 |
After being at home since noon last Saturday,
Jack was ready to get back to work today
at the Kenya Baptist Theological College. |
My first thought as we heard the first rounds of grenades and gunfire last Saturday around 12:30 was my thought at mid-day the previous day. As I did often, I had once again asked myself as I left the Westgate Mall with milk, yoghurt, bread and eggs, “
How long will it be before terrorists make good their threats and attack a public place such as this?”
 |
I also needed a change of venue, so
today's update was composed and sent
from the Principal's desk at KBTC. |
In the last few days as I watched scenes shared on local and international news, my thought has been: “How strange it seems to know that if our friends knew where to look, they could spot the roof of our house as they watch the news of the ongoing siege.” Yes, that is how close we live to Westgate Mall. We listened to the news, but we often knew more than was being reported – such as after a large blast and more firing around four yesterday afternoon, the helicopters (which had hovered over our house 72+ hours) left and we knew the siege was over, although it was not announced until three hours later.
 |
One of three helicopters, our constant
companions this past week! This morning
an armoured was among the police and
army vehicles along our street - AND YES,
we stopped and thanked them for their work! |
Were and are we still a bit stressed? YES, but we knew the situation was covered in prayer, which is one reason we never felt at risk. AND more than once we thanked God that our home’s exterior and interior walls are thick quarried stones! We felt free to walk around our yard, but we and our upstairs neighbors relied upon God’s gift of ‘common sense’ to head back inside at times! The IMB offered a place in a quieter spot, but we and our nearby co-workers felt it was best to stay in our homes.
 |
Spotted beside our property along the
path to Westgate yesterday. I wanted to
ask the sleeping man, "Are you waiting
for someone still held in the Mall?" |
Our major thoughts and prayers were and continue to be for our many friends, acquaintances and other working and shopping at the mall. For a while our prayers where specifically for an IMB family not only in the mall, but separated during the first few hours of the siege. I was able to ‘converse’ with the husband via Facebook on his cell phone and he was able assure his wife via her cell phone that we were close by and waiting for them upon their release! Lots and lots of prayers of thanksgiving have been given for cell phones in the last few days!
 |
Shared this morning on my FB page by a friend
among Peoples in northern Kenya and South
Sudan. These Turkana are praying and grieving a
lost family member in the Westgate attack. |
We are certain that among the greatest moments of joy of our lives will be when Jack (at the end of the dirt path we use to walk to Westgate, along the street many of you viewed on the news) and I (alerted by Jack via cell phone to head his way) spotted the wife and younger kids walking towards us and then as we received the gift of giving them hugs! YES, we knew some would think Jack especially was too close to the action, but on the mission field co-workers become family and we wanted them to spot family as quickly as possible after their release! When the Dad and older son escaped, they were sent to the other end of our street and a co-worker collected them, so we still are waiting to give them hugs.
 |
A view of the smoke which began
coming from the Mall on Monday -
taken from a neighbour's yard. |
Yet another thought that I’ve often had since mid-day last Saturday: That I was 100% correct in disagreeing with a friend who once said that missionaries should not use Facebook! As I shared on one of my Facebook
work pages (1) last night,
“THANK YOU for your prayers. You have definitely reaffirmed my belief in FB and social media being incredible prayer tools!”
The prayer value of social media was also affirmed when news of the Westgate fire was posted on Facebook and blogs, including the IMB’s
CompassionNet FB (2) site. Based on what I can document and ‘intelligent’ guesses, more than 10,000 people viewed this prayer item within a few hours!
 |
Poinsettias are in our back yard - the flat cream in the
lower right corner, behind an apartment building and
an office building, in the lower right is Westgate Mall. |
We learned today that Social Media also guided prayers for the mall siege and for us last Sunday at our church, Parklands Baptist Church/ Mombasa Road. Due to the ongoing sounds from Westgate, we had felt it wise to stay at home, but as friends received our messages via Facebook and cell phone, they shared the updates with others at church, even interrupting the class and services!
 |
| Photo used last week in "To the Ends of the Earth. |
Other thoughts which surfaced in my mind and heart after it was confirmed that the mall attack was an act of terrorism, were the words that I shared last week in
“To the Ends of the Earth” (3). In the photo album, this prayer nudge was included with a series of photos:
Do I/ we/ you truly desire for all People to claim the promise we have received from our heavenly Father….the promise to "Turn to me and be saved, all you ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is no other" (Isaiah 45:22 NIV)?
 |
A blessing God sent my way
spotted in our yard this week! |
Thank you for responding to our requests for prayers in the last few days. Would you please join us in praying now for physical, emotional and spiritual healing for all those affected by the attack on Westgate? Would you also pray that Believers will not focus on the evil around them, but focus on our Father’s desire for ALL peoples to claim His gift of Eternal Life – even those who are causing chaos today in Nigeria, Rwanda, Kenya, DRCongo and other Sub-Saharan African countries? BERT YATES
--- --- --- --- ---
No comments:
Post a Comment