Open Minds and Burning Hearts

Another special joy this week for Bert was collecting
Macadamia nuts from trees in our yard and
cooking 'the best brownies ever' with earlier
freshly picked and roasted macadamias.

“Then He (Jesus) opened their minds to understand the Scriptures.” I’ve read and typed Luke 24:45 (ESV) many times this week as I’ve had the joy of preparing Nudges to Prayer for an ongoing StoryTogether workshop in South Sudan. This is the 4th and final workshop for a few Toposa and Turkana Believers who have been taught to craft God’s Word into stories and songs in their heart languages which can be shared with and understood by their peoples who have not yet heard our Good News.

Will you pray for these men as they discuss and choose the best stories to build a foundation which allows their people to hear, understand and accept our Father’s love and salvation? One of the trainers also asks that we pray that the hearts of those trained will burn to share the Good News.

Joy came last week from attending a special conference uniting Believers from Africa and from East Asia. It was a time of realizing anew that having a heart for missions begins with obeying the teachings of our Savior and His definition of the “greatest commandment in the Law.” To have a fire in one’s heart for missions one must “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind” and “Love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:37-39). We felt like we were viewing a preview of heaven as we worshiped with Believers, many who have faced persecution, and heard their testimonies of how God is at work among their peoples.

Joy was also our reaction last Sunday as we attended a special worship service at Riruta Baptist Church which included the church family officially accepting John Ndebe as their new pastor. This church was begun in the late 1950’s soon after the first IMB (then FMB) missionaries arrived in East Africa. Joy came from listening to the church history and recognizing the names of many of those, missionary and Kenyan, who years ago invested their time and lives in sharing our Father’s love and salvation in the city of Nairobi, Kenya. It was also a joy to remember that gifts to the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering helped begin this church and provided the first small building to house the Riruta church family.

"How Great Thou Art”, sung by the Riruta Choir last Sunday in Swahili, “Jinsi Wewe ulivyo Mkuu, Roho yangu na ikuimbie, Jinsi Wewe ulivyo Mkuu.”

There was joy in passing that old building, now used for Sunday School and other activities, as we entered the newer and much larger building for worship – a building erected by the current church members to house their growing church family – a church family which has continued to grow as they obey our Savior’s Great Commission to “go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:19-20 NIV).

And as I write today sitting in an empty classroom at the Kenya Baptist Theological College, Jack is filled with joy!  First he is teaching (Old Testament Survey this term), which always leaves him exhausted, but super happy.  Second, he is teaching the first class to enter KBTC who will finish with a college degree!  There is still much work to be done at KBTC from increasing enrollment in the new degree programs and the ongoing diploma and advanced diplomas in theology to finding additional teachers. Many new buildings are needed as well as more scholarship assistance and so much more, but as Kenyan Believers often say, we are praising God for how “Thus far the LORD has helped us” (1 Samuel 7:12 NIV). 

Special view of God's creations viewed this week.

I could go on and on sharing joys and blessings, but I will close by asking that you join us in thanking God for the opportunity to serve Him in Kenya.  Join us in praying for open minds to do His work and burning hearts for sharing His Good News.  We must also thank you for enabling us to be a part of His work in East Africa which you do as you support us through your prayers, giving to the Cooperative Program and the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering, and as you come and send volunteers to join in His work.  

JACK AND BERT YATES

Making Music to His Name

One of God's 'works' caught making music in our yard!

“It is good to praise the LORD and make music to your name, O Most High, proclaiming your love… and your faithfulness… How great are your works, LORD, how profound your thoughts!” Psalm 92:1-5 NIV

Yes, we sang along to the tunes provided by
a piano last week at the Prayer Forum, but
one of our MK's provided the African touch!

In the prayer forum I attended last week with coworkers from across Africa, a speaker shared that we should have a theme when we write our prayer/ newsletters. Well… God has made choosing a theme very easy this week as we have been constantly 'bombarded' by the theme of Psalm 92!

And for those of you who have attended meetings in
my part of the world, we did have cinnamon rolls one
morning and hot doughnuts another day at teatime!

I found great joy in singing new praise choruses (a young friend’s explanation for why I did not know many songs) as well as old hymns with my coworkers. Many of these friends usually worship in the mother tongues of the people they serve among, so praising and making music to our Father in their first language, English, brought them added delight. Another joy was hearing our missionaries share their testimonies and how God is at work in the lives of their peoples who are in need of hearing someone proclaim our Father’s “love… great works… and profound thoughts”!

My meeting ended last Wednesday night and on Thursday afternoon when Jack returned after lunch to the KBTC campus, I went with him to attend a concert. For the last three weeks a visiting seminary professor had been guiding music students to write their own songs praising God and sharing His story, as well as teaching breathing exercises which strengthened their ability to sing. This is the report I shared last Friday in my daily devotions on Facebook (which even FB members can read at https://www.facebook.com/bitsofourhearts):

Dean Kamau (right) also joined in recording!

