Missionary Update: The Radfords on Furlough from Kenya [January 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.
January 3, 2014
Dear praying friends,
Another month has come and passed, and the Lord has allowed us another year to serve Him. May each of you have a blessed 2014 and great upcoming year. May we seize the opportunities that we have each day to serve Him. This update will share ministry progress and prayer requests.
We are now in the process of contacting churches to come and present the ministries in Kenya. I thank the Lord for the opportunities that He has provided so far and would appreciate your prayers as I attempt to make contacts with the Lord’s help. If you would like me to come and present the ministries of the Lord in Kitale, Kenya, I can be reached at: naterad[at]yahoo.com. We appreciate each of you and your prayers for us.
In family news, it is hard to believe that McKenna will be six years old this upcoming April and Camille will be three years old this upcoming February. They are typical children, running, playing, arguing at times, but in the end, loving each other. We are so glad to have them as a part of our family and would request prayers for us as parents. We have a big responsibility before the Lord. Proverbs 22:6 states “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” How true, and may we rear the children to honor Him.
In this upcoming year, may we devote ourselves to prayer and seeking the will of the Lord. As I think back on my life, I am humbled by the opportunities that I have let pass by to serve Him. How we need to make the best use of our time, as life on this earth is fleeting, and eternal life is so near. Ephesians 5:16 says “Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.” I pray that we truly would redeem the time, and live for Him daily.
We thank each of you so much for your prayers, sacrificial giving, and encouragement. Missions is difficult, and there are many challenges to face, such as culture shock, loneliness, homesickness, etc. Without each of you and your help alongside us, it would be even more difficult. How we thank the Lord for each of you and your heart for missions.
God bless each of you and may we serve until He comes. Have a great 2014.
Nathan and Carrie Radford
315 College Street
Youngsville, PA 16371
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Missionary Update: The Radfords on Furlough from Kenya [December 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.
December 2, 2013
Dear praying friends,
It is now the end of 2013, and 2014 is quickly approaching. It is hard to believe that another year has come and gone. It seems that it was just days ago that we were serving in Kitale, and the time has passed so fast. How we need to serve God with the opportunities that He gives us, before the opportunities pass us by. John 9:4 gives us this challenge: “I must work the works of Him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work.” May we serve God while it is still day and He gives us the opportunities.
We wish each of you a great holiday season. May we not forget the true reason for the Christmas holiday, the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. It is easy to get wrapped up into many other things during this time of year, but may we remember His birth and celebrate it this season.
I am happy to report that our final need, the need for housing, has been supplied. We thank each of you who have prayed for us, offered to assist, or tried to help in any way that you could. We greatly appreciate it. We trusted the Lord to provide, and He is so faithful. Psalm 89:8 states “O LORD God of hosts, who is a strong LORD like unto Thee? or to Thy faithfulness round about Thee?” What a faithful God we serve. Now we ask you to pray for us in this upcoming furlough time of traveling, reporting to churches, and trusting the Lord. It will be challenging, as my wife is involved with homeschooling, but we trust in Him at all times.
We are thankful again to each of you so much for all that you do for us. In these times of economic challenges, we know that you give sacrificially to the Lord’s work in Kenya. We cannot say thank you enough. To those who pray for us faithfully, we greatly covet your prayers and we cannot say thank you enough. To those who have a heart for missions and His work in Africa, we cannot say thank you enough. You are all such a blessing and we thank the Lord for you. If any of you would like to schedule a time to come to your church to present the ministries in Kenya, I can be reached at: naterad[at]yahoo.com. I would love to talk with you if you would be interested.
Lord willing, we will be in the States until the beginning of June.
Have a great Christmas holiday with friends and family and also a great 2014.
May we serve Him faithfully until He comes. God bless you all.
Serving in Kitale,
Nathan and Carrie Radford
315 College Street
Youngsville, PA 16371
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Missionary Update: The Radfords on Furlough from Kenya [November 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.
