Inaugural Service of Upper Room Baptist Chapel
The Tate Family has served the Lord in Kitale, Kenya since January 2008. Their main ministry is church planting.
October 27, 2018
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
The Upper Room Baptist Chapel has begun (see last month’s newsletter for an explanation of the name). What is the end goal? The end goal is an organized and fully functional church of the Lord Jesus Christ. Are we there yet? No, not by a long shot. But we have begun the journey and we will see where God will lead and take us in the future.
I have begun the Upper Room Baptist Chapel with Sunday services and worship. These services include, of course: Singing and worshipping, prayer, teaching and preaching the Word of God and fellowship. Our first service was Sunday, October 21st. We still have a few things to iron out but in all I think things went well, despite my anxiety. I am trying to specifically NOT “look and feel” like a typical Kitale church. The worship, the teaching that actually comes from the Bible, and the focus on following Jesus are all very different than what most Kitaleans generally experience. Julie said afterward, “I doubt any of them have ever heard anything like you before”. I think she meant it as a compliment, but we shall see how the people who hear me take to it. For now, I just want them to hear the Word of God so the Spirit of God can work in their hearts and in their lives. The Word of God is so lacking in the churches of Kitale and thus in the lives of most of those who call themselves Christians.
A picture of our inaugural service at Upper Room Baptist Chapel.
Including Julie, Chloe and myself, we had a total of twenty people (adults and children) in attendance at our inaugural service. Although I am trying not to focus at all on numbers, I am pretty pleased with that number of twenty. I wasn’t sure if anyone at all would actually come to our inaugural service. I invited a lot of people and I never asked for promises from those I invited, but probably 90-100 people freely offered their promise to come anyway (that actually would have been problematic for me as I only have seats for about 45 people). I didn’t know whether to expect zero people or a hundred. I praise God for the twenty that came.
We began by singing and praising God for about 30 minutes using some traditional hymns and other choruses I hoped some people would know. I led the worship on my guitar. This leading of music on the guitar caused me as much anxiety as anything. I am NOT musically inclined, I am NOT good at playing the guitar, I am NOT talented at leading music, and I CAN’T sing worth a hoot. But since there was no one else to do it, the lot fell to me and we all got through it with a little stumbling and a lot of glorifying God. Next came my message. I am trying to keep my messages simple, straightforward, and Biblical, Biblical, Biblical. Do you see the focus on Biblical there? That is what we need here. My inaugural message came from Mark 4:35-41 and was entitled “Jesus is in the Boat”. This is the passage where the Disciples are afraid of drowning in their storm-tossed boat and Jesus is asleep in the stern. The main point of my message was that Jesus is the Son of God, that he cares about what we face in this life and that He is in the boat with us. Since God is in the boat with us, he is able and willing to dispel our fears and lack of faith in the midst of the storms that rage around us. I preached this message because I, more than anyone else, needed it. My message for this coming Sunday will be “How to Identify a Follower of Jesus” from John 13:31-38.
How many people should I expect for our next service? I really have no idea. Some of those who came last Sunday are Kenyan friends of ours and I know they attend other churches. They came to our inaugural service to support and show love to me, their friend, as I start a new ministry. They probably will be returning to their churches this week. What about the others that came and the ones I invited this week who have promised to come? I really have no idea. We might be starting back with zero again. But God knows and it is up to God to do what only He can do and to bless this work as it honors and glorifies Him. I met personally this morning with one of last Sunday’s attendees and he said, “Roger, I’m with you forever”. I’ll continue to point him away from me and towards Jesus, but, I still hope he returns.
May I be faithful and may God be glorified.
Until next month, beloved.
May God’s peace and joy be with you.
For the glory of God in Kenya,
Roger & Julie Tate (and Amy, Josiah & Chloe)
rojuta[at]gmail.com
Visit their blog!
For ministry donations:
Pastor George Sledd, Treasurer of BFM
P.O. Box 471280
Lake Monroe, FL 32747-1280
or click here to donate to BFM online.
Read more
Starting Worship Services in New Ministry!
The Tate Family has served the Lord in Kitale, Kenya since January 2008. Their main ministry is church planting.
