Author Archives: Bailey Kuert

The Rova Palace in Madagascar

The Mad Queen

I’m trying to be creative with my blog titles, can’t you tell with the over usage of “mad”? When in Madagascar… Ok, but really today’s post is about a MAD Queen who just so happened to also be the Queen of MADagascar.

Yesterday we went to “Rova Palace” or “The Queen’s Palace” in downtown Antananarivo. We went along with one of our fellow missionary families. The palace is beautiful and was constructed by a man named James Cameron (NOT to be confused with the director of the movie Titanic ((I hope Celin Dion plays in your head all day))). The Queen who had this stone palace built was named Ranavola II. She was a great Queen who was greatly influenced by Protestant missionaries and later declared Madagascar to be “a Christian nation”. She was however following in the footsteps of the “Mad Queen”, Ranavalona I who is best known for eridacting the Christian movement in Madagascar during her 33 year reign. Serious persecution took place during this time including being poisoned, being boiled alive, flung off cliffs and beheaded ( *-* )! Because of the European missionaries in the country, most were banished or killed. The first Christian martyr was a pregnant woman who praised Jesus as she was burned.

Ok enough intense details, you get the point. I had to do further research this evening because while our tour guides were nice, they mixed their rehearsed English with some French and Malagasy words, so you already know I was lost. So the gist is she was MAAAAAAAAD and I believe really used of Satan to hinder God’s plan for this nation. Madagascar has since gone through many trials and political woes and continues to be one of the most impoverished countries in the world.

As we overlooked the capital city yesterday of 4 million people, my spirit was stirred. What was once declared a “Christian nation” is now less than 10% fundamental Bible believing Christians and is a country in great need.

What would it look like for the madness to end and for God to be glorified here? The islands are NOT off of His radar and His desire is for these people to be released from darkness and fear. I believe the enemy was scared of what would take place if the Malagasy people were free from oppression both naturally and spiritually. I believe that God has a mighty assignment for the people here to take up in this hour. May His light come and may all enemies be scattered.

Mad Driving–Day 3

Last night while Stephen was at a meeting, I decided to drive to another missionary’s house which is outside of the compound where I live. In case you didn’t see my posted picture from a week ago of me driving, I am very thankful my parent’s made me learn to drive on a standard. If I didn’t know how to drive stick shift, this would only add to the chaos of driving here. Since Madagascar was a French colony, we drive on the right side of the road, but that doesn’t mean it is anything like America.

I felt a bit nervous starting the car, mind you it’s a diesel and the first time I’ve driven a diesel. I get the car started, put it in reverse…breathe a little and drive on! A rush comes over me! I. AM. DRIVING. OVERSEAS. BY. MYSELF! Then I start to sweat…woah! I’m driving overseas BY MYSELF! I tell myself to relax and proceed to the gate on my street. Of course there is someone backing out of a driveway all crazy and two guards whistling and making motions and hollering in Malagasy. I brake even though they motion me through the gate because I know the other guy isn’t watching. Right now certainly wouldn’t be a good time to have an accident. Have I mentioned how thankful I am to my parents for teaching me great driving skills? Because I’m so grateful!! Ok, so through the gate I go and I turn onto the connecting street. ALL I have to do is go down this street for half a mile and turn into another compound. Easy right? WELL, there are about 150-200 people lining either side of a narrow barely two car cobblestone road. Not just that, but dogs, and a cart being pulled by two “zebus” or cows are all making their way around. BREATHE BAILEY…more sweat expels from my body. A semi truck is in front of me, a large white truck behind me and several oooooold school Volkswagon bugs marked as “Taxis” coming at me from the opposite direction. Street vendors line the streets and I grip the steering wheel and the clutch. Eventually I make my way down the straight but bumpy road to the gate and eventually park outside the house of my destination. Relieved, I walk inside with a smile on my face. I did it! I drove here all by myself! A small victory, but a victory nonetheless.

Today we spent a lot of time in our car driving all over Antananarivo, the capital city where we live. We call it *Tana* for short. I can’t really describe the driving here to anyone who has not driven in a highly populated city that is not first world. I can’t count how many people tried to sell me sunglasses, seat covers, fruit, sunshades, towels etc. as we sat in bumper bumper traffic. Or how many cars pushed their way into our lane of traffic. It’s quite the adventure! While I’ve been exposed to this style of driving several times overseas, I have never had to drive it myself!

