June 28, 2013 SSAP Nudge to Action

Last Wednesday the Lord led missionaries on foot, across sand dunes, to a village on the Mozambique coast that has never had Gospel access. A man extended an invitation to teach the Bible to his clan. Pray for this man, his clan and those making plans to return for chronological Bible teaching there.
For more stories from the eyes, hearts and lives of missionaries in the Zambezi Cluster, visit  https://www.facebook.com/ZambeziClusterPrayerNeeds. (Page can be viewed by non-FB members.)

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For daily Nudges to Action - Praying, Serving and Giving for Sub-Saharan African Peoples, visithttps://www.facebook.com/pages/Sub-Saharan-African-Peoples/100173880060607?ref=hl

(non-Facebook users can view this page).

June 26, 2013

Photos this week were taken
during last month's trip to the
coast. These kids watched
with joy and fear as
graduates of the Kenya Baptist
Theological College branch...

"In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials.  These have come so that your faith--of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire--may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honour when Jesus Christ is revealed.” 1 Peter 1:6,7

Joy, sorrow, fear, excitement, pain, peace, supplication, praise and thanksgiving: What we've felt and seen in the hearts of fellow Believers this week. What some may find surprising is how often there has been a mixture of all these and other emotions, including those that some would define as opposites.

... practised their graduation march, while...

We experienced this last Sunday as we joined our Parklands Baptist/ Mombasa Road church family in rising to our feet as the choir sang, “Stand for holiness, stand for righteousness and be counted among them that shall reign with Him.”(1) Joy came from standing with fellow Believers who also know that obeying our Father does come with times of fear and pain, as well as incredible times of praise. 

.... helpers of all ages prepared the tent to protect
guests the next day from the equatorial sun.

Sunday was also a time of renewed commitment to serving our Father as we heard two stories which many of us first heard as small children – the story of Noah and the story of Zacchaeus. Our challenge after hearing these stories as kids was staying within the lines as we coloured pictures of the ark and animals or of a short man climbing a tree. As an adult, we hear a new challenge as we recognize the criticisms that Noah and Jesus received for obeying God, the challenge Believers continue to face today.

Nothing but joy as Jack met with former students and
fellow KBTC teachers at the Malindi branch.

Lots of emotions have also been experienced this week after a co-worker was involved in an accident in which a little boy died. As we’ve read their updates, their feelings have included sorrow, fear, concern and uncertainty; it has also included praise, joy and an assurance of our Father being glorified as His children responded to His call to love and serve Him by loving and serving one another. 

Bert's joy:  Viewing a mini Kenya
Baptist Media bookshop in the
 church office, which included books
produced while she served at KBM.

Jack and I were also overwhelmed by our thoughts as we met briefly on Monday with a group of workers serving in a very hard place in West Africa. It was heart breaking to be reminded of how many people are still waiting to hear of our Father’s love and salvation. Yet, in the midst of the sorrow, there was also incredible joy as we heard of plans to reach and engage these People still waiting for a proclamation of the eternal gospel. It was so exciting to view the passion of those who are willing to be criticized and face danger in order to share our Father’s gift of eternal life.

It is impossible to be bored as one views scenes
along the road as they travel in Africa!

Another time of mixed feelings was experienced this morning as our neighbours left for a trip to learn more about Unreached/ Unengaged Peoples(2) in a nearby country. Our reactions included asking God for travelling mercies – a constant need for missionaries in our part of the world. There was also uncertainty as they left without their usual planned itinerary as flexibility, another on-going prayer need of missionaries, will be required as they respond to the information they learn during this research trip – Information which leads to excitement as what they learn will lead to our Father’s Good News reaching Unreached/ Unengaged Peoples!(3)

This photo was captured on Sunday morning while on the coast -
evidently these boys wanted to make sure they had a seat at church!

Would you join us in prayer as we seek to rejoice as we face mixed emotions while joining others in working in our Father’s Harvest Field?(3) Will you join us in praying that we will never lose our passion for serving and obeying Him and keeping our focus on bringing Him praise, glory and honour? BERT
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(1) STAND, written by John P. Kee; lyrics at http://www.allgospellyrics.com/?sec=listing&lyricid=4885; PLAY NOW options at http://clip.dj/john-p-kee-stand-download-mp3-mp4-GEFPAoKbPmg.

(2) To learn more about Embracing those who yet to hear our Good News, go to http://www.imbafrica.org/embrace/.

(3) One way that you can be a part of God's work among the Harvest Field of Sub-Saharan African Peoples is by joining others in viewing the Sub-Saharan African Peoples Nudges to Action which are updated daily at http://easternafrica2012prayernudges.blogspot.com/ and at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Sub-Saharan-African-Peoples/100173880060607?ref=hl - you do not need to be a member of FB to view this page.

