August 31, 2011

I could begin by saying that I’m exhausted, so this week’s Prayer Update will be short, but I know that as I review all the ways we’ve seen our Father at work this past week, excitement will override exhaustion – there are always too many things to praise God for and other items in need of prayer support to keep this short!

Jack is also a bit exhausted/excited this week after teaching last Friday/ Saturday in the new Kirinyaga Bible School at the base of Mount Kenya – a new Bible School found in a new Baptist association in a new county (Kirinyaga) formed by Kenya’s new constitution. Jack, who last visited this area over 20 years ago, says, “I am amazed by the incredible opportunities for church planting in this ‘booming’ area (1) with new roads, new development, and new hopes for even more economic, educational, etc., development. I want to see these five pastors/ church leaders obey God and be a part of the opportunity for spiritual development!” The Bible School was held at the Kerugoya Baptist Church – the photo (below) is their class/ dining/ bed room! At night the men plop mattresses onto two pews shoved together!

My exhaustion is from being extra hours on the computer! One reason: God put me at the right place at the right time Friday to spot a new internet offer at a great sale price – which made it affordable! Usually sale prices in our part of the world are in the two to five percent range, but it was at half price that day! The new system is not as strong as predicted, but it much faster/ better than what I was using. I still could not load a video for you today – high on my “all kinds of prayers and requests” (Ephesians 6:18) – but unlike past tries, I was able to listen with no static or delays to radio stations from North Carolina over the weekend to keep up with Hurricane Irene! Via internet, we’ve learned that our family are a little damp and have lots of yard work, but they are all safe and sound!

The other reason for my exhaustion: This is the end of Ramadan and I’ve been working extra hours on the last Prayer Nudges with this emphasis and creating a new blog to be used for Praying With Those Who Celebrate Ramadan. As the special Ramadan prayer nudges developed, I was once again astounded by how God led me to information/ thoughts/ etc. As I’ve said before, I know it is not based on my smarts, but answers to prayers – yours and mine!

These prayer nudges did not turn out as I expected, but as these progressed, I realized that the prayer nudges were forming a basic introduction to Islam for Christians – thus the blog is prepared to be used as devotions, prayer walks or simply for information. My prayer is that Praying With Those Who Celebrate Ramadan will open the minds and hearts of Christians who have not realized the need to pray for and witness of our Father’s love and salvation to those lacking assurance of these gifts and to strengthen prayer support for friends working with people of other faiths.

I know I also say often: Thanks once again for joining us in God’s work in East Africa. We do depend upon your prayer, financial and personnel support. But this is so true! We do depend upon your support. THANK YOU! BERT

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(1) The Daily Nation (11-08-25) agrees with Jack on his definition of a booming Kirinyaga County (11-08-25) – “Let there be rice” – http://www.nation.co.ke/Counties/Love+and+hate+in+the+rice+fields+of+Mwea/-/1107872/1220754/-/11msljn/-/index.html

(2) Praying With Those Who Celebrate Ramadan – http://pray4ramadan.blogspot.com/

*** You may also want to view Loving Muslims with lots of stories, resources, prayer nudges, etc., for Christians who want to learn how to pray for and share their faith with those of another faith – http://www.lovingmuslims.com/

August 24, 2011

No special photo, but once again a bit about KFC – not Kenya, but Kentucky Fried Chicken – is included in this week’s Prayer Update! This is not what I had planned to share today, but Jack asked a question last night that led to a detour. His question: “Have you thought of including something in your Ramadan Prayer Nudges about the faithfulness of the early Muslim Arab traders? They not only brought their wares to East Africa centuries ago, they also brought and established their faith!”

As we talked, I remembered a review (1) of the new KFC in a local paper last Sunday. Complimenting the new restaurant, the writer shared a quote from the store manager: “We have done no advertising apart from the signage by the road (the huge rotating basket of chicken) … But (since opening) there has been a queue … It’s the special taste that people talk about.”

