Prepping to Teach Classes in New Term
August 10, 2023
Greetings in the name of Jesus Christ,
I completed my church planting class. It was one my all-time favorite classes to have taught at any level or any capacity. To see the students grow and change in their thinking and perspectives about church planting was a joy and pleasure. Last month I included Paul’s paper on church planting because it brought me such joy to read it myself. I will conclude my church planting class by briefly telling you about Joe (Not his real name. I have changed his name because these letters make their way onto the internet, and I want to protect him). Joe was in my church planting class. He hasn’t graduated yet but when he does graduate, he wants to return to his home country of India. He desires to go to the northernmost part of India where the population is almost one-hundred percent Muslim and Christians are not really allowed. The things we talked about in class will really help him in his endeavor and I pray that God empower him and protect him and that many Muslim people in northern India will hear the gospel and churches will be planted where there are currently no churches.
I am currently on term break from school but that doesn’t mean I am not doing anything. I am busy preparing for my classes for next term: 1) General Principles of Interpretation and 2) The Pentateuch. I have taught General Principles of Interpretation before, so I am just brushing up on that class. I have never taught the Pentateuch before so I am currently immersing myself into the books of Moses so that I can teach it to all these new students. Understanding the first five books of the Bible is crucial for being able to understand the rest of it. Genesis alone is foundation for the rest of the Bible. So, I see this as a very important class.
Julie was teaching computer class last year for elementary students at Rift Valley Academy. It is strange to think that she is teaching at RVA, a place all our kids graduated from and a place we have been so familiar with for the last fifteen years. Anyway, they loved her so much up there that she is now not only going to teach computers in the upcoming year, but she will also be teaching Swahili to the fourth to sixth graders. She is going to be busy, but she likes it. And we both view this as very beneficial ministry and missionary work – She is ministering to children of other missionary families who are working and ministering throughout Africa. As parents who sent all our children to RVA, we know the value and importance of the school. Without it, missionary families around Africa would be finding it very difficult to educate and raise their Missionary Kids.
Finally, for this month, I want to give a quick Chloe update. So far nothing has changed in the adoption situation in the country. We were hoping and praying that the new president would reverse the hiatus on foreign and expatriate adoption. Unfortunately, he has not. He still may reverse it, but it would take a specific mandate for it to change. The current situation won’t just “go away”. In the meantime, Chloe is almost nine years old now. She is currently going through Occupational Therapy at the Kijabe Hospital on a regular basis and has a teacher that comes from Nairobi to help her in her education. She is a sweet, loving girl and while she has a considerable amount of special needs, she is loved by God and us.
Blessings to all,
Roger, Julie, and Chloe
CONTACT INFO
Roger & Julie Tate
Moffat Bible College
P.O. Box 70
Kijabe, Kenya 00220
rojuta@gmail.com
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
Fires in Kenya
March 9, 2023
Greetings in the name of Jesus Christ,
Last month I mentioned the drought that is currently plaguing Kenya. We have now entered the time of the short rains, but it has not rained. Yes, it rained a couple of times but then stopped again. We have not received the rain we should be getting in the short rainy season and the situation is no better. The students are back on campus, but we are now having to truck in water from outside sources and fill our water tanks in that way. It is still extremely dry throughout the country and that leads to the adventure I don’t want to experience again, and I’ll recount in the next paragraph.
