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
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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.