August 6, 2008

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

I am totally amazed at the difference in the way we live as Americans and the way Africans live, and I'm not talking about those Africans who live out in the bush, but those who live in and around Kitale. As Americans, God has been so good to us and blessed us so much and we thank Him for this. I don't usually think about how blessed I am until I step foot into a Kenyan's house - no electricity, no running water or bathroom of any kind, usually one room with a curtain separating the "bedroom" from the "living room", dirt floors, mud walls, open fire in the corner where they cook, chickens running in and out, holes in the roof, maybe a couple of chairs or maybe not, no pantries of food, no comforts, no closets of clothes, and usually four to seven people living in this nine by nine room. I could go on but won't. We might be tempted to think that God has forgotten about these people. We might tend to think they have been forsaken and cast off. But, oh, beloved, they are not forgotten. They are not cast off. They are not forsaken by our God. He loves them and plans on reaching them. That is why we are here and why you have helped to send us here. The word Kingdom occurs one hundred and fifty times in the New Testament: Kingdom of God, sixty-nine times; Kingdom of Heaven, thirty-two times; and a smattering of "gospel of the Kingdom", "heavenly Kingdom", "your Kingdom", etc. The spread of Christ's Kingdom on earth is paramount in His plans. And His Kingdom includes the manifold poor and destitute of Kenya. When one said to Jesus, "Blessed is he that shall eat bread in the kingdom of God." Jesus' subsequent story of who will be in this Kingdom concludes with the well known, "Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled." When I go into a Kenyan's house I feel like I'm in the highways and hedges of the earth and, oh, what a burden I have that they may know Jesus and enter His glorious kingdom. How we thank God for the promises that His kingdom will permeate to all the peoples of the earth, including the "cast off", "forgotten", and "forsaken" in the "highways and hedges" of Kenya.

As you might have guessed, I have recently been visiting in the home of the Kenyans, trying to get to know them better. I have also been working with one of them, named Amos, to get a whole day Bible Club for kids in the community scheduled, planned, and organized for later this month. I am excited about next week as I will sit down with the pastors and a couple of other church leaders and begin to talk about and ask them how we can reach these people with the gospel of Jesus. The opportunity of being in the "highways and hedges" is thrilling (and also scary at times) and now that we are out there we need God's wisdom, guidance, and power to "compel them to come in, that His house may be filled."

For those who have been praying for the transport of our container, we thank you and ask you to continue to pray. We received good news just yesterday that hopefully it will leave the port of Mombasa today, where it has been landlocked for one and a half months, and will make its way to Nairobi where it will have to clear customs before being shipped to Kitale. The container still has many miles to go and hurdles to overcome before it arrives here in Kitale, but at least it should be headed in the right direction. We have left it safely in God's hands all these months and that is where we will continue to leave it. May God's peace and joy be with you.

For the glory of God in East Africa,

Roger and Julie Tate (and Emily, Amy, & Josiah)