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 in Kenya [April 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 am writing this on March 28th, 2014. By the time you read this letter I will be gone from the United States because the family and I leave for Kenya in just five hours. Six years ago when I was just five hours away from leaving the States and heading to Kenya on my own for the first time I was scared to death. My stomach was in knots, my mind was whirling, my chest was tight and my head hurt. I am thankful that today, even though I know we are just hours removed from our flight back, that my mind is at peace, I am fairly calm, and I don’t fear the future. I can sum my feelings up right now with the following sentence: I am ready to go but not ready to leave. I hope that is understandable to you who are reading. We are all ready to head back to Kenya and get back to ministry there, but we are not ready to once again leave family, friends and church in the States.
As we head back to Kenya, I thought I would show you my checklist/to-do list.
DONE
- Visit all the churches, report on our work in Kenya, remind everybody who we are, make sure everyone is praying for us
- Spend time with our home church, friends and family as we will probably not see them again for over three years
- Pack up the house where we are currently living and clean, clean, clean
- Discontinue all services (internet, phone, utilities, etc)
- Return all borrowed items
- Pack the luggage we are taking to Kenya. Weigh it. Re-pack it. Weigh it. Re-pack it. Weigh it. Re-pack it…
- Have “going away” dinner at church. Say goodbye to church members.
NOT DONE
- Wait 4½ more hours
- Call Emily
- Weigh luggage one last time
- Get to the airport on time
- Say goodbye to friends and family; cry
- Travel 10,000 miles and arrive in Nairobi
- Renew life and ministry in Kenya
- Terribly miss all our loved ones back home
So, as you can see, much has been done and much has yet to be finished. Thank you all for your continued love, prayers and support. The Lord be with you.
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 on Furlough from Kenya [March 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.
March 4, 2014
Dear praying friends,
Another month has come and passed, and it is hard to believe it is already the month of March. We have enjoyed so much our time of furlough and getting to spend time with friends, family, and supporters. Each of you are so special to us, and it is always good to get back home to get refreshed. This reminds me of a verse that I remind myself of often, and is an encouragement. It is Matthew 11:28, which says, “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” How we need to come to the Lord when we feel overwhelmed, discouraged, or need refreshed. What a great promise from the Scriptures.
Please pray for the various ministries as they continue along while we are home. One major prayer request we have currently is for the hospital ministry. As some of you may not be aware, the government has now made it mandatory for my wife to get a work permit to continue along with this ministry. Previously, she worked under my work permit, but now things have changed and she needs her own. Of course, we trust the Lord for this, and we plan to get working on the permit immediately upon our return in June, Lord willing. We know the Lord will keep the door open there as long as He wants her there. A verse that has been a comfort is Psalm 62:8, which says “Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us. Selah.” How we need to trust in the Lord all through our lives, and realize He is our refuge. Thanks so much to each one who sends supplies for this ministry, prays for my wife, or sends finances sacrificially. Each of you are a blessing. We will keep you updated.
Our daughter Camille turned three years old last month. That is hard to believe. It was so good that we got to celebrate her birthday together as a family. McKenna will turn six years old next month, Lord willing. Parenting is a privilege, and we thank the Lord for both of our daughters. If you are a parent, it would be wise to cherish the times that you have together, as time passes so quickly and before you know it, the children are all grown up. Please continue to pray for both of them as they grow and progress along in their young lives.
Please also pray for our vehicle as we have had to travel many miles while we have been home. Please pray that it will do well along all the miles, through all the snow and roads of this rough winter, and that it would not have any major repairs. So far, it has done well, but there is still much traveling ahead.
God bless each of you. We will keep you updated.
315 College Street
Youngsville, PA 16371
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Missionary Update: The Tates on Furlough from Kenya [February 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 want to start this update by extending my thankful gratitude to all of the many churches that I have visited already during this furlough/home assignment time. We have been all around in Michigan, Ohio, West Virginia, Kentucky and some in Indiana.
