September 29, 2012

During the last few days, I've taken a mini-break from my 'usual' computer work!   But I was working and having lots of fun as we travelled with a leadership team from the Baptist Convention of New Mexico on a survey trip of opportunities in our Father's 'harvest fields' in Kenya. THUS, I also took a four day break (my first in 16 months) from sharing daily Prayer Nudges from East Africa* and there is no new daily nudge today!

I will share more later this week, but this is one photo that I shared via Facebook during the week from a ministry site in western Kenya!  This is a view taken, through a hole in the wall from the outside of a home - the home of a widow and her five kids which was being held up by poles and prayers. Look for a view of the new home built by villagers with the help of the American volunteers in this week's update which will be posted on Wednesday!

The extreme home makeovers shared on televisions may be exciting to some, but being a worker in our Father's make-over projects is even more exciting!

* http://easternafrica2012prayernudges.blogspot.com/

September 25, 2012

A slightly different update today.  Due to time and energy, I will share the past week with the help of photos!

First, a few photos I captured while Jack was teaching Church Planting at Kenya Baptist Theological College last week.  Yes, it was a little freaky having the bird watch me as I watched him.  But as I was taking this photo, Jack was having a great time.  During a break he talked with a student in another class - a student who had taken Jack's Church Planting class a few years ago.  At that time, the young man was leading a Bible study group in a home and was discouraged.  None of those attending knew much about the Bible or what it meant to be a Disciple.

The young man had a very different report this time and he said it happened thanks to what he learned in the Church Planting class.  He now pastors a small church - which includes people from that home Bible study.  These Believers now know much about God's Word, especially about what it means to be discipled.  Not only has he taken these Believers through GROWING IN CHRIST (one of the books that I had the joy of revising/re-editing while with Kenya Baptist Media), he has translated the book into Kikuyu for members who can only read this language!

Then on Sunday, we left home a bit early to attend the Ordination service at Parklands Baptist Church.  Of the five pastors being ordained, two serve at the Mombasa Road campus (far right and far left), which is our church, and three of the five deacons who were ordained are also from our Mombasa Road church family.  Above is the 'serious' pose of the Mombasa Road guys before ordination and...

... this is the photo that really looks like our friends!  We have known all of these men and the others ordained for many years, some since they were kids!  The greatest part about all ten who were ordained was that we can trace their discipleship 'tree' to former colleagues with the IMB!

These are our new pastors' wives - all beautiful women who are strong Christians!  The one in blue and yellow belong to our church and we are especially proud of the one in yellow!  We have known Sally since she was a kid in Mombasa where her Dad served as the pastor of Chamgamwe Baptist Church and her Mom was one of those who introduced me to the work of the Baptist Women of Kenya.  Sally was a student at Mombasa Baptist High School during the time Jack served there as the headmaster!

The above is another special photo!  Before the Ordination Service began, Jack asked someone on the Media team to find me so I could meet the newest member of a very special family - Daniel's and Stellah's family!

Some of you with good memories may remember 'meeting' this couple before - when I shared photos from their wedding at Parklands in August 2010.  We first met Daniel thanks to a co-worker, who worked with the Maasai people of Kenya.  Daniel is a graduate of Nyeri Baptist High School and he now works in geothermal energy.  He and Stellah are making a difference in our world professionally and more importantly as Believers!

While running around getting photos, which meant leaving the church and re-entering in another door for different angles, this little boy stopped me and made it very clear that he wanted his picture taken!

This is one of the photos that I captured during one of these 'runs.' Missions Week had also been at the main campus in Westlands the previous week and they still had their world flags hanging.  I love this photo!

And I took this photo in front of the church around the water fountain just because I knew all of you would not want to miss this beautiful scene.

I also love this photo!  A fellow member of Parklands' Media team was joined by two future members - who happen to be the oldest kids of our two new pastors at Mombasa Road.  They were busy getting photos of their parents as their Dads were ordained.

To be honest, after Jack taught the previous week and the excitement of Sunday (we were at church for more than 4 hours), Jack asked to stay home all day Monday.  But thankfully, I had to walk to the grocery store and caught this Hamercop beside our fence.  We both thought it was a hammer cock until I looked it up in our bird book!

I took the above photo for you this morning - the seasonal rains are beginning and our yard is so beautiful at the moment.

This photo shows a bit of why you are getting this update a day early. Early tomorrow morning, before sunrise very early to be exact, we will be leaving our house to begin a trip to Western Kenya with a group of leaders from the Baptist Convention of New Mexico.  So join us in praying for travelling mercies and that we will be good hosts for this group as we share with them our vision for how God is at work in East Africa and how they and their people can join in His work!

