January 19, 2011

Last Sunday morning as I sat in church, I was overwhelmed by this thought: “Why am I so blessed?” As I’ve shared before, we do face worries, disappointments, frustrations, discouragements, etc., but these negatives melt away as we see God at work in East Africa. On Sunday, this BLESSED feeling came as I sat among African Christians singing and praising God for His majesty and greatness. I felt it again at the close of the service as we joined committed servants of our Father in quoting Isaiah 60:1 with a twist: I will arise and shine for MY light has come and the Glory of the Lord is risen upon ME!

We also experienced a time of blessing on Saturday as we traveled with friends of the six-month old Parklands Baptist Church Mombasa Road to dedicate “gift” property located an hour east of Nairobi. We truly accepted it as a moment of blessing when we were described as the grandparents of PBC/MR rather than missionaries – yes, we are the oldest members from Parklands Baptist at Mombasa Road and though a few attending the new church were among the first members of PBC, we were adults at the time and the others were kids! To fully share this special event and help you know how we prayed that day and are continuing to pray, take time to view “Re-living Joshua 1:1-9” – a new Photo Prayer Nudge Album at: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?

Thank you for praying last week for the people of Southern Sudan as they voted on the referendum to decide if they would secede from the northern part of their country. There were problems, but minor compared to what was feared by some. Another fear was that less that the required 60% of voters would claim their right to vote – estimates are that over 80% of registered voters expressed their desire! Continue praying as the votes are counted (tallies should be released during the first or second week of February). Pray for continued peace, especially during the time of facilitating the outcome of the vote. More information on the need for prayer can be found at: BBC News Africa/Southern Sudan Referendum: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-12222817

This week pray for Jack as he prepares for a new teaching session at our seminary and as he plans for a trip to check on how God is at work in western Kenya and how others can join in this work. Pray for me as I assist a friend in setting up a blog that will be used to share how God is at work in East Africa and as I find new ways to enlist prayer support for our part of the world. Pray also that we will always claim God’s words in Joshua 1:9 and “Be strong and courageous … not terrified … not discouraged” as we seek to go where God is leading. BERT

January 12, 2011

As I’ve worked on the computer this week in my “office” (a closet in our guest bedroom with a sliding desktop that rolls-in when guests appear - less space, but beside a window) I have repetitively called or gone to Jack’s “office” (our re-purposed hallway linen/storage closet - more space, but no window) to ask if he is talking to me. Most often he has been conversing with his computer – or more accurately – FUSSING at his computer screen!

Jack’s assignment this week is completing the first round of what will be monthly reports to the IMB via the internet of the status of Baptist Legacy Work among REACHED People Groups of Kenya (30+ million people). Though sharing events related to Church Growth (Church Planting Movement training, discipleship, church plants, new believers/baptism) can be frustrating with our faster than the past-but still slow for most of the world/on-off internet, Jack finds it extremely rewarding to document how God is at work among these People Groups which have been considered REACHED for several years.

SO… IF these people groups are REACHED by the gospel, why are we still in Kenya? First, the JOSHUA PROJECT, “a research initiative seeking to highlight the ethnic people groups of the world with the least followers of Christ” (1), defines UNREACHED PEOPLES as those less than 2% evangelized and LEAST-REACHED PEOPLES as those less than 5%. Thus, being REACHED means that at least a few among these People Groups claim our Father’s love and salvation, NOT that the majority of them are Christians. Second, as the IMB and other groups work towards making “disciples of all peoples in fulfillment of the Great Commission found in Matthew 28:18-20” (2), “Over 6,000 people groups - 1.7 billion people – still live with little or no access to the Gospel” (2).

Knowing that our Savior’s words, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few” (Matthew 9:38), are still true today, Jack and I are committed to “Strengthening and encouraging East Africans as we engage lostness together” (Acts 14:22; Rev 14:6). Jack does this by teaching at our seminary and encouraging/ facilitating Kenyan Baptists to take the Gospel to their Jerusalem (homes and neighbours), Judea and Samaria (Kenya and neighboring countries – Sudan, Ethiopia, Somalia, Tanzania, and Uganda), and to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8). I do this by sharing information from our part of the world with “God’s fellow workers” (1 Cor 3:9) – those who provide prayer, finances and personnel. One such bit of news this week is the need for prayer in Southern Sudan as their people vote for seceding from the northern part of Sudan. Prayer Nudges for this volatile issue can be found in “What a break-up would mean to the Sudanese and Africa” (3).

