Celebrating New Life in Christ and New Life in Our Family
April 24, 2026
Greetings from the beautiful Rift Valley of Kenya! Another May is upon us, and that gives me the opportunity to share things with all of you from my perspective. Yay!
It’s been quite a year, but what year isn’t? In April 2025, Chloe’s teacher was tragically killed in a matatu (that’s a public service vehicle that looks like a mini-van and holds about 15 people) accident one morning on her way to our home for work. That one incident set a whole new trajectory for our family. I went from working with a behavior specialist to BEING the behavior specialist. I went from collaborating with Chloe’s teacher and the ABA organization she worked for to HIRING and TRAINING Chloe’s new teacher, SETTING all the short-term and long-term goals, DESIGNING all the interventions, programs, academic supports and goals, and behavior tracking and intervention, and MONITORING progress and/or regression in all areas. It’s a huge change, and it’s indescribably overwhelming.
Interestingly – for several months before Doreen’s untimely death, I’d been feeling the prompting of the Holy Spirit that I was going to need to be more deeply involved and that we needed to stop working with the ABA group in Nairobi – that I needed to take on the whole responsibility. I wrestled and wrestled with that. What would that look like? Was this really a prompting of the Holy Spirit, or was I just being an overly worried mom (something I get accused of a lot – unfairly, I might add)? Would I have to step back from RVA?
We talked to several advisors, and everyone advised us (and Roger advised me as well) to NOT step back from RVA – it’s my calm in the storm, my breath of fresh air, my opportunity to leave my home and serve my community. It, in fact, helps me be a better mom to Chloe. We hired a top-tier specialist in the US – a Christian counselor who specializes in helping families like ours with kids like Chloe – to talk us through strategies, help Roger and me stay on the same page, and encourage us in our family journey.
As a result of all of this, we’ve seen a lot of growth in Chloe this year. Physically, she’s bigger than I am now! Yes, we’ve got an 11 year-old in a 25 year-old body with a 6 year-old mind (in some respects). Academically, we’ve seen a lot of growth in reading, writing, and math (1st and 2nd grade level, but that’s a big improvement). Emotionally, we’ve seen a lot of growth in her ability to more quickly calm herself when she has what we call “freak-outs” or “melt-downs.” Instead of lasting an hour or 30 minutes, it might last 1-5 minutes.
However, this also does mean I’ve informed RVA that I have to step back from teaching Computer classes. I will still be teaching Swahili and developing that curriculum and those resources for them, but dropping Computer classes means I go from 16 classes per week – with 86 separate students with 53 of those students in two different subjects – to 9 classes per week with 53 students. It also means I don’t have the password set-up and computer set-up for every student at the elementary school. It just wasn’t all sustainable – it was like having 3 full-time jobs (including Chloe). I will be finding a smaller, secondary role to play, but it will be something that can get me home earlier in the day and without all the extra grading, planning, and administration.
In OTHER NEWS!!!!!!!!!! As you already know, Roger and I are now grandparents! I had the wonderful opportunity to be with Emily and Igor starting 2 days before Persephone (Per-sef’-uh-nee) – or Sephi for short – was born and extending until just after she was 7 weeks old. Oh, what a gift that was! Emily and Igor are over the moon in love with this precious (and precocious!) little girl. And in OTHER NEWS!!!!!!!!! Igor was saved last year and is getting baptized on May 17th!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And in OTHER NEWS, Amy and Matt are expecting a little girl in July!!!!!!!!!! And in OTHER NEWS Josiah is getting married in August!!!!!
Which leads me to a prayer request: Roger and I need to travel to the United States TOGETHER for 4 weeks in July/August. We can’t miss these family milestones. But…finding someone to be with Chloe while we are gone is highly challenging. Please pray that people will step up so Roger and I can do this together – it’s been 4 years since we’ve been able to do anything at all just the two of us. There are so many logistics – I don’t need to share them all; God knows them all. Also, continue to pray for Chloe’s continued growth – especially in the areas of self-control and panic responses.
