Missionary Update: The Tates in Kenya [November 2014]
The Tate Family has served the Lord in Kitale, Kenya since January 2008. Their main ministry is indigenous church planting.
November 5, 2014
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
I did something this month I never really expected to do; I made my first solo trip into the African bush. And I survived! Let me tell you, it is a lot more stressful and “weighty” to go by yourself, be the only one responsible for your life and health, and be the only one taking care of everything. It’s a lot more taxing, nerve-racking, and challenging when it’s just you and the stuff you can carry in your backpack on your back; when the mere exposure to the elements (the fierce sun and brackish water) can kill you; when you only personally know one person within a hundred mile radius (and you don’t know him very well); when no one you will be going to see speaks any English or even Swahili except that one person you know; when you don’t know what you will be eating for the next four days; when you have no idea what to expect; when your surroundings are straight out of a National Geographic magazine. But like I said, I survived, and now I can even write about it.
My main ministry has been and will continue to be our church planting ministry here in the town of Kitale. But just a couple hundred miles north of Kitale are villages of people that have never even heard the name of Jesus Christ before and where the message of the gospel has never been proclaimed. Is it worth it to put yourself through some dangers, through some risk, through some stress, and through some discomfort to be able to share the gospel message of Jesus Christ with such people? I hope our answer is “Yes!”
My trip started from Kitale by boarding a shuttle (public van for transportation) to Makutano. From there I boarded another shuttle with 7 seats in it. The driver managed to stuff 17 people into that shuttle made for 7. He drove us down the long escarpment and into the bush. From there I jumped on the back of a 125cc motorcycle for another 1½ hour drive further into the bush, through narrow paths, over rocks, past camels, and through multiple 100 foot wide river beds (some completely dried up and some that still had water). I finally arrived at Benson’s compound where I stayed for the next four days. Benson is the Pokot pastor I went to visit. His compound consisted of a small hut to sleep in, a small hut for cooking in, a small hut to store food in, and a goat corral. Every night I was there, people emerged from out of the bush to gather at Benson’s compound for a time of worship. These 2-2½ hour worship times included singing, testimonies and me preaching the Word of God. We also had a Sunday morning worship service at the church (no building, just a large tree under which we sat on wooden planks propped up off the ground with rocks). This service was 5 straight hours of singing, testimonies, Roger preaching…singing, testimonies, Roger preaching.
These are the Pokot members of the evangelistic team! (L to R: Petro, Benson, James, Christina, __, and Salome)
The highlight of the trip for me was the all-day Saturday evangelistic circuit we made. The evangelism team was made up of three Pokot men, three Pokot women and myself. We walked 5 miles through the steaming hot bush to the village Benson had chosen for us to share the gospel in. There we began “hut to hut” evangelism with each hut being about a 10 minute walk from the last. At each hut where we stopped, we sang songs, and I preached the gospel of Jesus Christ. Each stop probably averaged about 30 minutes. This was not a completely unreached area but none of the people we visited were Christians. I enjoyed watching one of the older Pokot men on our evangelism team. Petro (his English name) never spoke during the public evangelism and sharing of the gospel; but while others were speaking or singing, or while I was preaching, he would look for people wandering around on the paths outside of the compound, grab them by the arm, and drag them over to hear the message. If a child got up to wander off, he would track them down and bring them back to make sure they heard about Jesus. While follow-up will have to be made to ensure that the conversions are real, I was thrilled when some Pokot people at different compounds trusted in Christ as their Savior; 4 at one compound, 3 at another, and 2 more at yet another. After we were finished with our evangelism tour, we walked the 5 miles back to Benson’s compound. The fierce sun beat down upon us the whole day. By the time we returned, I was so exhausted that I fell into a chair and immediately fell fast asleep, slumped over but still sitting in the chair. When I awoke, still groggy from my slumber, I found all the other Pokot team members had found grassy, shady places to lie down and sleep. I rejoiced the next morning when two of the women who trusted in Christ had walked the five miles to Benson’s “church tree” for the Sunday morning marathon worship.
