“How can we thank God enough for you in return for all the joy we have in the presence of our God because of you?”
1 Thessalonians 3:9 (NIV)
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The food colouring is included as local corn (maize)
meal is white, thus yellow colouring is needed
for yellow corn bread! |
Ingredients are waiting on the kitchen cabinet in our KBTC cottage, ready to bake pumpkin muffins (not from a can, but prepared the old fashioned, begin-with-a-pumpkin way as I refused to pay $10 for a small tin of pumpkin!) and a special cornbread for tomorrow’s Thanksgiving meal with our mission family. But before I begin cooking, I must first share our thanks with you for allowing us to be in Kenya.
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Sorry, no photos of Bert this week as she was the one taking 1500 shots
last Saturday, but this one is shared especially for Jack's Mom!
Bert's thought as she took this photo: This might be the hottest-ever
graduation where a black and gold, Wake Forest University hood has
been worn as Malindi is just south of the equator on the Indian Ocean! |
And the best way that I know to share our thanks for your prayers, sending workers our way and financial support, is to share things on our thanksgiving list. At the top of our list this past week was last Saturday’s graduation of 20 students on the Malindi campus (5 Diploma students, 6 Advanced Certificates and 9 Bible School Certificates).
We also had the joy of worshipping with Christ the King Baptist Church in Malindi on Sunday morning. One highlight of the morning was watching the youth praise God not with their voices during the offering time, but with their whole bodies in a way that was truly an act of worship and praise.
A special highlight for me was viewing a little girl helping one of the boys find the page for each hymn sung in the church’s copies of
Nyimbo za Imani Zetu, the hymnal published by Kenya Baptist Media. I joined Media after the ‘soft’ cover edition of this book was completed, but I had the joy of helping to edit the hard back edition with musical notation.
Jack's special highlight of the week, in addition to taking part in his first graduation as principal of KBTC, was teaching Philosophy of Education to the 609/ Advanced Diploma in Education class and being able to watch their joy as they received tablets donated by a college friend from Houston. Their first assignment was to listen, study and learn from Creative Teaching (part of over 3000 hours of Biblical Training lectures). To say the least they were very excited and learned quickly how to use the machines!
Paul also challenged us in 1 Thessalonians to
“give thanks in all circumstances" (5:18), but we are not thankful for everything that we experienced and encountered this past week! Being thankful was difficult during multi electricity outages (up to 20 hours) and joy was limited as KBTC faced un-kept commitments, a major project being stalled by an obstacle, trying to balance what to pay and when, and having to take legal action against a five year old problem. We haven’t asked prayers for these things even though we have needed prayer support, but all are issues that we cannot be freely shared.
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Our blog was updated a bit this week -
Look for the new KENYAN KIDS
slideshow on the top-right! |
So this week, as we thank you for all you do as God’s fellow workers, we do ask that you join us in the shared praises and joys and also join us in praying for current needs. And we do feel your prayer support. I know that it was no coincidence, but a God-incident/ answer to prayer when on the very morning that some things had me discouraged, I read during my devotions what Joseph told his fearful brothers,
“You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives” (Genesis 50:20, NIV). I know that this verse also applies to KBTC as Believers are trained and equipped to serve our Father and share His salvation. BERT YATES
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Yes, Kenya does have many super malls,
but these dukas are found everywhere
selling one-use sizes of tea, laundry
detergent, etc., and other needed items.
This photo, captured near KBTC on
Monday, was used in today's
Nudgeto Action for SSAPeoples. |
Added NOTE: Do you internet shop via Amazon? Then you can strengthen work among SSAPeoples as you shop! Amazon will now donate 0.5% of the price of eligible
AmazonSmile purchases to ‘International Mission Board Of The Southern Baptist Convention’ when you shop at
AmazonSmile (smile.amazon.com). Be sure to choose the complete name of the IMB as there is a California based mission board listed as well.
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The boys played with a home-made soccer ball during Saturday's
graduation and with the home-made wheeled toy in an
earlier photo. The boy in the middle was practising
karate (I think). The girls played with the flowers! All the
kids enjoyed eating mangos from a nearby tree. |
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While some kids slept! The Mom kept trying to wiggle her little
one (below) snuggly into the kanga, but the child preferred to be free! |
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Bert's thoughts while viewing this little one:
I'm melting and he looks very comfy in his hat and jacket! |
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This is a photo of two blessings for KBTC - which may seem minor, but
are important. Keeping the grass cut on campus is a major job. One
blessing is having men who slash several acres for free in exchange
for free food for their cows. The rocks and dirt (and lots more) were
offered to KBTC this week at a very reasonable cost by a nearby
work site. Now the road to the new building can be weather-proofed! |
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