Partial Lockdown in Kenya
September 2, 2021
Dear praying friends,
Another month has come and gone, and we are now at the end of summer and beginning the school year. It seems like the summer months just flew by, and now we are in the later months of 2021. It is hard to believe the school has already started. May we remember the students, teachers, and parents during this challenging year with coronavirus. We pray that all will be safe and healthy. We hope this finds each of you doing well and we thank you so much for your interest in missions around the world.
Please continue to pray for Kenya and the coronavirus. Our understanding is that there is a partial lockdown in the country now, with religious gatherings meeting in a limited capacity. There is also an extended curfew, which has been going on for months. Kenya is now getting some of the vaccines shipped to them from overseas, so please pray that the vaccines will get into the right places quickly and prevent the virus from spreading further. We trust the Lord in all these things and know He is in complete control.
Jeremiah 32:17 says “Ah Lord GOD! behold, thou hast made the heaven and the earth by thy great power and stretched out arm, and there is nothing too hard for thee:” Also, Psalm 121:2, ” My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth.” These verses remind us that our help comes from the Lord, and that nothing is too hard for Him. When we are going through challenging times, such as this past year, may we get into the Word and remind ourselves of the great promises of God. He will be with us and take care of us. May we trust Him always.
I (Nathan) am continuing to travel and report on the ministries in Kitale, Kenya. Please pray for me as I travel, for safety, as well as good meetings in the churches. So many of you have asked how you can pray for us, encourage us, etc. We are so thankful to each of you and your heart for missions. We could not do this without you and we are so thankful for your support and encouragement.
This month marks the 20th anniversary of the September 11 attacks in New York and Washington. May we be mindful of those who lost their lives on that tragic day, and keep the families in our prayers. Also, for the brave responders who perished in the efforts to save others. How we need to keep America in our prayers, for safety, freedom, and for the people to remember the Lord. In closing, I love Psalm 20:7, which says “Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the Lord our God.” Amen. We will keep you updated.
Until next month,
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.
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Numbering Our Days
August 2, 2021
Dear praying friends,
Another month has come and gone, and we are now heading to the end of summer and school is almost starting up again. Where has the time gone? The summer months are definitely busy, and time passes so quickly. May we make the best use of the time that God gives each each day, as we will never get time back once it is gone. Time is truly a gift from God. Psalm 90:12 says “So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.” Amen.
Please continue to pray for Kenya and the struggles of coronavirus. Our understanding is that public gatherings and meetings have been closed for the past several weeks, and this is likely to continue if the coronavirus cases continue to rise. Neighboring Uganda has also been hit with the coronavirus, and much of Africa. It seems just like when things start to get better, then cases start to break out again and many things are either locked down or shut down.
We know that God is in control of all these things and we trust Him during these challenging times. I like the statement “I don’t know what the future holds, but I know Who holds the future.” May we trust God during these difficult times, all over the world. This pandemic has really stretched our faith and taught us to trust God more. God frequently tests our faith to see if we will falter or trust Him during the uncertainties of life. May we trust Him more than ever before.
Please pray for me (Nathan) as I am continuing to travel and report during our time of furlough. I am thankful that our vehicle has done well throughout all the traveling and I would ask that you would pray it would do well throughout the duration of my time reporting in the States. So many of you have been so kind, friendly, inquired about the ministry, etc.
This means so much to us. We truly do appreciate each of you and God will bless you for your heart for missions. I am reminded of Isaiah 6:8, which says “Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me.” We thank each of you for your mindfulness of missions, either by praying, sacrificially giving, or going personally to see what God is doing all around the world.
Please continue to pray for my wife as she is educating our daughters. She does a great job at homeschooling and has her degree in education. She is an excellent teacher but there are certainly more challenges in the coming years as high school is approaching. Please pray for her for wisdom, guidance, and direction as she does the best she can to educate our daughters. I am truly blessed to have a wife who has served faithfully in Kenya alongside me. She is truly a blessing and helpmeet.
We will be sure to keep you updated. Until next month, may God bless you all.
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
Riots and Risks: Is It Worth It?
Greetings in the name of Jesus Christ,
A few events that occurred over the last month have caused me to stop and once again think about my current situation here in the country of Kenya.
