Missionary Update: The Radfords in Kenya [February 2013]
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
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Missionary Update: The Radfords in Kenya [December 2012]
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
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Missionary Update: The Radfords in Kenya [November 2012]
November 1, 2012
Dear praying friends,
Another month has quickly passed, and we are now at the end months of the year 2012. It is hard to believe that 2013 is just around the corner. Each year seems to go by faster and faster. I pray that we will commit ourselves anew to service to the Lord, wherever He leads us. I like Deuteronomy 13:4, which says “Ye shall walk after the LORD your God, and fear him, and keep his commandments, and obey his voice, and ye shall serve him, and cleave unto him.” I pray that this would be our heart’s desire, that we would walk with the Lord, fear Him, keep His commandments, obey Him, serve Him, and cleave to Him. What a challenging verse from the Word of God.
The church plant in the village of Shangalamwe is continuing along well, for which I thank the Lord. My friend Roger Tate and I have been working with these dear people for several months now, and we have been able to see spiritual growth and progress. Some of the church members have grown discouraged as they have been faithful to go and share their faith, yet the work has been difficult and others have been giving excuses, etc. I tried to encourage them by sharing the verse in Galatians 6:9, which states “And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.” I reminded the church that we are to be faithful in serving the Lord, and leave the results with Him. Please pray for these members, that they would find strength and encouragement from the Lord and faithfully serve Him, no matter what the difficulties are.
We are also now meeting with a national, as he has been faithful to go and start different Bible study groups in the Kitale area. We have been meeting with him, sharing with him and training him to go and teach the lessons to other groups. The time will be coming where he will ask to see if the groups desire to be churches of the Lord Jesus Christ, so please be praying for him in the days ahead, that the Lord’s will would be done. It is good to do church planting using different ways, to compare and and see which is more effective in this culture. We covet your prayers as we continue to plant churches, with the Lord’s help, in the Kitale area.
The Annex prison ministry is continuing along well. We are now near the end of the course “Firm Foundations – From Creation to Christ.” The men coming seem to be really growing and doing well. I thank the Lord for this, and for their faithfulness to come and study the Word of God. I am also thankful for the cooperation of the head office of the Annex prison and also for the cooperation of the chaplains. Please pray for these men and their spiritual growth as they learn from the Word, as well as for the other men who have not yet decided to trust Christ and follow Him. How we need to share the Gospel message and share it with the lost. I love Luke 19:10, which says “For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.” We will keep you updated of this ministry.
In family news, please pray for each of us, and for our health and safety daily as we serve here. There are many health hazards here, and we would appreciate your prayers for our continued health as we serve in Kitale. Please also pray for us as it is now near the holiday season, and it is always hard to be away from those that we love. The Lord gives strength daily, and we are thankful for this. His strength is perfect when our strength is gone. We wish you all a great holiday season in America, and will be sure to keep you updated. God’s blessings to each of you.
Serving in Kitale,
Nathan and Carrie Radford
P.O. Box 4150
Kitale, Kenya
East Africa 30200
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Missionary Update: The Tates in Kenya [November 2012]
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Greetings in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Life is going on here in Kenya. Josiah turned 11 years old this month. We had a small party for him with some friends (mostly grown ups because there are very few children his age here). The radio controlled car he received from his grandparents in the mail keeps roaming around the house. I also have a birthday coming up in ten days. I will turn 43. And, just a few days before my birthday, I will attempt to run my first full marathon. Why am I attempting this? It’s hard to explain. But, maybe the Kenyan runners inspired me. Too bad they will be so far out in front of me when we run the race.
Ministry goes on as well. At Shangalamwe we are very close to beginning a newer phase in that new church’s ministry. Up to now, Nathan and I have done all of the teaching and leading of the new church. We are about to enter a phase where we will begin to gradually hand these responsibilities over to the believers and members of that church. This is Paul’s method in the New Testament and we want to emulate his methods as much as possible. Sometimes he would stay in a city for a year or two teaching and other times he would be run off after only a few months or weeks. But in every place that he went he tried to leave a strong church led by strong leaders. We want to begin teaching the leaders of the Baptist Church of Shangalamwe to take over teaching the Word of God, leading the worship, and leading the church in general and in spiritual matters. We have tried to model much of this for them over the last few months and hope and pray that they will follow this leading. Nathan and I cannot stay here at this church forever and in this culture it would be far too easy for them to become dependent upon us to do everything for them. This transition might not be easy for either them or for us. Change is always hard. However, this young church has the Word of God and the Spirit of God to lead them, help them, guide them and empower them to continue and persevere and to do the work of the kingdom in the village of Shangalamwe. May God bless all their efforts in doing his work and will.