Now that I’ve returned to Kitale, I have to decide how I will proceed with this Pokot ministry. There are totally unreached villages tucked up in the hills that Benson wants him and me to visit. These people have most likely never seen a white man, never seen a book, never heard of Jesus, are probably involved in witchcraft and animistic or spirit worship, and may wear animal skins for clothes. I would love to reach these people and share the gospel of Jesus with them. But, honestly, beloved, most of the trip was physically and mentally exhausting. Was it miserable? Yes. Was it rewarding? Yes. Does God have future ministry plans for me up there? Pray with me as I seek His face and His will in this matter and see how He would have me minister to His dear lost children 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)
rojuta[at]gmail.com
Visit their blog!
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Missionary Update: The Radfords in Kenya [November 2014]
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.
November 5, 2014
Dear praying friends,
We hope this update finds each of you doing well. It is hard to believe that the holiday season is already upon us, as I am thinking specifically of Thanksgiving for this month. May we be thankful for all the Lord does for us, provides for us, and how He is with us always as we serve Him. What a mighty God we serve! As someone has said, “Count your blessings, not your problems.”
It is always difficult to be away from those we love during the holidays, so we would greatly appreciate your prayers for us at this time. Missing friends, family, those we love, and our culture is especially hard at this time. Homesickness is something that many missionaries struggle with, not just ourselves, so please remember all who serve overseas. God’s grace and strength are very helpful, and how we need to rely upon Him not just during the holidays, but throughout the year. 2 Corinthians 12:9 says “And He said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for My strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” Verses such as this are such a help and encouragement.
The Annex prison ministry is continuing along well. There is a group of men who seem to be serious in their study of the Word of God and desire to grow spiritually. This past week, I taught on our enemy, Satan, and how we can rely on the Lord in our spiritual battles. The men seemed to enjoy the teachings and verses such as 1 John 4:4, which states “Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.” There are many more studies to pass through, so please continue to pray for the men as they learn more from the Word of God.
Church planting is continuing along well, for which I thank the Lord. My friend Roger Tate and I are continuing along with the foundational teachings that those we train should know, understand, and practice. The churches need to be independent, self-supporting, and self-reliant, trusting in the Lord to provide for them. The leaders need to know and practice the teachings of the Word, such as Philippians 4:19, which states “But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” God will supply their needs, and they need to look to Him and trust in Him for all things. It has been exciting to train qualified men and watch their growth as they grasp these truths. They are many more teachings to give to the men, so please pray for us as we continue to teach and train.
May each of you have a great Thanksgiving holiday ahead. Enjoy the time with your friends, family, and those you love. One quote I read that really challenged me was “Never take those you love for granted.” May we always make the time for others and enjoy our time together. God bless you and we will keep you updated.
Serving in Kenya,
P.O. Box 4150
Kitale, Kenya
East Africa, 30200
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Missionary Update: The Tates in Kenya [October 2014]
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,
Greetings, beloved, from the land of perpetual rain and blackouts. Well, OK, it’s not that the rain never stops. It just seems that way sometimes. This week the rain was mixed with a good amount of hail. This occurs here about once a year. The hail covered the ground and it looked like the ground was covered with snow (which never occurs here). Josiah played in the storm until it became too painful to be pelted by small hailstones. And, of course, we don’t have perpetual blackouts. In fact, the electricity is really on most of the time. However, it is off often enough to frustrate us. But right now the sun is shining brightly and the electricity is on, so I have nothing to complain about, right?