First, I was traveling home from a supply trip to Eldoret and I was passing through a town about 15 miles from our house. Up ahead I saw a van stopped in the middle of the road and was annoyed with the driver as I drove in the ditch to get around him. As soon as I got around him and back on the road I noticed why he had stopped. A hundred yards ahead the road was blocked. Old tires had been hauled up onto the road, the smoke of their burning ascending into the sky. Dozens of men were gathered around them, yelling, jumping, and shaking sticks and clubs. It was a riot of some kind and I knew immediately and instinctively that I should not be there (Don’t worry, I live through this ordeal). One of the first things you learn when you come to live in Kenya is to avoid mobs and riots at all costs. They can be very dangerous. So, I immediately got off the road and turned around. I was surrounded by people (friendly people, mind you, but nerve-wracking nonetheless) who told me I could not continue up that road because there was a riot. That seemed obvious. They told me about a side “road” I could take to get around the riot to the other side. I should have just turned around and gone back to Eldoret, even if I had to stay the night there. But I decided to take the side road. All seemed well at first and the side road looked like it was taking me around the riot and would eventually take me back to the main road which, indeed, it was doing. I was following another car ahead of me which seemed to know where it was going, so this gave me some confidence. After about ten minutes I was about 1/2 of a mile from merging back onto the main road when I saw up ahead that this side road was also blocked by men and tires (not burning). They stopped the car ahead of me and I saw there was no place to go. After talking with that driver for a minute they pulled back the tires and made a path for him to pass through. Then they came towards me and I cracked the window open so I could talk with them. As soon as they saw me they began yelling and jumping and screaming to the men on the road up ahead “FUNGA NJIA! FUNGA NJIA! FUNGA NJIA!” (Close the path, Close the path, Close the path!). I didn’t wait to find out what they had in store for me once the path was closed. I took off while the men up ahead scrambled to get the tires back across the road. I drove off the road and through a field to get around their roadblock, raced as fast as I could back to the main road, got on the main road, turned toward home and left the mob, yells and smoke behind. Exciting missionary life, right? Right!
The second thing that occurred happened right here in our own neighborhood where we live, within a half mile of our current house but only two doors down from our previous residence where we lived for 10 years. At only 8:30pm some men broke into a mission compound of some missionary friends of ours. Fortunately, this is only a mission station and no one actually lives there. Anyway, very early in the evening, certainly before everyone on the street was in bed asleep, the men broke into the compound, tied up the night guard and stole some things. Very unfortunately, before they left, they violently murdered the night guard. Dead men don’t talk. Exciting missionary life, right? Right!
A third incident did occur as well (that I don’t have space to report) that turned out to be completely harmless but made me extremely nervous at the time.
When these things occur I wonder if I’m sitting on a powder keg that could go off at any time. I re-evaluate what I’m doing here and whether I should be putting myself at risk. Then I remember that there are risks and dangers everywhere, both here and the US. That many of you often put yourselves at risk as well. And I remember how much this fallen world needs the gospel and needs the love and saving grace of Jesus. I remember the cross and that Jesus came to redeem us. I remember that I and the Kenyan people need to trust him, love him and serve him. And then I remember that this is where I need to be.
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
Specific Ways to Pray for the Tates
The Tates have served the Lord in Kitale, Kenya since January 2008. Their main ministry is church planting.
Greetings in the name of Jesus Christ,
Thank you to all who spend time praying for us, for our family, for our ministry here in Kenya and for our spiritual well-being. Needless to say, we need this support from you all. Life and ministry are hard, as you know. And as I know, life and ministry are hard for you back in the United States as well. We all must press-on. And for those of you who are praying for us, on occasion I like to offer some prayer suggestions for you.
First, please thank God that things are going well at Upper Room Baptist Chapel. This past month we again had some new visitors to add to our new visitors from the previous month. Our attendance is still low but it is encouraging to have some new folks who show an interest in our simple, Biblical teaching and in our approach to loving and following Jesus with all of our hearts. They seem to appreciate what we are doing and we pray that some of them will continue to come and to grow with us as we follow the teaching of the Lord.
