Missionary Update: The Tates in Kenya [October 2015]
The Tate Family has served the Lord in Kitale, Kenya since January 2008. Their main ministry is indigenous church planting.
September 28, 2015
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Hello Friends. I am in an especially happy mood right now as I sit down to write this update. As you know, we have been wanting to adopt Chloe since she came to live with us last October. We just celebrated Chloe’s first birthday back on September 17th but unfortunately the Kenyan government’s moratorium on foreign adoptions is still in place. Thus, in the meantime, because we are not able to proceed with formal adoption plans, we thought it a good idea to obtain some more legal and permanent recognition of our status with her. So, for the past few months we have been in the courts here in Kitale trying to obtain legal guardianship for Chloe. This isn’t adoption, but it is an extremely important legal proceeding for us. In granting us guardianship the court would in essence be recognizing us as her legal parents and no one would be able to take her from us without a court order from the same court granting us guardianship. In other words, it legally places her in our family and gives us legal parental rights to her. However, up to today we have faced many delays and postponements in this legal process. Countless times we have thought we would receive the ruling only to be delayed again. We’ve jumped through all the hoops only to be postponed again. Today, finally, we have received the ruling from the court – We have been granted legal guardianship of Chloe! We are thanking God for this ruling and for placing Chloe into our family and now pray that the government will open up the adoption process to us as well. She is a precious blessing to us and in light of the recent and horrible discoveries about Planned Parenthood we are blessed and pleased to be able to care for and love one of God’s “little ones”. Lord, help each of us to be as concerned as you are about your “little ones” and all those in this world who are weak and helpless.
In other news, I also just finished teaching a week long class at a local Bible college just outside of town here in Kitale. The class I taught was hermeneutics (or, how to interpret Scripture). The class was all day, every day from Monday to Friday with the final exam on Saturday morning. I was excited about being invited to teach this class at the Bible college because one of the best ways to see the Kingdom of Christ grow and spread here in Kenya is to help, teach and disciple the pastors of the country—and what better topic to teach them but how to properly interpret God’s Word. I found out how important it was to teach my students this topic as throughout the week I found out that their favorite method of interpreting the Scriptures was to allegorize the text (ie, replacing the original, intended meaning of the author with fanciful and imaginative substitute meanings). It was a grueling and tiring week but my eleven students were very bright and I grew to appreciate them all very much.
Finally, I want to give you my latest Pokot news. In my last newsletter update I reported my desire to visit a certain remote village in the bush in Pokot and to take the gospel of Jesus there to those isolated people. Since my last report I was actually able to meet with my contact and we had solidified my plans with actual dates and an itinerary. However, later that very day all my plans came crashing to the ground. I will not go into all the details but let me just say that it was obvious that God himself was closing all the doors for me to make this trip. We can have our own plans but ultimately God is in control and when He shuts the doors it is wise that we not try to force them back open. In fact, it appears that God has completely shut the ministry doors to Pokot to me, at least for the time being. I still desire to minister and share the gospel with these remote people and we will see how God opens things up and allows me to minister there, but for now I have no immediate plans to go. This makes me very sad but I comfort myself with the knowledge that the Apostle Paul also had certain ministry plans and had intentions on going to certain cities when God suddenly directed him to another city and gave him alternative plans. Again, I will try and trust in God and do all that He asks me to do. In the meantime I will pray for an opening up of the ministry back in Pokot.
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 Emily, Amy, Josiah & Chloe)
rojuta[at]gmail.com
Visit their blog!
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Missionary Update: The Radfords in Kenya [September 2015]
Nathan and Carrie Radford serve the Lord in Kitale, Kenya. Their main ministries include indigenous church planting, a prison ministry, and a hospital ministry for mothers with premature babies.
September 1, 2015
Dear praying friends,
We are now in the month of September. There is much to update each of you on, and I will do my best to inform and share prayer requests. Thanks to each of you who faithfully pray, give, and write to encourage the missionaries that serve where God has called them. You are each such a blessing.