I always state that I’m the better drive in the USA over Stephen, but he by FAR exceeds my Africa road abilities ;-) He says that he drives offensively and I drive defensively because of the USA. I will learn to adjust. My hat is off to you my dear husband and your mad driving skills! You’re my hero babe!

I Am a Whale–Day 2

I am a whale. Je suis une baleine. Yes, that is what I learned in French today thanks to my new handy app. Despite the ridiculous sentence it asked me to construct this morning, it has proved to be very helpful. I’m just hoping that I never have to form this sentence about myself or anyone else! Let’s just keep the whale comments in the ocean where they belong :)
Languages can be a really funny thing. I just tried to communicate about ants with a Malagasy lady without Stephen present. FAIL! She speaks some English but no French. I speak…well if you’re reading this, you know what I speak.
Last week when I was on safari in Kenya, I had a conversation with someone again without Stephen present. Another safari guide was asking me how I liked my safari and then asked if I spoke any Swahilli like my husband. I wanted to say no because I’m 30 plus years behind his learning curve on that one, but instead I said in my best Swahilli, “I love you elephant”! Yes, I called this nice man an elephant!  He was quick to correct me with the correct phrase stating, “I love elephants”. Oh yes, that’s what I meant. I love elephants! Oh my! I guess my husband telling me “Nakupenda”, which means “I love you” in Swahilli turned out to stick in my brain in a moment of trying to speak to this man. At least I stepped out and tried :)
I feel in good company though because even though my husband speaks more languages than I do, he too can get overwhelmed especially readjusting to a language. Last night while studying and translating some words in Malagasy (the primary language spoken in Madagascar), he said, “Wow, when God mixed up the languages, He MIXED UP THE LANGUAGES!”. Haha!
Learning new languages can help us get to know someone better. To relate to their culture and their way of life. In the process of learning languages however, you have to rely on more body language and pantomiming. Thankfully I love drama so this lends to my short-term fall back.I learned today that the Malagasy woman was telling me that the honey container was attracting many ants and that if needed, I can say, “I am a whale.” I think I’m doing pretty well for the first week! Ha—keep praying for me :)

Goodbye/Hello–Day 1

I have now completed my first week of living in Madagascar. It has been a whirlwind of events as we’ve tried to settle into our new home. 
I’ve been gone from our previous home in Tulsa now for two weeks. The time leading up to our departure was full of many goodbyes and not just to people. It reminds me of some random lyrics of a song keep playing in my head ” Goodbye to you, goodbye to everything that I knew…” While this old school Michelle Branch song is about a broken relationship, those few words are very applicable to my life right now.
Here are a few of the goodbyes I’ve encountered in moving to Madagascar. 
1. Driving myself around. This is a goodbye for now, but hopefully I can master the roads in Madagascar soon enough. There are some major obstacles of throngs of people, cows, and dirt roads. Even once this is mastered, I will miss the freedom and convenience of driving to Target or Hobby Lobby, or meeting up with friends.
2. Strawberries. Ok this one sounds silly, but in Madagascar the strawberries are grown in pig poop, SO…unless you bleach them and cook them into a sauce, goodbye to these at least until our own plants start harvesting. I ate the nearly every day in the states.
3. English. I’ve already been gone two weeks and noticing my English slowing down with clearer annunciation which means my speech is changing. While some people including other missionaries speak English in Madagascar, it is not one of the two primary languages among the Malagasys. So bonjour or hello to French!
4. Indoors…while I won’t be living in a grass hut, I won’t have central air or heat which means the indoors as I know it will be a thing of the past. l get to say hello to many new little friends like mosquitoes (we’re off to a really bad start), geckos, ants and flies around inside everyday.  
While I will miss food, Target, my chilly air conditioning and the ease of speaking my native tongue, the thing I will miss the most are people back home. With family and friends spread across the USA and the world, I’m thankful for the internet which I now have in my house and am using for this post! :)
As the lyrics stated earlier, I did say goodbye to everything that I knew and said hello to this new world of Madagascar. As challenging as that may be, it reminds me of the parallel of how giving my life to Christ was goodbye to my old life and hello to my life in Him. What else could be a better reminder to embrace this life that He has given me and show His love to a broken, dying and hurting world? So for now I’ll keep the goodbyes near to my heart and embrace the hellos that are before me in this season. 
“Say goodbye to the you I knew before…say hello to a new beginning. This is your genesis”-Joy Williams