God bless all of you! Thank you so much for your prayers on our behalf. Together, “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.” Hebrews 10:23
Your sister and fellow servant in Christ,
Julie Tate
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
Seeing Christ Through a Student’s Eyes
March 9, 2026
Greetings in the name of Jesus Christ,
Every so often I am really struck by reading something that one of my students has submitted for an assignment. When that happens and I am encouraged to see what they are thinking, how they are growing and maturing, and how we can be impacting them for future ministry to God’s people and the world, and if the assignment is short enough, I like to share it with you all so that you also can see the impact being made on their lives and be encouraged by your brothers and sisters in Kenya. In this case, I would like to share something one of my Basic Theology students wrote. The assignment was to write their own doctrinal statement on Christology. One of my students, who is actually from Burundi, wrote this heartfelt, simple but deep, doctrinal statement on Christ. I am including it here unedited and so grammatically it needs a lot of work. English is not this student’s first, second or third language but I wanted you to get the full force of it exactly how he wrote it.
Christology for me is not just a lesson in class but it is the center of what I believe about Jesus Christ and my salvation. I believe that Jesus is eternal Son of God not created not beginning but He was with the Father before all things like it says in (John 1:1) and also in (Colossians 1:16) that all things was made through Him. This makes me understand that Christ is not only prophet or teacher but He is God in nature same essence with the Father but different person.
I also believe that this eternal Son become flesh and entered in human history this is
incarnation and it is very deep mystery for me because God who is holy and powerful choose to limit Himself and take human body like Philippians 2:6 to 8 explain. He was fully God and fully man not half God and half man but two natures in one person. This is important because if He was not God His sacrifice cannot save the whole world and if He was not man He cannot represent us before God.In His humanity Jesus feel hunger pain sadness and even temptation but He did not sin like Hebrews 4:15 says. I believe His obedience in all His life is part of my righteousness because where Adam failed Christ succeed this is why Romans 5 show that through one man sin enter and through one man righteousness come. I believe His miracles was sign of His divine authority and also showing that Kingdom of God is present.
About the cross I believe it was substitutionary atonement meaning He die in my place taking my punishment like Isaiah 53:5 and 2 Corinthians 5:21 show. This is very personal for me because I know my sins deserve judgement but Christ satisfy the justice of God and show love at same time. The resurrection is proof that Father accept His sacrifice and that death has no more power like 1 Corinthians 15 explain. If Christ did not rise our faith is empty but because He rise I have living hope.
Now I believe Christ is exalted at right hand of God interceding for believers like Hebrews 7:25 say He is my high priest and mediator between God and man according to 1 Timothy 2:5 I also believe He will return physically and visibly to judge and to reign like Acts 1:11 and Revelation 19 teach. This doctrine shape how I live because if Christ is Lord then my life must submit to Him in holiness mission and love. Christology for me is not only doctrine but reality that change my heart and future.
Christology for me is not just a lesson in class but it is the center of what I believe about Jesus Christ and my salvation. I believe that Jesus is eternal Son of God not created not beginning but He was with the Father before all things like it says in (John 1:1) and also in (Colossians 1:16) that all things was made through Him. This makes me understand that Christ is not only prophet or teacher but He is God in nature same essence with the Father but different person.
I also believe that this eternal Son become flesh and entered in human history this is
incarnation and it is very deep mystery for me because God who is holy and powerful choose to limit Himself and take human body like Philippians 2:6 to 8 explain. He was fully God and fully man not half God and half man but two natures in one person. This is important because if He was not God His sacrifice cannot save the whole world and if He was not man He cannot represent us before God.
In His humanity Jesus feel hunger pain sadness and even temptation but He did not sin like Hebrews 4:15 says. I believe His obedience in all His life is part of my righteousness because where Adam failed Christ succeed this is why Romans 5 show that through one man sin enter and through one man righteousness come. I believe His miracles was sign of His divine authority and also showing that Kingdom of God is present.
About the cross I believe it was substitutionary atonement meaning He die in my place taking my punishment like Isaiah 53:5 and 2 Corinthians 5:21 show. This is very personal for me because I know my sins deserve judgement but Christ satisfy the justice of God and show love at same time. The resurrection is proof that Father accept His sacrifice and that death has no more power like 1 Corinthians 15 explain. If Christ did not rise our faith is empty but because He rise I have living hope.
Now I believe Christ is exalted at right hand of God interceding for believers like Hebrews 7:25 say He is my high priest and mediator between God and man according to 1 Timothy 2:5 I also believe He will return physically and visibly to judge and to reign like Acts 1:11 and Revelation 19 teach. This doctrine shape how I live because if Christ is Lord then my life must submit to Him in holiness mission and love. Christology for me is not only doctrine but reality that change my heart and future.