Also, the young man, Titus, who we are discipling on a weekly basis is doing just a fantastic job. He has started five Bible study / worship groups all on his own without any direct intervention from us and all of these groups are thriving. This is what we encouraged and trained him to do and he is running with the training and doing a great work for the Kingdom of God. His groups continue to grow. In fact, one of his groups is no longer able to meet in the original house they were meeting in because they have outgrown it. The 32 people coming simply could not fit in the small house where they were meeting. They had to meet outside and sit on the ground. I cannot begin to tell you how excited that makes me. His other groups are doing almost as well. We have trained and modeled for Titus how to start groups and teach them the Word of God. Now we have begun to train him on how to turn these groups into churches: What the Bible says about churches, what a church is, how a church is organized and started, what needs to be done, steps to be taken, etc. Our prayer and goal is that some day these groups will have the necessary “Biblical ingredients” and take the necessary Biblical steps to become churches of the Lord Jesus Christ.
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
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Missionary Update: The Tates in Kenya [September 2012]
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Greetings in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. I hope and pray that the Kingdom of God is growing back in the States and here in Kenya as well. God is good, just, faithful, merciful and gracious. His word will accomplish everything He wants it to accomplish in our lives and in this world. Our King sits on the throne and rules by His mighty power. Praise be to our great God.
We will probably have some changes coming in some of our groups in the next couple of weeks. At the beginning of the year we started three groups with the hopes of them becoming churches of the Lord Jesus Christ. One of those groups was organized into the Baptist Church of Shangalamwe. It looks like the other two groups will be canceled but that doesn’t mean that good things haven’t come out of them. These groups often start strong with many people and then begin to fade once the attendees realize they will not be receiving any gifts. That happened to our Friday group. It has dwindled to basically one or two attendees who were not being faithful themselves and who were not putting forth much effort to help the group grow. It was time to cancel the group this past month. Also, our Saturday group has had the same kinds of problems. A local pastor who attended the group became angry at us for not building him a new building and went about sabotaging the group, poisoning it with his lies and driving people away. We have also had to cancel this group this past month. However, out of this group has come a young man, Titus, who has gone on to form five other groups himself. We plan on continuing to mentor and teach this young man on how to lead these groups and on how to lead these groups into becoming churches. He is doing an excellent work. People are being saved in his groups and most of the attendees are hearing the Bible taught verse-by-verse for the very first time in their lives. So, with the canceling of two groups this past month, we will be looking to start a couple of new groups that we hope to eventually turn into house churches. Nathan and I are not discouraged about the canceling of these two groups. At the beginning of the year we looked at things realistically and decided that if even one out of every four groups we started became churches that we would be happy with that. We are excited about starting some new groups in the near future.
At the Baptist Church of Shangalamwe we finished teaching about elders this past month. We taught about the need for elders, the responsibilities of elders, and the characteristics and qualification of elders. It was exciting to hear and answer their many questions concerning elders as we taught them concerning this topic from the Scriptures. Once we had finished all the teachings, the church obeyed the teaching of the Word of God and chose and appointed a qualified elder for the church. Afterwards, we gathered around him and prayed that God would give him strength and wisdom as the first elder and spiritual leader of the young church. This is an important step as this young church needs to have spiritual leaders to lead it in the future after Nathan and I are no longer around. May God bless this church with much spiritual growth and maturity and may He bless their new elder, Richard.
Very briefly, my car situation hasn’t changed. It still hasn’t been confiscated but I also cannot drive it or else it will be confiscated, impounded and basically stolen from my by the authorities. Barring a miracle from God I will not be able to keep the car. Please pray that God’s will be done in this situation whether it is for me to keep or lose the vehicle.
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!
Click here to donate to BFM.
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Missionary Update: The Tates in Kenya [July 2012]
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
I am excited to report to you this month of the new developments in our church planting ministry. As you hopefully know, our goal here in Kenya is to start independent, self-reliant, self-governing, and self-reproducing Baptist churches. We were privileged to be able to see part of that goal come to fruition this month. I have read Nathan Radford’s monthly update and know that in it he has mentioned the start of this church. I would like to fill in the details of that day when the church was organized.
After months of teaching and preparing, on the Sunday morning of June 24th, we organized a small group of believers into the Kanisa la Baptisti la Shangalamwe (Baptist Church of Shangalamwe). Shangalamwe is a small village off the beaten path where Nathan and I have been working for many months. Richard Wafula is the owner of the house in which the group meets and the leader of the family there. Richard is over 70 years old which is quite an old age for most Kenyans (he is in very good health and very good shape as it takes him nearly two hours one way to ride to town from his house on his bicycle). He has lived long enough to remember pre-independence days forKenya when the country was ruled by the colonial British.