September 28, 2018
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
I’m finally at the place where I can report I’m ready to begin a new ministry. I’ve informed you that I have had the desire and leading of the Lord to try and start a new church in Kitale and to pastor that church myself until it is ready to be on its own. “Does Kitale really need another church”, I’ve asked a thousand times? Yes, it needs a church that teaches the Word of God and worships God in Spirit and in truth. So, I’ve been planning and preparing for a long time. I rented a place to start in, worked on and prepared the room, and have been spreading the word about it for months. And now as we are about to close out September, I am able to say that we will be starting worship services in October, ready or not.
The name of the ministry for now will be called Upper Room Baptist Chapel. I would like to explain exactly why I am giving the ministry this name, so please bear with me as I give you the reasons for each part. First, Upper Room. Julie and I sat down and brain-stormed about the first part of this name. I wanted a simple name that kind of represented a significant meaning for the ministry. Nothing was sounding good until the Upper Room popped into my head. The reason this popped into my head is because the room I’ve rented is on the top floor of a four-story building in town. Get it? We’ll be meeting in the upper room of the building. But as I thought about it the name Upper Room seemed significant. I want to focus on the resurrection of Jesus, on following Jesus, and on knowing and having a relationship with God through Jesus – on fellowship with God. The Upper Room was a place where all of these things became a reality for the disciples of Jesus. So, the name seemed fitting for more than one reason. And, I thought we had come up with a unique name, that is until I started doing a few searches on the internet and found that there seem to be a number of churches with that name (In America, at least. There are none here with that name). Anyway, Julie and I still think it is a good and fitting name.
Second, Baptist. Is it old-fashioned and out-dated to call a church Baptist? Maybe to many it is, but not to me. Why? Let me tell you: Because I am a Baptist; Because I am sent out by a Baptist church and a Baptist organization; Because I believe in the Biblical doctrines of Baptist churches; Because I believe the history of Baptist churches is special and unique; Because the Baptist name represents who we are and what we will do and teach. For these reasons and more I will call the ministry Baptist.
Third, Chapel. I struggled a lot with this name too. It seemed like this part of the name should be easy, but it wasn’t. The word church made sense but the ministry won’t be a church yet. I hope and pray that someday, as God brings people into the ministry, as people are saved and baptized, that we will organize into a church. But at first, we will not yet be a church. So I ruled out that word. The word mission could also be used. However, in Kitale the word mission means a place where people can come and get things that they want, i.e., money and other material stuff. So I ruled out that word. I also, just personally, don’t care for Tabernacle or Temple because those words indicate Old Testament physical places where the Lord would meet with His people and I just don’t care for those terms for New Testament people. Worship Center sounds clunky. Training Center wasn’t fitting either. So, until a church is organized, I decided on Chapel – “a small building or room used for Christian worship in a school, prison, hospital or large private house”. That word seemed fitting and appropriate.
End result – Upper Room Baptist Chapel.
I am both excited and nervous about the start of this new ministry. I’m excited because I want to minister the Word of God and see the Spirit of God reaching into the lives of people, bringing them to salvation and fellowship with God. I’m nervous because I don’t know how things will go. If everyone attends who have said they will attend we will fill that upper room about five times over when our worship services start in October. Then again, maybe nobody will come. I just don’t know how God will initially work. So, how can you pray? Pray that God’s will be done and that He will bless this new work with fruit that will be pleasing to Him.
Until next month, beloved.
May God’s peace and joy be with you.
For the glory of God in Kenya,
Roger & Julie Tate (and Amy, Josiah & Chloe)
rojuta[at]gmail.com
Visit their blog!
For ministry donations:
Pastor George Sledd, Treasurer of BFM
P.O. Box 471280
Lake Monroe, FL 32747-1280
or click here to donate to BFM online.
Read more
Changes with Kenyan Authorities Bringing Challenges
The Tate Family has served the Lord in Kitale, Kenya since January 2008. Their main ministry is church planting.
