April 10, 2024

Greetings to you all from me all the way over here in Kenya. As I do every year, I went back to read my letter from last year and was so excited to see that we are in a very different place this year! Last year, we were coming off more years than I want to count of severe stress, trauma, and struggle. We were learning how to lean hard into God’s grace and be okay with holding our joy in Christ in one hand while simultaneously holding struggle and grief in the other. 

Though I won’t pretend we don’t still struggle (a lot) from day-to-day, the struggle has been different this year. God has given us a chance to take deeper breaths as the seasons of trauma seem fewer and farther between. Having said that, the seasons of trauma are still intense, and I often pray to see more spiritual and mental growth in our precious Chloe. When I take a step back, though, I see the tremendous growth that actually has occurred – not just in Chloe, but also in Roger and me. And I am so thankful.

Speaking of growth, there has also been a lot of physical growth in Chloe. She’s only nine years old, and she’s over five feet tall! That’s over six inches taller than the average girl her age! Her shoe size is even bigger than mine! LOL!

There have been other exciting changes for me personally this year. Last year I began teaching the elementary computer classes at RVA (Rift Valley Academy, for those who are unfamiliar). Over the course of the past 12 months, I’ve gone from teaching all the elementary computer classes…to actually rewriting the curriculum…to adding teaching 4^th-6^th grade Swahili to my job description…to actually writing a brand new children’s Swahili curriculum complete with books, activities, songs, interactive PowerPoint games, picture playing cards, and assessments! And having fun doing it! This is all while still doing the computer classes and getting my teaching certificate from Bob Jones University.

It hasn’t all been roses, however. God has had to really stretch me into these roles. I remember clearly the day I walked into my principal’s office in tears after my Swahili students had mostly failed a pretty big assessment using the original curriculum. I sat down and said, “Katy, I don’t think I’m the right person for this job.” She looked at me and said, in her wonderfully Scottish, straightforward manner, “You are exactly the right person for this job. Nobody else has the skills you bring to the table. You’ll figure it out.” That was it. There was no more discussion on the matter other than she was available to bounce ideas off of. Forty-eight hours later, an entirely new and mostly complete curriculum was in my head.

This has been a theme from God in my life this past year. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve gone to Him with the heart cry of, “I’m not the right person for this job! I can’t do this!” And every time, He reminds me of two things. First, He reminds me that He chose me for this. Sure, there are probably reasons, but anything I bring to the table are things He built into me. I can’t take the credit for any of it – all the glory goes to Him. Second, he reminds me that His strength is made perfect in my weakness. I don’t have to pretend I have it all together. I don’t have to “fake-it-‘til-I-make-it,” I don’t have to give in to toxic positivity that totally ignores the entire book of the Psalms, of Lamentations, of Jeremiah…and so many others. Because it’s when I am most broken that I am most aware He must provide the strength for me to put one foot in front of the other. And when He does (which He always does) it’s so obviously Him, that I must praise Him!

Some quick prayer requests from my mother’s (and daughter’s) heart. 1. Pray for my parents. They are really struggling with their health. My older brother Jim and his wife were helping to care for them, but Jim suddenly lost his sight last summer. So, you can pray for him, too, please. 2. Pray for my adult children. Life isn’t always easy, but God is good. Pray that they will taste and see.  3. Pray for Chloe. The support worker who has been with her for two years suddenly quit (long story), and she has a new one who is learning the ropes. In some ways we’ve taken ten steps backward. Lynn leaving has left Chloe feeling like she’s trash – like she ruins everything. She often tells me how badly she feels about herself and that I should just throw her away. This absolutely breaks my heart. 4. Pray for a Western teacher for Chloe. I know that sounds terrible, but the educational system here simply isn’t great, and the mindset of educators is very harsh. I truly believe this would be a game changer for her.

Thank you for all your prayers and support! My love to you all!

Julie Tate

CONTACT INFO

Roger & Julie Tate
Moffat Bible College
P.O. Box 70
Kijabe, Kenya 00220
rojuta@gmail.com

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Pastor George Sledd, Treasurer of BFM
P.O. Box 471280 | Lake Monroe, FL 32747-1280
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