Amen, my beloved student. You understand much about Jesus even if your English writing is not so good. But, hey, neither is mine, and I pray that you minister this teaching and doctrine about Christ to your people in Burundi and see many of them turning to Jesus and entering into His kingdom.
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
Known for Love: Family Milestones and Ministry Impact
February 12, 2026
Greetings in the Name of Jesus Christ,
What a joyous time for the Tate family. Our oldest daughter Emily and her husband Igor have just given us our first grandchild. Persephone Natanya Levit was born on Sunday, February 8th. Julie and I couldn’t be happier to be grandparents for the first time. Somehow, I never thought this day would come that I would be a grandfather. I don’t think this ever crossed my mind when we left for Kenya over eighteen years ago, but here we are, grandparents. I guess at fifty-six I am old enough for that now. Gladly, Julie is there in the United States right now to celebrate Sephi’s birth. Sadly, I am not able to be there right now. I will have to wait until later to meet her. But, also joyously, another granddaughter is due later this year. Can’t wait to meet them both.
Not being present at the birth of your grandchildren is certainly sad. But even if I can’t be there right now for that event, there are still good things happening for me in Kenya. Our academic year began back in late August but there was still one group of new students that I had not yet had the privilege and pleasure of teaching in class. This group of students, however, I am now teaching in my Basic Theology class. We have all been on campus together since August, but I have not really had much interaction with them as of yet because they have not been in any of my classes. The only interaction I had with them prior to Basic Theology class was discussing financial issues with them in my office. So, on the first day of class this term I was just kind of introducing myself and telling them a little bit about myself and how I approach teaching and classes and so on. After students have had a class with me before they quickly learn that I give assignments every week that are due on Sunday evening at 11:59pm (they can turn their assignments in online, so I know exactly when they submit them). Anyway, I am somewhat well known for assignments “every Sunday evening at 11:59pm”. So, I began giving these students, whom I hardly knew at all, my normal speech about when their homework assignments were due. These students, whom I hardly knew at all, actually interrupted me and proceeded to playfully tell me that they already had heard and knew that there would be assignments due “every Sunday evening at 11:59pm”. I guess I was a little shocked, but it seems my reputation had preceded me. So, we laughed together about this and then, because interested, I asked them what else they may have heard about me and already knew about me from the other students. What they told me next left me speechless but also full of joy and contentment. They told me two other things they already knew about me. First, they told me that they knew I loved them. Second, they told me that they knew I was teaching them the Bible and about the ministry so that they could take what they learn and better minister to their people and their churches back home. Wow, this was the reputation that preceded me? They knew that I loved them and I am here spending my life teaching them because I want them to be better ministers of the Word of God and of the love of Jesus to their people? And they knew this because this was what they had heard and learned from the other students? I’m telling you right now, beloved friends, I couldn’t have scripted that answer any better even if I had tried. If there are two things I would want my students to know about me, it would be those two things. They may eventually forget everything I say in my Basic Theology class this term, but if they can know these things about me and it can rub off by them showing the same kind of love to their people and ministering better to their churches, what more could I ever ask?
Blessings to all,
Roger, Julie, & Chloe
They knew that I loved them and I am here spending my life teaching them because I want them to be better ministers of the Word of God and of the love of Jesus to their people…what more could I ever ask?