August 28, 2018
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Over the last couple of months I have noticed some slight, yet disconcerting, changes in the way the Kenyan authorities are viewing and treating the expatriates that live and work in this country. I have lived in Kenya for ten years but it is only recently that I’ve noted some vexing changes that cause me concern. (In case you are unfamiliar with the term “expatriate” I am using it to refer to any person who lives outside their native country – missionary, military, immigrant, foreign worker, etc. I am using it in place of the more disparaging word, “foreigner”). For example:
- For most of the years we have lived here we would get pulled over by traffic police just like any other driver. When our documents would be verified we would go on our way. Now it seems that police officers pull us over simply because we are expatriates, harassing us, threatening arrests when there is no fault, and demanding illegal bribes.
- Soldiers in Nairobi have stopped us and asked why we have Chloe, asking questions about her, doubting that she was abandoned and basically questioning the validity of our guardianship of her
- Expatriates who have adopted or have legal guardianship of Kenyan children have been disparaged and vilified in the news and media. The news and media have been accusing such people (and their legitimate adoption agencies) of child trafficking and illegally obtaining these children and attempting to whisk them away to foreign countries. They paint these law abiding people in a very bad light and make the general public to think of any non-Kenyan as unfit to care for Kenyan children.
- All expatriates were recently required to make a personal appearance in Nairobi to have all of their legitimate paperwork and documents re-verified.
- Expatriates are being rounded up at local malls and detained until their documents are “verified” by authorities. Some are being incarcerated and not being brought before magistrates in a timely manner while local authorities threaten and harass them in order to receive bribes.
- Work permits are being denied. Also, I just read in the news today that work permit renewals could not be submitted for renewal while the expatriate was actually still residing in the country. The renewals can only be submitted from the worker from outside the country.
These changes are troubling to me. A country that doesn’t treat its expatriates well is not heading in the right direction. I love the country of Kenya and don’t want to see it change for the worse.
As a result of these changes and in order to obtain a more secure standing in the country I will be pursuing what is called a Permanent Residency. This is not a dual citizenship but is basically what it sounds like. It will allow me to become a permanent resident of Kenya without having to rely on the unstable and undependable work permit renewal process. This program is open to expatriates who have lived in Kenya for 7-plus years. This doesn’t solve every problem but it would give me a more secure position as a resident of Kenya. It is a costly (upwards of $5,000), lengthy (it has taken others 1-2 years), difficult process to accomplish so I do ask that you all be in prayer for me as I initiate this program.
Until next month, beloved.
May God’s peace and joy be with you.
For the glory of God in East Africa,
Roger & Julie Tate (and Amy, Josiah & Chloe)
rojuta[at]gmail.com
Visit their blog!
For ministry donations:
Pastor George Sledd, Treasurer of BFM
P.O. Box 471280
Lake Monroe, FL 32747-1280
or click here to donate to BFM online.
Read more
Room Rented for Start of Church Plant!
The Tate Family has served the Lord in Kitale, Kenya since January 2008. Their main ministry is church planting.
July 28, 2018
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
We are able to thank God for an answered prayer. I have reported in past newsletters that I was looking for a room in town that I could rent and use in order to start up a new church here in Kitale. If you were following my former reports you would know the following: First, before leaving for the States for a month, I had located a room and agreed on a price with the owner, only to have the rate doubled when I went to sign the lease. Second, while I was in the States I had a couple of Kenyan friends who agreed to look for a place for me while I was away. And, now, one of those places my friends found has finally come to fruition and I can finally say we have a room and have signed the lease and everything is official. The room is on the third floor of a building in town, is located in a relatively quiet area, has plenty of natural lighting, good security, and even access to toilets. This may not sound like much to be excited about but finding all these things in one location is quite challenging here in Kitale. The portion of the room which I rented is about 20′ by 25′ and can probably comfortably fit 30 people (and even more uncomfortably). If we are somehow blessed with more people than can fit in the room, then we will be glad to come up with alternative solutions to that problem in the future. Since the time I rented the room I have been preparing it for use. The tile floor needed fixing, the doors and handles needed replacing, and the broken windows needed repairing. Also, the original room was quite large, and I could not afford to rent the entire space but only a section of it. Thus, I had to build a partition wall across the room to block off my section. Other preparatory activities are also ongoing in order to get the room ready for use. Please continue to pray for this ongoing work.
