousands of
Congolese Enter Rwanda to Flee Fighting” –
http://www.voanews.com/english/news/africa/-Thousands-of-Congolese-Enter-Rwanda-to-Flee-Fighting-150471425.html
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