We were able to start up a new class at our church planting training center this month. It has pretty much gone the typical “Kenyan” way. Let me explain. The first day of class started with a nearly empty room. The room only contained two people – Nathan and me. We waited a long time by ourselves, waiting to see if any students would show up. An hour after the official starting time the students started trickling in. This is typical and to be expected in Kenya. A half hour later the room was filled with the students that had been recruited. We spent the first half of the class with introductions and getting to know these students better (It’s best to know up front: Whether they have more than one wife, which is a show stopper for some; What their purpose for coming to the class is, which for some is a free lunch; Whether or not they can give a good salvation testimony, which most Kenyan Christians do not know how to do; and etc.). They all seemed to be excited to study the Bible together, to learn to work for the expansion of the Kingdom of God, and to eventually learn how to start new churches of the Lord Jesus Christ. The second half of the class we began to lay out for the students what they should expect from us, the missionaries and teachers. We told them we would put great effort into teaching them from the Bible, into modeling for them how to do the work of the ministry, and into assisting them as much as possible in learning how to follow Christ, how to minister to God’s people, and how to start new churches of the Lord Jesus Christ. The excitement level was still high. Next, we explained to them what they should NOT expect from us, the missionaries and teachers. We told them they should not expect a salary, gifts, school fees, a church building, musical instruments, lunch or other handouts. We also told them that while we would teach them extensively, our training center was to train men to go out and do the work of the Kingdom, not to simply get a diploma. Many think they cannot minister or work in the Kingdom without a diploma. Diplomas are also seen as a way to advance oneself in the business world here and so we would not be administering diplomas or certificates. At this point the excitement level dropped a bit. We were not mean or nasty. We were not harsh or condescending. We were, in fact, gentle and meek with them. We wanted them to know up front what they should expect to get and what they should not expect to get. We wanted to be open and honest with them so that they would know what they were getting themselves into. The result? Well, over 80% of the class dropped out and never returned for the second session. This also is typical of Kenya and we have also come to expect this. We aren’t cynical. We’ve just come to know that only about 5% of those we train will actually progress to do the work of the ministry out of love for the Lord Jesus Christ. So, we are taking the remaining 20% of the students and have continued the class with them. We will train them, teach them, and model for them the work of the ministry. And we will be thankful for the ones that remain.
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)
rojuta[at]gmail.com
Visit their blog!
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Missionary Update: The Radfords in Kenya [October 2014]
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.
October 5, 2014
Dear praying friends,
We hope this update finds each of you doing well as you serve the Lord. We appreciate each of you so much, more than you know.
It is hard to believe we are only two months away from the end of 2014. As someone has wisely said, “Now is the time to invest in eternity.”
We thank the Lord for each of you who have written to tell us you are praying for us, or sent cards, etc. Your thoughtfulness means so much and we thank God for you and your encouragement. We are upcoming on a difficult time of year, as the holidays are coming soon. Homesickness is one thing we really struggle with at times, and we rely on the Lord to help us through it. It comes and goes at different times and in different periods of intensity, yet the Lord is so faithful through it all.
Church planting is progressing along well, although there are major challenges. My friend and partner, Roger Tate, and I are doing our best to teach Kenyan men to rely on the Lord and not us. This is a challenge for many of the men, but something they definitely need to see from the Word of God and apply to their lives. Psalm 34:8 says “O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.” We will keep you updated on the progress of training qualified Kenyan men to go and reach their own people and start churches in the Kitale area.
I thank the Lord that He has kept the opportunity of ministry open to the Annex prison. The chaplain there was so nice and helpful and I really thank the Lord for that. Please pray for the men there, that the light of the Word of God would shine there and many would be saved. Acts 26:18 states “To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.”
The children are doing well and growing up too fast. McKenna has been in homeschooling for several weeks now and both McKenna and Mom seem to be doing well. Camille will be having her time to start schooling soon. This is definitely a new period in all of our lives and stretching for us. I am so thankful for my wife and her sacrificial spirit to work with each of our daughters each day. Not only is she a great teacher, but also mother and encourager to me. I am truly blessed. Please pray for this school year, that all will go well and much good knowledge will be learned and applied.
We thank the Lord for each one of you and your interest in missions. We will keep you updated. Have a wonderful upcoming holiday season.
Serving in Kenya,
P.O. Box 4150
Kitale, Kenya
East Africa, 30200
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Missionary Update: The Tates in Kenya [September 2014]
The Tate Family has served the Lord in Kitale, Kenya since January 2008. Their main ministry is indigenous church planting.
