Back to School & Continuing to Train Young Kenyan Men
Nathan and Carrie Radford serve the Lord in Kitale, Kenya. Their main ministries include indigenous church planting, a prison ministry, and a hospital ministry for mothers with premature babies.
January 3, 2019
Dear praying friends,
Happy 2019! We wish each of you a happy 2019 as you serve the Lord this upcoming year. May we truly be busy serving God, as we don’t know how much time we have to serve. Time passes so fast, and how we need to prioritize and put His kingdom first. I am reminded of Matthew 6:33, which says “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”
Please pray for my wife and daughters, as they will be going back to school this next week. My wife will be teaching on Thursdays and Fridays, and assisting where she can. I am thankful for her servant spirit and making herself available to serve. Our daughters have been getting bored as the break has been long, so we are thankful that they will be going back to school soon to be with their friends again. This school has been such a huge answer to prayer in regards to the much needed socialization for our children, and having activities to do. They will be studying the languages of Kiswahili and French, as well as staying busy with their studies. Please also pray for Julie Tate, my wife’s friend, as they both will be assisting with the new curriculum during the week.
I (Nathan) am continuing to disciple the younger Kenyan man in his home village of Rafiki. We have gone through many Biblical teachings together, and recently we studied about the need for daily devotions. We looked at how we need to spend time with God, praying, studying the Word of God, and entrusting to Him all the activities of the day. He seemed to appreciate the teachings and it challenged him in regards to his quiet time with God. I hope and pray that the teachings will be a blessing to him. He has told me that he has been growing spiritually, for which I am thankful. I feel that the men need to be grounded and pass through the discipleship course before they are sent out to start churches. This is the way I feel led at this time and I pray that you would pray that God would bless and provide the right men to train. I am reminded of 1 Corinthians 3:6, where Paul says, “I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase.” Without His blessing, nothing will work, but I am trusting Him to give the increase. Praise God.
I am also continuing to train another younger Kenyan man in the area of Milimani, right outside of Kitale town. This young man also seems hungry to learn and be discipled, for which I am thankful. He has given positive feedback to the training, and I thank God for that. Please pray for both of these men, as they have jobs and are busy, but are desiring to be taught and trained in the Word of God. I will continue to wait, pray, and trust the Lord to provide the right men in His timing and plan. I appreciate your prayers for me as I continue to train and leave the results to God.
We appreciate each of you so much. May God bless you for your prayers, sacrificial giving, and notes of encouragement. You are each a blessing and we thank God for you. We will keep you updated.
Blessings,
Nathan and Carrie Radford
Nathan and Carrie Radford
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.
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Teaching and Training in Kitale
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.
December 3, 2018
Dear praying friends,
We are now at the end of 2018, with 2019 right around the corner. As I (Nathan) look back on this year, I am amazed at how quickly the time passed. I am reminded of Psalm 39:4, which says, “LORD, make me to know mine end, and the measure of my days, what it is; that I may know how frail I am.” May we make the best use of the days that the Lord gives us, as each day is truly a gift. This letter will share ministry progress as well as prayer requests.
Please pray for us and other missionaries during this holiday season. It is not easy to be separated from family and friends at this time, but God gives grace. Christmas is such a special time of the year, and during the busyness, may we not forget the true reason for our celebration, the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. We wish each of you a very merry Christmas and a happy upcoming 2019. We are thankful for the missionaries who are here in Kitale now, who we will be getting together with during this holiday season, however, our hearts and thoughts are with our families as well. We have many exciting things to look forward to in 2019, one of which is the new school that God has provided for our daughters in Kitale.
We wish to thank anyone who donated to the shipping and set up costs for the new school. My wife and Julie Tate have been working hard to ensure that the right materials have been shipped into the country. Praise the Lord, some of the curriculum has already arrived and they plan to start training teachers this week. This curriculum is very new to the teachers and they are not familiar with it, so please pray for my wife and Julie as they invest their time and energy into training them. My wife has been praying about how to be more involved in the school, and she has decided to volunteer to co-teach the language arts block and history with Julie. Please pray for her in this endeavor as well, that God would help her and she would be a blessing. This has been a long break for our daughters, and they sometimes get bored, but they are looking forward to starting school with an international curriculum the beginning of January, Lord willing. We will keep you updated on these things and we appreciate your prayers.
