June 25, 2014

This morning as I climbed out of bed, a series of thoughts passed through my mind. Thought #1: I have not a clue what I am going to share in this week’s update. #2: I’m excited about not knowing! #3: I’m usually frustrated on a Wednesday morning if don’t already have a vague focus for the weeks’ update. So why am I excited? #4: BECAUSE it’s been truly amazing in recent weeks how God shows me new things during my morning devotions and in other ways! I AM excited about how He will lead me today!

Another true gift from God - the beautiful views outside our home!

And He did it again this morning! After breakfast, as usual, I went to the computer to check on e-mails and Facebook postings, which includes making sure today’s new Nudge to Action for Sub-Saharan African Peoples (1) is ready to post and checking on past posts and messages. Now for a bit of honesty – I do get discouraged and question if people are being nudged to action by what I share and if I am doing what God is calling me to do.

God has also blessed us with our amazing church family which has now
moved to a permanent home.  We're hoping for lots of improvements
on the property before we celebrate our 4th anniversary on July 6th.

Thus, I know it was not a coincidence, but a God-incident of encouragement and affirmation as I checked on yesterday’s post (1)and found added comments about a potential volunteer’s responding to a nudge to serve and how a church in Kentucky is not only teaching their members “to tell Bible stories to oral learners," but are active in a long-term commitment to unreached Peoples of Sub-Saharan Africa.

Viewing kids practising how to SHOUT ABOUT
JESUS was also a blessing of the past week!

I wrote last week that "I wanted to begin a series of nudges on the work of volunteers in Sub-Saharan Africa, but feared that this would be difficult. My praise: More information has come my way in recent days than I can use.” I should have added that I had been praying about this and I know this was an answer to my and your prayers.

I was also blessed by watching a friend teach
GROWING IN CHRIST, my last re-edit job
while serving with Kenya Baptist Media.

And God is still doing it! As I’ve prepared this past week’s Nudges to Action for our Peoples, I’ve seen His guidance as more and more stories appear on my computer screen from co-workers sharing unique ways they and volunteers are experiencing and sharing His Story.

A photo in place of one taken of a Bible study class captured
last week which cannot be shown - a photo of one of the army
guards patrolling our church each Sunday.  She took her gun with
her as she attended Bible study, but left her beret and water bottle!

This morning new e-mails included several updates and newsletters from IMB coworkers in Sub-Saharan Africa that were exciting and encouraging. One worker wrote of her childhood memories of hearing missionaries share their stories and photos and wanting to do this when she grew up. She joyfully shared that she is not only doing this today, but now dreaming of the impact her own kids have on sharing the Good News and leading others to dream of serving as missionaries.

A special blessing for the kids and new guests after
 church and a special reminder for those who have
lived in Kenya - Blue Band and Elliott bread
sandwiches - chai is brewing out of the photo!

Then later this morning during my devotions, even though I’m reading through the Psalms, the book I’ve read more than any other book of the Bible, God continued showing me new insights, encouragement and affirmation in His Word. In Psalm 40:1, He challenged me to rethink how often I truly wait patiently for Him and how often I fail to recognize or offer thanks when He answers. He reminded me in verse 3 that the new song He puts in my mouth includes the information He sends my way which can be shared as Nudges to Action for our people which can lead others to “see and fear and put their trust” in Him! He reminded me in verse 8 that I should always be reaffirming my desire to obey and do His will. I must use the skills and abilities He gave me to speak of his faithfulness, salvation, love and truth (v.10).

Sometimes it is hard to concentrate during
worship when you have cute little kids
sitting in front of you!