We live in the middle of the Kijabe forest, half-way down the escarpment into the Great Rift Valley. When I look up the escarpment, I only see forest. When I look down the escarpment, I only see forest. With no rain, the trees, leaves, and ground all dry up. The forest becomes a tinderbox. We have no-burn policies right now because of the threat of fire. But most Kenyans cook their daily meals over open fires just outside their front doors and burn their trash to dispose of it. Here in Kijabe, the wind also races up and down the escarpment at a furious pace sometimes. The scenario provides for many unwatched fires which can then lead to, you guessed it, forest fires. About two weeks ago I was at the school, looking out my office window when I saw smoke rolling off the next hill over. I went over to the classroom block for a better look and saw half the hillside covered in smoke. I knew it was not a good sign, but I went home and didn’t hear any more about it. Later that night, Julie looked out our kitchen window and said, “Is that a fire?” I looked out and up the hill, and sure enough, it was a large fire. It looked like it was about 150 yards up the hill. I immediately began thinking about what important things we needed to grab before jumping in the car and getting the blazes out of here. We began making some quick phone calls and found out that what, in the night looked like a couple hundred yards, was in reality on a ridge about a mile away. A bit more comforting, but not too comforting. I walked back up to the classroom block for a better look and saw that the entire ridge on the hill next to ours was engulfed in flames, with the nighttime wind whipping around like crazy. I watched it for a few minutes, not knowing in what direction it was going to go – down the hill, away from us, or towards us? We spent a couple of restless hours waiting to hear what direction the fire was going before we heard that it was currently heading in the opposite direction. We eventually went to bed and went to a somewhat restless sleep, knowing that people in the area were staying awake to keep an eye on things. As a person who has always had a small fear of fire, I really didn’t like that experience and don’t want to go through it again. PRAY FOR RAIN IN KENYA.
On a happier note, I always like to know I’m doing something or involved with something that is making a difference and doing some good. Sometimes in ministry it can be hard to rate if you are making the kind of difference you desire. Julie reminds me that long-term change is generational. It can take a long time to make real changes. I oftentimes wish it was more like constructing a building where you can watch the progress and see the growth. But sometimes you get little hints that what you are doing is making a difference, and sometimes it comes in unexpected ways. In this case, I needed to go up the hill to “the city” and go to the bank, but Julie had the car. So, I asked one of my students who owns a car for taxiing purposes to drive me to the bank and back. We got to talking while he was driving (as he was driving very fast, I might add). He comes from and grew up in a church that teaches a wealth and health gospel, where the pastor needs to be the example of receiving God’s blessings by being rich and prosperous, and where church leadership/pastorate is a lucrative job opportunity funded by unsuspecting church members. My student Samuel (pronounced Samwel in Kenya) confessed that is what he thought the ministry was all about. Now, however, he says that he has learned that ministry is not about that, that ministry is about teaching the Word of God, sharing the gospel of Jesus, loving people and helping them know about salvation and following Jesus, and equipping the church for discipleship and reaching the nations. Now he wants to return to his own village and take the true gospel of Jesus back to a people who go to church every week but never hear about the true gospel. Making a difference one life at a time, folks. PRAY THAT SAMUEL’S NEWLY FOUND CONVICTIONS WILL STICK AND PERSERVERE UNTIL HE REACHES HIS VILLAGE WITH THE LOVE OF JESUS.
Blessings to all,
Roger, Julie & Chloe
CONTACT INFO
Roger & Julie Tate
Moffat Bible College
P.O. Box 70
Kijabe, Kenya 00220
rojuta@gmail.com
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
Praying for Rain in Kenya
February 10, 2023
Greetings in the Name of Jesus Christ,
I pray this newsletter finds you well. I’m sure that life in the United States is not without its challenges. We find ourselves with some challenges here in Kenya as well.
First, Kenya is currently suffering through a more than usually severe drought. Kenya usually has its annual rainy season and dry season. And during the dry season it is always, well, dry. It gets dusty, things turn brown, crops suffer, etc. But this year is the worst of my fifteen years in Kenya as there was basically no rainy season this year. People started talking about it months ago but now we are really starting to see the effects of it. People all over the country are really suffering from a lack of water. Here in Kijabe where we live there has been no rain and so we have no water. We are now rationing water – no laundry, no showers for a while (we are at least able to take “missionary” showers now), and no flushing toilets (until it is necessary). We don’t know how long this situation will last but it has gotten to the point where we have had to send all of our students home. They were already supposed to go home for mid-term break but we had to cancel classes early and send them home. They are scheduled to return late next week but this will only occur if the school is able to somehow get some water. Nobody around here really knows when that will be. This is not really the rainy season, but we could really use some rain. Please pray for rain.