I (Nathan) am continuing in the discipleship course in the village of Rafiki with a younger Kenyan man that I have been meeting with for the past several months. I have been encouraged in his spiritual growth, and I hope and pray the teachings have been a blessing to him. I want to give him a solid foundation before training him in church planting, as I feel there are many teachings the men need before being sent out to start churches. Recently we looked at a lesson titled “The Faithful God.” In this lesson, we saw many things about His faithfulness. We considered things such as God’s faithfulness has no limits, His faithfulness does not fail, and His faithfulness is great. Psalm 36:5 says “Thy mercy, O LORD, is in the heavens; and Thy faithfulness reacheth unto the clouds.” In Psalm 37:25, David wrote “I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.” God will take care of us as we serve Him. He is a faithful God, and we can trust Him.
Please pray for me as I continue to disciple another younger Kenyan man in the area of Milimani, near where we stay. He has been busy with his job, but desires to continue studying and learning the Word of God. I am trusting God to provide the right men to train in His plan and timing. God is faithful and I will trust Him.
We will be sure to keep you updated and we appreciate so much your prayers, letters of encouragement, and sacrificial giving. You are each a blessing to us and we wish each of you a very merry Christmas and happy upcoming 2019.
Blessings,
Nathan and Carrie Radford
Nathan and Carrie Radford
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.
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Thankful for New School Opening in January
Nathan and Carrie Radford serve the Lord in Kitale, Kenya. Their main ministries include indigenous church planting, a prison ministry, and a hospital ministry for mothers with premature babies.
November 2, 2018
Dear praying friends,
Another month has come and gone, and we are now almost finished with 2018. 2019 will be here soon! God has been so faithful over the past year and we give Him all the glory and praise. He has answered so many prayer requests of ours, including a huge one regarding schooling for our daughters. May we enter 2019 with a spirit of service and gratitude to our great God.
In regards to our daughters, I have been updating you on the progress of the new school in Kitale. One of our biggest prayer requests has been for stable friends for our daughters. This is a huge challenge on the mission field as so many families come and go due to transfers, job changes, etc. I am pleased and so thankful to God to report that there will be a new branch of the school opening in January 2019. The new school will be called Milimani Christian Homeschooling Community. This will be an international branch offering Christian curriculum from publishers such as BJU, Math-U-See, All About Reading and All-About-Spelling. We are beyond thankful for the 4 directors of the school and the vision they have had to start a school with a strong Christian, Biblical foundation in our small community. My wife and Julie Tate have been very involved in the planning stages of this and will continue to assist the directors with training the teachers and overseeing the implementation of this new curriculum. This will be such a good step for the school and we believe that once the school gets established in its new curriculum that it will attract other missionaries and nationals with their children from other parts of the country. This school is truly a miracle and a gift from God. We are in awe of God’s provision for our small community. I think of Luke 1:37, which says “For with God nothing shall be impossible.” God still does miracles every day and how we need to trust Him fully.
I (Nathan) am continuing in my teaching to a younger Kenya man in his home village of Rafiki. I have worked hard on the discipleship lessons and my goal is to get the men that I train grounded in their faith. I believe they need this foundation before they are sent out to start churches. Just recently we studied about our enemy, Satan, and how to defeat him. We studied about how he is very active, and how we wants to deceive and blind people to the truth of the Gospel message. (2 Corinthians 4:4) At the end we studied about how to defeat him-by prayer, knowing the Word of God and using it, and putting on the whole armor of God. Ephesians 6:11 says “Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.” How we need to do this every day, as it truly is a spiritual battle.
I am also starting to disciple another young man in Milimani, near where we live. He also seems to have a hunger for the Word of God and seems to be growing spiritually, for which I am thankful. We will see where the Lord leads, but I am very grateful for this opportunity as well and ask that you would pray with me for God’s leading and direction.
In closing, the new school has many start-up expenses, such as shipping costs for the curriculum from the States, additional teachers for the new branch, and the costs associated with needing new classroom space. If anyone would feel led to help contribute to these costs, please email us and we will give you the information. God bless you for all your love, prayers and sacrificial giving. May you all have a blessed upcoming holiday season.
