October 6, 2010

Sometimes I simply cannot figure out how to begin the week’s prayer update and today has been especially frustrating! As usual, there is more running through my mind and heart than I can begin to put in a few paragraphs. There is also the constant difficulty of finding the right words to express our joys and concerns. Plus, this our spring time and our yard is filled with beautiful flowering Jacaranda trees and the worst culprit for me, our sweet smelling Yesterday/ Today/ Tomorrow bushes! I had to decide this morning between the worst of two evils – the inability to think due to not breathing properly or being senseless due to taking extra medicine! I just gave up and chose the second option!

Things have also been complicated today by the fact that I awoke very early thanks to our neighbourhood bird symphony! The birds were especially eager to awaken this morning and feast on the flying termites and other bugs that appeared during the night’s rain, a definite praise – which reminds me – when I finally succeed in writing this week’s prayer update, I have to brush-up the wings from a few of those termites that made it into the house last night!

I shouldn’t complain, I did sleep until almost 5! Jack is in Machakos, two hours east of our home in Nairobi, teaching Church Planting Methods at a Bible School and he called rather sleepy this morning – a rooster perched near his window began crowing at 3 AM and was still crowing when he headed to class!

So, please bear with me this week as I try to share what God has been teaching Jack and I about “Spiritual Growth in recent weeks. We’ve seen negative signs of Spiritual Growth as our local papers have reported the news of people groups turning to old ancestral ways of worship to deal with problems – areas that the recent census says are filled with Christians! We are heart-broken when we hear of churches split over jealousies and weaknesses.

We see positive signs as we hear reports of the revival of older churches and the beginning of new churches as Jack’s students teach their people what they learned in his Church Planting training sessions. We continue to praise God for the new church being planted by members of Parklands Baptist on the Mombasa Road. It is truly awesome to watch these well discipled young men and women in action as they obediently serve their Father.

My way of sharing what God has been teaching us is to share “Spiritual Growth and Chapati” - a new Prayer Nudge Photo Album. The pictures were taken during our recent visit to the Mombasa Baptist High School. My prayer is that these pictures and the story will strengthen your prayers for both those who have yet to hear and accept our Father’s love and salvation and for Kenyan Christians who must be bold ambassadors of their Savior! BERT YATES

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Spiritual Growth and Chapati - http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=318761&id=685050129&l=a9ec3b6944

September 29, 2010

"Humble ourselves before our God and ask him for a safe journey for us and … our possessions” (Ezra 8:21) – I wanted to share this prayer last week, but felt it was unwise to announce to the world that our home would be empty for several nights! Yes, missionaries do have to think of these things when living in a country where home security guards are a necessity! We did safely make the trip to and from Kenya’s coast and our home was also secure, BUT after viewing pictures captured along the way, I realized that I should have ranked our personal safety above our household items! Hopefully, a new Prayer NUDGE Photo Album, “Asking God for a Safe Journey”, will guide you in praying for us and other missionaries in the future!

Our 7+ hour journey to Mombasa was planned so Jack could attend a Mombasa Baptist High School Board of Governors’ meeting on Friday and their annual graduation on Saturday, as well as a bit of survey work. My job was to increase prayer support for coastal Baptist work. We returned home praising God for a successful time of work and a bit of rest – thanks to the greatly reduced rates at a hotel undergoing renovations, our room overlooked the Indian Ocean!

Our Father also blessed us with a renewed commitment to “Strengthening the disciples and encouraging them to remain true to the faith” until the eternal gospel is proclaimed to all “those who live on the earth – to every nation, tribe, language and people” (Acts 14:22; Revelation 14:6). Jack was encouraged as he listened to the accomplishments, struggles, plans and dreams of the Mombasa Baptist High School staff as they continue in the footsteps of the early IMB missionaries to Kenya by being a witness of our Father’s love and salvation on the coast – an area where many follow other faiths. Many kids from non-Christian homes attend the school even though chapel and Christian Religious classes are required of all students. One student jokingly said she choose Mombasa Baptist because they served the best lunches of any school, but it was a time of praise for spiritual food as I watched students from other backgrounds join classmates, families and guests at graduation in singing “Jesus is the truth, the way…Believe in Him without delay… Only trust Him! Only trust Him! He will save you!”