Some have been wondering about the health of our daughters, as I did not update about that last month. There were several weeks with our daughter Camille where we did not know what was going on. She complained of frequent lower stomach cramps and pains, which is a sign of amoeba. We took her to two different doctors here in Kitale and were still not completely sure what it was. We ended up going to a large hospital in Eldoret, about an hour and a half from Kitale. There, we received good care and they did advanced lab work. We continued to give the medications that were recommended, yet there was still stomach pain. McKenna also had not been feeling well at times.
Frustrated that we still did not conclusively know what it was, we finally took both girls, McKenna and Camille, to get tested at a large pediatric hospital in Nairobi. There, they did advanced testing that proved with certainty that no amoeba or infections were there. We were very relieved, but also frustrated, as we had to go multiple places and see multiple doctors to get the issue resolved. This is a frustration here and a prayer request, that a good, new hospital would come to Kitale with doctors that can readily and easily identify health issues. Health is a daily concern here, as when you get sick here, it’s different from America, when the sickness can me a multitude of things and it is difficult to know with certainty what the illness is. Praise the Lord, all is well now, and we appreciate your prayers for our family and our health as we serve here. We have to entrust our health to the Lord and trust Him, as with all else here. I like John 14:1, which says “Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.”
I am still praying about the permit for the prison ministry. The chaplain is continuing to allow me to come as I wait on the renewal. I am thankful for this and trusting the Lord to work in His plan, timing, and way. I think of Jeremiah 29:11, which says “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.” Please continue to pray the permit would be renewed quickly and without any issues.
The group in Robinson is continuing along well. My partner Roger Tate and I have been serving there for several months now. We have been doing visitation in the area there, trying to pray for people, encourage them, invite them to the teachings, and share the Gospel as opportunities come. We are presently teaching Inductive Bible study, which is crucial for the people to grasp and understand as they study and apply the Word of God to their lives. Please pray that this teaching would go well, that the people would see the importance of not only studying the Word, but applying and obeying what they learn. The Word of God is profitable, as we see in 2 Timothy 3:16, which says “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.” I will keep you updated on the progress of this ministry.
May we faithfully serve today, wherever the Lord has called and guided us. May we leave the results in His plan and timing, knowing He works all things out for good and to His glory. Thank you to each of you for the example of faithfulness you are to us.
Blessings,
P.O. Box 4150
Kitale, Kenya
East Africa, 30200
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Missionary Update: The Tates in Kenya [September 2015]
The Tate Family has served the Lord in Kitale, Kenya since January 2008. Their main ministry is indigenous church planting.
August 26, 2015
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
NO! This report is not morbid. Although at times it might sound like it is and it does touch on some serious subjects. But I think you will want to read the whole thing anyway.
A few days ago I was praying out in the back shamba (a corn field, for lack of a better term) where I like to go to and pray uninterrupted. One of the things I was praying about, a subject I often pray about, was a certain Pokot village in the bush that I want to visit. Now, most everywhere in the Pokot region is “out there” and “off the map”, and the area I usually go to is even more “out there” and “off the map” but this village that I intend to visit is…well…really out there. From where I usually go we will have to take a long motorcycle ride until the path ends and then we will have to walk (who knows how long) over a mountain to the unreached people that live there. According to my contact, these people are “still wearing their skins”, which I understood to mean they were walking around naked but have now come to know means they still wear animal skins for clothing. While I was praying about going to this village I saw a “vision” (now, don’t freak out on me, I’ll explain that in a minute). What I saw in my head as I prayed was a series of pictures/thoughts/scenes and in these scenes I saw myself walking on the trail over the mountain to this village. Later in the scenes I saw myself getting violently sick, unable to walk, unable to get out of the bush and, ultimately, dying out in the wild. Now, listen. I don’t think these were visions from God. They may have been no more than hidden fears coming out of my own head, of my own making. I think I was just seeing something that my mind sees as a real possibility. But the scenes were real, the outcome of the scenes is a possibility and the fear real. Whether these scenes are from God or my own mind, by attempting to go to this village, this is a real possibility that I must face. Does it mean I still want to go? Nnnnnnnnn, Yes.