Now a few questions in today’s detour: What if our Christian witness, through our lifestyle and our planned times of sharing our faith, was as affective/ effective as the faith sharing of the early traders to East Africa? What if our Christian witness was as impressive/notable as many find KFC experiences? What if when we are scattered, running about our daily lives or when we move to new places, situations, jobs, etc., we imitate the early Christians “scattered throughout Judea and Samaria” (Acts 8:1) and other parts of the world (Acts 11:19-20)? What if we “preached the word wherever (we) went” (8:4)? What if we told “the good news about the Lord Jesus” (11:20) to ALL we meet in our life journey? What if we act like we “are the salt of the earth” (Matthew 5:13)? Would people note our “special taste” and talk about us and our faith? I believe the answers are found in Acts 11:21, “The Lord’s hand was with them , and a great number of people believed and turned to the Lord.”

Sorry, I’m not trying to preach/ teach today! Preparing the 2011 PRAYER NUDGES FROM EAST AFRICA (2) during Ramadan has required much research on other faiths and as I read and learned, I have being challenged to look at my own life and how I live my faith. One thing that I discovered this week was a website with easy to understand answers to questions Christians may ask about Islam (3). It was the ATTACHMENT that one can download at Islamic Articles/ Ramada Schedules (4) that led to my re-evaluating my own commitment (click at bottom left of Excel page for separate pages on Commitment, Planning and Time Table) as a Christian to prayer, reading/studying/memorizing God’s Word, worship, time with other Believers, and on and on!

Some of you may also want to view Loving Muslims (5) which includes lots of stories, resources, prayer nudges, etc., for Christians who want to learn how to pray for and share their faith with those of other cultures who do lack the assurance of salvation that we have! I know that with recent world events many Christians may not want to “love” those of some faiths, but as I shared in the August 22^nd Prayer Nudge, one of the ways that I have challenged (taught, rebuked, corrected) this month is God’s Word linking loving my neighbor as myself (Luke 10:25-27) with my ability to carry out the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20)!

If you have made it through this entire longish Prayer Update – I think you have lots of ideas of how to pray for and with us! Pray that we and other Christians will “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that (we) have … with gentleness and respect” (1 Peter 3:15 – CLICK here for today’s Prayer Nudge and more). Pray that we will be affective/effective sharers of our Good News and that those who are not Believers will note that we“are the salt of the earth” and want to talk about our faith! BERT YATES

(1) The Kentucky Fried Chicken Kenyans are Queuing up for – http://www.nation.co.ke/Features/lifestyle/The+Kentucky+fried+chicken+Kenyans+are+queuing+up+for/-/1214/1222276/-/121w74x/-/index.html

(2) This month’s PRAYER NUDGES found at:

Praying for Others – http://omba4kenyaprayforothers.blogspot.com/

2011 PRAYER NUDGES FROM EAST AFRICA – http://easternafrica2011prayernudges.blogspot.com/

FACEBOOK - http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150148173250130.351345.685050129&l=47f55a92ab&type=1

(3) Information on Islam – http://www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/Homework/religion/Islam.htm

(4) Islamic Articles/ Ramada Schedules – http://www.jannah.org/ramadan/ramadanplan.html

(5) Loving Muslims – http://www.lovingmuslims.com/

Special NIGHT OF PRAYER Nudge

Centuries ago, possibly as early as the late 13th century, Ramadan was celebrated in the buildings now found in the Gedi Ruins (1) on the East Africa coast. On the 21st night of Ramadan a man may have removed a Qur'an from the large rectangular built-in shelf and read it by a light sitting in the smaller wall niche beside the oval-topped door. This special night is called Laylat al-Qadr or Night of Power, "the night Muslims believe the first verses of the Qur'an were revealed to the Islamic prophet Muhammad" (2). The exact date to be celebrated is not known, but tradition says it occured on one of the odd numbered evenings of the last ten days of Ramadan. As many celebrating Ramadan pray with extra zeal at this time, join them in praying that their prayer to truly know our Father and have an eternal relationship with Him will be answered!

(1) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruins_of_Gedi

(2) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laylat_al-Qadr

CLICK the prayer caps above to see more RAMADAN 2011 PRAYER NUDGES