Modeling and Teaching the Word of God
November 10, 2022
Greetings in the name of Jesus Christ,
Modeling and teaching.
Biblical modeling and teaching is exactly what I am trying to do and accomplish here in Kenya for current and future Kenyan church leaders. And, fortunately, I get plenty of opportunities for doing both.
There is something I try and keep in mind as I model and teach future Kenyan church leaders. It actually comes from the books of Ezra and Nehemiah in the Old Testament.
First, Ezra. What did he do? The Bible says that when Ezra returned to Jerusalem with the other Israelites after seventy years of captivity in Babylon that Ezra focused on three things. This, in essence, is what I’m trying to model and teach. Look at Ezra 7:10 to see my own model:
- Ezra set his heart to STUDY the Law of the Lord.
It is the Word of God that gives us direction in life, in ministry and most importantly in our relationship with God. My desire is to set my own heart to study the Word of God and I want my Kenyan students to do the same.
2. Ezra set his heart to DO the Law of the Lord
One thing I reiterate over and over to my students, or church members, or anyone else who will listen is that we can know the Word of God very well, but it doesn’t do us any good unless we actually DO it and follow it. A disciple of Jesus is someone who FOLLOWS Jesus. We are trying to make and multiply disciples of Jesus. I also tell anyone who will listen: “A person who knows 90% of the Bible but only follows 10% of what they know is far less mature than a believer who knows only 10% of the Bible but follows 90% of what they know.
3. Ezra set his heart to TEACH the Word of the Lord
I have set my heart to teach the Word of God to any and every Kenyan person who is willing to hear it. I know I have few skills and abilities, but I can teach the word of God with passion and I pray that the Kenyan people and especially the future leaders of the churches in Kenya catch that same passion for teaching the Word of God to the rest of the Kenyan nation as well.
Second, Nehemiah. What did he and his contemporaries do? Listen to Nehemiah 8:8 – “They read from the book, from the Law of God, clearly, and they gave the sense, so that the people understood the reading.” Awesome! When they read and preached from the Word of God they also “gave the sense of it clearly” so that the hearers could understand completely. It is one of the hallmarks of my ministry to make the Word of God as simple to understand and follow as possible. That’s not hard for a simple man like me. But I want my Kenyan hearers to UNDERSTAND. I want them to understand, then follow and love Jesus, and then expand the kingdom of Jesus to the rest of Kenya and beyond.
Hey, y’all, I want the Word of God to come alive in this country and start a revolution of following Jesus and glorifying God. “Gracious and loving God, may this happen in my own life and in the lives of your beloved Kenyan people. Amen.”
Blessings,
Roger, Julie & Chloe
CONTACT INFO
Roger & Julie Tate
Moffat Bible College
P.O. Box 70
Kijabe, Kenya 00220
rojuta@gmail.com
For ministry donations:
Pastor George Sledd, Treasurer of BFM
P.O. Box 471280 | Lake Monroe, FL 32747-1280
or click here to donate to BFM online.
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Praying for Kenyan Presidential Election
August 6, 2022
Dear praying friends,
Another month has come and gone, and we are already moving towards the end of 2022. Time is precious, and may it be used faithfully in service to the Lord. This update will share current prayer requests as well as ministry updates.
A major prayer request we have currently is for the presidential election which is scheduled for August 9th. One of the big presidential candidates visited Kitale recently, and from my understanding, much of the town was blocked off and thousands went to the rally. We have had multiple visits here in Kitale from the presidential candidates over the past few weeks, and now Kenyans will vote on August 9th for their candidate.
Please pray for the country and any post-election violence. You never know how things will go – some years have been peaceful, and others have been with more unease and conflict. The year 2007 was one of the more unpeaceful elections, so we pray for peace and safety for this year, with no unnecessary rioting or violence. We are thankful to be in Kitale, as Kitale has a mixture of tribes and is generally very peaceful. In all these matters, we are trusting the Lord. Psalm 5:11 says, “But let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice: let them ever shout for joy, because thou defendest them: let them also that love thy name be joyful in thee.” Psalm 28:7 also says, “The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise him.” What a faithful God we serve.
Please continue praying for our family during this time, as many families have relocated from Kitale since we returned earlier this year. It has not been easy with all the adjustments, but we are praying and trusting God to bring other families in His timing and plan. Psalm 123:2 says “Behold, as the eyes of servants look unto the hand of their masters, and as the eyes of a maiden unto the hand of her mistress; so our eyes wait upon the Lord our God, until that he have mercy upon us.” We are praying, and trusting the Lord with this in our current situation, and we know He will provide in His timing.