And I will close with this photo - a very special one of the baby dedication for the infant daughter of the newly ordained Worship Pastor at Parklands (far left).  Like all those ordained and their families, we are blessed to call Pastor Masha and Priscilla our friends!  Thanks for taking time to view our week, BERT

September 23, 2012 Nudge from East Africa

NOT A GREAT photo, but a GREAT visual of why many people, even entire People Groups, have not responded to or heard of our Fathers’ love and salvation.  Sometimes knowledge of the People is FUZZY resulting in a FUZZY or difficult to understand presentation by Believers.  Sometimes the ears, minds and hearts of those without our Father’s Good News are LOCKED due to location, language, fear, political motivations, as well as existing cultural and religious beliefs.  Pray that these LOCKS will be released and there will be a clear and understandable proclamation of the eternal gospel to “every nation, tribe, language and people” (Revelation 14:6).
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For daily Nudges from East Africa, go to:  http://easternafrica2012prayernudges.blogspot.com/.

September 19, 2012

Staying put at my desk this morning in order to write this update required turning on music to muffle the sounds outside my window. One group of sounds is not enjoyable - The pounding and breaking of rocks as fundis (workers) reinforce the foundation of our fence which was eroded by heavy rains earlier this year! The second group of sounds is very, very enjoyable, but tempting! It is our spring time and lots and lots of birds are twittering/ flittering among the flowering trees and plants in our yard which makes staying inside and not viewing their antics very undesirable!

As I prepared tomorrow’s Nudge from East Africa this morning , I realized that I, like most missionaries, don’t like to emphasize the security problems we face. Between extra current precautions due to terror threats (which includes getting accustomed to police at church services and being checked before entering shopping centers) and upcoming national elections (which in Kenya and other parts of the world leads to upheavals resulting in death and destruction) we do need your prayers for peace and wisdom!

We may have concerns, but we continue to be amazed at how God is at work in our part of the world and praise Him for allowing us to be here! Another thing that we share with many missionaries is that we were involved in mission programs as children and a song that I learned as a GA (now Girls in Action) came to mind last Sunday as our church had Mission’s Sunday.

As I took photos of the university students and teens preparing for a Parade of Flags, the words, “We’ve a story to tell to the nations,” became very real! It was one of those moments of realizing the opportunities God has given Jack and me to tell His story to the nations, including Jack teaching students from all over Kenya and East Africa and as I use the internet to share His story!

What I really loved seeing last Sunday was the younger children, who were not running around, but standing and watching their older friends. As I shared in today’s nudge, I realized that the flag bearers, even those in primary school, “had already made mission trips within their city or among Unreached Peoples, which meant they were fellow workers in our Father’s Harvest Field.” I also realized “from personal experience that the little kids may remember this event as the day they began dreaming of serving as missionaries!” Needless to say, it is times like this that keep us going!

Please join us in praying that we will continue being obedient and adequate workers in our Father’s harvest field. Pray for wisdom and protection as we and others minister in ‘iffy’ situations. Pray for strength and wisdom for Jack as he encourages and enables our pastors and East African Believers as they carry out the Great Commission. Pray that I will ‘see’ what God wants me to ‘see’ as I share what He is up to in our part of the world and how you and others can also join in His work! BERT
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Don't forget to view this week's Nudges from East Africa at http://easternafrica2012prayernudges.blogspot.com/

September 16th Nudge from East Africa

The finale of the “stuck” story from South Sudan:  “28 hours later and they have finally made it back… I crossed the river and thru many mega mud pits to rescue them all!  One volunteer’s version of yesterday’s adventure: ‘Thanks to flash flood, we got stuck/ unstuck seven times, repaired winch three times… until it burned up completely, the seven of us slept in the truck until sun up, and saw Jesus save ten people from their sin while we were getting unstuck, and two of them baptized in the waters that gave us so much trouble! That is why these people are unreached. Not because they don't want Jesus but because it is just stinkin hard....’"
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For the 'beginning' of this story, check out the September 14th and 15th Nudges from East Africa at http://easternafrica2012prayernudges.blogspot.com/ .

September 12, 2012

 What is Legacy Work?  Jack and I, the Legacy Team of Kenya, believe our job is to work with the established Baptist work in Kenya, the churches and Believers who are the result of the past work of our IMB co-workers and their disciples.

Our job is to strengthen and encourage these churches and Believers as we engage lostness together (Acts 14:22; Revelation 14:6).  Our job is to work beside our Baptist churches and Believers as we carry out the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20) – as we “go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything (He) commanded (us).” 

Jack is doing these things this week as he teaches a course on ‘cults’ at our seminary, Kenya Baptist Theological College.  My Legacy Team ‘job’ is to share what God is doing, how He has blessed the past work of our co-workers, supporters, and the work of Kenyan Baptists, and how others can join in His future work in the Harvest Field of Kenya – which I’m hopefully accomplishing in this update!

Legacy Work also includes our being an active part of a Baptist church.  God has taught us that that our involvement in church planting is more productive when we work as members of a church which new and growing churches can imitate.



We had a special view of Legacy Work this past weekend as we attended a luncheon for Parklands Baptist Church leaders and those being ordained as pastors and deacons later this month. The hymn we sang as the meeting began, “All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name,” was perfect, as was the day’s scripture, Matthew 9:35-38, our Savior’s plea for harvest workers! Parklands is committed to serving, obeying and praising our heavenly Father, and since their beginning in 1976, their desire has been to make sure that “ev’ry kindred, ev’ry tribe” are also serving, obeying and praising our Father!