Let me clear some things up before I continue. (1) I don’t want to die in Pokot. I want to continue living, serving God and loving my family. (2) I don’t plan on dying in Pokot. I don’t take these scenes as a prophecy of my death and I’m not preparing to go up there and die. (3) It is not likely that I will die in Pokot. There are dangers and I need to be careful but, again, it’s probably not going to happen. (4) While it is not likely it IS still possible to die in Pokot and thus (5) I will take every precaution that I can to NOT die in Pokot. But I still want to go because these people need to hear about the Lord Jesus Christ and the salvation offered to them through His death for us on the Cross. They need to know how to follow Him, love Him, obey Him and glorify Him. If I don’t go will they ever hear?
After having faced the “vision”, I continued praying and as a result I learned many things. These lessons I do believe came from God. I learned that: (1) Life is short. How long do I have left in life? 40 years? 30 years? 20? Less? I can spend what time God has left for me or I can waste it. (2) I can die in a nursing home. That is fine. I can die in my bed at home. That is fine. But I DON’T want to look back and wish I hadn’t squandered my life in luxurious and safe living. (3) It would be OK to die in the bush. It might be better than dying in my bed at home. (4) I have no guarantee of tomorrow. No one lives forever. I could die in a car accident here in Kitale easier than I could die in the bush. But I would rather die in the bush than in a car accident going into town to get ice cream. (5) Hardship is good. Comfort is misleading. Hardship toughens my spiritual muscles. Comfort lulls me to spiritual sleep. (6) Just because I could or might or should die out on a trip to Pokot doesn’t mean I shouldn’t go. So go I must.
So, why am I writing about this and in this manner? For two reasons. First, I, myself, needed to go through this particular thought process. I, myself, needed to face the decisions and the possibilities. I, myself, needed to decide again whether I would walk with Jesus on the road He is on or not or whether I would hold all the good gifts He has given me in this life with a closed-fist, white-knuckled hand. Second, I figured that if I need to go through that particular thought process, then maybe some of you probably need to do it too. I certainly don’t know what any of you are facing or will face in the near future in your walk with Jesus. Let us set our minds together on glorifying Him by walking on the path with Him that He is walking.
I will keep you posted on any Pokot trips that I have planned. I keep trying to get back up there to that village but all my plans keep falling through. At this point God is blocking the path. I am waiting until He opens the door back up and sends me back in.
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 Emily, Amy, Josiah & Chloe)
rojuta[at]gmail.com
Visit their blog!
Read more
Missionary Update: The Radfords in Kenya [August 2015]
Nathan and Carrie Radford serve the Lord in Kitale, Kenya. Their main ministries include indigenous church planting, a prison ministry, and a hospital ministry for mothers with premature babies.
August 1, 2015
Dear praying friends,
It is hard to believe that we are already in the month of August. Where has the time in the past year gone? It seems to pass faster and faster each year. Time is one of the most important gifts from God that we have, and how we need to use it wisely for His honor and glory.
We thank the Lord for the opportunities each day that He gives us to serve Him. Service is a privilege. I think of Matthew 20:27-28, which say “And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant: Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give His life a ransom for many.” What greater example could there be, than our Lord and Savior? Considering all that He has done for us, how could it not be a privilege to serve Him?
Please pray for the Annex prison ministry, as I am at the time of renewal of the prison permit. A permit is needed through the government to continue with this ministry, and I am praying that the Lord will provide this permit in His time and plan. My thoughts have always been to be faithful to this ministry as long as the Lord would have me there. I believe by faith that the permit will be renewed, and would appreciate your prayers as I am in the renewal process. It is all in His hands and I trust Him. The studies are continuing along well, and we are nearly done with the Old Testament and getting ready to move into the New Testament. The men who have been coming seem to be very dedicated and have a heart for the Word of God, which is a definite encouragement. Many of them face many challenges, yet they are faithful to come and study the Word of God. One of my favorite verses on the Bible is Psalm 119:89, which says “For ever, O Lord, Thy word is settled in heaven.” What a comforting verse to cling to throughout our lives.
