Missionary Update: The Radfords

Dear praying friends,
We hope this update finds you all doing well in service for our Lord in the United States. We cannot believe that we are already in the year 2009, but we desire to use our time wisely for the Lord and be good stewards of the resources He has given us for His work here in Kenya. Our lives are short in comparison with eternity and may we each make the best use of the opportunities that the Lord gives us to serve Him. James 4:14 states “Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.” This update will share current ministries as well as prayer requests.

The prison ministry at Annex prison is going well. As I said in an earlier prayer letter, the Annex is a totally new section of the prison where I not had a long term ministry. I thank the Lord for the chaplains at the Annex who have welcomed me and done a very good job facilitating all the needs to be done for the ministry to grow and progress. Also, the prisoners have been coming faithfully and many of them seem to having substantial growth spiritually, so we thank the Lord for that. I can truly see a desire in their lives for the Word of God, which is very encouraging. 1 Peter 2:2 says “As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby.” Please continue to pray for each of the prisoners, even the ones who are coming to the outside prison ministry, that the Lord would continue to work in their hearts and lives and that they would produce much spiritual fruit. We will inform you of any further needs in this ministry in the future, Lord willing.

I have also been learning much through the church ministries here in Kitale, which I thank the Lord for. I went to the Bible Institute at Bethel Baptist Church of Kitale last week and had a great time with missionary Roger Tate and the various pastors of the churches. We studied so much together, this past week focusing on the practice of the church. Together we looked at and discussed how the church is to relate to the world, the practice of church body life(fellowship/edification/worship), family ministry within the church, meeting the various needs of church members, giving and stewardship, etc. I have greatly enjoyed this time of meeting together and studying the Word of God. Proverbs 4:13 states “Take fast hold of instruction; let her not go: keep her; for she is thy life.” I have also enjoyed going on church visitation and getting to know the people better. Please pray for the churches in Kitale, for their spiritual growth, and that we would
be a blessing to the people of Kitale, Kenya.

Our family continues to do well. McKenna is growing rapidly and developing quickly. She is to begin crawling soon, which is a developmental milestone. She did get malaria a few weeks ago, but we thank the Lord that we had the best medicine available and that she made a quick recovery. Malaria is common in Kenya, and can be serious if untreated, but we are so grateful that good medicine is available here in Kitale. Our health in Kenya is a prayer request, and we thank each of you so much for praying for us. To those who pray for us, we thank the Lord for you and ask you to continue to pray for us and the challenges we face on the mission field. In closing, we also wanted to thank Carrie’s younger sister Jenna for coming to visit us here in Kenya last month. We greatly enjoyed her company and showing her the ministries here in Kitale. We also wish to extend an invitation to others who would like to come and personally see what the Lord is doing in a different part of the world. May God bless each of you.

Nathan, Carrie, & McKenna Radford
Kitale, Kenya, East Africa
naterad [at] yahoo.com

Missionary Update: The Radfords in Kenya

Dear praying friends,              January 6, 2009

We hope this update finds you each doing well and busy in service for our Lord. It is hard to believe that 2008 has come and gone. May we truly make the best use of the time that God gives us, and be good stewards of the ministry opportunities that God provides. This update will share current ministry opportunities as well as prayer requests.

This past month, we did a lot of praying in regards to the ministries in Kenya. We truly believe that God will lead and guide His people when they seek His direction. Psalm 48:14 says “For this God is our God for ever and ever: He will be our guide even unto death.”

We thank the Lord that we now have another ministry opportunity in Kitale Main Prison. There is a section of the prison called Annex prison, which currently has around 90 prisoners, but has a capacity for 150. I have previously desired to have a ministry in this section of the prison, but have been waiting on the Lord to show me if this is an avenue to pursue. Psalm 62:5 states “My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from Him.” There is currently an opportunity to extend the ministry to this area of the prison where I have previously had no ministry. Please pray for me this month, as this ministry begins. I will be sure to update you often on the progress and needs of this ministry.  Also, I have recently opened an extension of the prison ministry to those prisoners who were in the
training but were released before finishing. Many of the prisoners have asked me to consider an outside prison ministry for those who have been released, and we have now been doing this ministry for a few weeks.  Those who have been attending are faithful in the churches and have a real desire to continue to learn and serve the Lord. Also, the pastor of the church where this ministry is held is very supportive and feels that many of these men have potential for further ministry opportunities as the Lord leads them.

