May 15, 2013

View from our teachers cottage at KBTC
at 6 yesterday afternoon.

Dilemma – a good word to start our update for the second week! As problems at Kenya Baptist Theological College continued last week, we faced additional frustrations! As I wrote last week, I was in my fifth day of a flu with a horrible cough! Then last Thursday morning, my fever sky-rocketed so we cancelled our plans and returned to Nairobi where my doctor decided that I also had a sinus infection.

View from our cottage at 7 this morning - Jack
is hidden in the clouds as he walks to his office.

Jack returned to the KBTC campus on Friday morning and when he called at lunch, I reported that the antibiotic was working and I was feeling better. He replied with a series of coughs! When he returned home late that afternoon, there was no doubt that he had also succumbed to the flu! As of today, we are both finally back on our normal schedules, which leads to my sharing more dilemmas faced by missionaries which should be included in your ‘general’ prayer list.

These goats were experiencing no dilemmas as they
nestled this week in a drainage ditch in the centre of a
round-about on Nairobi's new northern bypass.

Pray for good health for missionaries as not only do we deal with the ‘usual’ illnesses, but ones not routinely expected in developed countries, such as today’s alert for dengue fever on the coast. We also must be careful about exposing our illnesses as many people we encounter may be more susceptible as they don’t have access to past, present or future adequate medical care.

Some would define meeting this on the road as a dilemma. I focus
on all the activity and colour beautifying the muddy, dirty road!

Another general prayer item is for patience as plans and schedules are more likely to be ‘fluid’ in Africa due to things such as the rain which leads to impassable roads, even within the cities. Another schedule breaker is the one recently faced by friends who live a day’s drive from Nairobi. When the husband hurt his knee, it meant a planned short stay in the city became a long one due to the lack of medical care in their work area.

Guess what company has just come to Kenya with lots of
colourful 'branding' on billboards, buildings and even homes?

Patience is also needed as we deal with electricity/ internet problems (electricity has returned in our cottage a few minutes ago after being out most of the night). Our friends who evacuated from South Sudan last week were very aware of the blessing of adequate electricity (their often cantankerous solar powered system was working last week) and internet strength which allowed them to easily share their prayer requests before their journey and their praise after arriving safely in Kenya. When you hear of problems in a country, do pray for good communications as this is often an issue during crisis.

More colour spotted yesterday at a roadside market.

Now for what God taught us this week about dealing with dilemmas! Last Thursday morning before the fever hit, God led me to 2 Chronicles 20. As Jack and I read and reread these verses while hibernating over the weekend, we realized that we had fallen to one of the greatest ‘tricks’ of spiritual warfare –focusing on problems instead of the One with the “power and might… that no one can withstand” (v.6).

Today's Nudge to Action for
Sub-Saharan African Peoples

Our prayer request this week is that we will not focus on our lack of power to overcome the dilemmas/ spiritual warfare, but keep our eyes focused on the one who does (v.12). Pray that we will not be afraid or discouraged as the attacks continue, but recognize that these “battles are not (ours), but God’s” (v.15). Pray that we will obediently stand firm, remembering that he is with us (v.17), praising and giving thanks to him (v.21) as God deals with the dilemmas and gives us rest on every side (v.30), including rest from coughing and needed restful nights of sleep!

I can assure you now that based on the miracles that have already begun appearing since we ‘refocused’, next week’s update WILL NOT begin with the word ‘dilemma’! BERT YATES

Another example of branding seen in Kenya - this one for a company
that offers phone/internet services.  And NO, I do not know how all
the hand-made sofas and chairs along the road stay clean.