Hearing God's Voice

“ENOUGH, you heard me! Now do what I say and trust me and yourself!” This is what I heard very distinctly yesterday morning as I reacted with frustration when my morning devotion was interrupted by a knock at the door. Some may think it odd, but I heard our Father's chastisement as clearly as the electrician’s statement that he had come to rectify problems in our KBTC cottage.

In the last weeks Jack and I have been seeking God’s guidance in our response to the IMB’s announced voluntary retirement incentive (VRI). In all honesty, there are days that taking retirement now, rather than two or so years from now is very enticing. Like many IMB coworkers, we have dealt with a wide range of thoughts and emotions since the announcement, even though we were not surprised by the need for drastic measures. Another bit of honesty – we have often faced the dilemma in recent years of sharing our true thanks to those who give to the Cooperative Program and Lottie Moon Christmas Offering, while also needing to ask you to give more so that we and others can continue fulfilling His call in our lives to take His Eternal Gospel “to every nation, tribe, language and people” (Revelation 14:6).

Photo captured this week of a KBTC student
from South Sudan finding a few minutes to
study during lunch in the future dean's office.

We will renew efforts to truly seek God’s plans for us as we peruse our personal VRI package when it arrives late this week, but God has already given us an answer and an inner peace. As we’ve talked, prayed and read His Word, we have received a strong reaffirmation of His call for our lives and an assurance that His current assigned plans for us have not changed, which means not accepting the offer. We continue to believe that when God called Jack three years ago to join Him in reviving the Kenya Baptist Theological College, a place where His workers are being trained and equipped, He was assigning Jack the responsibility to “finish THIS race and complete THIS task” (Acts 20:24). (You can view a bit of the ongoing race at Fulfilling His Purpose - KBTC - Sept 11, 2105 and by clicking the KBTC tab above.)

We have learned much about prayer from
our African brothers and sisters. This
was captured last Sunday at our church.

When He called me to serve as a Prayer Advocate for Sub- Saharan African Peoples three years ago, I also accepted a task. I am daily assured that the race I am to finish is “the task of testifying to the gospel of God’s grace” (Acts 20:24) as I share what God is doing among our peoples and how others can join in His Work through praying, giving and serving.

A Nudge to Action for Sub-Saharan African
Peoples Bert composed this week sharing a
coworker's thanks. More thanks to
Lottie will be shared in coming weeks!

Another part of my task, which I feel strongly about as one who learned about the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering and the Cooperative Program as a child, is to share how God’s dividend program for your gifts of prayers, finances and personnel far exceeds any human financial plan. (To see what has happened this week among our peoples and how God blessed your gifts to the LMCO, click the Sub-Saharan African Peoples tab above. For more personal items from us, click the Bits of Hearts tab.)

This term Jack is teaching Church Planting
and Church Growth. Next month he will
teach Missions and Evangelism course.

One VRI option will be that we retire at the end of the year and stay on as volunteers. This has led to our questioning if we are allowing our financial concerns to cloud this choice. Some say IMB missionaries are not ‘faith’ missionaries because we do not personally provide our support, but we learned long ago that being a missionary always requires keeping the faith in (2 Tim 4:7) and our focus on the ONE who provides ALL our support! God has also made it clear that His plan for us is to complete our current tasks as IMB workers, not for our sake, but as a part of the past investments of Southern Baptists.

A view of Nairobi captured last Sunday, not
far from Shauri Moyo, where Jack worked
when we first arrived in 1978.

We do ask that you continue praying for us and others with the IMB, including those not receiving the VRI offers as they grieve for the loss which will occur. Pray that we will not allow the devil’s temptations, distractions, self-doubts, and deceptions to lead us away from knowing God’s will as we each make our final decisions. Pray that each of us will confidently obey our Father as we determine when and how we are to complete the task He has assigned us. I also ask each of you to consider what God is calling you to do and how you are respond to His call to take His Eternal Gospel “to every nation, tribe, language and people” (Rev 14:6). BERT YATES

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FOR a view of the relaxation therapy God sent my way last week, take a moment to view the new REST FOR THE WEARY photo album at https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10154125957860130.1073741856.685050129&type=1&l=251c35e80e.