On the 24th of June, Nathan, Julie, my kids, and I rose early in the morning to make the half hour drive to Shangalamwe and arrived at Richard’s house at 8:30am. We shared chai (tea) with the group members as it was still pretty chilly that morning. After chai we began our worship. We praised our God and Savior in song and drums, lifting up our voices to glorify the Head of the church that was about to be organized. After we finished singing and praying, Nathan reminded the group what it meant to be a church of the Lord Jesus Christ and what was needed for the group to move from group status to becoming a New Testament assembly. He then proceeded to read the covenant that had been written for this occasion. In short (this is a very brief summary) the covenant expressed the intentions of the members to organize into a church, to function as the body of Christ on the earth, to follow Christ as its only Head, and to diligently search the Scriptures and obey all it commands for a New Testament church of the Lord Jesus. Nathan then read the membership requirements for becoming a member of the new church (these are what you would expect for any Baptist church: You must be a believer in Jesus as your Savior, you must be Scripturally baptized, you must express your intent on becoming a member, you must sign the covenant, etc). All of the members then signed this covenant and membership requirements.
Following this we had baptisms to perform. We left Richard’s house and walked 25 minutes to the lake where there was enough water to immerse the candidates. I then had the privilege of baptizing three children who had previously trusted in Christ. I baptized Nuhu (Noah) – age 13, Musa (Moses) – age 10, and Timina – age 8. While standing in the water I explained the meaning, purpose and method of baptism because the whole practice of baptism inKenya is wildly misunderstood and misapplied. Afterward I baptized the three children. After finding a secluded and private bush in which to change into dry clothes we walked the 25 minutes back to Richard’s house and added the names of the three children who had just been baptized to the membership role of the church. We all then sat down and I taught from Acts 2:40-47, showing what kinds of things the first church inJerusalem did and challenging this new church to follow the same kind of model. We finished with more singing and prayer and with thanksgiving in our hearts and smiles on our lips we headed home.
It was truly a blessed day, one I would like to repeat here inKenyamany times. Please pray that God would richly bless with spiritual blessings the Kanisa la Baptisti la Shangalamwe and that it would grow in obedience unto maturity. To our great God be all the glory.
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!
Click here to donate to BFM.
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Missionary Update: The Radfords in Kenya [July 2012]
July 3, 2012
Dear praying friends,
We have now passed the halfway point into the year 2012. As I reflect on this past year, and how quickly time passes, I am reminded how we need to be investing ourselves in service to the Lord and His kingdom. Our life here on earth is just a breath compared to eternity. 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.” May we use the opportunities the Lord gives us to serve Him. This update will give ministry progress as well as share prayer requests.
This past month was an exciting one in relation to church planting here in Kitale. My good friend Roger Tate and I have been teaching the Word of God to a special family in a small village named Shangalamwe which is located here in Kitale. We have covered many different studies with them, and prepared them to become a church of the Lord Jesus Christ. On June 24th of last month, we had an official ceremony to open Shangalamwe Baptist Church. What an exciting time it is for these people. Please pray for this church, and also for the people in the village of Shangalamwe. Pray for my friend Roger and I, that we would continue to be faithful to help and assist these people through mentoring them to grow spiritually, and reach others for Christ. Please pray that the Lord would raise up leaders for this church that love the Lord and desire to faithfully serve Him. Please pray that these people would continue to pray, rely on the Lord, and study the Word of God. The Word of God is profitable in so many ways, and how we need to faithfully study it. 2 Timothy 2:15 says “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”
The Annex prison ministry is continuing along well. The Lord has provided faithful men to come and study His Word. It has been exciting to watch how the Lord has been working in their lives, and I thank the Lord for each one who has been coming. I also am thankful for the cooperation of the officials at the Annex prison. We are now over halfway through the course “Firm Foundations – from Creation to Christ.” I am aware of all the many challenges that these men face, and am thankful for their faithfulness. Many of them receive discouragement in many ways, yet they continue to faithfully study. Please pray for these men and also for their spiritual growth. Pray that I would be faithful to share the Gospel message as well as teach the Word, relying on the Lord for the results. Nothing can happen without the Lord and His help. 1 Corinthians 3:6 says “I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase.” May we all remember to rely on the Lord as we serve Him.
In family news, it has been exciting to watch our daughters grow and develop. McKenna is now four years old and very active. She is such a blessing and what a privilege it is for my wife and I to be her parents. Camille is 16 months old, and has not yet started walking, but is certainly crawling all over. It will not be long before she is walking. She can mutter some words now and then, such as “dada,” which thrills my heart. What a blessed man I am, with such a wonderful wife and daughters. Please pray for unity in our family, and that my wife and I would be the examples before our children that we need to be. It is a big responsibility. Our children watch our actions more than our words. A statement that has really challenged me is “Example speaks louder than words.” May we be the examples for the Lord that we need to be throughout our daily lives.
We hope you all have a great fourth of July there in the States as we celebrate here in Kenya. May we be in prayer for our nation, and the leaders of the United States of America. How we need to heed the words of Proverbs 14:34, which says “Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people.” God bless you and we will keep you updated.
Serving in Kitale,
Nathan and Carrie Radford
P.O. Box 4150
Kitale, Kenya
East Africa 30200
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