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
Passing On Lessons Learned: Experiencing Growth Through Challenging Passages
December 6, 2025
Greetings in the name of Jesus Christ,
Many years ago (we’re looking at over thirty years ago now) I had just gotten married and surrendered to the ministry. Of course, I didn’t know what either of those things meant then, but experience would soon teach me a few things. One thing that I would experience would be an extremely valuable ministry lesson. A church nearby where I lived in Dayton, Ohio, had a long-time pastor who was retiring. This church was Union Baptist Church, a church I would grow to love, who still supports me on the mission field to this day, and a church to which I am very thankful. Because they were without a pastor, Union invited me to come for a month and preach and teach in the pastor’s place. This was the first time I preached at a church outside of my home church, a very frightening endeavor to say the least. After I had preached there on my first Sunday morning, the adult Sunday School teacher at the church approached me and invited me to teach the adult Sunday School class each Sunday as well. I thought, How hard can that be? and subsequently agreed. After all, I was 23 or 24 years old back then and still knew just about everything. He told me he was currently teaching through the book of Hebrews and that my passage for next Sunday would be the beginning of Hebrews chapter 6 and that I could just pick up from there and continue where he left off. Again, I agreed and left, not thinking too much about my task for next Sunday. However, when I got home and read the passage, I panicked. I thought, What am I going to do with that?!? Hebrews 6:4-6 says, “For it is impossible, in the case of those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, and have shared in the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the goodness of the Word of God and the powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away, to restore them again to repentance, since they are crucifying once again the Son of God to their own harm and holding him up to contempt.” So, yes, I panicked. Would you have panicked too if you had to teach on that passage? Well, I spent the whole week poring over that passage, praying about it, studying it, reading commentaries on it, fretting over it, and preparing my interpretation on it. I thought, well, this will be the last time I teach at THIS church. I went and taught that passage on Sunday, and, no, it wasn’t the last time I taught at this beloved and merciful church. I would teach and preach there for many years to come. I don’t even remember what I said on that day, but I do remember sweating bullets. I don’t even think the church members agreed with my interpretation, but they were very gracious to that stupid twenty-four-year-old preacher. They did ask me questions and made me defend my interpretation and afterward told me 1) it was a very difficult and challenging passage and 2) I had done a good job, even if they didn’t agree with my position. I have never forgotten the valuable lessons of that week, the “heat” of teaching that passage, or the graciousness of the beloved church.
I just finished teaching the class Hebrews & General Epistles to my students. Do you see now how the previous paragraph relates to this story? I want my students to experience what I experienced over thirty years ago in my own ministry. So, I made THEM team up and teach a one-hour lesson in the class from one of the challenging and difficult passages in the General Epistles. They can teach from the Hebrews 6:4-6 passage above, or from 1 Peter 3:21 (“Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you”), or James 5:15 (“And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick and the Lord will raise him up”), or 1 John 3:6 (“No one who abides in him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him”), or any other challenging passage, as long as it is very difficult to interpret and challenging to teach. They have to study the passage, understand the various interpretations that have been offered, come up with their interpretation, anticipate the objections, and then teach the passage to the class. The class and the instructor then get to provide a “hostile” environment to the teaching students and ask them all the hard questions about the passage they can think of. It is meant to be “hot”, it is meant to be uncomfortable, it is meant to make them sweat but in the end they also know we all still love them even if we disagree with their interpretation or presentation of the passage. They all always come up to me after they are finished and tell me how hard it was, how hot it was at the front, how much they sweated, and ask me how I can stand up there and do that every day. I tell them that they will be faced with these situations throughout their ministry in front of much more “hostile” crowds than this one and that it is valuable to experience it first in front of a crowd that they know will love them no matter what. It is a very valuable lesson that I learned and then passed down to them. Thank you, Union Baptist Church, for the lessons and the graciousness.
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
“Jesus Is Better”: A Kenyan Student’s Insightful Reflection on Hebrews
October 10, 2025
Greetings in the Name of Jesus Christ,
While I enjoy teaching and mentoring very much it is not always fun and sometimes quite frustrating. Sometimes a teacher can wonder whether what he or she is teaching is getting through to the students at all. I have had some frustrating times recently but also some very encouraging times as well. I have been teaching our upper classmen a class entitled Hebrews & General Epistles. It is a good class and my students are great, so it is profitable to them and to me. When I finished the Hebrews portion of the class, I gave them an assignment to write a short essay on the purpose of Hebrews. The responses I received from my students were so good and so encouraging. They all did a great job on the assignment and so I wanted to pick one to reproduce for you. The following essay is titled Jesus is Better by Qephax Peter Ndiba, one of my third-year students. The grammar may not be perfect, but the content is excellent and shows me that they are learning. Enjoy.
The book of Hebrews powerfully explains how Jesus is better than all significant figures and systems found in the Old Testament. “Jesus is better” is a theme that is central and the foundation of the book. It is woven between the many warnings and the explanations to show that without Jesus there is no other option or comparison. The writer explains the insufficiency of the Old Covenant hence Jesus is better. This encouragement reminds us that while the old covenant was established by God, it was merely a shadow of the perfect reality that Christ reveals. This message resonates deeply with the Church even today, urging believers to stay grounded in Jesus, the ultimate fulfillment of God’s promises.
