November 12, 2014

"Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and
certain of what we do not see." Hebrews 11:1(NIV)

Last night, I also thought of the photos I wanted to
use today and thought about this unexpected scene
of carrots being prepared for market spotted
below campus. No, I didn't think about counting
CARROTS rather than sheep as a sleeping aid!

Last night was one of those “On my bed I remember you; I think of you through the watches of the night” (Psalm 63:6) times for me and I must admit that I was not trying to imitate David. It was just one of those nights – not because of concerns, but as often happens, worries surfaced as I remained awake.

The first arising concern centered on a note I received earlier in the day of a Day of Prayer and Fasting for Ebola scheduled for November 19th. As the Prayer Networker for Sub-Saharan African Peoples, I have the joy of reading the newsletters, blog and Facebook posts of our workers, which is the source of the stories shared in the daily Nudges to Action for Sub-Saharan African Peoples. It has not been a joy in recent months to read of the effects of Ebola on the people of West Africa.

My next concern was remembering the Nigeria school blast in Potiskum kills dozens report spotted in the morning news. I tried to prepare a Nudge to Action based on this story, but the information was too disturbing. As often happens, I realized that to lead others to prayer, I had to find a balance of sharing the painful facts without overwhelming the readers and weakening their ability to focus on prayer.

One of those times of joy that keeps us going -
KBTC's Maasai guards singing and dancing, which
always includes jumping, during a "Welcome
Back" for the Hoke family, long-term volunteers.

Then during my sleepless ‘watches of the night’, I remembered the message shared at our church last Sunday by a guest from Zimbabwe. Pastor John Bell used Hebrews 11 to share his understanding of how our faith affects our actions and our ability to be used by our Father. Just as the actions of Abraham, Moses, Rahab, David were guided by their faith, his message reminded me that I must “hold firmly to the faith (I) profess” (Hebrews 4:14) and allow my faith to guide my prayers and how I lead others to prayer. I realized that I needed to claim Hebrews 11:1, acknowledging that I cannot “see” or understand how to pray for problems to be overcome, but I can rely upon my faith and my hope in God as I trust Him to answer my problems and the problems of our world.

Another joy - getting to know short-term
volunteer teachers at KBTC, which
this session includes Pastor Ken Hein!

So next Wednesday will you also join our workers in West Africa in praying and fasting “specifically for those affected by Ebola, for the epidemic to be stopped in its tracks, and for those putting their lives at risk to share the hope of Jesus Christ (Col. 4:2, 1 Thess 5:17)”? Would you also pray for wisdom and direction for those sharing how you can get involved and be a part of ending this epidemic and ministering to those affected? I also ask that you take time to visit Day of Prayer and Fasting for Ebola and begin sharing this event with your friends and church family? This is on Facebook, but can be viewed by anyone.

The rainy season began late, but rain has arrived, which the flowers
are loving, as well as the potatoes being grown on campus!

Why do I ask you to do this? Because I know that God answers our prayers in ways we cannot see or imagine. A great example is a story of a prayer told to Jack after he began serving last year as the principal of the Kenya Baptist Theological College: “John and Nelson have worked at KBTC for a long time as non-teaching staff. They saw the school decline financially, relationally and most importantly, spiritually. Their response? They prayed! For six years they met daily and quietly asked God for forgiveness, newness and restoration. Today we can thank God for men of faith such as these. Prayer IS the response and God is answering our prayer, including prayers for the restoration of KBTC!”

Two staff members enjoying morning chai (prepared by Nelson)
and the beautiful flowers (nurtured by John) outside
of KTBC's administrative buildings last week.