The Land of Big Macs, Smooth Roads, & Endless Choices of Cheez-its
The Tate Family has served the Lord in Kitale, Kenya since January 2008. Their main ministry is indigenous church planting.
July 29, 2016
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
I find myself in the United States of America. The land of Big Macs, smooth roads and endless choices of Cheez-its at Walmart. I arrived in Detroit and had a short two-hour drive to my in-laws’ house. While everyone else went inside the house I stood out on the green grass, closed my eyes and took a deep breath. The sun shone on my face and the wind blew in my hair. This may sound crazy but it just felt different than Africa feels. It sounded different, it smelled different, it just felt different. It felt familiar. Like a hot Michigan summer should feel like. Now, I didn’t say it felt better, just familiar. Homey. Like I remember it feeling when I was younger. My beloved country.
We are currently in the States for just a short visit, just until the end of August and then we will return to Kenya. We are here because Emily will be getting married on August 6th, just 8 days from the date of my writing this report. It has been a hectic visit so far. Up to northern Michigan to visit my parents, back to southern Michigan to visit Julie’s parents, a quick trip to Dayton to visit our home church, back to southern Michigan, and we head back to Dayton tomorrow for another quick visit to Emmanuel Baptist. Finally, a hectic week next week leading up to the wedding. This will be my first experience of a child of mine getting married so I don’t know exactly what to expect. I don’t want to predict how I will be feeling come next Saturday but I suppose those of you who have already gone through this experience could teach me a thing or two.
We temporarily leave some very precious things back in Kenya. One is Chloe. We tried and tried to get her to the US but we did not succeed. We spent a lot of time, effort and money but in the end we were not able to procure the documents that we needed for her to travel to the US. Kenyan immigration refused. We were greatly disappointed, even heartbroken. The thought of leaving her in Kenya for a month was devastating. But in the end we knew and accepted that it was not in God’s plan for her to travel here with us. We have left her in God’s hands and also in the hands of some very dear friends of ours in Kitale who had graciously accepted to keep her until we return. We know she is in good hands but getting back to her will make returning to Kenya sweeter. The other things we leave in Kenya is obviously our ministries. Because our trip to the US is only a short trip, we were able to suspend most of our ministries until we return. The people we are working with in Kitale are eager to start the teachings and ministries back up upon our return and we should be able to restart things without a hitch. Other ministries have been left in good hands. I was excited when Kefa volunteered to continue the group meetings that meet in his house while we are absent. He will take over the teaching and leading responsibilities until I return. I was praying that he would be willing to do this and I know this ministry is in good hands.
Our hearts are torn between two places that we love so much. We have children, family, friends and churches on both continents that are dear to us. It is hard to live with your heart in two places when your physical body can only be in one.
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 Emily, Amy, Josiah & Chloe)
rojuta[at]gmail.com
Visit their blog!
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Missionary Update: The Radfords on Furlough from Kenya [April 2014]
Nathan and Carrie Radford serve the Lord in Kitale, Kenya. Their main ministries include indigenous church planting, a prison ministry, and a hospital ministry for mothers with premature babies.
April 2, 2014
Dear praying friends,
We wanted to write and thank you all so much for your prayers for us during our furlough as we have been in America. It is hard to believe that Lord willing, we plan to return to Kenya in early June. The time has passed so fast, and we appreciate your prayers for the remainder of our time here.
I have recently been reading a book on “third culture” kids and those who live and grow up overseas. Suffice it to say that as I have been reading the book, my eyes have been really opened. I had no idea the challenges that those growing up between cultures face. It is so easy for children to get overlooked and for their needs to not be known or addressed. As I read the book and continue to read it, the Lord has been showing me ways that I can try to help and assist our daughters in different ways.
One of the main challenges that they face is “Home is everywhere and home is nowhere.” Meaning, they grow up in different cultures but neither culture is home. There is no ownership within that culture. This feeling contributes to restlessness and rootlessness. Among the uprooting between cultures, different challenges emerge for them. I have much more of the book to read, but please pray for me, that God would give me wisdom for how best to help them as we live and serve overseas and return for our time of reporting here in America. I am thankful for this book and the insight it has given.
Please also pray for us as we have much to do before returning to Kenya, Lord willing. My wife has huge tasks ahead of her, as she is trying to decide what to take for the term ahead, what to leave behind, schooling supplies, etc. I cannot imagine all the pressures that she will be under soon, and we covet your prayers for us as we work through all of the packing issues. Psalm 4:1 states “Hear me when I call , O God of my righteousness: thou hast enlarged me when I was in distress; have mercy upon me, and hear my prayer.”
Thanks so much to each one of you who prays for us, gives sacrificially, and is involved in missions across the world. Each of you are such a blessing and we thank the Lord for you.
We will keep you updated.
Serving in Kenya,
Nathan and Carrie Radford
315 College Street
Youngsville, PA 16371
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Missionary Update: The Tates on Furlough from Kenya [March 2014]
The Tate Family has served the Lord in Kitale, Kenya since January 2008. Their main ministry is indigenous church planting.
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
I can hardly believe that this furlough is coming to an end and that this is the month that we return to Kenya (minus Emily). I can’t believe how quickly it has passed and how much I will miss you all once we return. But, since we are gearing up to return to Kitale, let me do two things in this newsletter. First, let me quickly recap this furlough time and, second, I would like to summarize again what we would like to see happen in this upcoming term in Kenya.