November 1, 2013
Dear praying friends,
Lord willing, by the time you receive this prayer letter, it will be almost the end of the year 2013. We are now back in America for our furlough, and are greatly enjoying our time with friends, family, and supporters. We would appreciate your prayers for us during this time, that we would get a much needed break and be able to reconnect with our country, culture, and friends once again. This update will share prayer requests and ministry progress.
Please pray for the people of Kenya. On September 21st, at around 12 noon, terrorists entered the Westgate Mall in Nairobi. We have visited this mall before, so it was quite a shock when we received the news. The terrorists did major damage, and killed over sixty, also injuring over 200. The siege of the mall lasted for four days before it was put to an end. During the attempt to overtake the terrorists, three floors of the mall collapsed. I have seen images of the mall and it is devastating. It is not certain if the mall will be rebuilt or demolished. In any case, I am certain there will be a memorial of some kind for the victims. This was shocking news around the world, and we ask that you pray for Kenya, for the continued safety and security of the country, and also that those who did this crime would be caught and punished. As I write this, I am honestly still in a state of shock. We know the Lord is in control at all times, and that we need to trust Him. I have read reports of where they think the attackers were actually working in the mall and planning this for a while. The nation of Kenya needs much prayer for healing, recovery, and strength at this time.
Please pray for the churches that were started this past term. As I stated before, my friend Roger Tate and I both agree that the best way to proceed forward with church planting in Kenya is to train nationals. Things always seem to go smoother and progress better when we use this method. Please pray for the church in Shangalamwe that was started last term, and also for the churches that the national that we trained started, with the Lord’s help. We plan to recruit men who are Godly, qualified, and love the Lord to go and start churches. I believe this is a very wise approach, given the results that we saw between us going personally and training others. I have talked also to a friend who had the same experiences and completely endorses this method of starting churches. We thank the Lord for each of you who pray for the churches, for the men we are working with, and for the continued progress of the ministries. Without the Lord, nothing is possible, but with Him, anything is possible. John 15:5 says “I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.” How we need to remember this, and trust the Lord for everything.
Please continue to pray for the prison and hospital ministry. There are a few specific requests. The Annex prison went well this term, and I would appreciate your prayers for the permit that is needed to continue with this ministry. Please pray that it would be renewed without a problem, if it would be the Lord’s will, and that things would go smoothly upon our return to Kenya next year, Lord willing. I was very pleased with the progress that I saw in the men that the Lord brought, and this was probably some of the better students I have had since going to that ministry. They had a hunger for the Word of God, desired to grow spiritually, and had a heart for serving others. Matthew 23:11 says “But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant.” Please keep this ministry in your prayers.
Also, for the hospital ministry, the government has changed things recently. Now, they are requiring my wife to get a special permit from the government to do this ministry. In the past, she was always a dependent on me and my work permit, and this was acceptable. However, now, she is required to obtain her own permit. We trust the Lord for this permit also, and if it would be the Lord’s will, for it to be provided when we get back into the country. Please pray it would be granted without any delay, frustrations, or problems. We know the Lord is sovereign, in control, and we trust Him. Thanks to each one who sacrificially gives to this ministry, has personally visited it, or sent supplies. The Lord bless each of you.
In family news, it is so good to be home this year to celebrate the holidays with family. These times are difficult when we are separated from thousands of miles, so we are thankful for the time He has allowed us to be with family this year. This is one of the biggest sacrifices of missions, being separated by so far when special times of the year come. McKenna and Camille are both doing well. McKenna is now at the age to be starting school, which doesn’t seem possible. Please pray for her as this is a big change in her life. Also, please pray for Camille as she grows and progresses along, and is learning to relate with us and her sister.
Concerning furlough, our current need that we have is for housing. If anyone knows of any housing in the Charleston/Huntington WV area or surrounding areas, we would be interested. It would be preferable around the middle of December of 2013 and the very latest, at the end of December. Even if you know of someone who rents out, has housing available, we could contact them. We had many expenses when leaving Kenya, so we would need to talk about the finances with whatever the Lord provides. You can contact us at the email listed below. God bless you for your prayers in this matter for us.