“... multiple sources of joy viewed in a concert held yesterday afternoon at KBTC. Students in two music classes took turns standing alone before the audience. Each one began by reading a verse or two from God’s Word, followed by singing a song. Some were nervous as they began, but joy showed on their faces as they focused on their songs sharing God’s message. And yes, there was a bit of added joy visible on the faces of some as they sat down after completing their first public solo. Joy also showed on the faces of their visiting professor (using his IPad to record their solos) and the head of the music department (recording their performances on his phone).”

Photo of a shelf in one
of the music classrooms.

Later Jack shared that one student was in an accident years ago which led to severe burns and breathing problems due to damaged lungs. During the singing/ breathing lessons, he realized he was learning to breathe deeper all the time. On the day of concert he sang strongly and clearly. Though nervous at first, by the end of his solo, he was singing praises of His Father with confidence!

Jack began his turn at a week-long meeting yesterday, where he has experienced the joy of worshipping with Believers from across Africa and Chinese Believers! The meeting began with a Maasai choir singing their own songs in their own language. English is the language of the meeting, but translators are offering French and Chinese interpretations. This afternoon we (Jack made sure I got invited) will take part in a Chinese culture fair, followed by a Chinese worship service tonight. Tomorrow will be an African culture fair and an African-led time of worship!

Spotted this morning as I drove Jack to his meeting.

Yes, we are excited, but we still need your prayer support! Pray for wisdom and strength for Jack and others at KBTC as they prepare for arrival of the first degree class (a definite answer to prayer) at the college! My prayer request is for strength as I prepare the daily devotionals/ missional posts. I’m also exploring new avenues for raising prayer support for our coworkers. Simply said, the devil does not like it when we work at raising prayer support and spending more time in prayer! So pray that I will be alert to the devil’s distractions as I focus on knowing God’s will and serving Him. BERT AND JACK YATES

Contagious and Effective

The view out the window which
interrupted my work this afternoon.

As I prepared last week’s update, I commented to Jack that I might be coming down with a cold, but then I got too busy to think about it. By the next evening Jack and I both were sick with a very kali (no good English substitute for this Swahili word meaning intensely sharp, vehement, fierce) cold! Thankfully, now a week later, we are both definitely on the mend, but not yet at 100%. Thus this week you get an abbreviated update beginning with…

The African Harrier-Hawk then flew to a nearby tree...

JACK'S PRAYER ITEMS:
PRAY that KBTC is prepared in every way for the Theology Degree program to begin September 12th!
PRAY that our current students on campus finish this term well and healthy as many bugs (the unseen kind) are flying around.
We are very THANKFUL for Dr. John Boozer who has blessed us with his wit and expertise.
PRAY that I can get over this cold. I hate colds!
I'm THANKFUL for 45 years of blessing being married to Bert!

... and posed for the camera.

BERT’S ADDED THOUGHTS:
My praise is that we did not begin feeling lousy until after we returned from a trip to a great seafood restaurant in Nairobi to celebrate Jack’s birthday last Thursday. We also had great plans for our 45th wedding anniversary last Sunday, but spent the day passing the Kleenex box and making sure the other drank enough liquids. We did look for the positive by reminding each another that being together all day was as a super gift!

It does make me a bit uncomfortable when a
bird this big begins staring at me!

I will be attending a training for prayer advocates this next week.  Will you pray for strengthening and encouragement for all at this special time. The meeting goes through next Wednesday, thus no update next week. For more of my personal prayer items, CLICK the BITS OF OUR HEART tab at the top of this page.

Then it grew tired of posing for me
and flew to a neighbor's yard.

CLOSING WORDS:

On one of the days when I really felt horrid, I had to laugh when I found myself sharing the following with a friend via the germ-free internet: “I wish the desire to share the gospel with the unreached was as contagious and effective as the cold bug we ‘caught’!” Jack is right – my mind is now ‘wired’ for preparing nudges to prayer, but our greatest prayer request is for the arrival of the day when the Eternal Gospel is proclaimed "to every nation, tribe, language and people" (Revelation 14:6).

And we are so thankful for your part in allowing us to be at work in Africa, sharing our Father’s Good News. Thanks to your prayers, financial gifts to the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering and the Cooperative Program*, and your coming and sending workers, you are making an eternal difference in the lives of people lacking a knowledge of our Father’s love and salvation – an eternal difference that too many peoples are still awaiting. BERT YATES
*http://www.imb.org/main/lottie-moon/details.asp?StoryID=13782#.V72f65h942w