Second, the drought is really beginning to effect Kenyans financially. I am seeing it mostly in students’ inability to pay school fees. Fees are usually paid when families sell crops or livestock and then they use the proceeds to pay bills. But right now, crops and livestock are not faring well and families are struggling to eat, let alone have extra for school fees. Last month I did mention a student, Milkah, who had been left in a bad spot and couldn’t pay her fees. I want to thank you all for praying for her as she was able to raise her fees, pay her bill, and return to class (except that class has been canceled and students sent home because of the drought).
In more happy news, we had our first visitors here to Kenya in a very long time. It was a joy to have Doug and Sharon Brook visit us for a few days. They are our dear friends from our home church in Ohio. I realized when I was introducing them to folks around here that Doug and Sharon are my “oldest” friends. I don’t mean oldest in age, but oldest meaning “longest standing friends”. Of all the friends in my life, Doug and Sharon have been around and stood in there the longest. I have been friends with Doug for 43 years and Sharon for 40. You probably can’t imagine how much we miss “home” sometimes. Having friends here brought a little bit of “United States Home” to our “Kenya Home”.
We are praying for you all, that you would know and love Jesus, that you would follow and serve Him, and that the Kingdom of Christ would grow in your neck of the woods, wherever you call home.
Blessings to all,
Roger, Julie & Chloe
CONTACT INFO
Roger & Julie Tate
Moffat Bible College
P.O. Box 70
Kijabe, Kenya 00220
rojuta@gmail.com
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
Lack of Faith
December 10, 2022
Greetings in the name of Jesus Christ,
Lack of faith.
Lack of faith is my trouble. When something terrible happens this week, my first reaction is “Why God?” Why did that horrible thing have to happen? Why, if you love me, did you allow that, when you could have changed it?
Lack of faith is my trouble. Why God, is my life like this? This is not what I designed for myself. I want my mind to think differently, and, God, I’ve asked you for help to trust. Why don’t you help me?
Lack of faith is my trouble. Why, God, does your Word not work for me the way that it works for others? Why do they find such comfort in it while I only struggle? Why do others find faith while I doubt?
Do you know what is interesting, though (for this newsletter)? I find the faith of Kenyan believers astounding.
Roger: “You have no money and no job. How are you going to provide for your family?”
Kenyan believer: “I don’t know. But God will feed us.”
Roger: “You have no income, no savings, and no friends with resources, and no plans. How are you going to pay your school fees?”
Kenyan believer: “I don’t know. But God wants me to go to this school and so he will provide my school fees.”
Roger: “Your husband has died after a long sickness. The hospital is demanding money. The mortuary won’t release his body until you pay. He was the only one with an income. What are you going to do?”
Kenyan believer: “I don’t know. I will trust in God.”
We are all in school together, my Kenyan students and me. We are all trying to learn God and learn God’s ways together. Our faith, theirs and mine, are constantly being stretched at the same time, but sometimes in different ways.
I have a lot of Biblical knowledge after years of study and I hopefully have a little wisdom from trying to apply that Biblical knowledge to everyday life for many years. I have a lot I can teach them. They have a simple faith (not a simplistic faith) that trusts God against reason, and joyfully. They have a lot they can teach me.
We are approaching the Christmas season. In Kenya, December is pretty much just like any other month of the year. Christmas consists of about three days for most Kenyans. Day 1: Travel back to your birthplace/homeplace. Day 2: Celebrate Christmas with your family by eating some roasted goat. Day 3: Travel back home. Whether we are rush-rush in the United States or eating goat in Kenya, may we all come and adore the King, our Savior, Jesus.