Throughout the book, the author consistently refers to the Old Testament. Heb 1:1-4, the prophets were faithful messengers of God, but Jesus is the son, the exact representation of God’s essence and radiance. He doesn’t just convey a message, he embodies it. Heb 1:5 -2:9, He is better than angels. Angels played a crucial role in delivering God’s law, but Jesus is exalted above them, having inherited promises and a name that is far superior. Heb 3:1-6, He is better than Moses. While Moses was a faithful servant in God’s house, Christ is faithful as a Son over that house. His authority far exceeds that of Moses. In Heb 3:7-4:13, while Joshua led Israelites into the promised land, Jesus offers a better rest. An eternal rest in the presence of God. In Heb. 4:14-10:18 Jesus is better than the high priests for they were limited by sin and death but He is the perfect High Priest, sinless and eternal, who offers Himself once and for all. In Heb 8:1-13 we see Him as better than the promises. While the Old covenant was based on the law which couldn’t perfect people, the New Covenant, through Jesus’ blood, brings heart transformation and lasting reconciliation with God. Heb 9:11- 10:18 explains how He is better than the sacrifices which had to be slaughtered repeatedly over and over but Christ’s sacrifice was once and sufficient for all at all times. Lastly, Jesus is better than the tabernacle and the heavenly Jerusalem, 9:1-28, 12:22. The earthly tabernacle was just a shadow of the heavenly reality that awaits us which is now accessed through the blood of the lamb. It was situated at one location but Jesus gives us access to God from all places at all times.
Jesus stands out as better because He not only fulfills but also exceeds every part of the Old Covenant and systems. He is not just a continuation, He is the perfect and the best. The one who the law and the prophets were always pointing toward. His priesthood is eternal, His sacrifice was for once and remains to be for all. His covenant is rooted in grace and inner transformation instead of just following rules. His supremacy is beyond theology, it’s about relationship and transformation. He perfectly reveals God, serves as the ideal mediator between God and humanity, and is the ultimate sacrifice for our sins. In Him, we discover true rest, lasting forgiveness, and an unshakeable hope.
Today’s church needs to cling tightly to the truth that Jesus is better, better than traditions, better than worldly achievements, and better than any alternative the world throws our way. The call in Hebrews encourages us to persevere, to avoid drifting away, and to embrace the “better” rest that can only be found in Christ. This theme prompts the church to reflect on its priorities: Are we putting Jesus at the center of everything? Are we relying on His completed work instead of our own efforts?
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
Reflections of a Foreigner in Two Lands
September 7, 2025
Greetings in the name of Jesus Christ,
I think I am “out of touch.” I’m like a fish out of water.
I had the privilege of spending a month in the United States, mostly visiting my adult children who live scattered around America, my parents, and my home church in Ohio. I had a mostly good and busy time and bit of an eye opening one as well. I have known very well for the last eighteen years in Kenya that I am a foreigner in a foreign place. I know that when I sit down in a public place there will be conversations going on all around me that I cannot follow or understand. All the faces, hair, and skin are different than mine. I’m the only one wearing Levi’s. I’m the only one who doesn’t feel at home.
When I go to church, I don’t know the songs that everyone else can sing by heart. I don’t like the volume of the music. I can’t dance. We worship the same Lord, the same Savior, the same Jesus but they are noticeably on the inside, I am noticeably on the outside. They have a strong sense of community; I have no community. At the college I have the privilege of teaching and mentoring young (and some old) followers of Jesus, teaching them about the Word of God and training them to be better ministers to their people, their churches, and even the world. This has been my goal from the beginning of my ministry in Kenya (began in 2008), to work together with the Kenyan people to further expand the Kingdom of Christ here and around the world and together with the Kenyan people to bring glory to our God and Savior Jesus Christ. What a joy to know that we are able to do that and to accomplish that goal and to know that we are doing what we can to serve Jesus, to expand the Kingdom, and to help the Kenyan people do the same. But I am still an outsider – I know it and they know it and I feel it every day.