Cleaning

My house is craziness right now. There is an order to all the chaos, but unless you’re in my brain, for the most part it’s not going to make sense. We’re in the process of moving overseas in less than a month (16 days but who’s counting?) and my house reflects that. This week we removed some of our larger furniture pieces, so our piles look even more random than before. A big “thank you” to my husband for packing boxes and even numbering them—a huge relief while this wife sorted through clothes for the hundredth time!

While I’ve done my best to organize the drama, I also realize it’ll all get done and the chaos will soon end. (That is, until we unpack and settle in the Big Island, which is obviously another story ;) ) As I’ve sorted through clothes, signed my name on more visa documents than it takes to purchase a home, and packed and packed, I’m reminded of how beautiful a mess can be. 
A week ago, I got to attend two baptismal services here in Tulsa. I remember many times standing in my home church on Wednesday nights and watching people take a plunge to identify with Christ. It is always a powerful moment when watching someone go in and come up out of the water. They are making a declaration that they are new in Him and that their sins are washed away. It’s powerful! There is an incredible messy life that they’re leaving and the water symbolically is cleansing them and making them new. 
My life has been and will continue to be a mess at times, but I love the beauty of Jesus coming in and cleaning up my mess. He sorts through all of my “things” and the process at times can look like chaos, but it’s the way He makes all things new. He knows how to salvage my emotions and heart when they seem to be all over the place. He knows how to make my explosions of messy sin into redemptive testimonies for His glory. He alone knows how to unlock those hidden places within me. He spoke, “let there be light” into darkness and emptiness and light was formed. He breathed life into man and we came alive. If there is hope for stability and soundness in our lives, it’s in Him.
Witnessing the baptisms was a timely reminder in this transition time. My house full of great messes is a great opportunity to remind myself of how wonderful Jesus is of making beauty of out of our mess. Instead of the mess aggravating me, it is a lovely reminder that entices me to follow Him and love Him. AND of course to remind me to rest in this glorious process of packing ;)

Making Room for Jesus-Question #23

QUESTION #23 Are we burdened for the salvation of souls? Have we a love for the lost? Is there any compassion in our hearts for those who are perishing?

Jesus came to “seek and save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10). He came for the highest of kings, to the lowest of men. Angels were sent from heaven to announce the birth of Jesus to shepherds, outcasts of their society. When Jesus was alive on the Earth, He spoke of His father’s kingdom. He said that He came to prepare a way for us to enter this kingdom for eternity.

When we experience the life changing power of Jesus’ love, we should feel compelled to share it with others. There is a young woman in my life whom I met 6 years ago before she entered high school. She quickly became a “little sister” of mine and we hung out often. Her love for Jesus was inspiring and her devotion challenged me. I recognized and still are the value of what she can bring to others. Every time I used to pray with her, I’d pray for “more boldness”.

You see the world needs to see what this young girl possesses. They need to see how the love of Christ freed her and how Holy Spirit sustains her everyday. The true can be said of you. There is no greater joy in my life than feeling the heart of God. Crying over what He cries over. Rejoicing in what He rejoices over. Sharing Him with a lost and deeply hurting world.

Step out this Christmas season and share the greatest gift. He is for you. He is with you and He wants everyone to know Him.

APPLICATION:
1. Have you publicly shared your faith with others? If not, begin by telling someone who needs to hear about what Jesus has done for you. Just as the angels shared with the shepherds “good tidings of great joy”, you too should proclaim His goodness and hope in Christ.

2. Who in your life needs the love of God? What can you do to be a bold witness to them& share love with them?

3. When was the last time you were stirred with deep compassion for the lost? Have you ever prayed for a lost people group or country in our world? God’s heart is for all mankind and He wants you to partner with Him in reaching the nations.

SCRIPTURES:

Romans 10:14, 15
How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, Who bring glad tidings of good things!”