If anyone would like to contact me about a visit to your church, the email address is: naterad@yahoo.com. Please pray also for myself and a good friend in Illinois as we work on the DVD for the missions presentation. This is a lot of work, and required a lot of time, commitment, and working together. There is so much to pray about. May we never give up on prayer. I will close with Luke 18:1, which says “And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint.” God bless you all. Please note our new mailing address below.
Serving in Kenya,
Nathan and Carrie Radford
315 College Street
Youngsville, PA 16371
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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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Missionary Update: The Radfords in Kenya [September 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.
September 4, 2013
Dear praying friends,
Well, it is now near the end of the term here in Kitale, so I thought I would use this prayer letter to give you an idea of how it went this past term, give current ministry progress, and inform you of how to be praying for us in future ministry endeavors. We appreciate each of you so much, and you are such a blessing to us.
One verse that has been a comfort to me this past term concerns seeking the Lord. There are so many things that come in our daily lives for which we need to seek the Lord. One thing I know for sure is that life is challenging, and we need His help and strength for each day. Psalm 105:4 says “Seek the LORD, and His strength: seek His face evermore.” How true this is, and how we need to seek the Lord each day.
The Annex prison ministry is continuing along well. We have been progressing well through the book of Matthew, after learning Inductive Bible study methods. The men seem to be enjoying the studies very much, and there is definite leadership material among these men. Please pray for this ministry as we are away, that it will continue along well.
In regards to church planting, based off of how this past term progressed, I feel I can say definitively that the method we will use in the future is to train nationals to go and start churches. At the beginning of the term, my partner Roger Tate and I said we would try two different ways of church planting here. What were the results?
The church plant in Shangalamwe was very similar to Rafiki last term. The Lord blessed, and there is a church there that we hope and pray will continue along well. However, there were differences between the two methods we tried. When we trained a national to go, things went so much better and progressed much more effectively. So, please pray for us next term, that the Lord would lead us to Godly men who love Him and want to go start churches in their villages. Certainly this method does not mean that there will be no problems, but I believe strongly that training nationals is the way we should proceed in the future here. This could change, but for now, I believe this is the way to proceed based off the results. In all of this, we need to ask the Lord for wisdom. Psalm 111:10a says “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom.” How we need to rely on Him daily for wisdom. We ask for your prayers in regards to what we have shared and the guidance and wisdom of the Lord.
Furlough is quickly approaching, and we are looking forward to seeing many of you who pray for us, have visited us, and give sacrificially to the work here. We thank the Lord for each of you. May God bless you.
Until Next Month,
Nathan and Carrie Radford
P.O. Box 4150
Kitale, Kenya
East Africa 30200
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Missionary Update: The Radfords in Kenya [August 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.
Dear praying friends,
It is now the month of August, and the time this year has flown by. I cannot believe how quickly this year has passed. It seems like the older I get, the faster the time passes. I am sure you all can relate to this as well. How we need to be busy in service to the Lord while there is still time and opportunity. Psalm 90:12 states, “So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.”
Since I write month after month about ministry, I thought this month I would write something different. I enjoy reporting on the ministries, and I plan to continue to do that throughout the months ahead. I thought this month I would report more on how life is on the mission field, or what typical living in Africa is like. I know that this is probably interesting, and since I have not reported much about it, I would like to this month.
Life in Africa. How do you describe it? It has daily challenges that only the Lord can help us through. Many times it really gets hard. Why? Separation from friends, family, culture, customs, etc. Trying to understand the Swahili language when someone is talking a mile a minute in the language and your brain has just “checked out.” I have been there many times. It is exhausting just to try to follow what is being said, especially if it is said at a very fast rate.
Maintenance. There is so much maintenance, both on vehicles, compounds, places to live, etc. I rarely drive long distances because of the conditions of the roads. When a road is fixed, it usually does not last long as the conditions deteriorate rapidly. I usually take public transportation in a van, called a “matatu” here. The matatus are usually jammed with people, with people sitting four in a seat that seats two. Chickens on the buses and vans at times. People preaching on the public vans and passing around their hats and taking up an offering. Yes, life here is certainly different.
