Discipling a Young Man 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.
May 4, 2018
Dear praying friends,
Another month has come and gone, and we are now nearly halfway through 2018. Time truly passes so fast, and may we use the opportunities the Lord gives us to serve Him faithfully. This update will share current prayer requests, as well as family news.
In regards to health, I (Nathan) recently had to have some moles removed after being seen by a dermatologist. There is a decent hospital about an hour and a half away from Kitale, for which I am very thankful. There is a history of melanoma (skin cancer) in the family, so it is wise to be seen and have moles removed when necessary. I am healing well and would ask that you would please pray for me, as the sun is very hot here, and I do my best to wear good sun screen and protect myself. Please pray not only for me, but also for the entire family with any possible health issues. The doctor does not seem concerned and I trust Him for the results. It is all about trusting God, using wisdom, and relying on Him day by day here, with everything. He is so faithful.
The girls are now back in school after a month off. This was a great month for my wife, as she could homeschool them and get them caught up in various subjects. It has been difficult to try to figure out the system of a Kenyan school and the best ways to help the girls keep up with American standards, but we are starting to get the hang of it. We really feel our daughters need socialization with other kids their age and some of the experiences a school offers, especially for learning some independence and gaining friendships in this culture. While it has been difficult to find the right balance, we have prayed and sought wisdom from others and feel the girls should continue to attend the school as much as possible. Please pray for them, for socialization, and for adapting well to the culture here. They have done well so far, and we continue to pray.
I (Nathan) have started a discipleship course with a younger Kenyan man in Rafiki, a nearby village. It is about half an hour from where we live on windy, dusty (or muddy, depending on the season), pot hole ridden roads. So far, I have been able to proceed well through the teachings and ask that you would continue to pray for our time together. As I have shared before, this term I really desire to go out to village areas, off the beaten path, to use the Swahili language, and train younger, qualified Kenyan men God would raise up. I know that God is in control and trust Him each step of the way. After building a foundation with at discipleship course, the next goal would be to train the man in church planting. I recognize there will be men who will not work out for one reason or the other, but I desire to be faithful, give it my all, and trust God for the results. I would greatly appreciate your prayers and for the Lord’s help each step of the way. I am reminded of verses such as Luke 1:37, which says “For with God nothing shall be impossible.” Also, Ephesians 3:20, which says, “Now unto Him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us.” Anything is possible with God, and I thank Him for that.
Please pray for us in regards to travel safety around Kitale. It is now rainy season and the roads are becoming very muddy and slippery. Large trucks drive on our road, which causes large ruts and potholes to form, making it a challenge to drive. God is in control of all things, even our going out and coming in. He is so faithful.
Blessings to you and we appreciate you,
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
Pursuing a New Plan for Church Planting
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 3, 2018
Dear praying friends,
Another month has come and gone, and there is much to update you on. We thank the Lord for each one of you, who either prays for us, sends us encouraging correspondence, or gives sacrificially to the work of the Lord here in Kenya. You are each a great blessing to us.
Our daughters (McKenna and Camille) are now on break from school in Kitale. God was so good to provide a good school for them to go to, where they can get much needed socialization, as well as try to develop some independence and make some decisions on their own. Now, they are on break and my wife has the opportunity to home school them on the side. Please pray for this time, as this is the time my wife wants to invest in and teach our daughters. They will be getting much needed teachings and we know the Lord will bless their time together.
The hospital ministry is continuing along well. We thank the Lord that He has kept the door of ministry open for my wife to reach the mothers and children with Biblical materials as well as much needed clothing supplies. Many of the mothers and children are very needy and we do our best to reach them and encourage them. We feel that these children are very near to the heart of God. Many of them come from very challenging situations and need to be shown care and love. Psalm 82:3 says “Defend the poor and fatherless: do justice to the afflicted and needy.” This is a very challenging verse and please pray for my wife as she continues in this ministry.
After much prayer and seeking the Lord’s will in regards to church planting here, I (Nathan) have decided on a way of pursuing this ministry. I am seeking to train qualified national men (preferably younger) in their homes, trusting God to raise these men up in His plan and timing, then teaching these men to go to their immediate village they live in and reach their neighbors with the Word and the Gospel message. The goal is for the men that are trained to start groups in their homes that would develop into churches over time.