Nathan and Carrie Radford
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
Ruts in the Road; Girls in School; Psalm 119 in Rafiki
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.
September 5, 2018
Dear praying friends,
Another month has come and gone, and we are now into the month of September. We have some prayer requests to share, as well as ministry updates. We appreciate each of you so much and you are a blessing to us.
One of our big prayer requests is for the road maintenance within Milimani, the area of Kitale where we live. Please pray with us that the roads will be maintained in the next few days, as big ruts have been created all over, making it difficult to drive. It is rainy season during the afternoons and evenings, and vehicles go over the roads while they are still water soaked, creating large ruts that dry in the mornings. Please pray that the roads will be repaired soon, for the benefit of all who live in Kitale.
Our daughters are now back in school after a break off for a few weeks. They started back yesterday, and there were some tears, as they are getting used to the school again and being with their friends. Some of their friends have moved since the last term, and this has been difficult for them, but there are other new students that we pray that they will make friends with. My wife is trying to balance homeschooling with sending them to the school some during the year, so please pray for her, as this is a challenge and she wants what is best for our daughters. She has been under some stress with trying to figure out how to balance the curriculum, giving our daughters the socialization that they need, and trying to help them any way she can. I also want to help them with all this, so we would appreciate your prayers for us during this time in regard to their schooling here in Kitale.
Please pray for me (Nathan), as I am continuing in the discipleship program with a younger Kenyan man in his home village of Rafiki. Please pray for me as I traverse the roads out to his village in the early morning hours (this is the best time for him), as the roads out to Rafiki can be challenging to drive as well. There are certain parts of the road I try to avoid completely, but after a hard rain, the entire road can become very water soaked and slippery. I go very slowly and carefully, trusting in God’s protection as I go. It is beautiful to go in the mornings, to see the beautiful clouds with Mount Elgon surrounding them. When I look at these sights in the morning, I am reminded of Genesis 1:1, which says “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.”
Recently as I was teaching him in Rafiki, we looked at the Word of God, and the many benefits we get from it. We looked at and studied several verses in Psalm 119. One of my favorite verses we studied together was Psalm 119:11, which says “Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.” How we need to study, meditate upon, memorize, and hide the Word of God in our hearts. What a protection it is, and how the will of God is revealed as we study it. I hope and pray these teachings will be a blessing to the men God will raise up to train, in His timing and plan.
We will keep you updated. We appreciate each one of you for your interest, prayers, sacrificial giving, and encouragement. May God bless you all.
Nathan and Carrie Radford
Nathan and Carrie Radford
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
Missionary Update: The Radfords in Kenya [May 2016]
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.
May 1, 2016
We are now nearing halfway through the year 2016. Where has the time gone? It seems to pass faster and faster as the years go by. A quote I like in reference to time is “Better than counting the years is making the years count.” Time is truly a gift from God, and may we use it wisely, for His glory. Psalm 90:12 says “So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.” This prayer letter will give current updates.
Thanks to those who have been praying about the security situation in Milimani, where we live. There have been several different groups going around robbing people. People are taking additional security measures. We have done our best, and now leave our safety and security in God’s hands. We know God has called us here, and He will watch over and protect us. We are also using common sense and not going into dangerous areas/situations, etc. Praise the Lord, around 4 of the thieves were caught by police recently. There is also a good security company that patrols faithfully during the night to try to catch the thieves. We are thankful for them and their efforts. Ultimately, our safety and security is from the Lord. Psalm 9:9 says “The LORD also will be a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble.” Psalm 46:1 says “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” We take comfort in verses such as these and trust in God and His protection. We appreciate your prayers, that all of the thieves would be caught soon.
The Annex prison ministry is continuing along well. There is a new chaplain there, as the previous chaplain was transferred to a different prison. I have met him and he seems very encouraging and welcoming. I am thankful for this. The Bible studies for the men have been going very well and I (Nathan) thank the Lord for the visitors who have been coming to hear the Word and God and are being reached with the Gospel. The results are God’s, as I desire to be faithful, trusting God for the harvest. I have recently shared the Gospel, and have just finished teaching some on Creation and the fall. Please pray for the men, that they would see the awful results of sin and see their need of a Savior. I will keep you updated on this ministry. Please also pray for the prison permit to be renewed without any problems.