Strangely enough, I felt the same way this time around in the United States as well. Take, for instance, all the new words that I didn’t even know about. I learned how to be “shook,” I discovered what a “tradwife” was and what a “tradwife” wasn’t and whether I had one or not. And, of course, everything was “boujee.” It took me a long time to figure out the meaning of that word and even longer to learn how to pronounce it correctly. People kept asking me what it was like to be back in the U.S. and I found it difficult to answer. I love my home country, but my answer was “everything is weird, a little off.” Explaining that answer means that everything was very familiar, and felt familiar, and yet nothing was quite the same. Different restaurants abound. There are roundabouts instead of traffic lights. Different products. My parents are older. I have a daughter living in Utah, of all places. Cell phones and AI have the answers to everything. And, of course, everything is boujee. I went to my home church and, yes, it was different. PLEASE CONTINUE TO READ AFTER I WRITE THE END OF THIS SENTENCE, but I felt like a foreigner. Now, the beloved people of my beloved home church DID NOT make me feel like an outsider. They treated me with love (agape and philo), grace, compassion, acceptance, warmth, and appreciation. I felt from the beloved people of my home church a Biblical, Christian love put into practice. So the fault is not theirs and completely mine – but I felt like a foreigner (again, read me well – this was all my own fault and a making of my own mentality). Most of the songs sung were new and thus unfamiliar to me. Many of the members were new and unfamiliar to me. I had never met the song leader or the piano player before (I am glad to have made their acquaintance now). The young people I used to know are now grown up and married. And the church now has a different pastor since the last time I visited the States and from the pastor I have known all my life. He is a good, godly man doing a good, godly work. I am glad to have finally met him and I know God will bless the good work he is doing and the church. But it all adds to the differentness of it all, to the weirdness of my home country. I guess it comes with the territory of being eighteen years on the mission field and should not be unexpected.
So, yes, I am out of touch. I am a fish out of water. I am a foreigner in both my host country and my home country even though I can operate in both and flip back and forth with relative ease. Maybe you feel like a foreigner in your place too. I encourage you with this thought: If you are a follower of Jesus then your country, your home, your place is with him. Ephesians 2:19 says that through Jesus we are no longer “strangers and foreigners.” Thank you, Jesus, for that. But the second half of the verse is important as well. It states that we are “fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God.” Jesus knew that some of us have a propensity to feel like strangers and foreigners and that we need the community of His people and His followers in one of His churches. I encourage you to find your country, your home, and your place in the community of your home church as well. I, for one, miss it and didn’t recognize the importance of it until I didn’t have it.
I pray that God will continue to use this out of touch, fish out of water here in Kenya to train His future ministers, to strengthen His churches, to further expand His kingdom, and to bring glory to His Name.
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
Preaching Under Banana Trees, Gifted with a Chicken
June 10, 2025
Greetings in the Name of Jesus Christ,
I do have some new things to report, but before I do I want to touch briefly on some items and situations that I have written about in previous reports, so that you all can be updated on some of the serious issues I spoke about previously.
First, regarding the student “Solomon” who had been threatened by the violent gang and was being extorted for money. As I reported earlier, Solomon stood his ground and refused to pay or to stand down to these thugs. As of now, a couple of months later, there has been no action taken in this situation. We are presuming one of three options is happening: 1) It was a hoax made by a non-gang member simply trying to get some money, 2) The gang doesn’t want to escalate matters and has moved on since Solomon stood up to them, or, 3) They are biding their time. At this time, since a couple of months have passed since the initial threats, we are trusting that God is protecting him and that maybe things will settle down and the situation will “pass away” without further trouble.
Second, since the death of Chloe’s teacher, things have settled down a bit. We have been able to find a new teacher for Chloe and both Chloe and the new teacher are getting along well, and we pray the new teacher will be a long-term fixture in our home and in Chloe’s life.
Third, Julie has recovered very well from her fall and subsequent serious concussion. She was pretty much holed-up for a couple of weeks in a dark, quiet, and secluded room. Her progress for the first two to three weeks was pretty slow and we were a little concerned that her recovery was going to be a very long and arduous process, but after about three weeks of slow progress she made rapid advances, and it seemed like in just a couple of days’ time she recovered to almost 100% very quickly. Although she may disagree with my analysis, I do not see any lingering symptoms of her concussion. We are very thankful to God for this ultimate recovery.