I desire to go outside of town into remote village areas, teaching the men in the Swahili language. This is a big challenge for me, as Swahili is difficult, however, I feel as much as possible it is beneficial to get the teachings into the language of the people. I am in active pursuit of this at this time and would pray that you would pray for me, that God would raise up the right men who truly want to serve the Lord. There are many challenges here, as I have mentioned before, so it is not easy. I will probably go through several men before finding the right man to train. I also would ask you to pray that God would open and close the doors that He wants me to pursue. Matthew 10:14 says “And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when ye depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet.” Please pray for me as I seek to be led by the Lord in these endeavors and trust Him each step of the way. Church planting is difficult here and there are many challenges, but God is able and I trust Him. I would greatly appreciate your prayers at this time for wisdom for who to work with, and where to pursue opportunities.
We appreciate each of you so much and thank the Lord for you. Please keep us in prayer as we remember you as well.
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.
Read more
Praying God would Raise Up Godly 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.
February 28, 2018
Dear praying friends,
Another month has come and gone, and there is much to report. We appreciate each of you so much, for your interest in missions, and the love and encouragement you provide as we serve here in Kitale, Kenya. It is a privilege to serve the Lord. God is so good and it is a joy to serve Him.
This past month, my wife’s sister Jenna came to visit us here in Kitale. We are now in the final days of her time with us, and she has been a joy and blessing to us. Please pray for her and her trip back to America in the next few days. She has enjoyed her time here in Kitale and adjusted very well to life here. Please also pray for her to remain healthy upon her return to America.
Our daughter Camille turned 7 years old this past month and it was so nice to have a little birthday party for her, both at school and with other missionary friends. What a joy she is to our family and we thank the Lord for her. She has made many friends while at school in Kitale, and we are so thankful for this. Please pray for both Camille and McKenna and their continued progress of making friends and getting much needed socialization. The school has been such a blessing for them.
I (Nathan) have been working on my work permit renewal, which is now in process in the capital city of Nairobi. You have to renew it every two to three years, and this time has come. Please pray if it would be the Lord’s will, that it would be renewed without any problem. Of course, we trust the Lord to lead and guide us, and have peace knowing He is in control of all things. We thank the Lord for the renewal of my wife’s work permit recently.
I (Nathan) have been working hard translating Bible teachings from English to Kiswahili, the language of Kenya. Kiswahili is not easy and takes a lot of work. It is easy to forget words periodically, and also difficult to follow a Kiswahili translation. Please pray for me as I continue translating the materials into the Kenyan language. It is a huge project, but one that I feel needs to be done at this time.
Please pray also for the Lord to raise up godly Kenyan men who would desire to be trained and start churches in their respective villages. It all depends on the Lord’s will and His timing. I am reminded of the verse in James 4:15, which says “For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that.” How true.
May God continue to bless each of you for your heart for missions. We appreciate each of you so much.
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
Praying for God to Raise Up Faithful 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.
February 2, 2018
Dear praying friends,
Another month has come and gone, and it is now time to give an update on life in Kenya, East Africa. We appreciate each of you so much and the cards, emails, and any other encouragements that you give. It means a lot to us, more than you will ever know.
Please continue to pray for our daughters, McKenna and Camille. They are both going to a Christian school here in Kitale which opened a little over a year ago. This is such an answer to prayer, as this gives them the much-needed social interactions with other kids their age, as well as many different activities. This past month, the school brought in a golf teacher to teach them some golf skills. They will also be able to participate in an art club. Please continue to pray for our daughters as well as the other children that attend, and the staff there.
We are excited to welcome my wife’s sister Jenna to Kenya in a couple of weeks. This will be her third trip to Kenya and we will love having her. It is always nice to have visitors, so please pray for her trip and the time she will have with us. As many of you know, leaving family is one of the major challenges of missions and homesickness sets in. We are very thankful for this opportunity to get to spend some time with her and for my wife to get to visit with her sister.
Concerning church planting, as many of you know, there are big challenges here, especially with the dependency in the culture. I (Nathan) have been praying over it and seeking Godly counsel and advisement. At this time I feel led to try to go to a village area around Kitale, seeking to train men to start ministries in their homes. Please pray for these endeavors, and that God would raise up the right men for the training. I plan to do it in Swahili, the language of Kenya, so this will be a big challenge, but this is how I feel led at this time. I think of the verse in 2 Timothy 2:2, which says “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.” One of the key parts of this verse is “faithful men.” Please pray that God would raise up “faithful men” to be trained in the Word of God, discipled, then Lord willing, to start churches that glorify Him.