Again, I believe Kitale needs a church that:
- Teaches the truth of God’s Word in a simple, clear, understandable manner
- Worships God in Spirit and truth and simplicity
- Loves, follows and obeys Jesus
- Desires to spread the Kingdom of God
These are such rare qualities in churches here that I felt compelled to start one and pastor it myself.
One example of the reason why a church like this is necessary is a young man named Elphas that I have been meeting with. Elphas and I meet in a dungy, musty, smelly basement of a hotel in town. We get together there to drink tea and talk about the many questions he has about the Bible and about Jesus. This week we spent two hours just talking about what happens to people when they die, what and where is heaven, where do the spirits of believers and unbelievers go after death, and how a person can know he will go to heaven. After every question he asks me I say, “Elphas, I can only tell you what the Bible says about this” and then we go to the Scriptures and investigate what God has said in His Word. I am trying to show Elphas that it matters not what any man might say but only what God’s Word says. This week Elphas told me, “After talking with you I realize all my pastors are lying to me”. I don’t know exactly what he meant by this statement and I didn’t feel like I should follow up on it. However, it did reinforce to me that there are many Kenyans who are starving for the Word of God and wanting to know what it really means to follow Jesus and to know God.
Until next month, beloved.
May God’s peace and joy be with you.
For the glory of God in East Africa,
Roger & Julie Tate (and Amy, Josiah & Chloe)
rojuta[at]gmail.com
Visit their blog!
For ministry donations:
Pastor George Sledd, Treasurer of BFM
P.O. Box 471280
Lake Monroe, FL 32747-1280
or click here to donate to BFM online.
Read more
Is Living on the Mission Field a Death Wish?
The Tate Family has served the Lord in Kitale, Kenya since January 2008. Their main ministry is church planting.
June 25, 2018
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Question: Is doing mission work and living on the mission field a death wish? I have to wonder if it is. I don’t know how I ever leave my house in my car or on my motorbike and return alive. The unwritten rule of the road in Kenya is if you are bigger than the other vehicle then you have the right of way. That means when I’m on my motorbike, other cars will deliberately pull out in front of me or deliberately use my lane to drive in, forcing me off the road. At other times, when I’m in my car, motorbikes will dart in and around me, missing me or oncoming traffic by mere inches, forcing me to brake hard in order not to kill them. Pedestrians step out right in front of me. Cows, sheep, goats, chickens, baboons, and zebras all use the same road as me.
And then there is malaria, e bola, typhoid, amoebae, and all the other microscopic critters that share our living space. Fortunately, we don’t have to worry too much about the bigger critters like snakes, crocodiles, lions, hyenas, or hippopotamus. They are around, some farther away (like crocodiles, lions, hyenas, and hippopotamus), some nearer (like snakes), but we don’t really concern ourselves with them.
And, you know, every long-term missionary can say they know at least one other missionary who has died in an airplane crash. Well, up until this month I didn’t know of any. I can’t say that anymore. And that is what is causing me to reflect upon this subject so much in this newsletter. If you keep an eye on international news you might have noticed earlier this month that a small plane carrying eight passengers and two crew members went down in Kenya this past month, killing all those on board. It went down in the Aberdare Mountains, requiring two days for rescue workers to even find it and arrive at the crash site. As I said, nobody survived. Normally when we hear about plane crashes we think “well, those things happen” and we feel bad for those who have died. But this plane crash was VERY, VERY personal to us here in Kitale. You see, this plane was THE VERY PLANE that goes from Kitale to Nairobi every day. We only get one scheduled flight from Kitale to Nairobi every day and this was “our” plane that went down. We have all ridden it. Julie and I have ridden it many times. My parents have ridden it. Other of our guests have ridden it. Amy and Josiah have ridden it a couple of times already just this year (2018) when going back to school. Any of us could have been on that plane. We thank God that none of our family was flying on that plane on that particular day. When we heard about the crash, Julie and I looked at each other and wondered what were the chances that we DIDN’T know somebody on that plane. The chances were good that we did. And as it turned out I did have friends on that plane. Two of our missionary community were on that flight and were taken home to glory: Zechariah, a missionary from Fiji that I did not know very well, and Ron, a missionary from the States and a good friend of mine. It is incredulous to me that Ron is gone and that he left in this way. I was supposed to have coffee with him just before I left for the States but he had to cancel and I didn’t see him. Then we were to get together after I returned to Kenya but then he was killed in the crash. Now I will never see him again.
