Bits and Pieces
The Tate Family has served the Lord in Kitale, Kenya since January 2008. Their main ministry is indigenous church planting.
September 22, 2017
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Bits and pieces.
Election re-do. Well, our August 8th presidential election was held and a president was elected. Two weeks later the supreme court of Kenya annulled the August 8th election saying there were “anomalies”. Exactly what those anomalies were I can’t say because I really don’t know. Thus, the elections were rescheduled for October 17th. Then they were rescheduled for October 23rd. Now they have been rescheduled for October 26th. At least, that is the last date that I have heard. Now we have to do everything all over again: Prepare for the election; buy extra food, water and fuel; pray that all goes well; ride out any storm that may come. All of this is very disappointing to me as I really just wanted the whole election process over and done with. I was planning a trip to the United States for the month of November. Now that trip has been postponed indefinitely as I cannot leave my wife and kids here to ride out any potential violence on their own. Beloved, once again please pray for peace in Kenya and closure to this presidential election process of 2017.
Julie has spent the last month in the US. She has been able to visit family and friends and also made a quick trip to Dayton to visit with our home church, Emmanuel Baptist in Bellbrook, OH. I am writing this report in Nairobi as I wait for her plane to arrive in just a little over two hours. We will be very happy to have her home and back with us. Our family is just not complete without our matriarch and man (aka, me) was not meant to be alone. With Julie being gone for a month I have been the sole caretaker of Chloe and the household duties. As a result, much of my “out of the house” duties were put on hold.
I have been preparing to teach a financial management class at the local theological college. I try and teach classes at this college whenever I have time and an opportunity. The class begins this Monday (three days from now). It is an important class for current and future Kenyan pastors. Biblical financial management is almost unheard of among the churches and pastors that I know here. There are no controls, no safeguards, no accountability, no audits or checks and balances, no rules and very little integrity. Pastors and leaders feel like they can do whatever they want with church money, including putting it in their own pockets. My goal in the upcoming class is NOT to make them financial wizards (anyway, I could not teach them to be what I am not). Nor is my goal to make them money wise. I simply want them to know the Biblical principles about money management and how to apply those principles into their church finances and structure and into their family finances as well. What I want them to know is that “Business practices comes from Biblical principles”. I want them to have integrity when it comes to their finances at church and at home. I want them to have Biblical wisdom concerning money. I want them to glorify God and expand the Kingdom of Jesus Christ in the way they spend and use the money that God gives to them. It will be a tall task.
Amy and Josiah have started new school years at RVA. Amy is now a Junior and Josiah is a Sophomore. I like to constantly remind Josiah that the word Sophomore basically comes from two Greek words: Sofos – meaning wise, and Moros – meaning moron, dull, stupid and foolish. I never get tired of telling him he is a wise moron. Doesn’t that just perfectly describe someone about 15 years of age? They think they know everything and in reality, they know nothing. Well, I guess I can’t knock Josiah too much. I don’t know much of anything either and I’m almost 48 years old. That’s why I’ve been growing my beard out – to make me look wiser. However, when Julie gets here in about two hours and sees it she’s going to make me shave 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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