We still have a few more churches yet to visit. Every church we have visited so far has been so warm, so welcoming, so loving and for all of this I am extremely grateful. It is good to know that all these great people in all these great churches are praying for us while we are in Kenya. I can’t tell you how many times I have visited a church and someone comes up to me and says “I pray for you every day”. Just today I had a lady come up to me and said, “I pray for you two times every day”. I was so amazed and so appreciative of her prayers that I semi-jokingly said, “Well, then you need to take two of my prayer cards”. She semi-jokingly replied that one card would be enough. But please believe me when I say how much we need and covet these prayers. Another thing that I really appreciate when I have been visiting the churches is the interaction and questions that I get at nearly every church. The intelligent questions and informed interaction tells me that people are interested in what we are doing and involved in fulfilling the commission that Jesus gave to his churches to reach all the nations of the world. Do you know what else the questions and interaction accomplish? They make me have to think through things that I might not have thought through completely already. I’m not saying I haven’t myself thought about these things, but the questions and comments make me have to think harder about certain elements of my ministry and try and figure out how we will need to change and evolve more in the future. God’s people are such a blessing. The hospitality and kindness that I experience at every church lets me know how much you all love your missionaries. And one more point I will mention is all the differences I see in the churches I visit. I love the diversity. I’ve visited large churches and small churches. I’ve visited city churches and country churches. Some churches use more contemporary music and some more traditional. Some church buildings are old and some are new. But all have been friendly and loving. All are interested in missions. And all are occupied with preaching and teaching the gospel. Knowing that you all are diligently praying for us missionaries I also diligently pray that God would bless all of these churches and that they would be beacons of light in their own communities. May God empower each of you to fulfill the great commission here in your own hometowns.
We are now only one and a half months away from returning to Kenya. This brings me mixed emotions. I want to return and commence our third term and get going on our ministry. But I’m not yet ready to leave my beloved United States. I’m not yet ready to leave Emily here behind. I’m not yet ready to leave my home church. And, jokingly, I’m not yet ready to leave the pizza, Big Macs, and donuts. I’m not even ready yet to leave the snow and ice. But Kenya awaits and we begin to set our hearts on returning to the place where God has placed us to minister. Pray that God would prepare our hearts and minds for this return.
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 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 [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 Tates on Furlough from Kenya [October 2013]
The Tate Family has served the Lord in Kitale, Kenya since January 2008. Their main ministry is indigenous church planting.
October 4, 2013
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Kenya made major international news this month but not for any reasons that are good. You probably saw or read in the news that a group of heavily armed terrorists from the group Al-Shabab entered into a heavily populated upscale mall in Nairobi and held it hostage for five agonizing days. They threw hand grenades, shot their AK-47s and killed people indiscriminately. Then they holed up in the mall with their hostages for five days while Kenya police and military tried to root them out. The terror, chaos and pain they caused is simply indescribable. In the end at least 69 people were killed with hundreds injured and many still missing. The mall was burned and partially collapsed. It was indeed a great and terrible tragedy. This terrorist activity touches our family personally. This is a mall and a place that we frequently visit whenever we are in Nairobi. Throughout the ordeal I kept thinking, “This could have been us. We could have been there”. This mall is very familiar to us and so all the pictures shown on the news were also very familiar except that these familiar places in the pictures now included smoke, bullet holes and corpses. But I wasn’t only thinking, “This could have been us”. I was also thinking, “Who is in that mall right now that I might know”? As it turns out, we did have personal connections there that weekend. A friend of ours was killed by the terrorists in the mall that weekend. She and her family are Muslims but on occasion she attended get-togethers at our house. One of her daughters is friends with Emily. We feared that her children were with her at the mall but fortunately they were not there. Please pray for the family of Shirose and pray that the Lord would use this terrible event to bring them to faith in Christ. We weep for our Kenyan brothers and sisters over this tragic and senseless incident and pray that God would bring healing to our beloved host country.
In other news, we have arrived in Dayton and are finally spending some time with our church family at Emmanuel Baptist in Bellbrook, Ohio. What a blessing to hear the Word of God preached and to worship with our church family. Each time we return, though, the dynamics are slightly different. We see less of the familiar faces at church and more faces that are not familiar. If we spend another thirty years on the field in Kenya there may be very few people left at our own home church that we actually know. I suppose that is the plight of a missionary. But our dear pastor of 30 plus years is still there and we still have many dear and wonderful friends there and maybe we will be able to make new friends as well before we head back to Kenya.
Much of my time has been spent in preparing for traveling to our various supporting churches. I’m running through my checklist of all I need to do in order to begin our traveling: Design and create the DVD – CHECK; Develop and print the prayer cards – CHECK; Update pictures and information for the display board – CHECK; Call pastors and schedule traveling dates – IN PROCESS; Appropriate all equipment for showing the DVD – IN PROCESS; Prepare messages – IN PROCESS. Throw into this mix a seemingly endless running of errands, appointments and phone calls and I am easily finding enough tasks to keep me busy until we begin traveling to the various churches. I also have other speaking engagements that I am preparing for and for which I need the Lord’s help and guidance.
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!
Read more
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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