September 4, 2014
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
As I was reading my Bible the other day I came across a passage of Scripture in Exodus that struck me because I saw many similarities between what was happening to Moses and the children of Israel and what was happening to me and the people of Kitale, Kenya. Now, before I continue you need to know that the people of Kitale are no children of Israel and I am certainly no Moses. I am no deliverer like Moses was to the children of Israel, no great spiritual leader, no worker of miracles and no author of parts of Scripture. I have never seen God in a burning bush, never heard the audible voice of God, never conversed with God face-to-face and the only lice I’ve ever dealt with was the ones found on my kids heads. So, I guess the similarities aren’t that many. But there was one that did strike me. In the midst of the story where Moses is striving with Pharaoh and Pharaoh refuses to listen to Moses or to God and refuses to let the children of Israel go and worship God, Moses gets frustrated with God because God is not doing what Moses thinks He should be doing. God had promised Moses that He would rescue His people from the slavery of Egypt. But in Exodus 5:22 Moses complains to the Lord and says “since I came to Pharaoh to speak in Your name, he has done evil to this people; neither have You delivered Your people at all”. This is where I totally relate to Moses. I look around at the people of Kitale and the lack of progress we have made in our ministry and I think, “God, you sent me here with the saving message of the good news of Jesus Christ, the dynamite in Your hands that You use to change hardened hearts into followers of Christ and with the promise that Your word does not return to you empty but it accomplishes all that you sent it out to accomplish and with the promise that you will redeem Your people from every tribe, tongue, people and nation. AND YET, WHEN I LOOK AROUND I SEE THAT YOU HAVE NOT DELIVERED YOUR PEOPLE AT ALL”. I ask God, why has Your word had such little effect? Why has Your Spirit changed so few lives? Like Moses I complain. Why haven’t You delivered Your people here in Kenya? Ever ask a question similar to that?
Well, don’t stop reading in Exodus, even though the chapter ends, because in Exodus 6:1 God responds to Moses and says, “NOW you shall see WHAT I WILL DO”. And what does God do? He goes on to fulfill his promise to His people and through a series of supernatural events delivers His people from slavery in Egypt. And I am glad that I didn’t stop reading at the end of chapter 5 because I am encouraged to know that, like God did with His people in Egypt, He will accomplish in Kenya what He wants to accomplish and He WILL redeem His people in His own timing. And although He doesn’t need me to accomplish His purposes, I pray that He will. And while we don’t always see the results we want to see, we do see God moving in this place. I am excited about the new class of church planters that will start at the training center this week. We are expecting anywhere from three to ten new students who we will begin to train to be church planters in their home villages. We pray that these men will be faithful, dependable, God-fearing, Christ-following, future church planters in Kitale.
On a more personal note, we are down to one child left at our house for nine months of the year as we delivered Amy to her new home at Rift Valley Academy for the beginning of her eighth grade year. This is the beginning of her tenure as a boarding school student 300 miles away from home. I never thought that boarding school would ever be an option for our children but we feel very confident that this is what God wants for Amy, at least for now. Please be in much prayer, especially for Amy, but also for Julie, Josiah and me as we all make this difficult transition. Pray that she settles in well and that God would be with her and bless her.
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)
rojuta[at]gmail.com
Visit their blog!
Read more
Missionary Update: The Radfords in Kenya [September 2014]
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 4, 2014
Dear praying friends,
We are now in the latter part of 2014. I keep asking myself, “Where has the time gone?” It seems the older I get, the faster the time passes by. How we need to take time for that which is important during our lives, as this life is so short and brief in comparison to eternity.
This past month was a difficult one for our family, as my grandmother, Mrs. Ruby Harris, passed away at the age of 90. My mother’s mother was such a blessing to me all through my life, and such a prayer warrior and supporter of the missionary work God has called us to. She was a strong Christian, and is now in the presence of the Lord and in a far better place. Some verses that come to my mind are Psalm 116:15, which says “Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints.” Another great verse to claim is 2 Corinthians 5:8, which states, “We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.” Please keep the family in prayer at this time.
It is now rainy season in Kitale, and it can be tricky at times to travel on the Milimani roads, which become very muddy after the rains. I recall at one point several years ago where it rained so hard that even taxis would not come to pick us for fear of getting stuck! Please pray for our safety as we travel. The rain is certainly a blessing, and it is a total switch from the seasons of where I am from in America, so it takes some getting adjusted to.
Speaking of adjustments, our daughter McKenna officially starts school this week. Please pray for both mother and daughter as my wife will be home schooling her. This will be a big change for my daughter and the years ahead. Please pray she will do well, as she is a smart little girl.
