Missionary Update: The Tates in Kenya [June 2013]
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 would like to give you a short update on the churches and groups here in Kitale. The church in Shangalamwe is progressing OK, although I wish there were more members. Nathan and I have decided it is time that we start “pulling away” just a little and give the church the chance to minister on its own without our intervention. Maybe our presence there has prevented it from growing and maybe with us being absent a bit, the members will begin doing more of their responsibilities and reaching out more to the community and villages nearby. More and more we will have to place this church and its members into the hands of the Holy Spirit and pray that they follow His leading in place of ours.
In the past two months, four of the groups that Titus began have been organized into Baptist churches. Here are some of the data for these new churches:
- Kipsongo Baptist Church – Organized with 13 members, 2 believers baptized
- Kibomet Baptist Church – Organized with 80 members, 19 believers baptized
- Shanti Baptist Church – Organized with 17 members, 3 believers baptized
- Rafiki Baptist Church – Organized with 10 members, 2 believers baptized
By the way, Kipsongo, Kibomet, Shanti and Rafiki are named after the towns where the churches are located. One of the other groups has a desire to be organized into a church as well but we have decided that this group is not ready yet. This group meets in a village called Folklands. It has a problem with leadership. We are still evaluating the leadership and have deemed it not ready. This group also needs some more teaching about some Biblical issues before we feel like it will be ready. So, we have decided to wait on this group instead of organizing it into a New Testament Baptist church. Maybe the Lord will lead this group into becoming a church sometime in the future.
Two other new groups are also hopefully going to be started soon. One group is in the village of Shimo la Tewa. A couple members of the Kibomet church have been walking each week from Shimo. Now they want to start a new group in their own village. In their own words they said, “We want to change Shimo and win it back to Christ.” Those are exciting words and we pray that the Lord would empower them to do just that. The other new group would be in a town called Kimilili. It is about 45 minutes from where we live in Kitale. It also would come out of the Kibomet church as two members of that church moved to Kimilili and want to start a new group there. So, things are going well although we are not without our challenges and problems.
In closing, let me ask for prayer for safety for our family here in Kitale. We have had a rash of break-ins, armed hold-ups and even murders here in our small town. A police officer was murdered responding to a break in just a quarter of a mile from our house. He was shot six times by the group of thugs. I also heard just today of an armed robber of a bank in town yesterday in the middle of the day. The thugs are getting bolder and we do sense a bit of danger living here right now. Please continue to pray for our safety here in Kitale.
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)
P.O. Box 96
Kitale, Kenya 30200
rojuta[at]gmail.com
Visit their blog!
Read more
Missionary Update: The Radfords in Kenya [February 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.
February 1, 2013
Dear praying friends,
Another month has come and passed, and I hope and pray that we are busy serving the Lord during the opportunities that He gives us. I pray that we will have zeal for the Lord this year and serve Him wholeheartedly. And, not just this year, but in all the years to come that we have opportunity. This update will share ministry progress, as well as current prayer requests.
There are several prayer requests for this update. One of the main ones is for our work permit to be approved with no problems. We have submitted all the proper paperwork, and now we pray as we wait upon God. We trust the Lord completely in this situation and know it will work in accordance with His plan. Psalm 27:14 says “Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.” Waiting is not easy, but God teaches us so much during these times. Please pray that the permit would be approved with no problem.
Also, recently, we were informed by our landlord that we have to relocate, as a family is coming back to Kitale to live. We were surprised by this, as we have lived there for seven years, but God has been good to provide another place for us to live. This has happened to others also here, and please pray for us during this time, that we would get all packed up that needs to be moved, that nothing would be lost, and also for a good relationship with the caretaker of the place we will be moving. Change is never easy, but God uses it also for our good. We can be assured of His guidance through the seasons of life. Psalm 32:8 says “I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye.” Please pray for us during this time of transition.
Also, the Kenya election is very near, as it is scheduled for next month. Last election, there was unrest, so please pray for peace for this election, and for the safety of people living in Kenya during this time. The last thing we want is unrest or problems, so please pray for the peace of the country during this near election.
The ministry at the church in Shangalamwe is progressing along, and we are now nearing the place where the church elder will be taking the leadership responsibilities of the church. We have worked hard to teach, train, advise, and help the church in any way that we can, and the time is nearing where it will be turned over to national leadership. Our role at this stage will change some, as we will be observing the national church leader to make sure that he is following the Scriptures and what he have taught him. Please pray for him, and for us, during this time, and that this transition period would go smoothly. We are also training a national during the week to go and start churches in various areas of Kitale, and this has been exciting, as it seems that many of these groups desire to be churches and are continuing along well. We are getting good reports, for which we are thankful.
The Annex prison ministry is continuing along well. We have now finished with the “Firm Foundations” course and are moving to a new course entitled “T4T.” This course also has many good teachings and the men seem excited to begin it. The end of this course, Lord willing, will be teaching the men to study the Bible inductively so they can teach others. Please pray for us as we proceed through this training.
This month, our second daughter Camille will turn two years old. This does not seem possible, as the time has flown by. What a joy it is to be a parent, and how blessed I truly am to have a dedicated wife who has sacrificed so much to come and live here and support me in the ministry. Please pray for us as a family, and also for our daughters, McKenna and Camille. Please also pray that other families with children their age will come to Kitale, if the Lord leads, so that they will have children their age to play with and grow up with. We trust the Lord with all these requests.
