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We traveled to Tanzania to learn more about a
partnership to help local Believers share their faith,
as a well as a bit of enjoying God's creations! |
"I hear something I must check out.” This comment made by our driver during our time last week of ‘retreat and refocus’ led to an adventure which I cannot document via a photo, but it is a story too good to not share! We were more or less in the middle of nowhere as the driver took the next left onto a road that appeared to continue the ‘going nowhere’ direction. A row of rooms, a cluster of buildings, followed by more houses soon appeared with all the structures being topped by one or more satellite dishes – sorry, we never did figure out the ‘why’ of all the rusty dishes adorning the simple structures.
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Not a photo of the meandering zebra, but a few of
the hundreds of zebras spotted during our trip. |
We stopped at a spot with a home-made ramp and quickly learned that this was the local place for vehicle repairs. As the problem was investigated, discussed and reinvestigated in English, Swahili and a mix of the two languages, I looked up to see a zebra walking down the path we had just traveled! To my amazement and that of Jack and our friends, the mechanics paid it no – and I mean ZERO – attention!
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A view captured later of Jack getting an
'up close and personal' view of giraffe. |
It took a while, but a broken bolt on a tire was soon spotted and removed. After multiple phone calls searching for a replacement, our driver and his assistants climbed into another vehicle and drove away! This was a bit unsettling, but thankfully they soon returned with a bolt they had ‘borrowed’ from a nearby broken-down truck. We were soon safely back on the road!
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| A Lilac-Breasted Roller - my favorite bird viewing! |
This morning during my devotions I read Psalm 118:14-17, “
The LORD is my strength and my defense; he has become my salvation… ‘The LORD’s right hand has done mighty things!’ I will not die but live, and will proclaim what the LORD has done.” My heart was filled with humbling queries as I remembered how upon seeing the moseying-along zebra, I immediately began mentally recording the zebra/ broken bolt story and getting excited about sharing it with you and others!
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| Mud-bath time for some of God's creations! |
My selfie-questions included: Do I always get equally excited about claiming and proclaiming how
“The LORD is my strength and my defense… my salvation”? How often do I overlook opportunities to share with others of the stories I experience of the mighty things done by my God? Do I make sure those others HEAR my Good News and are ENTICED to check out more about it?
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If you can use this graphic or the one for KBTC
to promote the LMCO, please copy and use! |
As I pondered all these things, I realized that this is also a good way to contemplate Colossians 1:5-6 (HCSB), this year’s guiding verses for the
Lottie Moon Christmas Offering®. Believers “
have … heard about this hope in the message of truth, the gospel that has come to you.” We know “
It is bearing fruit and growing all over the world, just as it has among you since the day [we] heard it…”, but do we truly desire to share our
“hope in the message of truth, the gospel that has come to” us with those who have not yet heard it? What more must be done, must we do, for the
GOSPEL to RESOUND throughout the world proving ALL peoples with an opportunity to claim our
“message of truth, the gospel”? We have a story, God’s story, which is the best story ever told and IT IS a story which we must share!
This time of year when many of you focus upon the
Lottie Moon Christmas Offering® and the
Week of Prayer for International Missions is very important to Jack and to me. 100 percent of your LMCO giving goes toward sending and sustaining missionaries – which includes us! Your financial and prayer support enables us to obey our Father’s call to be a part of His Work in Africa. So today, I want to thank you for allowing us to be in Africa strengthening and encouraging Believers as we engage lostness together (Acts 14:22; Revelation 14:6). Thank you for enabling Jack to teach and serve as principal of the Kenya Baptist Theological College. Thank you for enabling me to use social media to share what God is doing among our peoples and how you and others can join in His Work!
BERT YATES
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