The village ministry in Robinson is continuing along well. It has been challenging, as many who were coming at the beginning have fallen away. This is to be expected, as it happens anywhere. I think of John 6, where so many were following the Lord for the loaves and fishes and not to truly follow Him. I have been praying that the Lord would bring those who would be there for the right reasons, and Lord willing, to be a good foundation for a future church plant.
My partner Roger Tate and I agree that we need to bring further teachings and do visitation, share the Gospel faithfully, and pray for the Lord’s will to be done in the Robinson area. We would appreciate your prayers also to this end. We desire to be faithful, and leave the results in the Lord’s hands, trusting Him each step of the way. We are currently teaching the group on offerings and the Biblical uses that we see in the Scriptures. It has been good and has brought many questions. As we continue in the teachings of the Word, and pray for His will to be done, may we serve together in a spirit of love and unity. John 13:35 says “By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.”
Thank you so much to each one who writes, sends letters, or emails. We appreciate each of you so much. Homesickness is a real challenge that missionaries face, and each caring act is greatly appreciated. Thank you also for your faithful prayer and financial support, and for the faithful example of service that each of you are to us. May God abundantly bless you as you serve Him, wherever He leads.
Blessings,
Nathan and Carrie Radford
P.O. Box 4150
Kitale, Kenya
East Africa, 30200
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Missionary Update: The Tates in Kenya [August 2015]
The Tate Family has served the Lord in Kitale, Kenya since January 2008. Their main ministry is indigenous church planting.
July 28, 2015
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
In many of my monthly reports I oftentimes ask you to pray for us and our ministry here in Kenya. This month I want to relate to you the items that I, myself, am fervently praying for concerning our Kenyan ministry. That way you can join me and send your prayers up with mine for the things we are working on here.
First and foremost (ie, the main priority of our ministering here in Kenya), is the starting and forming of new New Testament churches here in the city (town) of Kitale where we live. We are currently working with a new group that meets in the house of Kefa and Matilda and we have been working with this group for a few months. It has has its ebbs and flows, its many visitors who have come for a week or two and then left. The ones who have remained appear solid and seem like they want to really serve the Lord and see the work grow. This is how I am praying for this group: That they might grow spiritually and know Jesus and follow Him on the same road He is walking, that they might reach out to their village with the love and gospel of Jesus Christ, that they might mature enough to be organized into a church, that they would stand on the Word of God instead of on the whims of man, that they would be the hands and feet of Jesus to the villages around them, that they would be led and strengthened in all things by the Holy Spirit, depending upon Him for all things, instead of the missionaries.
Roger and Blessed
For your enjoyment I have included a humorous picture of me and a little girl named Blessed who attends the meetings. Blessed is an orphaned girl who has been taken in by Kefa and Matilda (something which is very unusual in this culture) and I think she has taken a liking to me. Anyway, please don’t look at the picture and think that Roger has lost his mind. Let me explain. I have been teaching the last couple of weeks on the wise use of offerings and on how the early churches used the collections they took up. I showed them that most of the times the early churches in the NT took up collections, the money was used to help the poor and needy or to send missionaries along on their way. As an illustration, I decided that I would act out a conversation between a husband and wife on offerings and giving and how they would like to see a church utilizing the money they donated. To make the illustration memorable to my audience, I purchased some hair in town and whenever I was talking as “the wife” I put the hair on, moved to an adjacent seat and talked in a high, falsetto voice. Then, when I talked as “the husband”, I removed the hair, moved back to my seat and talked in my normal voice. The “conversation” proceeded in this way until my point was made. Blessed got a kick out of me wearing this hair and later put it on herself. Then I put the hair back on myself and snapped the picture you see. I think it’s funny and cute. Julie thinks I look like a hippie and a druggie.