View which was used for today's
SSAP Nudge to Action - Praying, Serving and Giving.

June 22, 2013 SSAP Nudge to Action

“The nations will know that I am the LORD, declares the Sovereign LORD, when I show myself holy through you before their eyes…I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you." Claim Ezekiel 36:23, 26 for God’s ambassadors among Sub-Saharan African Peoples today.

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For daily Nudges to Action - Praying, Serving and Giving for Sub-Saharan African Peoples, visithttps://www.facebook.com/pages/Sub-Saharan-African-Peoples/100173880060607?ref=hl

(non-Facebook users can view this page).

June 19, 2013

It was a photo which was not well focused, but as I sought to ‘construct’ yesterday’s SSAP Nudge to Action (1), I kept returning to the above scene captured while driving in late May from Nairobi to Kenya’s coast.  My first response, it was Friday and a school day - Why were these boys not in school?  Travelling around Kenya, one often realizes that too many young kids are working or playing when they should be in school.  I considered if the need for all kids to receive adequate education in Sub-Saharan Africa should be the day’s nudge to prayer focus.  

Lots to view along African highways,
such as Baobab trees or the upside-down trees...

I then remembered my second response when the photo of the Maasai boys was shot – these young shepherds (one weakness of the photo, the goats and sheep are out of view) were standing beside a highway that could take a vehicle the 4056 miles from the Indian Ocean (Mombasa, Kenya) to the Atlantic Ocean (Lagos, Nigeria), on a road completed on either end, but lacking links in the DR Congo (another flaw – though hundreds of trucks passed each hour, none were included in the photo).

...and lots to keep you alert, such as people in the middle of the road...

I tried several times to write a nudge sharing how as their flocks grazed, the boys watched the huge trucks, many hauling two long trailers, ferrying items within Kenya and to land-locked African countries.  I considered sharing that the boys were likely Maasai, a being-reached Sub-Saharan African People, thus they may have already heard the eternal gospel.  But, if this photo had been taken in many areas where these trucks might pass, especially in countries such as the DR Congo, it was very unlikely that they had heard of our Father’s love and salvation – a fact that believers should find heart-breaking.

... selling locally grown fruits and vegetables to passing drivers. 

After many tries, I did use the photo in yesterday’s nudge with an emphasis based on the missing flock – “My sheep … were scattered over the whole earth, and no one searched or looked for them” (Ezekiel 34:6. Pray that God’s workers will respond to His call to search and look for Sub-Saharan African Peoples who have yet to hear a proclamation of the eternal Gospel.”

Trucks are not the only vehicles carrying loads along the highways!

Why am I sharing this with you today?  Because as I read Ezekiel 11:19, “I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them,” the verse God has led me to multiple times this week, I realized that yesterday’s struggle (which took hours, which is definitely not my norm) is very much related to this verse and why we and others accepted God’s call to serve in Africa.

Vehicles passing in all directions and animals
along the road also keep drivers alert...

Our heavenly Father wants his love and salvation to be proclaimed to all “who live on the earth--to every nation, tribe, language and people” (Revelation 14:6). If His desire for all nations to know that He is Lord (Ezekiel 36:23-26) is to become a reality, God’s children must have an undivided heart and a new and focused spirit.

.... and remembering that cows and other animals
will cross the road whenever they like!

Another reason that I’m sharing this with you is that I want to thank you again for the ways you support us and other workers in His harvest field, including the record gifts to last year’s 2012 Lottie Moon Christmas Offering (2).  I also want to challenge you to continue praying, sending workers and giving your financial gifts because as PeopleGroups.org (3)reports, there are 11,296 known people groups in our world and our Father’s eternal gospel has not yet reached 6,930 of these groups!

Drivers must also remember that cows, goats and sheep
 are not the only animals one might pass! Jack once
spotted an elephant preparing to cross the road!

One way that you can join us in praying for the spread of the eternal gospel is by continuing to pray for the Kenya Baptist Theological College as decisions are made related to the college’s leadership and future. We remain confident that God has great plans for the college and we are eager to see how He fulfils his purpose as His children are trained and equipped to be a part of proclaiming his salvation, declaring “his glory among all nations, his marvellous deeds among all peoples” (Psalm 96:2,3).

And then to be honest, one never knows
what will be spotted next on an African road!

Thank you for praying for last week’s very critical General Meeting of the Baptist Convention of Kenya.  It was a good meeting and Baptists of Kenya are seeking to be bolder and better equipped as they proclaim our Father’s Eternal Gospel – a true answer to prayers!  BERT YATES

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(1) Sub-Saharan African Peoples Nudges to Action – https://www.facebook.com/pages/Sub-Saharan-African-Peoples/100173880060607?ref=hl and at http://easternafrica2012prayernudges.blogspot.com/

(2) The 2012 LMCO report is found at http://www.imb.org/main/news/details.asp?StoryID=11925&LanguageID=1709.)

