Missionary Update: The Radfords in Kenya [April 2015]
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 1, 2015
Dear praying friends,
We hope this update finds you all doing well. We hope you all have a great upcoming Easter. May we never forget the significance of this time and celebration, where we remember our Lord raised triumphantly from the grave. We serve a living Savior! Some verses that come
to mind are 1 Corinthians 15:3-4, which state, “For I delivered unto you first of all
that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures.” Also, 1 Corinthians 15:14, which says “And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain.” What encouraging words from the Scriptures.
Please keep the hospital ministry in your prayers. My wife has been faithful to this ministry and the Lord has blessed. We praise the Lord that many needy babies and mothers have been assisted through your generous giving and heart for these people. We are now also trying to get baby blankets to the babies, so please pray that these will be a blessing. We thank the Lord for a man in Nairobi who assists us with getting these supplies, as well as shipping them to Kitale for us.
The prison ministry is continuing along well. I praise the Lord for the desire I see in these men to know, study, believe, and follow the Word of God. A verse that comes to mind is 2 Timothy 2:15, which says “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” We are getting ready to enter into the teachings of the life of Joseph. The men can really identify with many things from his life, such as being thrown into prison, etc. Please pray that these teachings are received well and the men will apply them to their lives and situations.
As I have stated before, my partner Roger Tate and I are trying different ways of doing church planting here, both with training nationals and also going into the Kenyan homes of “men of peace” who welcome us to come and start churches. Both ways are challenging and we are praying over these ways of doing churches here. One of the main challenges is the dependency. We desire the churches to be independent, self-supporting, self-governing, etc. To rely on the Lord wholly. That is a major challenge here, and we need patience as we work with the people and teach them from the Word. We are thankful for a man named Kefa who was welcomed us into his home to come and teach the Word of God to him, his family, and those in the surrounding area called Robinson. Please pray the people would come faithfully, and desire to grow in their faith. We will keep you updated.
I had mentioned the challenges of driving here recently. Believe it or not, a major market area and matatu (van) station moved from an outer area of town to the road that goes right through the heart of Kitale town. This has brought much congestion in this area of town and it is even more challenging to drive. We are so thankful the Lord has protected us as we travel, and we trust Him. Please pray not only for us, but all the missionaries as they travel within the country.
That is the main news for now. We appreciate each of you so much and thank you so much
for your heart for missions in East Africa. You are such blessing and thanks for all you do.
Serving in Kitale,
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: The Radfords in Kenya [April 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 gone, and there are many things to update you about. We praise the Lord for health, strength, His protection, and the opportunities He gives us to serve Him. This update will give a current ministry update as well as prayer requests.
As I write this letter, we are now in the final stages of our move. Praise the Lord! It has been a long, difficult three months since we found we had to move out, but the Lord has been so faithful and provided another place nearby to live. We also met with the caretaker, who was very friendly, and we are pleased. We have still not unpacked everything, as there are still some boxes around, but we are getting there step by step. Isn’t it wonderful to know that throughout the seasons of life, God is so faithful and will care for us each step of the way? I am thankful for His guidance and provisions. Psalm 48:14 says “For this God is our God for ever and ever: he will be our guide even unto death.” Thanks so much for each one who has prayed for us during this transition. We are now getting settled and appreciate your prayers for us during this time.
Concerning the election, it has been very interesting. The election was originally held on March 4th. One of the presidential candidates was declared the president elect, yet the other challenger has taken the matter to the Kenya Supreme Court. It has been in the court for a few days now, and we are awaiting the final decision. I have been pleasantly surprised by the lack of unrest. It seems things are calmer this time than last election. However, there is still very much the potential for unrest when the final decision is made. Please continue to pray for us, the other missionaries, and the country and people of Kenya. We desire to see this spirit of peace continue. Ultimately, God is in control, no matter what happens. He is always on the throne and we can trust Him with everything. There are many good verses regarding God’s sovereignty, but one of my favorites is Psalm 115:3, which says “But our God is in the heavens: he hath done whatsoever he hath pleased.” What a blessing to know we serve the sovereign God of the universe, and He is always completely, absolutely in control.
The church in Shangalamwe is continuing along. My good friend Roger Tate and I are now in the stage of observing the elder as he leads the church. This stage is very important, to ensure that the elder has grasped the teaching and follows the Scripture as he leads and guides the church to follow the Lord. Please pray for the elder as he has taken on this role, and for us also, as we seek to help him any way that we can. We are also continuing to work with a national to plant churches, and this is going along well. Out of one group many other groups have started, and many of these groups desire to be churches. Please pray for him, and also for us, as we instruct and teach him weekly to plant these churches, Lord willing.
My wife is continuing along in the hospital ministry. We thank the Lord for the opportunities He has given her to serve there over the years. There are so many there who are suffering and we thank the Lord for the doors He has opened for her to serve there. Thanks to each one who prays for this ministry or sends supplies for the mothers and children. Psalm 68:5 says “A father of the fatherless, and a judge of the widows, is God in his holy habitation.” God cares about these children and the conditions they face, and we are honored to have a small part to minister and care for them.
Thanks so much to each one who sends us notes, emails, or letters of encouragement. It means so much. Many days here we face the typical challenges of missionary life, and certainly homesickness, loneliness, and other issues can come. Your letters and emails brighten our days. God bless each of you for your prayers, sacrificial giving, and encouragement. We will keep you updated.
In Kenya,
Nathan and Carrie Radford
P.O. Box 4150
Kitale, Kenya
East Africa 30200
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