With all that has been going on I haven’t been able to relate to you all my week’s trip to Meru county, the hometown of one of my students who will be graduating in July. This student, Mark, has kind of “adopted” me, calling me “Dad” and jokingly accusing me of being “lost” if I haven’t seen him in a day or two. We wanted to take this trip to his home before he graduates because after he graduates and leaves school I will be “lost” for a long time. We went with two other students, one from India and one from Indonesia. So, this trip and my car were very international as we had one person from America, one from Kenya, one from India, and one from Indonesia. This obviously led to some very interesting discussions as these four cultures are very diverse. It was a long road trip but very worth the time in getting to our destination. We were able to preach, teach, sing, and share the gospel in many “official” and “unofficial” settings. I enjoyed teaching and preaching in a couple of churches, but my favorite time came when we walked a couple of hours through the forests, hills, and banana trees to get to Mark’s grandmother’s house. When we got there, grandmother had collected the entire family and small village at her house set within her banana orchard. We sang, prayed, and taught the Word of God there in the banana orchard with American accented English, Indian accented English, and Indonesian accented English being faithfully translated into Kimeru for the sake of grandmother and the villagers. Singing and teaching the gospel in multiple languages in the middle of a banana orchard in the heart of Kenya is really pretty cool. What a special privilege and honor it was to talk to these beloved people about our Savior Jesus and the salvation offered through His death on the cross and resurrection. To be welcomed with opened arms into such a place to share the gospel is quite awesome and we thank our God for such an opportunity. I was even ceremoniously gifted a chicken, live and kicking, from grandmother for having come. However, I made Mark carry it home.
Thank You, God, for such an amazing opportunity to meet some of Your Meru people and be able to share the good news of Your Son with them. May You bless Your Word and send Your Spirit amongst them.
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
Funny (and Frustrating) Experiences on the Mission Field
April 9, 2025
Greetings in the Name of Jesus Christ,
We are currently in between terms here in Kijabe and so there is not a whole lot going on. I am currently preparing for my next set of classes, but the students are all on break and back home (except for the international ones) and so things are a bit quiet. That gives me a little time to get my classes prepared and my heart prepared for the return of the students later this month.
Since there is not a whole lot going on currently, I will relate a funny (I mean, frustrating) situation I went through this month. So, here in Kenya we have many government documents that we need to keep up to date in order to remain in the country. When I say many, I mean MANY. One of those documents is an Alien ID card (I think the name has recently changed to the more innocuous Foreign National ID). Once you get it renewed it is good for two years. So, two years ago when my ID expired, I applied for a new one, jumping through all the required hoops and payments and trips to Nairobi to accomplish the task. I was supposed to receive my new card within three weeks. After a month went by and I still had not received my card I started inquiring to see where it might have escaped to. I was told there was no problem but that I just needed to wait, and it would come. I kept checking every month after that in order to try and get my new card. I kept on being told the same thing for about a year until someone finally admitted to me that it might have gotten lost and that I should file a formal inquiry into the situation, which I did. A month later I checked to see what had become of my formal inquiry. I was told it never made it into the system and was probably lost. I filed another one. The next time I inquired as to its status I was told to be patient because it was being looked into. Finally, last month, I was told that my card was officially lost and that I would need to re-apply for a new one (I would have to make a new application and pay the fee all over again because the fee I paid for the last one, that I never received, couldn’t be used for the new application). Thus, I reapplied, repaid, and made the necessary trip to Nairobi with my filled-out documents in hand so that I could go to the seventeenth story of Nyayo House (where the immigration department is housed), get fingerprinted, and submit my application. When I took my documents into the office and sat down in front of the immigration officer, she typed some things into her computer and then she asked me why I was applying for a new ID before picking up my previous one. I told her that it had been lost in their system for almost two years and that this is what I was told to do. She told me to wait and got up from her desk and left the office. I waited. Three minutes later she returned, with my lost Alien ID card in hand and handed it over to me, looking very smug. Here was my card that had been lost in the system for almost two years, and she had found it in under three minutes. I couldn’t believe it. However, when I looked closely at my card that she had just retrieved for me I noticed that it was going to expire in ten days. That’s right. It had been renewed two years ago, sat inside someone’s office for two years, and now would expire in ten days. I asked the immigration lady if I could just go ahead and apply for my new card seeing that this one was going to expire in ten days, I already had the renewal application documents in my hand right now, I had already paid (again) for the new application and was already in Nairobi at the immigration office. She promptly told me that I couldn’t apply for the new card until my previous card (the one she just gave me) was expired because the computer wouldn’t allow her to do it. So, I left her office with my card ready to expire in ten days and waited until it expired. Once it expired, I drove back to Nairobi to reapply. Arriving at the office I was told that the system was down and not functioning because the government had not paid their fees to the outsourced company that wrote the program. The outsourced company had shut down the system and was holding it hostage until such time as they would get paid. As of yet it hasn’t gotten paid. I now have an expired card in my pocket with no way to renew it. At least I had a valid card for ten days!
If you wish to minister the gospel of Jesus in Kenya, these are some of the things you have to learn to put up with.
For the glory of God in Kenya.
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