(3) http://peoplegroups.org/

The sayings on the trucks also add a bit of  interest
to travelling on African roads.  This one says,
HUNGING AT YOUR OWN RISK.
YES, people do hitch a free ride by 'hunging' or rather
hanging on the back of moving vehicles in Africa!

June 16, 2013 SSAP Nudge to Action

Request for summer missionaries: They will be able to use cell phones and have some electricity, but must collect their water each day. No showers, just sponge bathing! Pray they will adjust well to their new living arrangements and ministry sharing the TRUE LOVE WAITS message in schools in Swaziland.

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For daily Nudges to Action - Praying, Serving and Giving for Sub-Saharan African Peoples, visithttps://www.facebook.com/pages/Sub-Saharan-African-Peoples/100173880060607?ref=hl

(non-Facebook users can view this page).

June 12, 2013

It happened again this morning.  I read a verse which I have read lots of times, proven by all the highlights and notes in the margins of my Bible, but God's Words were alive and active in a new way!  The verse?  “Blessed are those who strength is in you, who have set their hearts on pilgrimage” Psalm 84:5.

Photos this week were taken during our May 31st trip to Malindi,
which included viewing this herd of metal/man-made elephants
near the airport along the new northern by-pass around Nairobi.

Genesis 24:27, “As for me, the Lord has led me on the journey,” has always been a favorite verse, so I read what my NIV Study Bible shared about Psalm 84:5-7. The key words that spoke to me included “Joyful blessedness of those who are free to make pilgrimage to Zion”, “joyful expectations of the pilgrims” and those “on their hopeful way… experience anew the bountiful hand of God.”  

There is always something along the highways to catch
one's attention, including colourful fruits and vegetables...

During the last year, Jack and I have been very aware that God was adding new twists and turns on our pilgrimage with Him.  It began with a sense that change was ahead, followed by Jack seeking the position of principal of the Kenya Baptist Theological College. 

...cute kids waving your way...

As you know from our last update, the journey is on a break at the moment.  Yet, through all the “joyful blessedness” and frustrations of the last few months, we continue to possess an assurance that God is in control.  We are reminded constantly that our focus at the moment must be seeking His guidance and His strength “with joyful expectation” so that we will hear and be ready when He tells us it is time to stop resting and move on!

... as well as lots of obstacles to keep you alert.  We
passed over 400 trucks awaiting weight checks!

I shared last week that we would use this break in our journey to take a bit of vacation.  This has not happened!  Jack has been busy completing reports, studying and attending meetings. One very exciting meeting was with a sister Christian group who are challenging churches who are actively involved in carrying out the Great Commission to challenge other churches to do the same. Pray for sensitivity as Jack and others seek ways to challenge our Baptist churches.

One also spots lots of things which show the contrasts
of Africa - hauling water with very sophisticated electricity
lines and communication towers in the background.

I truly love my work* which includes reading the newsletters of IMB workers among Sub-Saharan African Peoples and finding ways to share their stories with you and others.  Thanks to good news received this week, I have a new reason to do my work as I use their stories to share our thanks and an assurance that we are being good stewards of the investments of our supporters!

One also spots reminders of the many peoples
in Africa who need to hear our Good News

The good news?  The tally is in for the 2012 Lottie Moon Christmas Offering and the “total of $149,276,303.72 is a $2.44m increase over last year, making this the third largest offering in our history. We are profoundly grateful for this 1.67% increase in giving.” (This report can be found at http://www.imb.org/main/news/details.asp?StoryID=11925&LanguageID=1709.)

Pray for the members of  Mariakani Baptist Church
and other Baptist churches as they proclaim
the eternal gospel to their neighbours and families...

Please join us also in continuing to pray for the Kenya Baptist Theological College as decisions are made related to the college’s leadership and future.  We remain confident that God has great plans for the college and we are eager to see how He fulfills his purpose as his children are trained and equipped to be a part of proclaiming his salvation, declaring “his glory among all nations, his marvelous deeds among all peoples” (Psalm 96:2,3) until the day when “the whole earth if filled with his glory”(Psalm 72:19).

...in a part of the world where people are seeking joy... 

Pray also for the very critical General Meeting of the Baptist Convention of Kenya which will be held tomorrow through Saturday.  Pray for God’s guidance and strength as Baptists of Kenya seek to build a stronger convention and support system for their ministries such as the college.

...and friendships with joyful people.