I guess we missionaries are all aware of the fact that we could die on the mission field. Obviously, none of wants to have to pay that ultimate sacrifice for the work of God, but we all know it could happen. I kept thinking over and over again that my kids could very well have been on that flight. Any other day and they may have been. We place ourselves in God’s hands and pray for safety, accepting the risks and knowing that our God is big enough to take of us. And if He does allow bad things to happen we also believe that He is big enough to also work that out to our good and His glory. So, is doing mission work and living on the mission field a death wish? Definitely.
Rest in peace, Ron, and worship in the presence of your Savior.
Until next month, beloved.
May God’s peace and joy be with you.
For the glory of God in East Africa,
Roger & Julie Tate (and Amy, Josiah & Chloe)
rojuta[at]gmail.com
Visit their blog!
For ministry donations:
Pastor George Sledd, Treasurer of BFM
P.O. Box 471280
Lake Monroe, FL 32747-1280
or click here to donate to BFM online.
Read more
Encouraged by a Stateside Visit
The Tate Family has served the Lord in Kitale, Kenya since January 2008. Their main ministry is church planting.
May 21, 2018
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Living on the road and out of a suitcase. Yes, that has been my life of late. I just left my latest overnight stay, stopped in at a health service provider for an x-ray on my knee and now I’m sitting in a Starbucks, accompanying my newsletter with a nice cup of coffee.
In case you hadn’t guessed I am actually in the United States, not in Kenya (still no Starbucks in Kenya). My trip back is a short one and also one done without the rest of my family. I am here for one month only, seeing loved ones and visiting my home church in Bellbrook, Ohio. And the family is not with me for two reasons: 1) Amy and Josiah are in school and 2) We still are not able to travel outside of Kenya with Chloe. So, Julie, Amy, Josiah and Chloe are all back in Kenya, facing Kenyan challenges without my help. It seems like every time one or all of us are facing a trip back to the States that Satan attacks extra hard. Among many other problems that arose right around the time of my leaving Kenya, I arrived in Detroit and stepped off the plane only to be immediately informed that Julie was very ill and in a hospital back in Kenya. Hearing something like that can get you anxious right away, knowing that your wife is sick and you are ten thousand miles away and helpless to help her. Fortunately, we have good friends in Kitale who were able to look after Julie and Chloe in my absence. And, thankfully, Julie recovered rather quickly even though her care at the hospital was somewhat lacking in quality.
It has been a joy to be Stateside and to see my parents, my daughter and son-in-law and other loved ones. My time has already gone by so quickly and I leave for Kenya in one week. It was also a joy to worship with my home church, Emmanuel Baptist in Bellbrook. Thank you, Lord, for the faithfulness of your people; thank you that I can be gone for years and come back and find them still here, still worshiping you, still loving Jesus, still following your ways; thank you for their rock-steadiness, for their commitment to your Word, for their desire to glorify you; thank you, Lord, that in the midst of a hostile, anti-Christian world, they haven’t quit or given up or ruined their Christian testimony; thank you, Lord, for their love of me and my family.
Please continue to pray for our Kenyan ministry. While I am here friends are at work for me back in Kenya. We still need a place to worship. We need some finances. We need open doors. We need faith and courage. We need grace. We need the power of the Holy Spirit. We need Jesus in a big way. One of the biggest encouragements of being in the States is the multitude of people that have come up to me and said the following: “I pray for you and your family every day”. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard those exact words, even from people that I don’t even know by name. I certainly don’t deserve such love and support from you all, but I can’t even begin to express how much I appreciate and need it. Blessings to you all.