The second item that I am fervently praying about is my ministry up in “the bush” with the Pokot people. I have been praying a lot about this but it seems that at the time God has put things on hold. I think God has things only on a temporary hold and I believe He will once again soon open things back up for me to be able to get back to some of these remote people and villages and spread the gospel and the kingdom of Christ there. The man I work with up there wants us to visit a very remote village behind the mountains where the people still wear animal skins for clothes and have never heard about Jesus before. I pray that we will be able to reach this village, that we will have boldness to preach about God’s love and salvation, that the village would trust in Jesus as Lord and Savior and that a congregation of Jesus would be started in that place.
The last ministry item that I am specifically and fervently praying about concerns a small, local Bible college located here in our town. I have been invited to teach a class at this college and have accepted the invitation. The class I will be teaching is hermeneutics (How to interpret the Bible). This is an extremely important subject in Kenya as many of the pastors, teachers and leaders in the churches know very little about properly interpreting the Bible and end up teaching anything and everything except what the Bible actually teaches. I am thrilled to be able to teach on this topic and hopefully help some of these local, Kenyan pastors teach their people from the Bible in a profitable way. I pray that God would lead me in my own study, that the students would grasp the concepts of Bible interpretation, that they would learn to love God’s Word and want to teach its life giving principles to others, and as a result that many people would hear God’s Word, that they would be saved, and grow to maturity as followers of the Lord Jesus Christ.
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 Emily, Amy, Josiah & Chloe)
rojuta[at]gmail.com
Visit their blog!
Read more
Missionary Update: The Radfords in Kenya [July 2015]
Nathan and Carrie Radford serve the Lord in Kitale, Kenya. Their main ministries include indigenous church planting, a prison ministry, and a hospital ministry for mothers with premature babies.
July 1, 2015
Dear praying friends,
Another month has come and gone, and there is much to update you on. We praise the Lord for His goodness, faithfulness, provisions, and guidance. What a mighty God we serve. Unto Him and Him alone belongs all the glory. There have been some health issues recently that we would like to ask you to pray for, as well as ministry prayer requests.
Life in Kitale has been challenging lately, especially with the public van station moving right downtown into the heartbeat of traffic, which causes much congestion, etc. We hope and pray that things will go back to normal in a few months once the new station is built. There have also been frequent power outages. Imagine doing something that is really important, only for the power to be cut off abruptly in the morning hours, and not returning until late evening. This has happened repeatedly and has been frustrating for all of us. Sometimes we have to boil water to take pan baths as the power is out so long we are unable to shower. However, Kenya is still better than neighboring countries, where there are even more frequent power outages. Part of the frustration is that we never seem to get a straight answer as to what is causing the outage and how long it will be out. It has been better the past few days, for which we thank the Lord, but please pray the power company would get to the root issue and not cut the power so frequently. Stable power is something we thoroughly enjoy while we are home on furlough. As someone has said “You do not know what you have until it is gone.” How true.
Another of the main challenges with missionary life is the turnover rate among the missionary community. The mission field has people coming and going all the time, and it seems that we are always saying “goodbye.” It feels at times like a “revolving door” of people coming and going all the time. People we have become close with and shared struggles with. I know this happens not just in Kenya, as I have heard it is the same on mission fields of other parts of the world as well. There is a family that has served their time in Kitale that we have grown close with who are now moving on and following the Lord elsewhere. We will definitely miss them and although it is hard to say goodbye, we trust the Lord will bring others, and we are thankful for the faithful families who have been here for many years. Transition is never easy, and when it comes to friendships, it is difficult, but we trust the Lord to help us and as various families move on to where the Lord has called them. Proverbs 18:24 states “A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.” Please pray for all the missionaries serving around the world, who struggle with these same issues. The Lord is faithful through it all, and we trust Him to provide in His time and plan.
In health news, both of our daughters have contracted amoeba, as I have shared in previous newsletters. Amoeba is very common here in Kenya, although it is certainly not fun. I have had it myself two times, and know how it feels. Cami, especially, has been struggling with this for 7 months and has been on various medications but thus far none of them have eradicated the problem completely. Please pray for them and us as we are trusting God to help us with this issue. Also, I, Nathan, recently went to a dermatologist at a hospital in Eldoret and had some moles removed. There is a history of melanoma skin cancer in our family, so I need to get checked fairly regularly. Please pray for our family with these health issues. Our health is in His hands, and we trust Him each step of the way.