I (Nathan) am continuing to disciple younger Kenyan men in the village of Taito. I thank the Lord for those who have been faithfully attending. Please pray for these men and their spiritual growth. As I have talked with other missionaries who have succeeded at church planting here in Kenya, this is the model – disciple (give them a strong Biblical foundation), train, and send. This is the model that I am currently following and has yielded the best results. All of this must be bathed in prayer. Colossians 4:2 says, “Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving.” Please pray for me as I trust the Lord in church planting endeavors here in Kenya. God is faithful.
We will update you next month on the election and how things are faring in the country. We know God is in control and we trust Him with all these matters. Thank you so much for your prayers, sacrificial giving, and interest in missions around the world. You each mean so much to us.
Until next month,
Nathan and Carrie Radford
Contact Info:
Nathan and Carrie Radford
naterad[at]yahoo.com
P.O. Box 4150
Kitale, Kenya
East Africa 30200
For ministry donations:
Pastor George Sledd, Treasurer of BFM
P.O. Box 471280 | Lake Monroe, FL 32747-1280
or click here to donate to BFM online.
Read more
New Opportunity at Bible College in Kijabe
July 19, 2022
Greetings in the name of Jesus Christ,
Well, it took three weeks of packing and two trips to Kitale to get all of our stuff, but we have finally brought all of our belongings and unpacked most of it into our new house in Kijabe. Unfortunately, household stuff wasn’t the only thing I brought back from Kitale. I also brought back Covid. I started feeling the symptoms during the drive down from Kitale to Kijabe. By the next morning I was pretty sick with it. The worst part of it was I couldn’t keep warm. I know we live less than 100 miles from the equator, but we do live on the side of a mountain and this is the cold season. I know you are mocking me right now for being cold while living on the equator but at this time of year it gets into the 40s at night and there is no such thing as heating in Kenya. So, yes, it was cold. Anyway, I was over the worst of it after about five days but unfortunately, Julie and Chloe both got it too. Chloe slept for literally three days straight and then was over it. Julie was really sick for about two weeks, to the point I was pretty concerned about her. She is over the virus now but some side effects remain – namely, some chronic fatigue and coughing. This Covid has really hampered us from getting into the swing of things here in our new home.
So, speaking of our new home in Kijabe, I want to let you all know what I will be doing for the immediate future. The main thing that I will be doing for now is ministering the gospel at a Bible college located about 200 meters up the hill from our house. The way that this worked out really seems like something only God could have done. Many closed doors opened all at the same time, doors that were solidly closed and that I wasn’t really even looking to open. Even my first interview with the Principal of the college happened just two days after my throat surgery back in March. On Friday, I had my surgery. On Sunday, I was sitting in a chair in my house in my pj’s, and HEAVILY drugged. The vice principal called and asked if he could come and talk to me about working at the college. I told him he could come but that I was in my pj’s, I couldn’t talk, and was HEAVILY drugged. He came and he talked for as long as I could sit upright. The next day was my interview with the Principal. And that was only part of what God was doing and would finalize over the next few weeks. And so now I am on staff at Moffat Bible College. First and foremost, I will be doing what I prefer to do most – teaching the gospel of Jesus Christ to people who want to learn it. And my favorite part of doing my favorite thing is to teach the Bible to other people who will then be teaching the Bible to even other people. I love teaching future pastors and church leaders the Bible. I love it because in this way the true message of the Bible gets passed on exponentially. If I teach 20 future pastors how to properly interpret the Bible and each of these students goes to a church with another 50 people each, that equals 1000 Kenyan people who are hearing Biblical teaching about Jesus. Throw into the mix that there are also Congolese, Sudanese, and Ugandan students and this becomes a big deal. East Africa so needs good Bible teaching and this is an amazing opportunity to really propagate the gospel. I will also be mentoring students and working with them in practical ministry endeavors. I am excited to see how God will use this opportunity to work with Kenyan men and women to spread the kingdom of Jesus Christ and the gospel, even potentially for future church planting activities. It is still to be seen what God will do.
In closing my letter, however, I am reminded that we live in a really harsh, brutal, and sinful world. A dear Christian, Kenyan man and friend from Kitale is with the Lord today. Evans Barasa is a man I have known for my entire 15 years in Kenya. He actually worked with Mike and Pam Anderson before I was working with him starting 15 years ago. He was a pastor, a good Christian, and a friend. If you had ever met Evans, even if for just one minute, you would remember his amazing and catching smile and laugh. Evans had been hired onto the police force a couple of years ago. He was working last night and someone hit him in the back of the head and killed him. I don’t even know what the murderer was after. It is a shame and that makes me really sad. He leaves behind a wife and four children. Rest in peace, Evans.