Philemon 1:6
that the sharing of your faith may become effective by the acknowledgment of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus.

Making Room for Jesus-Question #22

 QUESTION #22

Have we failed to confess Christ openly? Are we ashamed of Jesus? Do we keep our mouths closed when we are surrounded by worldly circumstances? Are we witnessing daily?
 
It’s easy to assume that our lives are right with God based on things we know. It’s especially easy if the only exposure we’ve had to Christianity is from the culture. Some denominations of Christianity vary on this point, but the truth we find in the Bible is that Jesus came to this Earth to give His life away so that we might live forever with Him. There is a life beyond this earthly one here. God’s Word teaches that there is a real heaven and there is a real hell. Jesus came so “that none should perish, but that all might have eternal life.” He wants us to choose Him, to make confession with our mouths that He is Lord. This isn’t just one time in our lives, but an ongoing, everyday decision.
Many of us reading this entry have prayed the “prayer of salvation”. And maybe it was a very real genuine prayer. I hope that it was. Yet, is our witness to confess Him as strong today as it was before? Are we ashamed of Him and His word? Are continuing to align our lives with His Lordship?  
Some of us may have never asked Jesus into your lives as Lord. Stephen attended high-school with a girl who had a t-shirt that read “If He (Jesus) isn’t Lord of all, He’s not Lord at all.” He used to hate seeing that shirt because it convicted him of his sin and failure to respond to Christ’s lordship in every area. It’s really true though. Either we are making Jesus  our Lord in every area of our life, or our lives still belongs to us. This type of surrender can feel overwhelming, but not when compared to the beauty of overwhelming grace. It’s the difference between holding onto our lives and making the choice to give them away to Christ. One instills fear while the other produces freedom.
APPLICATION:
  1. If you have never prayed to ask Jesus to cleanse you of your sins and make your life right before Him, what  better time to do so than in celebration of His birth! Pray this prayer out loud and add to it however you feel to speak out. “Jesus, I love you. I receive Your love today. I know that You came and died for me. Please cleanse me of my sins, my failures, my shortcomings. Heal my heart of the pain this life has caused. Make me like you. I receive Your grace. I receive Your forgiveness. I receive Your Holy Spirit into my heart and life. I acknowledge You as Lord of my life. Have Your way in me. Have Your way in my family.”
     **If you prayed that prayer, congratulations! I pray your life is filled with the love of Christ. I encourage you to get into a church where they preach the Bible and are excited about Jesus. We know of many faithful pastors and churches in and through the greater Tulsa area depending on where you live if you need a suggestion. 
  1. If you are a believer, consider today’s question and evaluate where you see  yourself in your walk with Him. Keep making surrenders in your heart to abide and keep Him Lord of all.
SCRIPTURES:
John 5:24 “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.
1 John 5:11-13  And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.  These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God.
Romans 8:8-9 But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith which we preach): that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.

The 23 Questions of Making Room for Jesus Blog

23 Questions from the book, The Revival We Need, by Oswald J. Smith

1.Have we forgiven everyone? Is there any malice, spite, hatred or enmity in our hearts? Do we cherish grudges; and have we refused to be reconciled?

2.Do we get angry? Are there any uprisings within? Is it true that we still lose our temper? Does wrath hold us at times in its grip

3.Is there any feeling of jealousy? When another is preferred before us, does it make us envious and uncomfortable? Do we get jealous of those who can pray, speak and do things better than we can?

4.Do we get impatient and irritated? Do little things vex and annoy? Or are we sweet, calm and unruffled under all circumstances?

5.Are we offended easily? When people fail to notice us and pass by without speaking, does it hurt? If others are made much of and we are neglected, how do we feel about it?

6.Is there any pride in our hearts? Are we puffed up? Do we think a great deal of our own position and attainments?

7.Have we been dishonest? Is our business open and above reproach? Do we give a yard for a yard and a pound for a pound?

8.Have we been gossiping about people? Do we slander the character of others? Are we talebearers and busybodies?

9.Do we criticize unlovingly, harshly, severely? Are we always finding fault and looking for the flaws in others?

10.Do we rob God? Have we stolen time that belongs to Him? Has our money been withheld?

