Teaching Future Ministers, Caring for Tina
The Tate Family has served the Lord in Kitale, Kenya since January 2008. Their main ministry is indigenous church planting.
May 23, 2017
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
If you read my report from last month (and I certainly hope you did), then you know that I gave you a little teaser at the end about what I wanted to write about in this month’s report. This teaser concerned some of my future plans that I feel God leading me to do. Now, I know it’s not “right” to give a teaser and get your readership all excited and anticipating what you will write about (if indeed you read last month’s newsletter and care about what I teased you about) and then NOT write about it. I know that’s not decent and decorous. However, that’s what I’m going to have to do. The reason for this is because I wanted to use this past month to solidify some of my thoughts and plans and have something more concrete to present to you. However, this month ended up being so busy for me that I had little time left for thinking about future planning. So, instead of laying out future plans, I will have to content myself (and you) with relating my busyness of the past month.
I guess I should have known this month would be busy as most, although not all, of what I did was pre-planned. I had two classes scheduled to teach at the local Bible college I teach at on a fairly regular basis—one in May and one in June. The class in May was Hermeneutics and the class in June is Old Testament Prophetic Literature. The Hermeneutics class I have taught before but having taught it before I recognized that my notes and class material needed to be revamped to better address the level of my students at the college. The OT Prophetic Literature class is a new class for me and has to be prepared from scratch. That being said, I have been working feverishly to prepare for these two classes. Then, last week I taught the Hermeneutics class to a new, fresh group of young, future pastors and ministers. Teaching future ministers proper Bible interpretation methods and principles is a great joy and worth all the time and effort it requires. It is, however, quite exhausting, especially for an introverted person like me who would prefer not to have to talk. Talking is exhausting, especially when you are not used to talking for an extra 40 hours a week. My throat is always raw and sore by the end of the week. But believe me, if these future ministers can learn to properly interpret and teach God’s Word then it is worth any effort and sacrifice. Oh, and before I started the class I took a long trip to Rift Valley Academy to spend the weekend with my kids at school.
On top of all this, Julie and I have another baby in the house again. Tina, whom we have cared for in the past, is back. She was born three months premature, we cared for her for the first two months of her life and she is now six months old. Tina had been in the hospital for a week with pneumonia. When she was discharged from the hospital the director of the children’s home where she lives called to ask us if we could take her in for a while while she recuperated. Julie and I talked about it and came to the conclusion together that we were too busy right now to take her in. We just couldn’t add the full-time care of a sick baby to our plate. I knew immediately in my heart that it was the wrong decision but didn’t admit this to Julie. What?!? Too busy to help one of God’s precious little ones back to health? Too busy to make some small sacrifices for the life of a child? Bad decision. Anyway, I found out a little later that Julie also thought it was a bad decision. When I returned home one night after teaching she said something like this: “I know I shouldn’t have made this decision unilaterally but I told the director we could take Tina in and care for her until she is well”. I responded with the words “OK, Julie, if that’s what you decided” but what I thought in my heart was Good for you Julie! Way to go! That WAS the right decision. Thanks for having the courage to deny yourself and follow God’s leading in this. So, Tina is back with us until she is well, and although unbroken sleep and less work is good and desirable, caring for and loving God’s children is better.
One more thing to add to the list. Tomorrow I am heading to Nairobi for a Bible conference on the local church. I have not been to any kind of Bible conference of any sort since I first left the States to come to Africa nine and a half years ago. I am looking forward to the conference but am already tired just thinking about it.
Until next month, beloved.
May God’s peace and joy be with you.
For the glory of God in East Africa,
Roger & Julie Tate (and Amy, Josiah & Chloe)
rojuta[at]gmail.com
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Do Missionaries Ever Feel Afraid?
The Tate Family has served the Lord in Kitale, Kenya since January 2008. Their main ministry is indigenous church planting.
November 30, 2016
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Have you ever wondered if missionaries to foreign countries ever feel afraid? The answer is: “Yes. Often.” Sometimes it’s when driving on dangerous roads. Sometimes it’s when there has been a lot of thug activity going on. Sometimes it’s as simple as worrying about your work permit being granted by the immigration department. But there is one moment that occurred recently that sticks in my mind more than usual. It concerns the last time I dropped off the map and went to the bush. I was going to a place I had never been to before, farther than I had been before. That didn’t concern me. The problem was I didn’t really know anybody in the place I was going. I had met and talked for an hour with one man who lived there but other than him I was going in cold turkey. I had some missionary friends drive me the 7 hour drive up to the village. As long as I was in their vehicle, speaking English, surrounded by familiar things and familiar people and familiar culture I was fine. When we got to the village I grabbed my backpack, tent, and water, said goodbye to my friends and watched them drive away.
As soon as they started driving away I was afraid. Now there was nothing familiar. No familiar language; No familiar culture; No familiar surroundings; No familiar people. As I watched the dust settle from the departing vehicle I had never felt so lonely and alone in all of my life. I wanted to call out to them and say “STOP! Don’t leave me here! Take me back with you!” I guess if I had any visions of missionary grandeur before this moment they were all gone now. I lay down later that night trying to sleep. I missed my wife terribly. I wanted to go home. I felt like I was on a different planet and home was as far away as Mars. In effect, home was unreachable, gone. Everything good and familiar had become a distant memory. I began to think: Why am I here? Am I only here because this is what good missionaries do and I want to be considered a good missionary? Am I only here because I am trying to impress people? Am I only here because I am trying to win points with God by putting myself through hardship and trials? Am I only here because of the adventure (HA! Some adventure!). Can I confess something? Because my human, sinful nature has not been totally eradicated yet, all of these elements are probably involved in my decision to go to the bush. But the Pokot people need Jesus. And I hope this is the biggest reason why I would decide to go up there. I am not always excited about what God wants me to do. You probably aren’t either. But God’s plan is for his Kingdom to spread all around the earth to all the nations, peoples and tribes of the earth. And that includes each of us doing the things he has called us to do. Please pray for me. I want to and will go back. However, the feelings of fear and loneliness are still strong. And pray for my motives. Pray that I would work for the Kingdom of Jesus Christ our Savior and for the glory of God among the Pokot people.
One side news item: Julie and I have taken in another preemie baby. Her name is Tina. We have had her for a week now and I believe she is about three weeks old. She is very, very tiny. When she came to us a week ago she weighed only 2.4 pounds. When I look at her and pick her up I think there is no possible way she can weigh even that much. We cannot know for sure but it is extremely possible that Tina was aborted by her mother and yet lived (they have some kind of drink concoction that supposedly terminates unwanted pregnancies as well as other means of aborting babies). When Tina came to us she was too weak and frail to nurse and so we have been feeding her using a feeding tube through her nose and into her stomach. We plan to care for her and love her for a few weeks until she is strong enough to go to the children’s home that has custody of her. She has grown a little stronger since she arrived. Please pray for her strength and health. She is a beautiful little person made in God’s image and for His glory.
Until next month, beloved.
May God’s peace and joy be with you.
For the glory of God in East Africa,
Roger & Julie Tate (and Amy, Josiah & Chloe)
rojuta[at]gmail.com
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