We will keep you updated. We appreciate each of you so much and thank the Lord for you. You are each a great blessing to us.
Blessings,
Nathan and Carrie Radford
Nathan and Carrie Radford
P.O. Box 4150
Kitale, Kenya, East Africa
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
Getting Back in the Swing of Things in Kenya
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 2, 2018
Dear praying friends,
Happy 2018! Another year has come and gone, and now we have a new year filled with opportunities to serve God and others. It is easy to look at the past year and possibly regret some opportunities we had that we did not use to serve God, but this new year, may we look with anticipation at the areas and chances that God gives us to serve Him. May we truly have the attitude of a servant, realizing that we will be rewarded by Him for our service. Only one life will soon be past, only what is done for Christ will last.
This past month was crazy busy for us as a family as we were in the process of moving. As I shared recently, there were security issues at our last place and we really felt after prayer and seeking the Lord’s will, that we should move to a safer area of Kitale. We packed tons of boxes, got them all loaded on moving trucks, loaded our personal items and moved to a different location. It is always hard to move, but we really felt the Lord’s leading in it. We now praise the Lord that we are in a safer area. Please pray for our family and our adjustments at this time.
Speaking of family, our girls go back to school early this next week, January 9th. This is also a very big transition for them, as they are used to homeschooling, but my wife and I both feel that they need this time of socialization with other children and activities that the school offers. We are both so thankful for this school and many other missionaries have their children enrolled as well. This is a big answer to prayer and we thank the Lord for providing this opportunity for our daughters.
Please pray for me (Nathan) as I seek to get back into ministry in the near future. It has been so crazy busy with moving, waiting out the election, etc. Please pray for God to lead and guide me and give me wisdom as I seek the Lord’s leading in regard to serving others here. We thank the Lord that He recently provided the work permit for my wife, so this is a big blessing. My permit (Nathan) is also up for renewal soon, so please pray if it would be the Lord’s will, that it would be renewed without any problem. We trust God to lead and guide us. Psalm 25:4-5 says “Shew me thy ways, O LORD; teach me thy paths. Lead me in thy truth, and teach me: for thou art the God of my salvation; on thee do I wait all the day.” May this be our prayer as we serve the Lord this upcoming year.
Lastly, we would appreciate your prayers for safety as we drive in Kitale. The traffic here has become so heavy and the roads are narrow in some areas, with many accidents occurring recently. The drivers are impatient and overtake, and there are so many motorcycles, bicycle taxis, regular taxis, etc. We trust the Lord for our safety and would covet your prayers for this. We appreciate each of you so much, your faithful prayer support and sacrificial giving. May the Lord bless you for your mindfulness of missions around the world.
Serving Him,
Nathan and Carrie Radford
P.O. Box 4150
Kitale, Kenya, East Africa
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 Move; Daughters Excited for New School!
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 30, 2017
Dear praying friends,
We hope this finds each of you doing well as we round out the year of 2017. Hard to believe we are on the verge of another new year, and another year where we can faithfully serve the Lord and use the opportunities that He gives us. What a privilege it is to serve Him. We hope each of you have a great upcoming Christmas holiday, and a happy upcoming 2018. This update will share current updates as well as prayer requests.
One major prayer request we have since we have returned is for safety while driving in Kitale. Since we have returned to Kitale, it seems the traffic here has become even more congested than when we left. The roads are narrow, and there is a large amount of traffic each day that passes through. Imagine bicycles to the side of the roads, cars who are impatient and want to overtake where there is no room, and motorcycles all over the place, also impatient and trying to overtake. We always take careful precautions when traveling here, and we would appreciate your prayers even more, for the Lord to watch over us as we go back and forth to town. Please pray for everyone else as well who uses the roads, for their safety. God has been so faithful to protect us and we continue to trust Him each day as we drive here.
