Steeves'
Summary
#14: "Speak over 50 times, are
you serious Lord?"
April 2005
It baffles some people when I tell
them that leaving Canada for two years and going to Africa is not
really that big of a deal. What has been more of a challenge for me is
deputation in churches. I have heard it stated, "people's
number one
fear is not death, but public speaking". That was an accurate
description of me at the start of our Kenya journey. I remember
having
a similar conversation with God as did Moses when he was being sent to
bring the Israelites out of Egypt. I tried to tell God I was like
Moses, "never been eloquent...slow of speech and tongue." (Exodus 4:10)
He responded by saying, "Now go; I will help you speak and will teach
you what to say."(Exodus 4:12)
After sharing more than fifty times in churches and church groups, I have a very different perspective. I quickly learned that deputation isn't about performance and about having great abilities. It is about building relationships with others and becoming a messenger of God's work in another part of the world. For a year, Mike and I have been serving as a bridge between Canada and Kenya by making missions more personal and meaningful. It has been a real privilege to have such an important role in missions.
Mike and I went to hear Paul
Carline, a missionary from Kenya, speak at an evening church service.
Eight churches were invited to the special event. We met up with three
people who had been to Kenya in December on a mission trip/course. To
our amazement, Mike and I recognized people from most of the churches
represented and had a chance to reunite with them. We came to two
conclusions: First of all, we realized we have an extensive network of
people who are supporting us in so many ways. Secondly, we
believe it
is time for us to leave for Kenya.
p.s. (from Michael) Last newsletter, I stated the Somalis were the largest tribe in Africa. I was wrong. They are among the largest, but they do occupy more land than any other tribe. Thanks to Paul Carline for the clarification.
We have
90% of our
support! We still need the remaining 10%. We
have tickets booked on British Airways for August 2nd. Please
pray
as we finalize details on this end: deciding what to take, finding
someone to rent our home, selling our van, and clearing up some
paperwork.
Feel free to write to us any time.
Blessings,
Michael, Bernadine, Julianne and Evan
You can see our previous newsletters on our website at www.kijabe.org/mission2004.
It baffles some people when I tell
them that leaving Canada for two years and going to Africa is not
really that big of a deal. What has been more of a challenge for me is
deputation in churches. I have heard it stated, "people's
number one
fear is not death, but public speaking". That was an accurate
description of me at the start of our Kenya journey. I remember
having
a similar conversation with God as did Moses when he was being sent to
bring the Israelites out of Egypt. I tried to tell God I was like
Moses, "never been eloquent...slow of speech and tongue." (Exodus 4:10)
He responded by saying, "Now go; I will help you speak and will teach
you what to say."(Exodus 4:12)
After sharing more than fifty times in churches and church groups, I have a very different perspective. I quickly learned that deputation isn't about performance and about having great abilities. It is about building relationships with others and becoming a messenger of God's work in another part of the world. For a year, Mike and I have been serving as a bridge between Canada and Kenya by making missions more personal and meaningful. It has been a real privilege to have such an important role in missions.
Mike and I went to hear Paul
Carline, a missionary from Kenya, speak at an evening church service.
Eight churches were invited to the special event. We met up with three
people who had been to Kenya in December on a mission trip/course. To
our amazement, Mike and I recognized people from most of the churches
represented and had a chance to reunite with them. We came to two
conclusions: First of all, we realized we have an extensive network of
people who are supporting us in so many ways. Secondly, we
believe it
is time for us to leave for Kenya.
p.s. (from Michael) Last newsletter, I stated the Somalis were the largest tribe in Africa. I was wrong. They are among the largest, but they do occupy more land than any other tribe. Thanks to Paul Carline for the clarification.
We have
90% of our
support! We still need the remaining 10%. We
have tickets booked on British Airways for August 2nd. Please
pray
as we finalize details on this end: deciding what to take, finding
someone to rent our home, selling our van, and clearing up some
paperwork.Feel free to write to us any time.
Blessings,
Michael, Bernadine, Julianne and Evan
You can see our previous newsletters on our website at www.kijabe.org/mission2004.
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Michael and Bernadine Steeves 113 Pauline St. Saint John, NB E2J 3K8 (506) 658-6081 steeves@kijabe.org www.kijabe.org |
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Africa Inland Mission 1641 Victoria Park Ave. Scarborough, ON M1R 1P8 (877) 407-6077 (Toll Free) www.aimcanada.org |
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Canadian Baptist Ministries 7185 Millcreek Dr. Mississauga, ON L5N 5R4 (905) 821-3533 www.cbmin.org |