Attached is a photo of myself and a former prisoner whose name I cannot mention for confidentiality reasons. He assisted me in the ministry since 2002 and was recently released. Please pray for each of the prisoners, for the Annex prison opportunity, and the outside prison ministry. Please also pray for them to be encouraged and continue to grow in the Lord.

Finally, the Lord has opened more opportunities for me to be involved in the churches here in Kitale. I have been able to go on church visitation, attend pastoral leadership meetings, and also attend the Bible Institute within the church. I am very thankful for these opportunities within the churches and am asking the Lord for even further opportunities. In closing, please be in prayer for our family and our health. Malaria and other diseases are concerns, but we know the Lord will protect us and keep us safe. God bless you and thank you so much for your interest in the
ministries in Kitale, Kenya.

In Kenya,
Nathan, Carrie, and McKenna Radford  

Contact Information
P.O. Box 4150
Kitale, Kenya              
East Africa 30200             
email:naterad [at] yahoo.com

Nathan & Carrie Radford March Update

April 8, 2008

Dear Praying Friends,

Another month has come and passed so quickly, and we hope that this update finds each of you doing well and busier than ever in service to our Lord. This update will share current prayer requests, as well as ministry updates.

We are very busy now in churches reporting about the ministries in Kitale. We also are doing our best to visit and keep up with any individuals who are interested in our ministries. Even though it is very tiring, we  now that our labour for the Lord is not in vain, even in a time of reporting during our furlough.  One of my favorite verses is 1 Corinthians 15:58, which states, “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.” What an encouragement this verse is to us, as we know that nothing we do for the Lord is in vain, including the time in the States to raise the needed funds for our ministry.

We do have a DVD of our ministry available, so if you would like a copy, please email us in response to this update and we will be sure to send one to you free of charge. We wish to thank each person and church for
their interest in the work in Kenya. We are thankful for the funds that we have received recently, but are still in need of around 200 dollars per month, as some previous support has ceased. We are trusting the Lord for these needed funds, and are waiting on the Lord’s timing. Psalms 31:15a states “My times are in thy hand…” May we ever be faithful to wait on the Lord, and trust Him to provide in His plan and time. 

Please pray for my wife, as she is now very near to her delivery date. We are hoping and praying that all goes well this month, and that our child would be born without any problems and with good health. We are very excited, but also we desire to be faithful to the Lord in raising our child. We have an exciting opportunity ahead of us, and please pray for us and our new parental responsibilities. 1 Samuel 1:27 says “For this child I prayed; and the LORD hath given me my petition which I asked of him.” We are certainly
praying for our daughter, even while she is still in the womb, and so thankful that the Lord has blessed us
with a new addition to the family this month, Lord willing.

Please pray for our ministries while we are away. Both the prison and hospital ministries seem to be doing well and having no problems, so we are thankful for this. Please pray for the nationals that are overseeing  the ministries in our absence, that they would remain faithful to the Lord and desire to serve Him.

That is all the current news from Kenya. Please continue to pray for us, and we thank the Lord for each one who calls, sends a card, or writes a word of encouragement. Philippians 1:3 says “I thank my God upon every remembrance of you,” and we certainly thank the Lord for your prayers, support, and interest in our ministry. We could not do this work without your help. May God bless you richly in 2008. 

In Kenya,
Nathan & Carrie Radford
naterad [at] yahoo.com

For Ministry Donations:
Pastor George Sledd
BFM Treasurer
P.O. Box 471280
Lake Monroe, FL 32747-1280

*The prayer requests in green were highlighted by Sarah.  Please don’t use them as an excuse to skim the letter!  They’re just to highlight the things to pray for!  :o)  Thanks!