Joy to the world. Blessings to all,
Roger, Julie & Chloe
CONTACT INFO
Roger & Julie Tate
Moffat Bible College
P.O. Box 70
Kijabe, Kenya 00220
rojuta@gmail.com
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
Modeling and Teaching the Word of God
November 10, 2022
Greetings in the name of Jesus Christ,
Modeling and teaching.
Biblical modeling and teaching is exactly what I am trying to do and accomplish here in Kenya for current and future Kenyan church leaders. And, fortunately, I get plenty of opportunities for doing both.
There is something I try and keep in mind as I model and teach future Kenyan church leaders. It actually comes from the books of Ezra and Nehemiah in the Old Testament.
First, Ezra. What did he do? The Bible says that when Ezra returned to Jerusalem with the other Israelites after seventy years of captivity in Babylon that Ezra focused on three things. This, in essence, is what I’m trying to model and teach. Look at Ezra 7:10 to see my own model:
- Ezra set his heart to STUDY the Law of the Lord.
It is the Word of God that gives us direction in life, in ministry and most importantly in our relationship with God. My desire is to set my own heart to study the Word of God and I want my Kenyan students to do the same.
2. Ezra set his heart to DO the Law of the Lord
One thing I reiterate over and over to my students, or church members, or anyone else who will listen is that we can know the Word of God very well, but it doesn’t do us any good unless we actually DO it and follow it. A disciple of Jesus is someone who FOLLOWS Jesus. We are trying to make and multiply disciples of Jesus. I also tell anyone who will listen: “A person who knows 90% of the Bible but only follows 10% of what they know is far less mature than a believer who knows only 10% of the Bible but follows 90% of what they know.
3. Ezra set his heart to TEACH the Word of the Lord
I have set my heart to teach the Word of God to any and every Kenyan person who is willing to hear it. I know I have few skills and abilities, but I can teach the word of God with passion and I pray that the Kenyan people and especially the future leaders of the churches in Kenya catch that same passion for teaching the Word of God to the rest of the Kenyan nation as well.
Second, Nehemiah. What did he and his contemporaries do? Listen to Nehemiah 8:8 – “They read from the book, from the Law of God, clearly, and they gave the sense, so that the people understood the reading.” Awesome! When they read and preached from the Word of God they also “gave the sense of it clearly” so that the hearers could understand completely. It is one of the hallmarks of my ministry to make the Word of God as simple to understand and follow as possible. That’s not hard for a simple man like me. But I want my Kenyan hearers to UNDERSTAND. I want them to understand, then follow and love Jesus, and then expand the kingdom of Jesus to the rest of Kenya and beyond.
Hey, y’all, I want the Word of God to come alive in this country and start a revolution of following Jesus and glorifying God. “Gracious and loving God, may this happen in my own life and in the lives of your beloved Kenyan people. Amen.”
Blessings,
Roger, Julie & Chloe
CONTACT INFO
Roger & Julie Tate
Moffat Bible College
P.O. Box 70
Kijabe, Kenya 00220
rojuta@gmail.com
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
Praying for Kenyan Presidential Election
August 6, 2022
Dear praying friends,
Another month has come and gone, and we are already moving towards the end of 2022. Time is precious, and may it be used faithfully in service to the Lord. This update will share current prayer requests as well as ministry updates.
A major prayer request we have currently is for the presidential election which is scheduled for August 9th. One of the big presidential candidates visited Kitale recently, and from my understanding, much of the town was blocked off and thousands went to the rally. We have had multiple visits here in Kitale from the presidential candidates over the past few weeks, and now Kenyans will vote on August 9th for their candidate.
Please pray for the country and any post-election violence. You never know how things will go – some years have been peaceful, and others have been with more unease and conflict. The year 2007 was one of the more unpeaceful elections, so we pray for peace and safety for this year, with no unnecessary rioting or violence. We are thankful to be in Kitale, as Kitale has a mixture of tribes and is generally very peaceful. In all these matters, we are trusting the Lord. Psalm 5:11 says, “But let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice: let them ever shout for joy, because thou defendest them: let them also that love thy name be joyful in thee.” Psalm 28:7 also says, “The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise him.” What a faithful God we serve.