What about the family? Typically my wife spends most of the morning schooling with the children. We are so proud of McKenna and her progress. She is a smart little girl. Camille is coming along closely also. Our daughters have friends here, although most are older than them. As I said before, we continue to pray for children their age to play with. God will answer in His time. Cooking for my wife takes twice as long here as cooking at home. All is made from scratch. Something that would take 30 minutes in America takes 2 hours here to make. These are just some of the things that teach us patience here, day by day.
Through all the challenges of daily life on the mission field, God is with us each step of the way. He will never leave us nor forsake us. No matter what we face, He is there. As the saying goes, “No matter how rough or smooth this day, He is with us each step of the way.” Hebrews 13:5b says “I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.” Are you thankful for that? We sure are.
Thanks again for your prayers, sacrificial giving, cards of encouragement, and emails. They brighten our days here.
Nathan and Carrie Radford
P.O. Box 4150
Kitale, Kenya
East Africa 30200
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Missionary Update: The Radfords in Kenya [July 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.
Dear praying friends,
Another month has come and passed, and we are now over halfway through the year of 2013. We thank the Lord that He has given us another month to serve Him, follow Him, and also for health and strength to do His work here in Kenya. The Lord gives us so many blessings, and many times I forget to thank Him and praise Him for His faithfulness. Even though there are many trials throughout life, may we take the time to thank the Lord for all He does for us. As the old saying goes, “Don’t get so busy adding up your troubles, that you forget to count your blessings.” This prayer letter will give a current update, as well as prayer requests.
We thank the Lord for the progress that we have been seeing here in Kitale in church planting. It has been exciting to hear the reports that are coming from the national that my good friend Roger Tate and I have been training. God has really blessed his efforts, and several churches have been started in differing areas of Kitale. With the help of the Lord, not only has he begun a church, but he has been training other faithful men to go and do the same in their respective villages. I feel that this is a fulfillment of 2 Timothy 2:2, which states “And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.” We praise the Lord for this, and this can only be done with the Lord’s help. How we need to rely on Him each day, for strength, guidance, and wisdom as we do His work here. We are also continuing with the church in Shangalamwe, and giving the church elder more and more responsibility to lead as we gradually pull away. Please keep all of these ministries in your prayers.
Since I have not reported on the hospital in a while, I thought I would write some about it also. We thank each of you for your sacrificial giving and prayers with this ministry. You are such a blessing. Recently, my wife went to the Kitale district hospital and there were three abandoned babies. This of course, is difficult to see these babies in this condition, so she does her best to get them placed in good children’s homes in the Kitale area. The Lord has blessed with this, and she has been able to assist many of them with getting placed after their stay at the hospital. The needs here are so great, and we ask you to please keep praying for this ministry and also for my wife, as she is faithful to go and assist as she can and the Lord provides. Isaiah 1:17 states “Learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow.” We will keep you updated of this ministry.
Our children are continuing to progress well. McKenna is now five years old and will be starting kindergarten soon. That is so hard to believe. I can remember like it was just yesterday that she was crawling, learning to talk, etc. Life passes by so fast. She is developing into a wonderful daughter. Camille is now two years old. She is walking well now, slurring words that she tries to put together, and also is doing well. How we thank the Lord for the two daughters that He has blessed us with. Please continue to pray for them, and as before, we ask you to pray that the Lord would provide other children their age here in Kitale to play with. We trust the Lord with this.
In closing, we would like to briefly share our current needs. We are planning to return to the States in just a few months, and our current needs now are for housing and for a good, reliable vehicle to use while on furlough. We would prefer housing in the Charleston/Huntington WV area, if possible. Also, we really need a minivan to be able to have the room for our family and travels. We would be interested if anyone is interested in donating the minivan or selling it so us at a reasonable price. Furlough is very expensive, as we have to pay not only our expenses here in Kenya while away, but also expenses while we are in America.
If anyone would like to assist, we would be very grateful. We are just praying and waiting on the Lord for these needs. Psalm 33:20 says “Our soul waiteth for the LORD: he is our help and our shield.” You can email me at: naterad[at]yahoo.com if you are interested in assisting. Thank you for allowing us to share.