Until next month, beloved.
May God’s peace and joy be with you.
For the glory of God in East Africa,
Roger & Julie Tate (and Amy, Josiah & Chloe)
rojuta[at]gmail.com
Visit their blog!
For ministry donations:
Pastor George Sledd, Treasurer of BFM
P.O. Box 471280
Lake Monroe, FL 32747-1280
or click here to donate to BFM online.
Read more
Brief Visit to the States; Pray for Church Planting Plans
The Tate Family has served the Lord in Kitale, Kenya since January 2008. Their main ministry is church planting.
April 24, 2018
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
I am sitting in my office on the eve of a long journey. Tomorrow morning, I head to the bus station and take the eight-hour trip to Nairobi followed by my two-day plane ride from Nairobi to the States. I haven’t been to the United States for couple of years now and the last time I was there it was a short visit of only a month to attend Emily’s wedding. So, in the last four years I have spent exactly two months in the States. I am beginning to forget what it feels like to be there and I’m wondering what kinds of changes I will notice. I am sorry that I will not be able to see most of you this time around either as I will only be in the States for, again, one month. Julie and I still are not able to leave Kenya together because we still are not able to travel with Chloe and we do not wish to leave her here without us. So, for this trip I will be mostly in Michigan (where family lives) and Ohio (where my church family is) with short trips to Indiana and Kentucky thrown in. Please be in more prayer for Julie than for me during this month. I will be busy and will be “back home” while she will be left in Kenya to fend for herself. Believe me, it is very difficult to remain in Kenya while your spouse is traveling back to the States. And to pour on more suffering for her we just today had one of our beloved cats killed by the neighbors’ dogs. This was very bad timing indeed with me leaving tomorrow morning. Please pray for Julie and Amy, as she was Amy’s cat. Even now I am waiting until school is out at RVA so that I can call Amy and tell her. My poor Amy. There will be many tears.
Well, I did NOT accomplish the one thing I wanted to do before I left for the States tomorrow. As I have reported in past newsletters, I am wanting to start a church and be the pastor of that church and lead that church to worship and know God. I have been searching and searching for a place in town to rent so that we would have a centrally located place to meet. Everything I was finding in town was either too expensive (usually the case), badly located, too small or otherwise not conducive to starting a church. I had finally found a location that I thought would work. Even though I was not entirely thrilled with the location I thought it would work fine for what I wanted and the price was low enough that I could afford it. I wanted to get the room reserved and arranged before I left for the States so that when I returned I could begin trying to start the new church in earnest. When I went back to rent the room and sign the papers, “Kenya bit me”. OK, Kenya didn’t actually bite me (as you probably guessed). But I say “Kenya bit me” because when I went to actually rent the room the owner doubled the price! I guess his original price was meant to lure me in and snag me. All the same, it was very disappointing and discouraging to once again be foiled in this way. I have explained the situation to a couple of my Kenyan friends and they are now going to bat for me. They have told me that they will be looking for a place in my absence while I am in the States. They have also told me that they would be willing to do the negotiating for a price and that it would be best to let them handle it and for me to stay out of it (to not even let it be known that I will actually be the one renting the place until the time comes to sign the papers). I am glad for these Kenyan friends who are willing to look out for me and who want help me out as best as they can, knowing the culture and the situation in Kitale. Friends, all I want is to start a church that will glorify the Lord Jesus Christ, expand his kingdom here in Kenya and shine the light of the gospel into the hearts of the beloved Kenyan people. May God accomplish that to his glory.
Until next month, beloved.
May God’s peace and joy be with you.
For the glory of God in East Africa,
Roger & Julie Tate (and Amy, Josiah & Chloe)
rojuta[at]gmail.com
Visit their blog!
For ministry donations:
Pastor George Sledd, Treasurer of BFM
P.O. Box 471280
Lake Monroe, FL 32747-1280
or click here to donate to BFM online.
Read more
The Teacher Learning from Students
The Tate Family has served the Lord in Kitale, Kenya since January 2008. Their main ministry is church planting.