Jack is also thankful for answered prayers and God-incidents! Before he left this morning for the daily trip to Kenya Baptist Theological College, I asked for his current praises. His answer: He is thankful for how he sees God at work in the ‘unscheduled’ encounters with volunteers, former students, local pastors, etc. He is also thankful for notes he received this week from Kenyan pastors offering needed encouragement and affirmation that he is listening to and obeying God as "KBTC is REVIVED/ RESTORED… RESULTing once again in a place where African Believers can be prepared to REFLECT the PRESENCE OF GOD and become qualified and capable workers in our Father’s Harvest Field.”(3)

The cutie was the younger of two sisters, but big sister was very shy!

As I complete this week’s update, I am still amazed by how God has directed me today and astounded by His desire to use me to do His work! I know Jack is also continually astonished by God’s guidance and provisions as he serves as the principal of KBTC. We do thank you as we know this is an answer to not just our prayers, but also yours! SO please keep praying for us as we serve in Kenya. God is at work and being able to be a part of His work is amazing, astounding, astonishing, and truly AWESOME! BERT

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(1) Nudges to Action for Sub-Saharan African Peoples - https://www.facebook.com/pages/Sub-Saharan-African-Peoples/100173880060607
(2) June 24th Nudge to Action - https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=659876244090365&set=a.389236874487638.90503.100173880060607&type=1&theater

(3) January 30, 2013 Yates-IMB-Kenya&SSAP post -  http://bertandjackyates.blogspot.com/2013/01/january-30-2013_30.html

One of my favorite photos of the week taken from our
new church property. 

Additional photos of the week... This first one was taken
to use as a future Nudge to Action for Sub-Saharan African Peoples.

This photo also turned out well, but pray for me as I
learn to use my new cameras - most photos
are not turning out this well!

June 18, 2014

Walking in Kenya includes watching out for the
unexpected from motorcycles - included this view
captured as we drove to church last Sunday.
The 'no-hands needed' way to carry a spare tire!

Yesterday, I walked to a nearby grocery store and surprisingly, the store had everything on my short list. But after placing the last item in my basket, I decided that I really didn’t want to take it home, which included walking past the boarded-up Westgate Mall! The discarded item was a local newspaper with reports of Sunday evening’s vicious attack (1) along Kenya’s northern coastline. The graphic photos with the headline stories, which were even more disturbing than those I had seen earlier on my computer screen, led to my decision to only read on-line about the horrible event rather than view more photos.

Another 'unexpected' view of a motorcycle - also
spotted last Sunday!  Yep, he is delivering
a sofa and two chairs WITH cushions!

So how do we handle living in a country which like many other African countries (2) is dealing with unsettling and deadly events? And yes, we do ask ourselves this question and what precautions we should take. The simple answer, we must stay alert and informed and we must share our concerns with our heavenly Father and seeking His answers.

At least we don't have to avoid goats and cows
 in our part of the city.  These goats live in the
middle of the road near our new church home!

This may sound simplistic or even a bit ‘righteous’, but I know it was no co-incidence, but a GOD-incident when chapter 34 was the ‘next’ scripture to read this morning as I work slowly through the Psalms during my devotions. I know God was answering my personal concerns, worries and prayers as I read Psalm 34:1-4: “I will extol the LORD at all times; his praise will always be on my lips. My soul will boast in the LORD; let the afflicted hear and rejoice. Glorify the LORD with me; let us exalt his name together. I sought the LORD, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears” (Psalm 34:1-4).

Also one block from our new church home, you
can purchase tires, cooking pots, plastic items,
balls, mosquito nets, etc., and...

His words reminded me that how I feel should not determine if I choose to extol (praise, exalt, worship) Him. The current circumstances I’m facing should not determine if I seek to share my praise of Him with others, especially with those who do not know Him. I was also reminded that He can deliver me from my fears, but I must choose to claim the peace He offers! Just as I had looked up the synonyms of ‘extol’, I also searched for the antonyms for the word ‘fear’ and was surprised by the words offered –‘assurance, calmness, confidence, faith, happiness, joy, trust, comfort’ appeared and NO, I was not searching for the opposite meanings of ‘fear’ in a Bible dictionary.