Recommitment also came from hearing co-workers narrate the problems of sharing the Good News with the people who have captured their hearts – a People Group so controlled by fear and suspicion that they refuse to open their homes or hearts to outsiders. Praise also came as Jack shared that one of his seminary students is a teacher at a government school among this people group – which means there is now a Believer with open doors to the community!

As always, I could go on and on, but I will end by asking that you join us in praying for the staff and faculty of Mombasa Baptist High School as they lead their students in “Service to God and my country.” Pray that Christians on Kenya’s coast will be bold and wise ambassadors of their Savior. Pray for Jack next week as he teaches Church Planting Methodology with its bold challenge of sharing one’s testimony in a Bible School in Machakos, an area that borders the Coastal Province. Pray for me as I process the pictures from the coast and find ways to use them to lead others in prayer for our part of the world. BERT

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New Prayer Nudge Picture Album: “Asking God for a Safe Journey” athttp://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=316007&id=685050129&l=693203093d

September 22, 2010

It was an exciting worship service – thanks to the music, fellowship and teaching of God’s Word, I was recharged. But as I left the sanctuary and greeted a young friend, her eyes spoke sorrow, not joy, as she said, “Will our church and other Christians ever be this passionate about reaching my people?”

Many special guests in uniforms attended the service at Parklands Baptist Church last Sunday morning – not members of Kenya’s armed services, but men and women who serve as officers in Kenya’s prisons. During the service we heard how many lives were being transformed as Believers obeyed our Savior’s teachings and carried out the Great Commission within the prison by preaching, teaching, discipling and yes, even baptizing!

My burdened young seminary friend was not seeking to be critical – she is thankful that Believers are carrying the Good News of our heavenly Father behind the prison walls. My friend’s concern is that “her people” are not necessarily physically hungry, thirsty, a stranger, without clothes, sick or imprisoned (Matthew 25:36) – yet all these describe them spiritually. The people my friend calls “her people” are not of her own tribe or language – her heart is broken for women who recently celebrated Ramadhan, women who lack the joy and peace that we have as followers of Christ.

As my friend and I joined others, another story unfolded. A former co-worker, who shares my young friend’s burden for those of others faiths, was also at Parklands last Sunday. Before finding a way to be a strong witness to people of another faith, my older friend worked for many years in Kenya in many different jobs. Possibly, his most important job became evident as several young men, calling themselves “His Kids,” asked that I take a picture of them with this man – the one who told them the stories of the Bible when they were kids and then mentored and discipled them as teen-aged Christians.

The most exciting part of this story is that all of these young men are now strong Christians who serve their Savior in many different ministries, including music, discipleship, witnessing, Bible teaching, working with those with HIV/AIDs, and even prison ministries! I have no doubt that Sunday’s reunion was received as a special gift by the man. He was no longer standing with little boys in need of accepting Christ as their Savior – his prized picture is of him standing with a group of young, strong Christian men on mission with God – young men who are now sharing their faith and discipling others!

Many adjectives are found in our Bible describing our Savior, but one that is often overlooked is the adjective SMART – SMART is the word that describes His plan for multiplying disciples in Matthew 28:19-20, His plan for making and training new workers for His Father’s harvest fields. Obedience to the Great Commission is how the eternal gospel will be proclaimed and accepted by “every nation, tribe, language and people” (Revelations 14:6) – including my young friend’s people! Pray for Jack and me, our young friend, our older friend and “His Kids”, our other co-workers, including African Believers, as we seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit in how we are to be a part of our Father’s work and share His love and salvation with ALL in our world! BERT YATES

***For a view of what we see in our world and what leads us to prayer, go to:

My Weekend View with Prayer Nudges: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=309449&id=685050129&l=c668521ad8