Please continue praying for our family during this time, as many families have relocated from Kitale since we returned earlier this year. It has not been easy with all the adjustments, but we are praying and trusting God to bring other families in His timing and plan. Psalm 123:2 says “Behold, as the eyes of servants look unto the hand of their masters, and as the eyes of a maiden unto the hand of her mistress; so our eyes wait upon the Lord our God, until that he have mercy upon us.” We are praying, and trusting the Lord with this in our current situation, and we know He will provide in His timing.
I (Nathan) am continuing to disciple younger Kenyan men in the village of Taito. I thank the Lord for those who have been faithfully attending. Please pray for these men and their spiritual growth. As I have talked with other missionaries who have succeeded at church planting here in Kenya, this is the model – disciple (give them a strong Biblical foundation), train, and send. This is the model that I am currently following and has yielded the best results. All of this must be bathed in prayer. Colossians 4:2 says, “Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving.” Please pray for me as I trust the Lord in church planting endeavors here in Kenya. God is faithful.
We will update you next month on the election and how things are faring in the country. We know God is in control and we trust Him with all these matters. Thank you so much for your prayers, sacrificial giving, and interest in missions around the world. You each mean so much to us.
Until next month,
Nathan and Carrie Radford
Contact Info:
Nathan and Carrie Radford
naterad[at]yahoo.com
P.O. Box 4150
Kitale, Kenya
East Africa 30200
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
New Opportunity at Bible College in Kijabe
July 19, 2022
Greetings in the name of Jesus Christ,
Well, it took three weeks of packing and two trips to Kitale to get all of our stuff, but we have finally brought all of our belongings and unpacked most of it into our new house in Kijabe. Unfortunately, household stuff wasn’t the only thing I brought back from Kitale. I also brought back Covid. I started feeling the symptoms during the drive down from Kitale to Kijabe. By the next morning I was pretty sick with it. The worst part of it was I couldn’t keep warm. I know we live less than 100 miles from the equator, but we do live on the side of a mountain and this is the cold season. I know you are mocking me right now for being cold while living on the equator but at this time of year it gets into the 40s at night and there is no such thing as heating in Kenya. So, yes, it was cold. Anyway, I was over the worst of it after about five days but unfortunately, Julie and Chloe both got it too. Chloe slept for literally three days straight and then was over it. Julie was really sick for about two weeks, to the point I was pretty concerned about her. She is over the virus now but some side effects remain – namely, some chronic fatigue and coughing. This Covid has really hampered us from getting into the swing of things here in our new home.
So, speaking of our new home in Kijabe, I want to let you all know what I will be doing for the immediate future. The main thing that I will be doing for now is ministering the gospel at a Bible college located about 200 meters up the hill from our house. The way that this worked out really seems like something only God could have done. Many closed doors opened all at the same time, doors that were solidly closed and that I wasn’t really even looking to open. Even my first interview with the Principal of the college happened just two days after my throat surgery back in March. On Friday, I had my surgery. On Sunday, I was sitting in a chair in my house in my pj’s, and HEAVILY drugged. The vice principal called and asked if he could come and talk to me about working at the college. I told him he could come but that I was in my pj’s, I couldn’t talk, and was HEAVILY drugged. He came and he talked for as long as I could sit upright. The next day was my interview with the Principal. And that was only part of what God was doing and would finalize over the next few weeks. And so now I am on staff at Moffat Bible College. First and foremost, I will be doing what I prefer to do most – teaching the gospel of Jesus Christ to people who want to learn it. And my favorite part of doing my favorite thing is to teach the Bible to other people who will then be teaching the Bible to even other people. I love teaching future pastors and church leaders the Bible. I love it because in this way the true message of the Bible gets passed on exponentially. If I teach 20 future pastors how to properly interpret the Bible and each of these students goes to a church with another 50 people each, that equals 1000 Kenyan people who are hearing Biblical teaching about Jesus. Throw into the mix that there are also Congolese, Sudanese, and Ugandan students and this becomes a big deal. East Africa so needs good Bible teaching and this is an amazing opportunity to really propagate the gospel. I will also be mentoring students and working with them in practical ministry endeavors. I am excited to see how God will use this opportunity to work with Kenyan men and women to spread the kingdom of Jesus Christ and the gospel, even potentially for future church planting activities. It is still to be seen what God will do.