February 27, 2018
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
As usual I was doing a lot of Bible teaching this month to some of my Pastoral/Theological students. Consider the vast difference between me and my students. I have been studying the Bible in depth for decades. Most of my students have limited study of the Bible. I have a college education and years of theological training. None of my students have this. I grew up in sound churches with access to inexpensive religious resources like books, radio, music, etc. I have a large (comparatively speaking) library of theological resources. For most of my students, just to buy a study Bible would cost half a month’s salary and books are a luxury few of them can afford. At my fingertips I have access to the whole world of the internet: I can stay up to date on current theological and religious trends (although I usually don’t); I can access an unlimited storehouse of resources and articles, lessons, charts and diagrams; I can search Google for all the insane and heretical things people are saying and teaching around the world. Most of my students have no access to a computer, couldn’t type even if they had one, think Google must be some strange American food that no Kenyan in his right mind would eat, and are still using what my son Josiah calls a “brick phone” – i.e., a phone that can call and text but has no access to the internet. The bottom line is that I have a lot I can teach them. Now, some of you may be thinking that Missionary Roger is getting all prideful and vain. But that isn’t at all what this newsletter is about. It’s actually the opposite and it’s humbling to me because my students also have much they can teach to me. This became quite clear to me through a couple of conversations I had with my students. I will relate them briefly here because they taught me much and they may also hold some instruction for you, my readers, as well.
I was talking to one of my South Sudanese students. He asked me: “Mwalimu (teacher), do you have a gun”? (PLEASE NOTE: My relating this conversation has nothing to do with politics or the debate over gun control or anything remotely like it. I have no idea what your opinion or persuasion is on the topic and you don’t know mine. I am relating this conversation for a completely different purpose). I said, “No, Majok (his name), I do not have a gun. Do you”? “Oh, yes, Mwalimu, I have a gun. I have a Kalashnikov (an AK-47)”, he said. “Majok, why do you have a Kalashnikov?”, I asked. He responded, “Mwalimu, I take my gun to church with me and I put it in the pulpit when I preach so that when the raiders come I can quickly pull it out and defend my people and the raiders won’t kill us and burn our church building to the ground”. Now, whether you think this is the right approach or the wrong approach to the problem is up to you, but here is what this conversation taught me: The cost of discipleship and following Jesus is high! Followers of Jesus around the world must count the cost to follow him and love Him. Some will pay with their property or their lives. Are we willing to pay such a price? Majok, who would probably fail my class for lack of knowledge if I wasn’t gracious in my grading, has much to teach us.
Tukomoi is another of my students. He is intelligent and tries hard but has practically no educational background. He also would fail my class if I wasn’t gracious and take into account the fact that he can barely read or write. This is what Tukomoi related to me: “Mwalimu, I grew up in the ‘bush’, completely naked, raiding cattle, killing enemy tribesmen and ritualistically drinking cows blood for strength and power. When I was 17 years old I came across a primitive church building with a worship service going on inside. I went up to the window and curiously looked inside. The preacher was saying these words – ‘For God sent his only begotten Son into the world that whoever should believe on Him should not perish but have everlasting life’. The preacher saw me staring in the window and said, ‘You, boy, come in here and sit down’. I went in and sat down and listened to the message of God’s love and His Son. At the end of the message the preacher invited us all to come and to trust Jesus as our Lord and Savior. Something inside of me said to go forward and pray to God’s Son, Jesus, to save me and cleanse me from my sin. I went forward and trusted in Jesus as my Savior. Now you are talking to a reformed warrior”. My conversation with Tukomoi was stunning. I wished I had recorded it. It taught me the power of the gospel to change a life. It taught me how awesome God is and that God’s Word does not return to him empty but it transforms even the murderous sinner by His grace.
The transformation of lives and the glory of God is what our work for Jesus is all about. May these conversations bless, uplift and instruct all of us this month.
Until next month, beloved.
May God’s peace and joy be with you.
For the glory of God in East Africa,
Roger & Julie Tate (and Amy, Josiah & Chloe)
rojuta[at]gmail.com
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Pastor George Sledd, Treasurer of BFM
P.O. Box 471280
Lake Monroe, FL 32747-1280
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