11.Are we worldly? Do we pursue the pleasures, glitter, pomp, and show of this life?

12.Have we stolen? Do we take little things that do not belong to us?

13.Do we harbor a spirit of bitterness towards others? Is there hatred in our hearts?

14.Are our lives filled with lightness and frivolity? Is our conduct unseemly? Would the world by our actions consider us on its side?

15.Have we wronged anyone and failed to make restitution? Or, has the spirit of Zacchaeus possessed us? Have we restored the many little things that God has shown us?

16.Are we worried or anxious? Do we fail to trust God for our temporal and spiritual needs? Are we continually crossing bridges before we come to them?

17.Are we guilty of lustful thoughts? Do we allow our minds to harbor an impure and unholy imagination?

18.Are we true in our statements, or do we exaggerate and thus convey false impressions? Have we lied?

19.Are we guilty of the sin of unbelief? In spite of all He has done for us, do we still refuse to believe the promises of His Word?

20.Have we committed the sin of prayerlessness? Are we intercessors? Do we pray? How much time are we spending on our knees? Have we crowded prayer out of our lives?

21.Are we neglecting God’s Word? How many chapters do we read each day? Are we Bible students? Do we draw our source of supply from the Scriptures?

22.Have we failed to confess Christ openly? Are we ashamed of Jesus? Do we keep our mouths closed when we are surrounded by worldly circumstances? Are we witnessing daily?

23.Are we burdened for the salvation of souls? Have we a love for the lost? Is there any compassion in our hearts for those who are perishing?

Making Room for Jesus-Question #21

QUESTION #21
Are we neglecting God’s Word? How many chapters do we read each day? Are we Bible students? Do we draw our source of supply from the Scriptures?
All over Tulsa right now there are broken tree limbs everywhere. We had an ice storm a couple of days ago and it left quite a wake. Last night Stephen and I could hear limbs breaking off while sitting in our neighborhood. Earlier this year in April, we had strong wind gusts that had the same effect of ice and trees were destroyed everywhere.
These incidents made me think about the scriptures in the book of John Chapter 15 where Jesus talked about abiding in the Word. Let’s take a look at this passage and keep in mind today’s question.
“I am the Real Vine and my Father is the Farmer. He cuts off every branch of me that doesn’t bear grapes. And every branch that is grape-bearing he prunes back so it will bear even more. You are already pruned back by the message I have spoken.

4 “Live in me. Make your home in me just as I do in you. In the same way that a branch can’t bear grapes by itself but only by being joined to the vine, you can’t bear fruit unless you are joined with me.

5-8 “I am the Vine, you are the branches. When you’re joined with me and I with you, the relation intimate and organic, the harvest is sure to be abundant. Separated, you can’t produce a thing. Anyone who separates from me is deadwood, gathered up and thrown on the bonfire. But if you make yourselves at home with me and my words are at home in you, you can be sure that whatever you ask will be listened to and acted upon. This is how my Father shows who he is—when you produce grapes, when you mature as my disciples.

9-10 “I’ve loved you the way my Father has loved me. Make yourselves at home in my love. If you keep my commands, you’ll remain intimately at home in my love. That’s what I’ve done—kept my Father’s commands and made myself at home in his love.

His desire for us abiding in His word is that we might know Him and remain in Him. Let’s cut off those things that don’t produce fruit for our Savior and let’s make room for His word in our lives.

APPLICATION:

  1. Have you found a way to best draw life from scriptures? Do you find that you prefer devotionals or a Bible reading plan? Do commentaries help you? Whatever works best for you, stick to that and make sure that the word of God is before you.
  2. Have you memorized scriptures? It is critical that we know and speak the word. What we are filled with will come out when we are in need of an answer. Begin by picking out a scripture that applies to your current situation. Maybe it is from today’s question and you want to abide more. John 15:9 is a great start.
  3. Are we waiting for someone else to feed us the Word or are we diligently feeding ourselves?
SCRIPTURES:
Proverbs 4:22 Dear friend, listen well to my words; tune your ears to my voice. Keep my message in plain view at all times. Concentrate! Learn it by heart! Those who discover these words live, really live; body and soul, they’re bursting with health.
2 Timothy 3:16 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness,
Matthew 4:4 But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’

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