Please continue to pray for Christopher, the man that my partner Roger and I are training. We recently modeled for him teachings from the Word of God, then asked him to teach us in our training center in town. He did very well and we were very pleased. Please continue to pray for him, that he would clearly understand our teachings, and Lord willing, be able to go to his home area of Kibomet to open a Bible study group in his home. Our ultimate goal is for a church to be planted in Kibomet, but we are still in the training phases. We appreciate Christopher and his faithfulness to come and be taught. I will keep you updated of this ministry. We are also staying faithful in the village of Robinson, meeting in the home of a national named Kefa. He has been very gracious to allow us to come and teach the people the Word of God. Our desire is also for a church to be planted in Robinson, and we are trusting in God’s plan and timing there.
In family news, It is hard to believe that McKenna is now 8 years old. She is such a sweet little girl, and we are so thankful to be her parents. Please pray for both her and Camille, and for us, as we desire to lead them in the ways of the Lord. A small school has opened recently in Kitale and the girls are enjoying going there in the middle of the week. Some of our missionary friends are also sending their children there, so we are very thankful for this. Please pray the school will stay open so other children will have good interaction and friendships.
God bless each of you so much. We will be sure to keep you updated. We appreciate each of you so much.
In Kenya,
Nathan & Carrie
Nathan and Carrie Radford
P.O. Box 4150
Kitale, Kenya
East Africa, 30200
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Missionary Update: The Radfords in Kenya [April 2016]
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, 2016
Dear praying friends,
We thank you all again so much for your prayers, sacrificial giving, and encouragement. Each of you are a blessing and we thank God for you. This prayer letter will give updates in regards to ministries, as well as some prayer requests.
Thanks so much to those who prayed for my work permit. (Nathan) I have been informed that it was renewed recently for two years, for which I thank the Lord. Now I do not have to apply again until it expires in two years. My contact in Nairobi was pleased and I am also. It is wonderful for God’s provision in this matter. The Lord is good to provide what we need as we serve Him.
Before a ministry update, I wanted to inform those at home of what has been going on in Milimani, where we stay. Last week around 10:30 or 11:00 am in the morning, two men approached our gate and tried to break in. They shook the gate so hard that it nearly came off the hinges. The security company was contacted, yet it took them 30 minutes to arrive, as they were on the other side of town dealing with another matter. Later that same day, thugs broke into a different compound in Milimani and stole various items. I have been told it is a group of 8 men who work together. Two men try to break in first – when they get in, they call another truck of about 6 men and take the items quickly, disappearing before the police can locate them. The police have been informed well and one of the top policemen came to our place to find out what is going on. Also, the security company is well informed and is beginning to patrol. Please pray that these people will be caught soon and for the safety of all those in Kitale. We have taken good security measures, but our ultimate trust is in the Lord. The safest place to be is in the will of God. Psalm 27:1 says “The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?” We place our protection in His hands, and trust Him with all these matters.
My partner Roger Tate and I are continuing along with the ministry in Robinson village. We are presently in the book of Matthew and learning many good teachings from the Word of God. In the house that we are meeting, the family has been faithful to come, and we are thankful for this. Please pray for the rest of the surrounding area and those that we have visited, sharing the Gospel and inviting them to come. We are faithful to sow the seed, and then we trust the Lord for the harvest in His plan and timing. Galatians 6:9 says “And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.” We trust the Lord with the results of ministry in Robinson.
Later this month, it is hard to believe that McKenna will be eight years old. The time and years have passed so fast and we are so thankful for her and her important part of our family. Camille turned five last month, so they are both growing up quickly. We are thankful for the friends that they have presently here in Kitale. Please pray that other families with children their age will come so they can have more social interactions with others their age. God bless you all thanks again for all you do. We will keep you updated.
Nathan and Carrie Radford
P.O. Box 4150
Kitale, Kenya
East Africa, 30200
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