Roger, Julie & Chloe
CONTACT INFO
Roger & Julie Tate
P.O. Box 96
Kitale, Kenya 30200
rojuta@gmail.com
For ministry donations:
Pastor George Sledd, Treasurer of BFM
P.O. Box 471280 | Lake Monroe, FL 32747-1280
or click here to donate to BFM online.
Read more
Life in Kitale
April 29, 2022
Greetings from Kenya!
I pray this update finds everyone doing well. This is Carrie writing this month for the annual missionary wives’ prayer letter. I hope the weather is getting warmer for all of you. I’m sure you’re ready for nicer weather after the winter months. Here in Kenya, we are finishing dry season and entering rainy season. The dry season was long this year and especially hot (up to 90 degrees and no air conditioning anywhere). Everything became very dry and dusty and lack of water was a concern. But thankfully, the rains have started and things are beginning to turn green again and the temperatures are cooling down a bit.
Currently there is a fuel shortage in the country. The suppliers are trying to increase the price, but the government is refusing to pay it, so there is a stalemate. The government is working to get the suppliers to lower the cost, but it’s taking a while to do it. There have been reports of people waiting in lines at the gas stations for up to 8 hours to get just a bit of gas for their vehicles. This is really affecting the livelihoods of people such as taxi drivers and piki=pikis (motorbike taxis). In addition, there are fewer supply trucks to bring goods, such as food, from Nairobi to Kitale. We’ve had extremely limited milk for the past couple weeks, and the price of goods is also increasing rapidly, which causes a huge burden on all families and businesses here. The people are struggling to buy the food they need for their families. Please pray that the fuel situation gets resolved quickly and that prices reduce for the people of this country.
Homeschooling continues to go well. The girls really enjoy their classes and are doing a great job working diligently. We’ve been doing some PE activities as a family, such as morning exercise, which has been really nice. Cami enjoys learning to cook and Kenna has taken some drawing classes online, which has been a huge blessing. We’ve gotten a new kitten who is an endless delight for the girls. He’s a snuggly little guy and such a blessing for us.
Please pray for the girls as they are needing friends. We had a family with some girls their ages here, but they’ve moved to another part of Kenya. This has been a big loss for our girls as they were close and played a lot together. There have been a lot of changes in our community with families leaving and we’re all struggling with it to some extent. Please pray for us as a family. Missions can be so difficult with all the goodbyes we say. There are very few “wazungus” (westerners) left in our town. Please pray for strength and for new families to come.
Thank you all for the encouragement you send and the prayers you say on our behalf. We appreciate them more than you know. Each of you is a blessing to us and we’re thankful for you. God bless you all as you head into the summer months.
In Christ,
Nathan and Carrie Radford
Contact Info:
Nathan and Carrie Radford
naterad[at]yahoo.com
P.O. Box 4150
Kitale, Kenya
East Africa 30200
For ministry donations:
Pastor George Sledd, Treasurer of BFM
P.O. Box 471280 | Lake Monroe, FL 32747-1280
or click here to donate to BFM online.
Read more
Our God — The Great Orchestrator
March 30, 2022
Greetings in the name of Jesus Christ,
So much has happened since I wrote to you all last time. When I wrote to you last time absolutely none of what I’m about to tell you about was even a thought in our heads. I guess a lot can happen in just one or two months.
Yes, we are still in Kenya. No, we are not currently in our hometown of Kitale. We are currently living in a town called Kijabe. Let me explain how it happened and why and what has transpired since we arrived here.
As you all know by now, Julie and I have legal guardianship of Chloe and our great desire is for the Kenyan government to allow us to adopt her. Since there is a moratorium on foreign adoption right now, we have to wait for that to happen. As you also know, Chloe has been diagnosed with Autism and there are several severe challenges that come with Chloe’s particular case: Violence, melt-downs, extreme emotional dis-regulation, sensory overload, behavior challenges, learning challenges and even physical challenges. All of this has been taking a toll on Chloe, Julie and me. We were in desperate need of help. Julie had tried and tried to get help from organizations and doctors in Kitale and even in the Eldoret area. No help was forthcoming anywhere near Kitale. Every organization and doctor that we would meet with would say to Julie, “Wow, Julie. You know so much more about this than we do. You could teach us about this”. Hmmm. Not helpful.