... live chickens and medicine can be purchased as
we turn onto the road where our church meets!

We do ask you to join us in praying that we and our missionary co-workers in Africa and around our world will make Psalm 34:1-4 “living and active” (3) in our lives during difficult times. Pray that we will “Be on guard! Be alert!” (Mark 13:33 NIV) and that our lives be a testimony of the ‘assurance, calmness, confidence, faith, happiness, joy, trust, comfort’ we have as Believers.

Photo taken last week of KBTC's library and administration buildings.

Thanks for praying this past week for Jack and the Kenya Baptist Theological College. We know that your prayer power has resulted in the school’s bank accounts finally ‘functioning’ again and the school being able to use the accounts and claim funds which have been unavailable for over a year! Banking is a very complex issue in our part of the world and many, many hours of work and great frustration has now turned into a BIG praise from Jack and other administrators! Please continue praying as Jack continues guiding KBTC as it is “REVIVED/ RESTORED/ RESURRECTED/ REVISED/ RESCUED, RESULTing once again in a place where African Believers can be prepared to REFLECT the PRESENCE OF GOD and become qualified and capable workers in our Father’s Harvest Field.”(4)

My special blessing last Sunday - watching
kids study GROWING IN CHRIST, one of
books which I had the joy of editing.

Your prayers for me as I seek to nudge you and others to action for our peoples in Sub-Saharan Africa were also answered last week. I wanted to begin a series of nudges on the work of volunteers in Sub-Saharan Africa, but feared that this would be difficult. My praise: More information has come my way in recent days than I can use and supporters are responding to the Nudges to Action for Sub-Saharan African People https://www.facebook.com/pages/Sub-Saharan-African-Peoples/100173880060607. (5) If you don’t regularly look at these Nudges to Action (Prayer, Giving and Serving) for our people, please do so and make sure you hit LIKE on the page – which results in even more people having the opportunity to be Nudged to Action for Sub-Saharan African People! BERT YATES
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(1) http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-27890084; http://www.nation.co.ke/news/mpeketoni-Lamu-gunfire-al-shabaab-terrorism/-/1056/2349860/-/yf5qvgz/-/index.html
(2) http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-27896257
(3) Hebrew 4:12
(4) http://bertandjackyates.blogspot.com/2013/01/january-30-2013_30.html
(5) https://www.facebook.com/pages/Sub-Saharan-African-Peoples/100173880060607

Not tea, but the water from our kitchen
taps last Friday morning!
This was not included in my
tally of the week's blessings,
though the return of clear/clean
water on Monday was!

June 11, 2014

Jack's office at KBTC.

Beginning this week’s update with Jack’s list of praises as the Kenya Baptist Theological College rejoices in God’s continued revival of the college: 

+  48 new students this year, who managed to pay their fees (NOTE from Bert :  Jack wrote ‘pray’ instead of ‘pay’ in his notes– which is true as most relied on answered prayer to pay their fees!) PRAY that God calls folks to sponsor our students.

+  Safe arrival of the first two of 20 violins for the music school.  PRAY for our violin seminar in July and that the other 18 gift violins make it safely to Kenya with the help of volunteers.

Students are in the second week
of this four week term.

+  Amazing stories from our students of how they came to KBTC from all over Kenya as well as from Rwanda, South Sudan and Ivory Coast.  (NOTE from Bert:  I’ll make sure he shares a few of these stories with you next week.)

+  Incredible support from partnering churches in Arkansas, Colorado, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky and North Carolina, which includes three new furnished apartments which will be completed this Saturday, ready for occupancy by students of the language school which now ‘resides’ at KBTC (one of the ‘steps’ to a future missions department).

+  Continued renewal of old work through the new Abedare, North Rift, Coast, Western and Nairobi Regional Baptist Conventions.

+  Thankful for a great KBTC staff who are family.