We wish you all a great month of February. Thanks to each one who writes a note of encouragement, prays for us, or gives sacrificially to the Lord’s work here. You all are such a blessing.
Nathan and Carrie Radford
P.O. Box 4150
Kitale, Kenya
East Africa 30200
Read more
Missionary Update: The Radfords in Kenya [December 2012]
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 very near the end of 2012. During this holiday season, may we never forget the true reason and meaning for Christmas, the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. One of my favorite verses concerning the Christmas season is Isaiah 7:14, which says “Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” I pray that we would be thankful during this season and remember the birth of our Savior.
I wanted to send a recent photo of our family (above), as we have not sent once in several months. It is hard to believe that McKenna will be five years old soon and starting school next year. Camille is continuing to grow and develop, and Lord willing, will be two next February. A challenging verse to me as a father is Ephesians 6:4, which says “And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.” Please pray for our family, for us as parents, and also for our children as they grow and develop.
The church plant in Shangalamwe is continuing along, but a prayer request that I have now for this church is for the dependency issues. The dependency has seemed to have increased in the past few weeks, and I ask for prayers specifically for my friend Roger Tate and I, that we would patiently teach the people the truth from the Word of God and that the Lord would work in hearts. Please also pray for the elder of the church, that the church chose, as he eventually will be stepping into more responsibility for leading the church. We have covered the main teachings to the church, have been modeling for the church over the past few months, and are continuing to progress along well. Again, if prayers could be made for the church to really lean upon the Lord and not anyone or anything else, that would be much appreciated. Psalm 118:8 states “It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man.” We will keep you updated of this ministry.
The Annex prison is continuing along well. We are continuing along well in the course “Firm Foundations – From Creation to Christ.” The men have been coming faithfully and seem to have a real desire to learn from the Word of God and follow and obey it. Please pray for each of the men, that they would be doers of the Word. One of my favorite verses is James 1:22, which says “But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.” What a challenging verse for all of us. We will be sure to keep you updated of the Annex prison ministry.
As for how to pray for us specifically, the holiday season here is always difficult. It is hard to be separated by thousands of miles from friends, family, culture, etc. We are doing the best we can, but there are definitely difficult times. I am so thankful for the Lord and for the strength He provides. His strength is perfect when our strength is gone. We wish you all a wonderful holiday season. Also, a great 2013.
May the Lord bless each of you.
Nathan and Carrie Radford
P.O. Box 4150
Kitale, Kenya
East Africa 30200
Click here to donate to BFM.
Read more
Missionary Update: The Radfords in Kenya [March 2012]
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 and premature babies.
Dear praying friends,
Another month has come and passed so quickly, and we are now already in the month of March for the year 2012. I am amazed at how fast time passes, and how we need to serve the Lord while there is still time and opportunity. One of my favorite quotes is: “Only one life will soon be past, only what’s done for Christ will last.” This update will share ministry progress as well as family updates.
This past month was a sad month in the life of our family. My grandfather, Mr. William Harris, passed away in February. What great childhood memories I have with him, and what a special member of our family he was. He is greatly missed by all in our family. We are thankful that he trusted Christ just a few days before he passed away. What an answer to prayer this is, and a reminder to never give up praying and to persist in prayer. It reminds me of the verse 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.” May we never stop praying, no matter how discouraging things may appear or seem. We thank each of you for your prayers, love and encouragement that you gave to my grandfather over the years.
Our daughter Camille turned 1 year old this past month. That is hard to believe. She is now getting close to crawling, but not quite there. Please pray for us as parents, that we would lead and guide her in the ways of the Lord and be the example to her that we need to be. We are so thankful to have her in our family.
The church planting ministries are continuing well, for which we thank the Lord. My friend Roger Tate and I have been working to begin house churches in the Kitale area. It is exciting to watch those who have been coming to put into practice what they have been learning. Some of our goals are that the works would be sustainable and reproducible. In other words, that the people can sustain the ministries without us, and that they can reproduce to others what they are learning. Some of those coming have already led others to Christ. Others have shown or expressed excitement to teach others as well. Praise God! We are so excited about this and will keep you updated of these ministries.
The Annex prison ministry is continuing well. We have progressed through several of the lessons of “Firm Foundations – From Creation to Christ.” The men seem to be enjoying their study of the Word of God and growing spiritually, for which I thank the Lord. It reminds me of 1 Peter 2:2, where the Bible says, “As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby.” It is exciting to watch that God is doing in their lives and we will keep you updated of this ministry.
Please continue to keep us in your prayers. We need the Lord so much for all that is going on here. One thing I have discovered long ago is that the Lord doesn’t need us, but we certainly do need Him! Pray that we would stay close to Him, rely on Him, and trust in Him to lead and guide us and to follow where He leads. We appreciate each of you so much and thank you for your heart for missions. We will keep you updated.
In Kenya,
Nathan and Carrie Radford
P.O. Box 4150
Kitale, Kenya
East Africa 30200
Click here to donate to BFM.
Read more