May God bless each of you for your prayers, interest in missions, and sacrificial giving. I wish each of you a wonderful celebration tomorrow for the fourth of July. We will keep you updated.
Nathan and Carrie Radford
P.O. Box 4150
Kitale, Kenya
East Africa 30200
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Missionary Update: Nathan & Carrie Radford in Kenya [June 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.
Dear praying friends,
Lord willing, by the time you receive this prayer letter, it will be the middle of the year 2013. Where has the time gone? Our lives are just a breath when compared to eternity. May we be ever committed to making our lives count for the Lord, sharing the Gospel message with the lost, and seeking to please Him in our actions and behavior. God is so faithful, and we thank the Lord for His many blessings.
Concerning ministry, it has been a definite challenge with church planting here. One of the main reasons is the dependency within the culture. Please pray that the Lord would lead us to the right people, and even for wisdom in the different models. My good friend Roger Tate and I have been thinking of and praying over the best way to do church planting in this culture. We have tried it both ways: with us going to the village and starting the church within the culture and village, and also training a national to go and start churches without us ourselves going. Both ways have advantages and disadvantages, and we would appreciate your prayers for wisdom. We praise the Lord for the church that has been planted in the village of Shangalamwe, as well as the churches that have been started through the national we have been training. Even in this endeavor, God will give wisdom. Proverbs 4:7 says “Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.”
The hospital ministry is also continuing along well. My wife has been involved with this ministry for several years now, and God has been faithful to keep the door open there. She enjoys going to meet the mothers and seeing the babies that are in the ward. There are many babies there that need care and attention, and my wife helps as she is able. Please pray for her also, that the Lord would give her wisdom also. God cares for these people, and there are many challenging Scriptures. One is Psalm 72:12-13, which says “For he shall deliver the needy when he crieth; the poor also, and him that hath no helper. He shall spare the poor and needy, and shall save the souls of the needy.” Please keep this ministry in your prayers.
There are many prayer requests. Once is for us personally, as the end of a term is always difficult. The reasons for this are many, including cultural fatigue/burnout, homesickness, and loneliness. There is definitely a spiritual battle going on, and we appreciate your prayers for us as we finish up this term. We know God is able, and will help and assist us in all our needed areas.
Another prayer request is for safety. We have done all we can in regards to security, and first and foremost we trust the Lord to watch over us. Kitale has had some security issues in various areas of the town lately. We do our best to stay aware and be as safe as we can be. We know the Lord protects us as we serve Him here, and would appreciate your prayers not only for us, but others who live and work here. Psalm 121:1-2 says “I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth.” Our help comes from the Lord, and we know He is faithful to protect us as we serve here in East Africa.
Some other major prayer requests are for our upcoming furlough. Just to explain, furlough is very expensive. Why? We have many expenses here in Kenya that we still have to pay, even when we come to America. It actually can be overwhelming, when there is so much to pay during our absence while we are home. A huge help for us would be twofold at this time.
First, we are in need of reliable transportation during furlough. A minivan would be very helpful, for the needs of our family and for transporting what is needed. I could go pretty much anywhere to pick it up if anyone would be interested in donating or selling cheaply for our needs. Another need is housing. We would prefer housing to be in the Charleston/Huntington area of West Virginia, if possible. This would also be a huge help to us right now. We plan to be home in America later in the year, but wanted to announce a few months early, so there would be awareness. If anyone is interested in either of these needs, please email us at: naterad@yahoo.com As always, we trust the Lord for all our needs. We know He is faithful and we depend on Him. Thanks for allowing us to share our current needs.
Please keep us in your prayers as we seek to finish this term well and be faithful to the Lord. 2 Timothy 4:7-8 says “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.” What tremendous verses, and a challenge to us today as we serve the Lord, wherever He calls us. Thanks to each of you for your interest in missions.
Nathan and Carrie Radford
P.O. Box 4150
Kitale, Kenya
East Africa 30200
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