Football (soccer) team shirts are sold all the time along
the streets of Nairobi, but there will be lots of  extra
business during the upcoming 2014 FIFA World Cup.

Now for another praise for last week’s announcement of the “New record: Lottie Moon offering hits $154 million”! We are truly thankful for the “incredible generosity of Southern Baptists,” not because our ‘boss’ says we should thank you, but because as Tom Elliff said, “The Lottie Moon Christmas Offering presents well over half of our budget each year.”

We live in the lower apartment and co-workers
live upstairs in this mission house.  And yes, the
shrubbery at our front door looks like an elephant!

Jack and I and our fellow IMB workers depend on gifts to the LMCO and Cooperative Program, which provides funds for our “salaries, housing, medical care, children’s education, field transportation and other expenses.”  Gifts which allow us and our national partners to “go into areas untouched by the Gospel, engage people groups with no believers or Scriptures, start churches and make disciples.”

Jack returning home in our mission assigned RAV.

We are especially thankful that these offerings not only provide us with a car, but covers gas which was roughly $5.15/ gallon for our last weekly fill-up (litres to gallon; Kenya shillings to dollars), which is needed as Jack commutes daily to KBTC from Nairobi until housing is available for us on campus.  Added prayer item:  Pray for safety as Jack travels daily on not-so safe roads.

One of many 'priceless' parts of serving with the
 IMB - attending church with little ones like this!

Thanks to your gifts, Jack is able to serve as the Principal of KBTC and you enable me to spend my days working at the computer (our salaries pay for my computer, cameras, etc.).  Our budget helps to cover our internet expenses, which is important as I’m on the internet for hours each day, checking on what God is doing among Sub-Saharan African Peoples and finding stories to share of how He is at work and how we and our supporters can join in His work through praying, giving and serving.

Photo used with last Sunday's
Nudge to Action for SSAPeoples.

Do remember to join Jack in prayer for KBTC’s praise and needs.  Pray for me as I seek to nudge you and others to action (Prayer, Giving and Serving) for our peoples in Sub-Saharan Africa and in Kenya and as I strive to encourage and strengthen the work of our missionaries – missionaries which you support through the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering and gifts to the Cooperative Program!  BERT

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REMEMBER to view “One Sacred Effort – Find your place in God’s story,” the newest addition to Missions Toolbox (http://missionstoolbox.blogspot.com/) offering ways the “IMB is ready ‘to help you... to partner with you and your church on this journey to bring the Gospel to the nations.’”

“New record: Lottie Moon offering hits $154 million” –  http://www.imb.org/main/news/details.asp?StoryID=13197&LanguageID=1709#.U5gg4_mSySo

Nudges to Action for Sub-Saharan African Peoples - https://www.facebook.com/pages/Sub-Saharan-African-Peoples/100173880060607?ref=hl

For more from Kenya Baptist Theological College, visit https://www.facebook.com/KenyaBaptistTheologicalCollege

Another "priceless" bit of serving in Kenya - being a part of
our almost 3 year old PBC Eastgate Baptist family.

June 4, 2014

Few tourists are around these days
at this curio shop near our home.

Thanks for praying for us since our return to Kenya! Sleeping at nights is no longer such “an iffy proposition at our house”, though we are still returning “our house to being our home rather than a ‘guest house’". Life is definitely getting back to normal and we have even spent several nights happily viewing a Twenty/20 cricket tournament! No, this isn’t a game with 20+ insects, but an international sport which was totally perplexing for years, which we’ve learned to enjoy in place of baseball! 

Cardamom seed pods on the left. I often
'pop' a few to add to my hot tea.

After one such night, we laughed while enjoying a new type of coffee at breakfast and realized how our preferences/ likes/ etc., have changed since coming to Kenya in 1978. The coffee we enjoyed that morning is Zanzibar Spiced Coffee and the spice part comes from the addition of cardamom, a type of ginger, which is native to India and now grown in Tanzania. When we first arrived in Kenya, this new-to-us spice appeared in breads, coastal foods, even in ice cream and we did NOT like eating it! But our taste buds have ‘developed’ and I now regularly use cardamom seeds while cooking.