I’m going to try and make a long story short. We believe God heard our cries of desperation. We believe this because we could not have orchestrated ourselves getting into the position we are currently in. Julie awoke from sleep one night remembering that we had friends who had a son who was an Occupational Therapist at a mission hospital in Kijabe. What happened after that were many great turns of events with God orchestrating things very quickly to get us to Kijabe where some help might be available. From the time Julie woke up that night to the time we arrived at this temporary house we are living in was 17 days. That might not sound very quick, but, believe me, that was quick.
Now we are in Kijabe, home of a local mission hospital and about 40 miles from Nairobi, where additional help has been forthcoming. This sounds overwhelming (and it is) but Chloe is now seeing a team of people who are all attempting to help her and us: Occupational therapist, physical therapist, psychologist, developmental pediatrician, gastro doctor, ABA therapist, to name a few. Some of this team is in Kijabe and others in Nairobi and it keeps us hopping and very busy, believe me. But, it is giving us hope that we can find the help for Chloe that she needs. We don’t know exactly how long we will be here but this house we are currently living in is available only until the end of July and housing is very difficult to get here in Kijabe. I also don’t exactly know how to ask you to pray for us except to pray that Chloe and our family can get the help we desperately need.
In addition to all this, God orchestrated one other thing (among many others). While I was here, I went to an ENT doctor at the mission hospital on account of my severe snoring and sleep apnea. He is a world class doctor from the States but was only going to be here for a couple of months. Another long story made short is I ended up having surgery here in Kenya (a scary thought) on my nose and throat. The surgery I had consisted of many procedures in both my nose and throat. I was supposed to spend two nights in the hospital but after the first miserable night I begged the doctor to send me home (it seemed like anything and everything the hospital could have done to make my night more miserable was done). My first week of recovery was pretty rough. I lost 14 pounds in 10 days as I couldn’t eat anything solid. But now I am pretty much on the mend (4 weeks later) and Julie says it has already helped with both my snoring and my sleep apnea.
Praise God for all he is orchestrating in our lives right now. None of it has been easy, but we praise Him because we truly believe it is coming from Him.
Blessings to you all,
Roger, Julie & Chloe
CONTACT INFO
Roger & Julie Tate
P.O. Box 96
Kitale, Kenya 30200
rojuta@gmail.com
For ministry donations:
Pastor George Sledd, Treasurer of BFM
P.O. Box 471280 | Lake Monroe, FL 32747-1280
or click here to donate to BFM online.
Read more
Waiting on Work Permit Renewals
February 5th, 2022
Dear praying friends,
Another month has come and gone, and we are now into the year 2022. We pray that each of you had a great holiday season with friends and family and were able to celebrate the birth of our Savior together. There are many items to update you on in this prayer letter, so please allow us to share our current prayer requests.
We praise the Lord that after a difficult international trip, we finally made it back to Kenya. Travelling now is not easy, with all the covid restrictions and testing. We each had to be covid free within 72 hours of traveling, so this was stressful. We praise the Lord that we were all covid free and able to leave at our scheduled time.
Upon arriving in Kenya, there have been many adjustments. There seems to be an endless “to do” list, just getting caught up on everything after our time of furlough. We have needed to do some painting, move our daughters into their own rooms, work on government paperwork, get all the mail caught up, etc. There is still more to do, but I (Nathan) thank the Lord that we are making good progress. We need grace and strength from the Lord for the daily tasks that we undertake.
We have been informed that our work permits were misplaced, so there is need to resubmit the paperwork for the government’s approval. Covid has slowed everything within the government down anyway, so this is an extra prayer request on top of the normal government processing. We are currently on a three month visa, so could you please pray with us that the work permits will be submitted in a timely manner and that they would be approved in an expedited way? We are trusting the Lord for all of this, and know that He is in control.
There have also been changes within the missionary community. Some families are retiring and moving away, and other families have just moved. This is totally normal, as other missionaries have said it is this way for them also, but we are trusting the Lord to bring other missionaries in His time and plan. This is a difficult year for tourism and visitors, when you consider covid restrictions, as well as a presidential election later this year.
The election is scheduled for August of this year, so we need to be praying now for peace and safety later this year. God will watch over us as we take precautions. We thank the Lord that Kitale has always been peaceful during times of election, yet we still are cautious. 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.” Also, Psalm 56:3 says “What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee.” May we take to heart these Scriptures and trust in the Lord at all times, throughout our lives.
