May 9, 2012

Electricity is on and has been very reliable this week at our house, but our recent 8+ hour outages seem rather insignificant compared to co-workers in another part of the city who are now up to 8+ days!  So although I am writing with a little more speed than usual as the power  has come and gone numerous times this morning, I am thankful for your prayers for reliable electricity so we can accomplish our work!  Thank you also for praying for me as I continue to catch up from an illness I didn’t even know I had!  I’m still not content with my energy level, but it is improving and I’m accomplishing more when I sit at the computer to work!

Because of still hibernating at home, I was unsure what to share with you this week and then two things ‘occurred’ this morning, both related to stories shared during the week as Prayer Nudges/What God is Doing In East Africa and both reminders of Scriptures that ‘jumped out’ this week.  Mark 1:14,15 records that soon after Jesus began “proclaiming the good news of God” and challenging people to “Repent and believe the good news,” He told His disciples, “Let us go somewhere else—to the nearby villages—so I can preach there also.  THAT IS WHY I HAVE COME” (Mark 1:38).  

I had used that scripture in today’s Prayer Nudge: “Missionaries are often confident of what, where, and why God has called them to East Africa, but they face obstacles – from illnesses, to impassable roads, to an ‘expired’ box of JELLO delaying needed legal clearance of a passport needed for travel – YES, you read that correctly!  Pray for wisdom and patience as Believers seek to obey their Savior who confidently stated His destination and planned work because He knew, “That is why I have come” (Mark 1:38).”

The first of this morning’s ‘occurrences’ occurred as I took photos of my JELLO boxes, most inherited from retiring friends, to illustrate the frustrations of co-workers unable to return to their research/ministry in another East African country, thanks to a wee box of dated JELLO! As I took the photos, I remembered discussions with these friends about their delay in returning for research, discipleship and service in their temporary assignment—Is the devil being very creative or is this a part of God’s plan for accomplishing His work?  AND then God sent a bit of humour as I returned my JELLO (which I rarely use) to their storage spot, I checked the expiration dates – ALL were ‘expired’, the grape one above was really, really EXPIRED!!!  ALSO, we no longer have that box of JELLO – we gave it our co-workers as a special gift!  So another praise today:  God’s gift of a sense of humor!

Today’s second story is not one of humour.  I have spent hours this week preparing nudges for co-workers who travelled from their home in Rwanda with plans to obey our Savior by proclaiming the Good News in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.  As they travelled last weekend, they realized that God also had plans to soften their hearts and open their eyes and ears (Mark 8:17,18) as they viewed  thousands of refugees fleeing new fighting in eastern DRC.  Their prayers will be shared later this week in Prayer Nudges.

Today’s second ‘occurrence’ came as I searched the internet for a “Congolese flee to Rwanda” news story to guide your prayers and  I was astounded by what appeared on my screen – the first suggested articles, like the infamous box of JELLO, were ‘expired’ as they were accounts of stories from 2005 to 1999, and I realized that if I kept searching, the dates would lengthen.  I finally found a current story for you, Thousands of Congolese Enter Rwanda to Flee Fighting. I’ll not share any more of my thoughts this week, but simply allow this story of on-going suffering to also soften your heart and open your eyes and ears – a story of people from the DRC who lack our Father’s Good News – including People Groups who have not yet heard a proclamation of our Savior’s Good News!   BERT

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“Thousands of Congolese Enter Rwanda to Flee Fighting” –  http://www.voanews.com/english/news/africa/-Thousands-of-Congolese-Enter-Rwanda-to-Flee-Fighting-150471425.html

May 6, 2012 Prayer Nudge from East Africa

She stood in opening of the ‘borrowed’ class throughout Sunday School! Peering out with interest, at least one little fist always clutched the door frame.  Did she fear punishment from within for venturing further, or did she fear leaving?  Pray for East African missionary families who are in transition – Families following God to new places and new work – Kids graduating from high school and heading to the US for college. One missionary in transition is claiming this verse:  “He will keep me as the apple of His eye, and hide me in the shadow of His wings” (Psalms 17:8).

*** To view daily "Prayer Nudges from East Africa", go to http://easternafrica2012prayernudges.blogspot.com/

May 2, 2012

Stable electricity at our house today and everything is fully charged and ready for use (including my back-up small travel computer), PLUS I’m finally feeling much better, so I’m eager to write today’s Update!  Thank you for your prayers for healing.  Turns out, I nor my doctors knew how sick I was!  But, when they finally realized that I was dealing with asthma and not my normal whacky allergies, things have quickly improved!  Now, it is just a matter of increasing my energy level so that I can catch up from the many times I sat to work and accomplished very little!

Thank you also for prayers as we continued dealing last week with lots of lengthy power outages.  Our upstairs neighbors are ‘at home’ for a few days from their temporary assignment where there is NO electricity and even they have laughed – YES, you must find a bit of humor – about how not having it when expected is much more frustrating than not have electricity at all!  The good news is that, the rains are continuing, which will lead to more outages, but will also lead to lots of good things such as a return of milk products, butter and cheese, etc. on the shelves, as well as water in the taps of more city residents!

This has definitely been a week of with real lows and special highs.  As I chose the photos for the week to add to this blog – which was difficult as I’ve been grounded and had only one opportunity for new photos – I realized that God provided many ‘perks’ to bring us joy and a sense of His awesome creative care!  One thing which might seem a little odd to some of you (but not to other Americans living away from home) is my excitement yesterday when I spotted my favorite comfort food, American sweet potatoes, on my first ‘real’ outing away from home in weeks to my favorite green grocery.  Kenyan ‘sweet’ potatoes are good, but not sweet or colourful, and although I have often added orange coloring and brown sugar for a special treat, it is NOT the same! 

Now for the week’s low.  As Jack traveled to church Sunday morning and I hibernated at home, we received text messages alerting us to a bombing* of a Nairobi worship centre.  As often happens, sharing our reaction to this is complex.  First, we had been warned earlier of new local threats. Second, checking on-line news, I was quickly reminded that these things are happening in many parts of our world.  I also remembered co-workers assigned to other countries who can’t live in the place of their ‘heart’s desire’ at the moment due to daily insecurities.  In recent months in Kenya, we have experienced the increased security checks that these co-workers in other places deal with routinely – things such as watching armed guards police outside your church as you worship or beginning a service with what to do IF there are problems! And, YES, it is also a bit disconcerting to face security checks when you enter a store to buy groceries! 

So would you join us in praying for peace, not just in Kenya, but in our world – especially in the parts where people do not yet know our FATHER’s name and fear HIM (1 Kings 8:43). And as I shared in last Monday’s (April 30^th) Prayer Nudge from East Africa, “ For Believers, pray for a strong sense and assurance of being ‘cocooned’ within God’s care and love!  Pray that non-Believers will open their hearts to the peace and comfort that can only come from our Heavenly Father. Why did she pray these things?  She is a Mom who has experienced this before!” AND YES, I’m that Mom and although it does sound wrong to add, “Been there, done that,” this experience does help Jack and I face current problems and our prayer is that it will equip us to strengthen and encourage others.  BERT  

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* Grenade blast kills one… (The Standard, 29/04/2012) – http://www.standardmedia.co.ke/InsidePage.php?id=2000057253&cid=4&ttl=Grenade%20blast%20kills%20one,%20injures%20at%20least%2010%20in%20Nairobi

 Remember that you can receive the daily  Prayer Nudges from East Africa by going to Bert’s ‘work’ blog and becoming a subscriber or find Bert on Facebook.