Second, speaking of the teaching of the Lord, I have started teaching our folks at the Chapel a new series from Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. This is the longest and most concentrated of Jesus’ teaching found anywhere in the New Testament and we at the Chapel need to know the things that Jesus taught. My focus in this series is to show that Jesus’ teaching is counter-intuitive to the thinking of the world and that in this sermon Jesus wants to completely change the way that we think, act and approach everything we do in this world. I want our people to know that Jesus gives his followers principles for Kingdom living and that, as he says at the beginning of the sermon, his followers will be happy, fortunate and blessed if they believe and follow them. Please pray that we would truly grasp Jesus’ counter-intuitive teaching, that we would believe him even though what he says is contrary to what our flesh naturally thinks and believes, and that in believing what he teaches we would have the courage to follow him every day and hour of our lives. We have already seen in the short time we have been in this series that these things will not be easy.
Third, please pray for the Kenyan people. Times are still very hard for most people here. The economy is still sluggish, Covid is still effecting people, businesses are suffering, crime seems to be up (we even had a break-in and theft off our own compound last week), street children roam Kitale, and there seems to be just a general tension in the air. The people of Kenya and Kitale need God now more than ever.
Last, please pray for me, Julie, and Chloe. We face so many physical, spiritual, and emotional challenges every day that seem overwhelming and crushing. This seems to be an especially challenging time that even the other missionaries in Kitale are feeling acutely. Here on the mission field our faith is challenged in ways that I never did, but probably should have, anticipated. Please pray that God would give us strength, that his Spirit would draw near to us, that we would trust him completely and that he would be glorified in our lives. Greater is he that is in us than he that is in the world. He that has begun a good work in us will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ. To God be the glory.
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
Fine Tuning Presentation and Praying for Next Term
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 we are now into the month of March. Time passes so quickly and the weather of spring is already beginning to start in the state of West Virginia. We had a cold spell for several days this past month and our electricity even went out several times. We are thankful for the nice, sunny weather that is coming ahead.
I (Nathan) have been in the process of contacting churches to speak for furlough. I worked hard on my missions dvd this past month, got it finished, and am waiting for the final copies to arrive soon. I have also been working on my missions presentation, so it has been a busy past month. Our new prayer cards are also finished, so I am thankful for all the accomplishments of the past few weeks. Please pray for me as I am working on fine tuning my missions presentation, and that God would receive all the glory. Please also pray that churches will begin to open up and get back to some normalcy after all the challenging months of coronavirus. God is in control.
My wife Carrie has been busy with homeschooling our daughters. She is doing a great job, although it can be overwhelming at times. Education is no small matter, and she wants to ensure that she is doing her best and that our daughters are getting schooling materials that will prepare them well for high school and university. Please pray for her for strength, wisdom, and guidance as she prepares for each year.
Kenya is still getting hit with the coronavirus. I saw also that Tanzania, which is right next to Kenya, is also seeing a surge in its cases. They are many medical challenges all over Africa at the moment, so would you please pray for the continent of Africa in general? That the doctors, nurses, and medical facilities would not be overwhelmed, that a treatment/vaccine would come quickly, and that those who have contracted the virus would be recovering and healing. Hopefully things will start to get back to normal in the coming months.
Please also pray for the young men that I hope to train in our next term. Please pray that God would lead me to the right men for ministry, those that are hungry for the Word of God, have a servant spirit, and desire to see others discipled and churches started. Matthew 4:4 says But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.” Amen. May we be hungry for the Word of God, and allow it to feed us each day spiritually. Also, consider Matthew 23:11 “But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant.” A servant spirit is something I desire in my students, and I am trusting God to lead me to these men in His plan.
We will be sure to keep you updated. Thanks so much for your prayer support, letters of encouragement, sacrificial giving, and interest in the work of God in Kitale, Kenya. You each are such a blessing.
Until next month,
Nathan & Carrie Radford
Contact Info:
Nathan and Carrie Radford
1126 Smith Street
Milton, WV 25541
naterad@yahoo.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
Times of Unrest and Trials in America & Kenya
The Tates have served the Lord in Kitale, Kenya since January 2008. Their main ministry is church planting.
Greetings in the name of Jesus Christ,
In times of unrest and trials in America and in Kenya, what do we do? The best that I can offer is to trust God and pray, knowing that God sees all and that he knows our plight and that he is for us.
While you all in America are going through turmoil, we in Kenya (myself and the Kenyan people) are learning to trust and pray too. For a long time, Kenyans have lived with political unrest, government and police oppression and mistrust, and economic disaster. They also need to be directed to trust God and pray.