We will be sure to keep you updated. Thanks so much to each of you for your heart for missions. You each mean so much to us and we thank God for you.
Until next month,
Nathan and Carrie Radford
Contact Info:
Nathan and Carrie Radford
naterad[at]yahoo.com
P.O. Box 4150
Kitale, Kenya
East Africa 30200
For ministry donations:
Pastor George Sledd, Treasurer of BFM
P.O. Box 471280 | Lake Monroe, FL 32747-1280
or click here to donate to BFM online.
Read more
Rough Trip Back to Kenya
January 5, 2022
Dear praying friends,
We hope this update finds each of you all doing well. We wish you each a Happy New Year. It is hard to believe that it is already 2022. Time passes so fast.
As I type this prayer letter, I (Nathan) am currently in a guest house in Nairobi with the family. We had a rough trip back to Kenya and unfortunately, our luggage for the whole upcoming term did not make it on our flight. So, we had to wait a few extra days in Nairobi for the luggage. We praise the Lord that our luggage did finally make it this morning, so we are planning to return to Kitale tomorrow morning, Lord willing. We thank the Lord that we have all our items with us.
What made this past trip so challenging was all the Covid protocols at all the airports and the various flights. We had to show all our documentation at each airport, and had to have a negative Covid test for all our family within 72 hours of traveling. Europe is also stricter now and has had a recent breakout of Covid cases, so it was challenging traveling there as well.
All in all, we praise the Lord that we have made it safely back to Kenya and we are looking forward to getting back to our familiar surroundings in Kitale. Please pray with us for this upcoming term, that all we do would bring honor and glory to God. We desire to please Him and serve where He leads.
There are many things that we need to get accomplished in the upcoming days, to resume ministry and life in Kitale. Please pray for us as we readjust and get set up again. We look forward to sharing more in next month’s update. We appreciate each of you so much and your heart for missions.
I will leave you with 1 Peter 5:7, which says “Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.” May we cast all our cares upon Him this upcoming year, trusting Him for all the results.
Blessings,
Nathan and Carrie Radford
Contact Info:
Nathan and Carrie Radford
naterad[at]yahoo.com
P.O. Box 4150
Kitale, Kenya 30200
For ministry donations:
Pastor George Sledd, Treasurer of BFM
P.O. Box 471280 | Lake Monroe, FL 32747-1280
or click here to donate to BFM online.
Read more
Preparing to Return to Kenya
December 3, 2021
Dear praying friends,
Another month has come and gone, and we are officially at the end of 2021. What a challenging year it has been, yet the Lord has been with us through it all. Through these challenging times, may we trust the Lord more than ever before. 1 Chronicles 16:11 says “Seek the Lord and his strength, seek his face continually.” Amen. May this be the desire of our hearts.
We have officially booked our return to Kenya, later this month. We were delayed a little, as I (Nathan) contracted coronavirus last month and had to quarantine. It was not a bad case, for which I am thankful, but there were definite symptoms, such as cold-like feelings, and a lot of lethargy. I had a great decrease in energy upon my diagnosis. Those who have also contracted it probably have had similar symptoms. I had to rest for several days and recover. This was one of the major delays, but I thank the Lord I am strong and healthy again.
Please pray for my wife as she is very stressed right now, trying to remember to pack everything, all the school materials, supplies, and making sure we have everything we need. She does a great job at it, but please pray for all of us, that we would do our best, cross off all our to do lists, and be able to get everything done in a timely manner. The weeks before is always the most stressful, but I hope and pray we get it all done.
Please also pray for this new strand of coronavirus called Omicron. It is already in various African countries (southern Africa), but it will probably be just a matter of time before it makes its way across the continent. We are trusting the Lord to keep us safe and healthy during our travels back, and also while we live in Kitale.
There are always adjustments upon our return, so please pray for us upon our return. There are also many things to do upon our arrival to catch up, so I (Nathan) need prayer that I will get all the major items done upon our return.
We wish you each a great upcoming holiday season. This Christmas, may we enjoy our time with friends and family, but never forget the birth of our Lord and Savior. I will close with Matthew 1:23, which says, ”Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.” May God bless you for your heart for missions.
Merry Christmas,
Nathan and Carrie Radford
Contact Info:
Nathan and Carrie Radford
naterad[at]yahoo.com
Furlough Address
1126 Smith Street
Milton, WV 25541
For ministry donations:
Pastor George Sledd, Treasurer of BFM
P.O. Box 471280 | Lake Monroe, FL 32747-1280
or click here to donate to BFM online.
Read more