As we listened to testimonies, we were amazed by the ‘network’ that those attended represented.  All were discipled by former colleagues or by East Africans that were discipled by past missionary co-workers.  Over and over, we heard references to the influence of those working with the Baptist University Ministry and once again we heard missionary’s names given or the names of those they mentored and trained.

The varied economic and social backgrounds of the participants also astounded us, as did their spiritual maturity and desire for growth in all areas of their lives! They represented diverse professional backgrounds and all, including those in careers such as pharmacy and accountancy, desire to use their jobs to be at work in our Father’s Harvest Field  This includes one future deacon, who will finish his PHD later this year is an area of electrical engineering, while many others are working on masters at local seminaries/universities. All are also active in reaching beyond Nairobi as they participate in mission trips in East Africa – one pastor had just returned from teaching discipleship to Kenyans living in England!

I could go on and on as this was a great time of ‘recharging’ for Jack and for me!  Join us in praying that God will use the established Baptist church members in Kenya to be shepherds to His harassed and helpless sheep as they seek to do His work in His harvest field in Kenya and beyond! BERT
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Yesterday’s Nudge from East Africa  and the two 'tap' photos share another of our ‘experiences’ this past week! To view last week's nudges, go to  http://easternafrica2012prayernudges.blogspot.com

September 8th Nudge from East Africa

An annual fellowship is being held this weekend for an East African Unreached People. One of those planning the fellowship shares: “There will be Believers and non- Believers. We are dealing with some very counter cultural issues of faith. Pray that many will come and will here exactly what God wants them to learn during the meeting, which will include showing the JESUS film, teaching, fellowship, and baptism (I hope) in a fairly resistant area.”
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Daily "Prayer/What God Is Doing Nudges from East Africa" Nudges are found at http://easternafrica2012prayernudges.blogspot.com/.  Want to know how God responded to the above nudge? Go to: http://easternafrica2012prayernudges.blogspot.com/2012/09/september-13-2012.html

September 5, 2012

Almost every week as I begin writing this update I remember a young friend saying she could share her life in East Africa via words and photos, but there were things she simply couldn’t explain. Her praise at that moment was that a special friend had visited and experienced her life and the culture of her People.  The result was that now she had someone at home “who kind of ‘gets’ it”.

I also thought of her words yesterday as I prepared today’s Nudge from East Africa. I’ve learned to check and re-check what I write, evaluating if our supporters will understand what I’m seeking to share.  My desire is not to break hearts or leave supporters focused on the missionaries who are facing different cultures and experiences, but to guide you in praying with insight and understanding for the People and situations we encounter.

Today is definitely one of those times when I want you to see and hear Jack’s and my hearts, yet focus not on us, but on bringing glory and praise to our Father and fulfilling His desire for His “eternal gospel” to be proclaimed to all “who live on the earth – to every nation, tribe, language and people” (Rev 14:6). Don’t worry, it has not been a bad week, but a very good one as hopefully you see in the photos sharing our week's experiences.

One reason for our truly desiring you to know our hearts is that we do depend upon your prayers! Jack’s major prayer request this week is for quality study time as he prepares to teach another round of ‘Baptist Faith and History’ next week at our seminary and for a ‘Church History’ course he will teach later this year for the first time.

Pray also for Jack as he relates to the Baptist Convention of Kenya as they begin a time of transition with an interim leadership team.  Pray that Jack will know exactly what to do and what not to do as he seeks to encourage and support our churches and leadership. Another prayer request is for Jack as he serves on the ordination council for ten new pastors and deacons of our church and for me as I help with the interview process.

My greatest prayer request is for a personal time of transition.  As of this week my work is changing focus or rather expanding focus as I partner with the media team of our Affinity, Sub-Saharan African Peoples.  In coming weeks I will begin sharing the stories of not only our staff from East Africa, but from all of Sub-Sahara Africa.  Pray for me as I also find what to do and what not to do as I seek a new balance in my work!  Pray for sensitivity and insight as l seek to share how God is at work in all of Sub-Sahara Africa, how He has already blessed our past investments, and new ways His children can invest time, finances and prayer in His work!  BERT

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This week’s Nudges from East Africa can be found at http://easternafrica2012prayernudges.blogspot.com/

September 1, 2012 Nudge from East Africa

Thoughts of coconuts and palm trees swaying in a tropical setting bring peace and calm for many, something needed by Believers in our world living in areas lacking peace and calm.  How can you pray when you read of unrest in our world?  One missionary to East Africa experiencing a very non-peaceful time shares her answer?  “Friends, thank you for your phone calls and prayers this week. They have meant so much to my family and to me! So thankful we have the peace that passes understanding. Pray it will continue to guard our hearts and minds this week.”
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To view daily Prayer/What God Is Doing Nudges from East Africa, go to: http://easternafrica2012prayernudges.blogspot.com/