In closing my letter, however, I am reminded that we live in a really harsh, brutal, and sinful world. A dear Christian, Kenyan man and friend from Kitale is with the Lord today. Evans Barasa is a man I have known for my entire 15 years in Kenya. He actually worked with Mike and Pam Anderson before I was working with him starting 15 years ago. He was a pastor, a good Christian, and a friend. If you had ever met Evans, even if for just one minute, you would remember his amazing and catching smile and laugh. Evans had been hired onto the police force a couple of years ago. He was working last night and someone hit him in the back of the head and killed him. I don’t even know what the murderer was after. It is a shame and that makes me really sad. He leaves behind a wife and four children. Rest in peace, Evans.
Roger, Julie & Chloe
CONTACT INFO
Roger & Julie Tate
P.O. Box 96
Kitale, Kenya 30200
rojuta@gmail.com
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
Life in Kitale
April 29, 2022
Greetings from Kenya!
I pray this update finds everyone doing well. This is Carrie writing this month for the annual missionary wives’ prayer letter. I hope the weather is getting warmer for all of you. I’m sure you’re ready for nicer weather after the winter months. Here in Kenya, we are finishing dry season and entering rainy season. The dry season was long this year and especially hot (up to 90 degrees and no air conditioning anywhere). Everything became very dry and dusty and lack of water was a concern. But thankfully, the rains have started and things are beginning to turn green again and the temperatures are cooling down a bit.
Currently there is a fuel shortage in the country. The suppliers are trying to increase the price, but the government is refusing to pay it, so there is a stalemate. The government is working to get the suppliers to lower the cost, but it’s taking a while to do it. There have been reports of people waiting in lines at the gas stations for up to 8 hours to get just a bit of gas for their vehicles. This is really affecting the livelihoods of people such as taxi drivers and piki=pikis (motorbike taxis). In addition, there are fewer supply trucks to bring goods, such as food, from Nairobi to Kitale. We’ve had extremely limited milk for the past couple weeks, and the price of goods is also increasing rapidly, which causes a huge burden on all families and businesses here. The people are struggling to buy the food they need for their families. Please pray that the fuel situation gets resolved quickly and that prices reduce for the people of this country.
Homeschooling continues to go well. The girls really enjoy their classes and are doing a great job working diligently. We’ve been doing some PE activities as a family, such as morning exercise, which has been really nice. Cami enjoys learning to cook and Kenna has taken some drawing classes online, which has been a huge blessing. We’ve gotten a new kitten who is an endless delight for the girls. He’s a snuggly little guy and such a blessing for us.
Please pray for the girls as they are needing friends. We had a family with some girls their ages here, but they’ve moved to another part of Kenya. This has been a big loss for our girls as they were close and played a lot together. There have been a lot of changes in our community with families leaving and we’re all struggling with it to some extent. Please pray for us as a family. Missions can be so difficult with all the goodbyes we say. There are very few “wazungus” (westerners) left in our town. Please pray for strength and for new families to come.
Thank you all for the encouragement you send and the prayers you say on our behalf. We appreciate them more than you know. Each of you is a blessing to us and we’re thankful for you. God bless you all as you head into the summer months.
In Christ,
Nathan and Carrie Radford
Contact Info:
Nathan and Carrie Radford
naterad[at]yahoo.com
P.O. Box 4150
Kitale, Kenya
East Africa 30200
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