I have had one lady and her daughter that has recently started attending our worship services at the Chapel. She has had no work lately because of the changes that have occurred as a result of Covid. Her daughter was supposed to go back to school this month because the government has reopened schools after a 10 month Covid hiatus (that’s right, the schools have been completely closed for 10 months). Unfortunately, her daughter did not have everything she needed in order for her to return to school. After our services at the Chapel the lady would approach me and begin this rehearsed speech: “I am sorry we were late this morning. My daughter delayed me because she was crying. She doesn’t have everything she needs to return to school. I don’t have a job and I don’t have any money. How can she return to school without the things she needs? Covid has really been hard on us. I don’t know what to do. What am I going to do? Do you have any suggestions?” This is the cultural way of asking for a handout without explicitly asking for a handout. I told her I was sorry, that times really were hard, that Covid has effected many people but that God is still in control and that we should pray that God help her with the things she needed. This only caused her to repeat her speech again, which she repeated many times during this conversation. Each time I told her I would pray for her (I can’t actually give her the money she is asking for because of the many, many problems it would cause not only with her but also with the rest of the Chapel members and with the overall health of the Chapel). When she returned to worship this week (which I didn’t think she would) she was rejoicing in the fact that she not only was able to purchase her daughter’s necessities, but she also landed a job that would bring her some steady income. She told me it was all because I prayed for her and blessed her and that God must really listen to me and how thankful she was that I had blessed her. Of course, at this point I had more lessons for her that she needed to learn in order to dispel the myth of my magical praying powers.
May God bless my Kenyan people and my American people with his presence, his Spirit, his love, his grace, and his mercy.
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
Prepared for Furlough; New Young Men Interested in Discipleship Course
Dear praying friends,
We hope this finds you all doing well. It is hard to believe that we are in the month of October already. How time flies. This update will share our current plans as well as our upcoming time of furlough.
As I shared last month, there has been a big “to do” list before shutting down for furlough. You don’t really realize it until you start shutting down. You need to figure out how to pay bills in Kenya while you are in America, try to find someone to stay in your house while you are gone, get necessary work permit paperwork done before leaving, and the list goes on. I am very happy and feel we are in good shape and prepared for our upcoming furlough.
We plan to be in the West Virginia area starting in December 2020. If anyone knows of any housing in the area between Charleston and Huntington, that would be very much appreciated. Finding housing on furlough is one of the biggest challenges, and we are trusting God to provide something in this area within our budget. If anyone has any leads, please email me at naterad@yahoo.com and we can discuss more of the specifics. We know God will provide in His time and plan. 2 Corinthians 9:8 says, “And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work.” Also, Philippians 4:6, which says, “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.” We are trusting God to provide for this need and we appreciate your prayers with us for housing.
Coronavirus has really disturbed things here in Kenya. Schools will not reopen until January of next year. So many things were closed down, for about a five-month period. There were no international flights for some time. You had (and still do have) to get your temperature taken before entering supermarkets, etc., as well as washing of hands. Thankfully, we praise the Lord that Kitale has been spared the brunt of the cases and not that many to date have been sick. Please pray for Nairobi and other large cities that have borne the brunt of the cases. We know it has been difficult in America as well. We remember you in prayer as you please remember us as well. It has been a challenging year to say the least. Obviously, I (Nathan) have not been able to continue with the prison ministry, as it is a hot spot for the virus. Please pray for the prisoners and their health, all over Kenya.
I did receive some encouraging news about the ministry in Taito, a village located right outside Kitale. One of my students has been very encouraged and built up spiritually through the discipleship course, and he has gone to his village himself to invite other young men to the trainings. I have been informed there are around four other young men who live in the area who have seen some of the teachings and are excited to come, study, and learn. I understand that they are independent-minded and want to learn the Word of God. This discipleship course is so foundational as so many of the men have lacked these teachings from the start. They need to get grounded before they go out and teach others, eventually leading to planting churches, Lord willing. The course has received very positive feedback and I am thankful for this. Obviously, with preparing for furlough, I am not able to start with them now, but this will be a good lead for next term, Lord willing.