So, first, how has this furlough gone? Well, it certainly has been rough at times but in all I think we have managed it the best we could. There are two things that make furlough tough. The first is instability. When you don’t have a firm, permanent place to stay, life tends to be a bit unhinged. Jumping from one place to another is volatile and erratic. Next time we will want to find a “permanent” place to stay as soon as we arrive in the States. The second problem with furlough is travel. Every weekend takes us on the road again. Most of the churches I visit are centrally located in states surrounding Ohio but most still require at least a three hour drive to reach. If I travel alone it takes me away from my family. If I travel with the family, that brings its own challenges. Among many other things, instability and travel especially make furlough tough. The other difficulty with this particular furlough has been weather. We have received a considerable amount of snow and ice this winter, as you know. It hasn’t prevented me from traveling much, but it has prevented me from attending services at our home church. It seems that every weekend I wasn’t traveling and had an opportunity to be spiritually fed at our home church, the weather would turn sour and all the worship services for the weekend would be cancelled. This happened often enough that I began predicting weekend weather. If it was a weekend in which I would be at home I would predict a large amount of snow and ice for Saturday night and, sure enough, the snow would inevitably come Saturday night and Sunday morning and all worship services for the day would be cancelled. I’m not sure why God wanted this to happen for me but it sure seemed to happen every time. I enjoyed the snow, I just wish I had been able to spend more time at our home church. I have, however, been able to enjoy some pizza, big macs, donuts, and the endless cereal aisle at Walmart so now I am trying to take off the weight I have gained this furlough. I guess I need to get back to the Kenyan beans and rice.
Next, let me briefly summarize what I envision for our ministry in Kenya for our third term. Once we return to Kenya I will be searching for two important ingredients. First, I will be searching for a house to rent in order to start training faithful Kenyan men our model of independent, self-reliant, reproducible church planting. Remember, I want this house to look just like the houses the men who will be trained are living in so that it resembles their own houses. They need to know they can do in their own home what I have been modeling for them in a house just like their own home. The second component I will be searching for is, of course, faithful men to teach. We want to teach them how to reach their own people with the gospel and how to start, organize and maintain New Testament Baptist churches. Definitely something you all can be praying about with us.
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 Emily, Amy, & Josiah)
rojuta[at]gmail.com
Visit their blog!
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Missionary Update: The Radfords in Kenya [October 2013]
Nathan and Carrie Radford serve the Lord in Kitale, Kenya. Their main ministries include indigenous church planting, a prison ministry, and a hospital ministry for mothers with premature babies.
October 2, 2013
Dear praying friends,
We are now near the end of our term here in Kitale, and the past two years have passed by so fast. When we come to the mission field after furlough, we think that two years is a long time to be away from friends, culture, family, etc. And, to be honest, it is a long time. But it never ceases to amaze me at the end of a term that I think about how quickly the time passed. I am sure that many of you at home can relate to this as well. Our days on this earth are few and fly by. It reminds me of the verse in Psalm 90:12, which says “So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.” May we use our time wisely in service to our Lord.
Please pray for us, as there is much to be done. Coming home to America seems like an easy process, but in reality, it is not. We have many things to be done, schedules to be arranged, schooling for children to be arranged, leaving ministries behind, etc. It can be very overwhelming, and we take one thing at a time. Soon I will need to be thinking about scheduling churches for furlough and our furlough schedule. One thing I forgot to ask prayer for is for our girls, McKenna and Camille. In all the rush and busyness that furlough brings, it is easy to overlook them and their needs. This will be a big adjustment for them also, as they are used to life here in Kitale. Please pray for my wife also, as she is now trying to arrange homeschooling around all the traveling and visits. We thank the Lord for the strength He provides each day. I begin to get overwhelmed when I look at it all at once. I am sure this is the same for my wife as well. Like the old saying goes, “His strength is perfect when our strength is gone.” How true this is, and we need to rely on Him.
We are still continuing to pray about our needs for furlough, mainly for housing in WV while we are in America. We would need the housing around mid December 2013. Any assistance in the area of housing would be greatly appreciated, even if you know of people we could talk to. Our contact is naterad[at]yahoo.com. We would appreciate your prayers for us, as we wait on Him. We seek the Lord for these things. 1 Chronicles 16:11 says “Seek the Lord and his strength, seek his face continually.” What a challenge for all of us, to seek the Lord throughout our lives.
By now, I am sure you have heard of the terrorist attack at Westgate Mall in Nairobi. This has been very hard to watch on the news. We have been to this mall a few times. Apparently the terrorists had been planning the attacks for a year, and possibly had a shop in the mall while they were in the planning stages. Please pray for all the families affected by this, and for those who did these acts to be brought to justice. It truly is sad what is the mind and hearts of people, and even when we do not understand, we need to continue to trust the Lord. I feel so badly for all those affected by this and would ask you to remember those affected in your prayers.
Please keep us in your prayers over the next weeks, and for us later this year, as we make changes and adjustments back to life in America for a few months. God bless each of you and thanks again so much for your interest and sacrifice to missions across the world in Kitale, Kenya.
Until Next Month,
Nathan and Carrie Radford
P.O. Box 4150
Kitale, Kenya
East Africa 30200
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