Thank you for praying for us as we and the current staff of KBTC are making our pilgrimage with our Father.  We know it is your prayers that are strengthening and encouraging us.  Pray also that Jack and I will claim Psalm 84:5 and rely upon our Father’s strength, blessings and guidance as we continue our journey with Him! BERT YATES

Pray that Believers will stand out in their communities
and boldly tell their world about their Saviour!

* For one part of Bert's work, view the daily Nudges to Action for Sub-Saharan African Peoples at http://easternafrica2012prayernudges.blogspot.com/ or on the FB page, Sub-Saharan African Peoples ( https://www.facebook.com/pages/Sub-Saharan-African-Peoples/100173880060607?ref=hl ). Non-Facebook members can visit the Sub-Saharan African Peoples FB page.

June 9th SSAP Nudge to Action

Praising God and thanking those who gave to the 2012 Lottie Moon Offering.*  Your gifts strengthen and encourage your missionaries as together we “proclaim his salvation day after day. Declare his glory among the nations, his marvellous deeds among all peoples.” (Psalm 96:2,3)

*http://www.imb.org/main/news/details.asp?StoryID=11925&LanguageID=1709

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For daily Nudges to Action - Praying, Serving and Giving for Sub-Saharan African Peoples, visit https://www.facebook.com/pages/Sub-Saharan-African-Peoples/100173880060607?ref=hl

(non-Facebook users can view this page).

June 5, 2013

Lots of catching up to do today after sharing in our last update (May 22^nd) that we were headed to the coast for graduation at the Malindi branch of Kenya Baptist Theological College and for two days of rest.  Then a few hours after sending that update, we sent an urgent prayer request.  Thank you for your prayers and encouragement as we truly, truly needed it.  One of the major obstacles that arose was Jack’s contract with Kenya Baptist Theological College was terminated by the Board of Governors, which became official today. 

Yes, our reaction has been hurt, confusion and discouragement, but also an incredible sense of peace and continued assurance that God called Jack to be the principal for the last few months – which we know is the result of your prayer support.  Other things have or will also be happening in coming weeks related to the college’s leadership and future, yet, we are confident that as these things unfold, our God is in control.

We are due several weeks of vacation and that is what Jack will be doing in the next few weeks  as he studies and catches up on many things which have been delayed during recent months.  We are not sure if he will return to the college, or if so, in what role, although he will surely be teaching and spurring training of God’s workers in some way.  So our first prayer request this week is for patience as things come together which will affect our future and the future of KBTC.  We continue to believe that God has great plans for the college as his children are trained and equipped  to be a part of proclaiming his salvation, declaring “his glory among all nations, his marvelous deeds among all peoples” (Psalm 96:2,3) until the day when “the whole earth if filled with his glory”(Psalm 72:19). Please join us also in praying for a very important General Meeting of the Baptist Convention of Kenya which will be held June 13^th -15^th.  Pray for God’s guidance and strength for  the men and women attending this meeting as they seek to build a stronger convention and support system for the entities such as the college.   

Pray also that Jack and I, as well as the current staff of KBTC, will continue trusting God to deal with the problems at KBTC.  We have definitely felt God answering your prayers in the last two weeks during our personal devotions.  Every day, and I do mean EVERY time we’ve opened our Bibles, God has led us to exactly the encouragement and guidance we needed.  One example occurred as Jack was in yet another meeting this morning.  I spent the time praying and reading God’s Word and he led me to Psalms 42-43.  I know that it was not by chance that I began reading these verses which were the perfect words to guide my prayers for Jack and his staff and the small group now making decisions related to the college.  So, another prayer request is that as we and others are downcast and disturbed by all that is happening, we will put our hope in God and continue praising him (42:8).  Pray that we will allow him to be our stronghold (43:2) and focus on seeking his light, faithful care and leadership (43:3) as we deal with all our mixed feelings in our personal lives and for future of KBTC.

Pray also for me as my work as the Prayer Networker for Sub-Saharan African Peoples requires a ‘creative’ spirit, which is in short supply at the moment as we’ve not been sleeping well and I am recuperating from either a severe stomach virus or food poisoning which began late last week after our return to Nairobi.  Additional praises/needs include that although we felt it necessary to skip the graduation in Malindi, we were able to deliver the needed graduation gowns and certificates for over 40 newly trained men and women and watch as they excitedly practiced the ceremony the evening before graduation.  We also had an incredible time of rest at a lodge overlooking a game park where God provided an incredible show of his creation! 

Due to today’s meeting I was late beginning this update, so I've included only one photo today of a few of the 100 plus elephants that we spotted for hours at a time!   But I promise next week to share lots and lots of photos from our end of May trip with you!  I must get this completed and sent to you, but I can’t close without thanking you for the assurance of your prayers and other ways you strengthen and encourage us as we engage lostness together (Acts 14:22, Revelation 14:6).  BERT YATES