One of the things that has been emphasized to me over and over is to get youths to train, usually around 20 to 25 years of age. They should have some form of employment, as this will help them to be independent thinking and not depend on the missionary. Also, they should have a heart for the Lord and a true desire to serve. After receiving the trainings, they should start groups in their respective areas, with people they know, such as friends, neighbors, and family. This should be the start and they can build off that. I have been pleased with the results I have seen with this model this term and ask that you would pray with me that God would provide this type of men from the start. We are trusting God to provide this type of men and ask that you would pray with us for this.
One of the big prayer requests that has been answered is friends for our daughters. The mission field can be a challenging and very lonely place. Homesickness is a constant battle, and it is increased with there is a lack of friends, especially for children. There is a new family in Kitale that has a girl that has been such a good friend and blessing to our daughters. They have so much fun playing together. What a wonderful provision for our daughters and an answer to prayer. Please pray for the new family and their adjustments, as well as for our girls, in regards to friends for them. God has been so good to provide and we trust Him to provide for them for the future.
We appreciate each of you so much. Your prayers, sacrificial giving, and encouragement are always such a blessing. Please pray for our upcoming furlough, as we want God to receive the glory for all that is said and done. I am reminded of Isaiah 42:8, which says, “I am the LORD: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images.” Also, 1 Corinthians 10:31, which says, “Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.” May this be our true desire, to bring honor and glory to God in all that we do.
Blessings,
Nathan and Carrie Radford
Contact Info:
Nathan and Carrie Radford
P.O. Box 4150
Kitale, Kenya
East Africa 30200
naterad@yahoo.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
With Bad News All Around, the Good News Still Stands
June 19, 2020
Greetings in the name of Jesus Christ,
Unfortunately, this month’s newsletter is mostly just bad news. I wish I could say otherwise but the truth is the truth – Corona is wreaking havoc on our ministries here. Churches, schools and government offices are all closed so you can imagine what effects that is having on us.
Bad news #1: Government offices still closed. My work permit officially expired back in March. I had already filed to renew it and it was “accepted”. However, the offices closed before I could receive my paperwork. Where is my paperwork now? I don’t know. What does that mean for my status as a resident in Kenya? I don’t know that either.
Bad news #2: Schools are still closed. If you’ve been following our newsletters on a monthly basis you know that for the last two years Julie has been working diligently and feverishly as the Head Teacher of the newly started Milimani Christian Homeschooling Community (MCHC), a project started by some of our dear Kenyan friends here in Kitale. We didn’t start this school, nor does it belong to us, but Julie especially has been very instrumental in getting it off the ground and keeping it running. It obviously means a great deal to us. When Corona hit Kenya, this school was also shut down. The implications of this are grave. With no school fees coming in the teachers cannot be paid and the rent for the property has not been paid for months. While the directors of the school are trying to get extensions for the lease, the landlady has not been compliant and is demanding all back payments as well. I do not see how the school as a business survives this Corona Virus. There is simply no cash flow and the property almost certainly will be lost unless something miraculous happens. The imminent demise of the school is a source of much pain for Julie especially.
Bad news #3: Upper Room Baptist Chapel will lose its meeting place. Yes, you may have guessed it – URBC rents the facilities from MCHC and holds its weekly worship services there on that property. When and if MCHC loses its property then URBC loses its venue for worship and ministry. URBC cannot officially meet right now either (although I am in the process of getting special permission to do so) but when our services do start back up it looks like we will have to also start looking for a new location in which to meet. This is very depressing to me, as you might be able to imagine. I liked our current location very much as it was very conducive to the way we wanted the Chapel to run and operate. Now it looks as if we almost certainly will lose this venue as well.
Bad news #4: It just seems like Satan is against us at every turn. Our ministries are in disarray; Our main grocery store in town closed down; Our landlord will not allow any of our friends to come onto our compound; Josiah cannot get out of the country to get back to the U.S. and start college; I keep getting arrested by corrupt police officers who are not arresting me over legalities or infractions but simply to extort bribes from me because I have a target on my back. Ever feel like nothing is going right?
Good news: God is still on the throne; God is still in control; God still loves us; Jesus is still King; Jesus’ work on the cross still stands; Our salvation is sure; Jesus will come back and will triumph; God’s work will progress. In this we stand. In this we trust. In this we move forward.
Blessings to you all,
Roger, Julie, Amy, Josiah & 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