My wife has begun the hospital ministry and it is going well. The staff have been very friendly and inviting, and we thank the Lord for that. God has kept the door of ministry open there for her to minister to mothers, children, and abandoned babies.
Church planting endeavors need much prayer, as there are many challenges, which I have shared previously in monthly updates. Please pray the Lord would give us wisdom in regards to who to work with, etc. We know He is in control and we trust Him. Lord willing, we will also be offering a basic Christianity course. What is a Christian? What does it mean to follow Christ? These are some of the questions that we will be answering from the Word of God, in addition to other teachings.
Please pray for us as we seek to follow Him daily. One of my favorite verses is Luke 9:23, which says “And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.” Are we willing to follow Him today and every day? I hope and pray so. God bless you all and thanks so much for your prayers, encouragement, and sacrificial giving. We will keep you updated.
Serving in Kenya,
Nathan and Carrie Radford
P.O. Box 4150
Kitale, Kenya
East Africa, 30200
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Missionary Update: The Tates in Kenya [August 2014]
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,
I want to write to you this month about a light in the darkness and a darkness in the light. Explanation of this cryptic sentence follows.
I had an opportunity this month to visit the Pokot region of Kenya where the Pokot people live. These people live north of Kitale. About a 40 minute drive north of Kitale, you drive down a long escarpment, go off the map, and enter a completely different world. You leave the cooler, green of Kitale for the hot and dust-filled land of the Pokot. You leave the “comfortable” and the “familiar” for the unknown, the desert. In a word, you leave “civilization” (some of you might not even consider Kitale to be civilization) for the world of National Geographic. You enter a land of small mud huts, goats and camels, no water or food, strange clothes, unknown language, sickness and blindness, thorns, mountains, dried up riverbeds, naked children, and even witch doctors. Our destination was a seven hour drive north to the Pokot villages of Konyau, Leyo, Alale, Nakali and other villages too small for a name. Our goal was to teach and preach the gospel and the salvation found in Jesus Christ. Of the many things I could write about concerning this trip, I basically want to summarize it by contrasting two of the small villages we visited, neither of which was big enough to have a name.
Village #1: A Light in the Darkness
We arrived in this village around 5:30pm, set up our tents outside the village, and got a fire burning so we could heat up some tea. We ate our evening meal of tea and peanut butter sandwiches without jam. We had plans of heading down to the village after dark for a time of worship with the villagers. At 9:00 we headed down to the village. It was already pitch dark. We arrived at the village where the only light came from a small campfire that was already burning. No one besides us missionaries had arrived at the worship site yet (the worship site being a cleared out area around the fire). While we waited for people to arrive we tried to call home and check in with our families, but we could not receive any cell coverage (surprisingly, you can get cell coverage just about everywhere in Kenya, even in the bush). We wandered away from the fire 200 to 300 yards looking for a place where we would find coverage. It was very dark. All I could see were the stars and the dark silhouettes of the nearby mountains. While I was out wandering around looking for a signal, drums from the village began to sound, signaling to the people to come to the fire for worship. If you’ve seen enough movies like I have, you may be able to figure out what I was thinking. Put yourself in my place. You’re in the middle of the African bush. It’s completely dark. You hear drums start to sound in the distance. If you’re anything like me you begin to think that those drums are an ominous sign that the cannibals are about to come and get you. A little far-fetched, I know, but you might think the same thing if you had been in my position. It was menacing. It was threatening. It was gloomy. It was intimidating, hostile, sinister and foreboding. Anyway, as we began to walk back towards the village, the sound of the drums increased, becoming even more daunting. But soon the light from the fire appeared as well as the sound of singing villagers. We arrived back in the village to the sounds of the drums, the people singing and dancing around the fire as the whole village had come out to worship and praise God together. They sang and praised God for over an hour in the Pokot language. They also sang some in Swahili so I was able to hear that they were indeed singing about Jesus, the cross, his grace, salvation and how much they loved him. The singing was followed by a time of teaching and preaching by the missionaries about the gospel, which was well received by all these people. As I sat there participating in all this I could not help but think that while the darkness of night had set in, and although the drums sounded menacing from a distance, this particular village was filled with the light of Christ and the gospel.