In ministry news, it has been exciting to watch the spiritual growth of the prisoners at the Annex prison. I recently had the opportunity to teach on Pharaoh and the ten plagues of Egypt. My goal was to show the importance of having a soft heart before the Lord. It was interesting to watch the Bible come alive to the men as they heard of each plague that came upon the nation because of Pharoah’s refusal to listen to the Lord. We learned of pride and the dangers of pride. Proverbs 16:18 says “Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.” Please pray for this ministry and the teachings that are ahead of us, that the men would see the truth of the Word of God, obey it, and follow it faithfully.
My friend Roger Tate and I are continuing to train and disciple men, as well as go out ourselves into communities to start house churches. We are meeting regularly, discussing our thoughts about how the Lord is leading and comparing our experiences. We need wisdom from the Lord each step of the way. We can do nothing without Him. Proverbs 2:6 says “For the LORD giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding.” We trust Him for wisdom for the most effective way to start churches in this culture. The Lord is faithful and we desire His leading and guidance, not our own.
May the Lord bless each of you abundantly. Thank you so much for your interest and heart for those around the world to be reached with the precious Gospel message. You each are such an important part of the ministry, and we thank the Lord for you so much.
Until next month,
Nathan and Carrie Radford
P.O. Box 4150
Kitale, Kenya
East Africa, 30200
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Missionary Update: The Tates in Kenya [July 2015]
The Tate Family has served the Lord in Kitale, Kenya since January 2008. Their main ministry is indigenous church planting.
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
If you read my newsletter from last month, and I hope you did, then you read a little about my discouragement over not seeing as much spiritual growth in the disciples and churches I work with here in Kitale. I tried to end my newsletter on a higher note and show that God’s work will be completed in each of his children, but when I finished my newsletter and hit the send button I was still discouraged. But God has a way of encouraging his children and he did just that for me this month in the form of a message from a pastor back home. Many, many months ago I received in the mail a message on CD. This was a message taught by Tom Teall, pastor of Calvary Baptist Church in West Branch, Michigan. The CD sat on my desk for a week or two before I got around to listening to it. I tried playing the disk on various devices but because the disk had gotten scratched somewhere I could never get it to play past the first minute. Because I could not get the message to play, it sat on my desk for the next couple of months…until last week. Last week Julie and I were looking for something to listen to, pulled out this message by Pastor Tom, popped it into her computer, and, amazingly it worked. And now I know why it never worked before – because I needed to listen to it last week and not months ago. His message was from Psalm 1:2 –
He shall be like a tree
Planted by the rivers of water
That brings forth fruit in its season
Whose leaf also shall not wither
And whatever he does shall prosper.
I won’t repeat the whole message here but I just wanted to point out that Pastor Tom spent a lot of time on that third line in the verse: “That brings forth fruit in its season”. The point of his message was that fruit is seasonal. SEASONAL! In other words, you shouldn’t expect to see all the fruit on all the trees at all times but that when the season is right (the season God has prepared) then the tree will bring forth the right fruit, in the right quantity and in the right quality. Pastor Tom’s message encouraged me at the right time to press on and wait for the fruit that God will bring in his season. Be looking for fruit, beloved. It will come.
On a bit of a lighter note, let me ask you what has ever happened in one of your worship services that has held up or delayed the proceedings? Nathan and I were right in the middle of a worship/Bible study hour at the home where our group meets when a crazy chicken strutted in. This crazy chicken strutted right to my feet where it stopped, cocked its head to one side and stared directly into my eyes. When I didn’t move the way the foolish fowl wanted me to, she jumped up into my lap and lept onto my shoulder. At this point I was just hoping it would not release a bomb onto my shirt. The boneheaded bird then walked across the back of my chair and jumped onto Nathan’s chair. Nathan hastily extricated himself from the chair before the brainless biddy could land on his head or in his lap. With Nathan’s chair now free from its occupant the pesky poultry took up residence there. One of the Kenyan boys quickly removed the half-witted hen from the chair before it could nest down and lay its egg, which is what it wanted to do in the first place. The removal of the chicken allowed our Bible study to recommence and proceed. While being in Kenya I have now had worship services interrupted by a chicken, sheep, cow, dog and a snake. The young boy relieving his bladder in the corner of the church building never fazed anyone, though, and the preacher never missed a beat in delivering his message.