New ways of shopping are also learned
and enjoyed in Africa!

If you have questioned my spelling of CARDAMOM – this was the spelling used on the tin! Which leads us to another adjustment faced by missionaries even in their native language – different spellings of words used in other parts of the world, which includes different grammar rules and even definitions of words! Yep, more than one missionary has embarrassingly used a word or phrase that is totally acceptable in his/her home country, which is very unacceptable in their new home!

Walking and public transport is the norm for many
Kenyans! We are very thankful for our car provided
by gifts to the Cooperative Program and Lottie
Moon Christmas Offering which allow's Jack to
travel to KBTC each day in a speedier fashion.

I’m not just rambling today, but sharing this to offer another ‘general’ prayer item for career and volunteer missionaries. Pray for easy adjustments to food, language, time, etc., for those who have obeyed God’s call to GO as “workers into his harvest field" (Matthew 9:38). Why? Because our understanding and at times appreciation of the likes and dislikes of those we minister among is a part of breaking down barriers and truly communicating with those in need of our Father’s love and salvation.

We are also thankful for the home
provided for us with water taps
and storage tanks!

During my morning devotions, I am reading through the Psalms and God has truly used His words to "correct, rebuke and encourage" me (2 Timothy 4:2). As I’ve read the first 25 chapters of the Psalms, I’ve been challenged to truly make the desires of my heart to be His desires; to fully trust and obey our Father, and to always be in a mode of praise and expectation of an answer to my prayers (Psalm 20, 21). I have read these Psalms many times, but as we’ve resettled into our lives in Kenya at a very unsettled time, I needed to be reminded that I am able to do what God has called me to do without fear or worry, because He is with me, He is my strength, fortress, deliverer, rock, refuge, shield, salvation and stronghold (Psalm 18).

Favorite photo of the past week - At our church
everyone takes turns doing nursery duty
during worship, even our university students!

The greatest rebuke has come as I’ve read the verses about praising Him, telling of his wonders, proclaiming “among the nations what he has done” (Psalm 9). As we face challenges, discouragements, and disappointments, I needed to be reminded that seeking to share His love and salvation with all nations and peoples is not just a possibility or dream; it is what our God is calling His workers to do! Psalm 22:27-31 is not simply a goal or objective, it is our Father’s plan! He wants “All the ends of the earth (to) remember and turn to the LORD, and all the families of the nations (to) bow down before him… All… will feast and worship; all… will kneel before him.” HE CAN AND WILL DO these things!

Meals are provided again for all
KBTC students - Jack gave high marks
to yesterday's lentil stew!

Join us in praying that we will keep our focus always on God and what He has called us to do. Thank God for the 18 students who have paid their fees and are attending this session of classes at the Kenya Baptist Theological College and for those who will arrive in coming days. This is truly a praise as these men and women also share a desire and want to be equipped to praise Him, tell of his wonders and proclaim “among the nations what he has done.” Praise God also with us for how our prayers for our church, now called Eastgate Baptist, settles into our new home which is also home to thousands of people in need of our Saviour’s love and salvation. BERT
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National anthems are the newest prayer tool offered at http://missionstoolbox.blogspot.com/.

Remember to view the daily Nudges to Action for Sub-Saharan African Peoples – https://www.facebook.com/pages/Sub-Saharan-African-Peoples/100173880060607.   (For this link and the one for KBTC, simply scroll past the SIGN UP/ LOG IN bit if you are not a Facebook member.)

Kenya Baptist Theological College – https://www.facebook.com/KenyaBaptistTheologicalCollege  

Love this photo taken last Sunday while parents
and older kids were in special Bible Study classes!
I've never seen this bunch so serious or quiet!