Jack has just taken a break from fighting with his computer and my rumbling tummy says it is lunch-time, so I will stop – Plus, I’m sure that I’ve given you more than enough to nudge you to prayers this week for us, but more importantly for the billions of people in our world who lack our Father’s love and salvation, especially for the 1.7 billion people not yet represented in the nations, tribes, people and languages praising at our Father’s throne! BERT YATES

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(1) JOSHUA PROJECT: http://www.joshuaproject.net/

(2) About the IMB: http://www.imb.org/main/page.asp?StoryID=4528&LanguageID=1709

(3) “What a break-up would mean to the Sudanese and Africa” – DAILY NATION/ 11-01-10 – http://www.nation.co.ke/News/africa/What%20a%20break-up%20would%20mean%20to%20the%20Sudanese%20and%20Africa%20/-/1066/1086160/-/e514pj/-/index.html

January 5, 2011

Happy New Year!  After a restful Christmas - which we celebrate in summer weather - we are brimming with excitement of what God is going to accomplish in our part of the world in 2011!  One way to share our excitement is to include the postings  I placed on Facebook last weekend:

January 1, 2011 - Not a perfectly focused picture, but a perfect one to complete this Lottie photo album! No, it is not just a photo to show that "boys will be boys" in any culture, but a prayer nudge to add to your New Year's Resolutions: Pray daily that God will remove our blinders, fears, reservations, inhibitions, desire to bury our heads, or whatever prevents us from being actively involved in sharing our Father's love and salvation with the lost in our world. Pray especially for His guidance as we make certain that the 6,400 People Groups in our world not yet touched by the Gospel will "Soon and Very Soon" be among those answering YES to "ARE WE THERE YET? JE! TUMEFIKA?" (right photo)

January 2, 2011- Beginning the New Year with a praise for being able (thanks to Southern Baptist) to live in a country where we see signs of God's beauty everyday in the entry way to our home! Praising God also for the encouragement we receive from being a part of the 6 month old Parklands Baptist Church on Mombasa Road! Join me in praying for strength for missionaries who lack daily doses of encouragement! Extra bit added to the 1/2/11 posting:  Additional Praise from a comment heard at Parklands Baptist Church/Mombasa Road this morning: "We're not even walking yet, but a nearby community wants us to help them begin a sister church in their area!" 

Last week as I thanked God for the completion of the Lottie Moon 2010/Are We There Yet Daily Prayer Nudge Photo Album from Kenya, Jack was thanking God for helping him complete a special report on HIGHER EDUCATION IN KENYA – a six month long research project of what is available and possible.  Please join us in praying that Jack’s report will help Baptist leaders take a fresh look at what we can do to meet the need for higher education in our part of the world – especially education for church leaders and Christian youth.  We also ask that you join us in praying that what I share in our weekly prayer updates, posting/photos on Facebook, etc., will be used to strengthen God’s work and workers around our world.   Pray also for me as I encourage our co-workers as they seek to share how they are joining God in His work. Not sure how to add this strong HINT, but if you are ever unsure how to pray for missionaries, the Lottie Moon 2010/Are We There Yet Daily Prayer Nudge Photo Album from Kenya may be dated, but it offers a wide range of on-going prayer suggestions for missionaries in all parts of our world, including those in places where needs/praises cannot be freely shared. 

An additional constant need for missionaries is prayer for our families.  I have updated OUR FAMILY by placing new photos and current information on our kids.  Please do pray for John (birthday on January 9^th) as he returns to school this month to begin a degree in Construction Management Technology at Wake Tech.  Pray for him as he searches for a job with dependable pay during his studies.  Jennifer (October 8^th birthday), Aaron and Bella moved to Raleigh late last year, so pray for them as they adjust to Bella attending daycare as both parents work in new jobs - a great praise!  Pray for Jessie (her birthday is also this month, January 26^th) as she starts her first J’term at Southeastern Seminary (MA in Christian Education and Counseling). She is praising God for a job which began in December at the seminary library, which combined with tutoring means she works almost 40 hours a week in addition to a full course load.  We are praising God that all three of our kids are now together in the Raleigh area. 

Thank you once again for the assurance of the many ways you support us as we work in Nairobi, Kenya with the IMB – your support allows us to be doing what we know God has called us to do!  BERT

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OUR FAMILY – Our blog filled with news and photos of our family can be found at: http://bertandjackyatesourfamily.blogspot.com/

Lottie Moon 2010/Are We There Yet Daily Prayer Nudge Photo Album from Kenya can be found at:

https://lottiemoon2010kenya.wordpress.com/  or http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=333830&id=685050129&l=146c063c0c