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 Emily, Amy, Josiah & Chloe)
rojuta[at]gmail.com
Visit their blog!
Read more
Missionary Update: The Tates in Kenya [April 2015]
The Tate Family has served the Lord in Kitale, Kenya since January 2008. Their main ministry is indigenous church planting.
April 5, 2015
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
I want to write about something you may have heard about in the news and something I’m certain you have not heard about in the news concerning Kenya.
First, you may have heard that once again Kenya was the victim of a horrendous terrorist attack. Once again, terrorists from the organization called Al Shaabab (affiliated with Al Qaida but based in Somalia) have crossed the Somali/Kenya border and perpetrated unspeakable acts of atrocity against Kenyan citizens. 4-5 masked gunmen entered a university in the town of Garissa in Kenya in the middle of the night and wantonly opened fire on sleeping students. Their only objective was to kill and cause terror, a goal in which they succeeded. I have read news reports stating that as many as 147 students were killed in the attack. I don’t know if this number is accurate but I do know that many young lives were ended that night. News of this attack quickly went international and is probably why you have heard about it already. Garissa is not that close to Kitale and thus this horrible attack does not impact us directly nor were we ever at risk of danger or injury during this attack. But we do grieve for the Kenyan people; the families of the victims, the town of Garissa which has endured this suffering and the nation as a whole which has to repeatedly face such atrocities. We wonder why people would commit such acts of atrocity against their fellow man. We wonder how long God will suffer these people to kill others who are made in His image before He returns to this earth to set all things right. While we could never condone such acts, we pray that God would use this time to reach the hearts of many Kenyan people and cause them to reflect on eternity and their relationship with Him.
Second, I’m almost certain you never did hear in the news about an event that hit much closer to home here in Kitale. Here in Kitale, the city municipal council decided to make some “changes”. Our lawyer friend who lives next door described it so beautifully that I will quote her description. She says, “Some clowns decided to resite the bus and mini bus stage ‘temporarily’ while a new one is built on the old site. Might not have been such a bad idea except they gave no proper warning, did absolutely no planning of new traffic systems, built no new infrastructure and the traffic is now chaotic to put it mildly. To compound that, they then decided to resite the fruit and vegetable market from the old, largely covered, old site to the same place…. again, with no proper stalls, roofs or infrastructure or proper notice. And just to inflate already justifiably fraying tempers, part of the area they resited to is owned by the railway company who say they did not give permission to use their land and plan to evict everyone in the next day or so by force if necessary……… all the ingredients for a riot!” And, since all the ingredients for a riot were in place, can you guess what then resulted? That’s right, a riot ensued. The riot started at the governor’s house and then moved to the streets. The streets were blockaded, fires were started, things were smashed and chaos ensued. The police arrived, shot their AK-47’s and released tear-gas to attempt to disperse the crowds. All of this happened within 2 miles of our house and on the main road that we use to enter town. Once we heard what was going on we quickly closed and locked up the house, warned the security guard of possible danger and decided to stay indoors, at least for the rest of the day and night. I’ve heard unsubstantiated reports that a couple of municipal buildings were burned down and that a coupe of people were killed in the rioting. I can’t say if these reports are true or not. But this event happening so close to home certainly causes us to stop and think how quickly society can devolve into chaos and how people pursuing their own sinful ways can wreak havoc on society as a whole. Again, we look forward to the perfect reign and kingdom of Christ when our righteous and sovereign King will reign in all of his glory. We only pray that many Kitale residents will recognize Jesus as King of their lives and that he will become King in their hearts before he returns to reign as King of the earth.
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 Emily, Amy, Josiah & Chloe)
rojuta[at]gmail.com
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