Village #2: A Darkness in the Light
The scenario surrounding the other village I will tell you about was completely different. This village we wanted to visit contained the witch doctor for the whole vicinity. Using divination he would tell people when and where to attack for cows, would tell the people what they needed to do for the rain to come, and performed other acts of “seeing”. His powers, albeit from the devil, are very real. We wanted to go see him and share the gospel with him and his village. We got up in the morning, ate our breakfast, and took off for his village. We left on foot at about 10:00 in the morning, carrying water and food for our long hike into the mountains where his village was located (any resemblance of a road ended at the place where we had pitched out tents for the night). The sun was shining bright and hot. I covered my head with a hat and my neck with a scarf. I drank a lot of water as we hiked up and down hills, the bright sun illumining our path while pounding us with radiation, light, and heat. We finally arrived in the small village. Some of the older women sat in shady areas with the small naked children. Most of these women looked blind, their eyes white and milky. We asked to see the old witch doctor. They refused to tell us where he was. They told us we were not welcome there and to go away. We told them we had words from God that he wanted them to hear. They would not look us in the eyes, they told us the words we had were not for them, that they did not want to hear them. We told we had walked far to see the old man and again asked if we could see him. Some of the teenage boys who were standing afar off tending the goats began to yell at us and threaten us. There was hostility in their voices and in their eyes. The resistance was great, not only to our message but also to our very presence. After about an hour, we had no choice but to leave the village. The old witch doctor never came out of his hut, and we never had a chance to see him. As we began our long walk back to our campsite, the sun continued to pound us with light and heat. I couldn’t help thinking that the whole time we visited that village the sun brightly lit up the entire area, but the poor people of that village lived in complete and perpetual spiritual darkness. Later, back at the campsite, we worshipped with some Christian Pokot people. I encouraged them to be thinking and praying about how they themselves could be missionaries to their own people by taking the gospel back to the witch doctors’ village in the hills.
I relate these contrasting stories to you so that you can see that while the gospel has made many inroads into far off places and is shining the light of the truth of Jesus in Satan’s dark strongholds, there are still many places and people that are blinded to the light of Christ and need his love, grace and mercy in their lives. Please pray for the conversion of the Pokot people of north-west Kenya.
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)
rojuta[at]gmail.com
Visit their blog!
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Missionary Update: The Tates in Kenya [July 2014]
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,
I wish I were a better missionary. I read about past missionaries and how they triumphed over their adversities and managed to accomplish so much even in the midst of great trials and troubles. I talk to current day missionaries and hear all about their exploits and of all the advances they are making in the Kingdom of Christ. I hear of all the great things God is doing in their ministries and I wish I could be experiencing those advances and great things myself. It is hard not to compare one’s own progress with that of others, and I recognize this is not wise, yet I still do it. More than that, I mostly recognize my own shortcomings and failings as a missionary and it makes me wish I were more usable in the hands of God. I wish it for the advancement of the Kenyan people.
I wish I were a better Christian and follower of Jesus. I wish I loved him more and followed him with greater zeal and passion. I talk with other Christians and, while they struggle the same as me, they seem to grow and progress while my relationship with God seems to flounder. I look into my heart and wonder why it is so dull, passionless and lifeless sometimes. Why do I struggle so much to surrender everything to Christ? Why does my heart want its own thing and its own way? Why can I not progress in my faith like I wish I could?
I wish I were a better humanitarian. Others care so much for the plight of their fellow human beings. They give their lives to care for widows and orphans, to feed the hungry and defend the defenseless. I look at the plight of my fellow man, and, while I care about their well-being, it doesn’t move me to action the way that it should.
I wish I were a better husband and father.
I wish I were a better friend.
Please forgive me, I am NOT whining, grumbling or complaining at all. I just look at my heart and it is not where I want it to be. I want God to do a greater work in my heart. I want to be a wholly surrendered servant under His grace and mercy. I want this so that the Kenyan people can know Christ, so that my family and friends can know Christ, so that the world can know Christ, and so that my own heart can know Christ more. But I am “confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in me will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ”. I pray it for my own life. And I pray for it in your life too.
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)
rojuta[at]gmail.com
Visit their blog!
Read more