Another big announcement that we have is that after prayer, and searching for the Lord’s will, we have decided to move to a safer area within the Kitale area. As many of you know, there was a large amount of unrest at our compound last term. The back fence was broken several times, our hedge was cut several times, a light was shone late at night in the compound, our electricity fuse was stolen so we would be in the dark, the gate was shaken off the hinges, etc. Our neighbors have also had security issues, and there were even other incidents near our place when we were on furlough, so we really feel it is time to get to a safer area in Kitale. Please pray for us as we pack up, try to keep track of things, and for the transition as we move. It is a huge job, but we feel it is really wise and prudent at this time to move, given all the unrest in our area. Please pray for my wife as she is very overwhelmed with trying to keep track of where things are, etc. We feel very at peace with this decision and we are trusting God. Psalm 32:8 says “I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with Mine eye.” It will be a very busy upcoming few weeks, and we would covet your prayers for us as we pack and go. God is in control and we trust Him for our safety.
Our daughters have been out of school for a few weeks and are anxious to get back into the swing of things in early January, Lord willing. This has been a good time for them to rest, spend time with us, and our daughter McKenna has been honing in on her drawing skills. She has been taking some art lessons (as well as Camille, our other daughter) and has been really improving and drawing beautifully. We are so thankful for the new school and the activities that it has given our daughters. This has been much needed in Kitale and a huge answer to prayer.
We wish you all a great Christmas holiday and time with your families. Please pray for all the missionaries on the field, as the holiday season is a difficult time for them. We appreciate each of you so much and thank the Lord for your prayers, sacrificial giving, and letters of encouragement. You are a huge blessing.
Serving in Kenya,
Nathan and Carrie Radford
P.O. Box 4150
Kitale, Kenya, East Africa
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
Back in Kenya with a Big Answer to Prayer
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.
October 31, 2017
We are now at the end of 2017, and this year has passed so quickly. I am reminded of how short life is when I think of how time flies. It seems the older I get, the faster it goes. I am sure that is true for everyone. God is so faithful and may we use our days to worship Him, serve Him, love Him, and bring Him glory. He deserves all praise and glory for all things. 1 Corinthians 10:31 says “Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.”
In family news, October is a big month for our family. My wife and I celebrated our 13th anniversary, and also I (Nathan) turned 41 this past month. Both days were great days of celebration with friends here in Kitale. I am thankful for a wife who sacrifices daily on the mission field, giving up many comforts, to serve the Lord here. She is truly a blessing and I am so thankful for her and her servant spirit. I hope and pray we will have many more years together.
Also in family news, we have had what seems to be a huge answer to prayer. As you know, we have struggled to find friends for our daughters here in Kitale. This is one of the biggest struggles for missionary children, having social interaction and friends their age to play with. Many times the needs of missionary children can be overlooked, so we have wanted to bring their needs before others so they can be in prayer for them.
Praise the Lord, He has answered this prayer in a big way. There is now a Christian school in Kitale with approximately 70 children enrolled at present. The school is now closed for break, but when it begins in January, they plan to have 100 students there. It is growing and expanding and offers many extracurricular activities, such as drama, art, music lessons, Swahili lessons (the language of Kenya), French language lessons, etc. There are further plans to even provide more in the future, but this is a great start. McKenna and Camille had the opportunity to go for about two weeks and were already making good friends, so we are so thankful for this and praise God for this big answer to prayer.
In regards to the presidential election here, it is still continuing along. As I reported last month, the prior election in August was annulled and they did a second election last week. The voter turnout was much lower than the first election, and some areas had delays in voting due to protests and violence. I know the winner will be announced soon, so please pray for the country, for the stability of the country, for no further unrest that is not necessary, and for it to be settled. Unrest has been in certain pockets of the country and we have done our best to stay safe, stock up on supplies, and all the usual things that would be expected in a time of insecurity and possible unrest. We know God is in control and we trust Him in all these things.
We appreciate each of you so much and your prayers, sacrificial giving, and notes and letters of encouragement. You are all such a blessing and we are thankful to you. We will keep you updated.
Nathan and Carrie Radford
P.O. Box 4150
Kitale, Kenya, East Africa
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
Back in Kenya—Pray for Peace
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.
October 2, 2017
We hope this update finds you all doing well. As I write this, we are at our home town in Kitale, Kenya. I will give a current update on the state of the country as well as prayer requests. We appreciate each of you so much who prayed for our trip, our safety, and our readjustments back to life here in Africa.
My wife worked tirelessly to get everything packed up for us for our upcoming term on the field. It is a massive job to try to figure out what to take, what to leave, what is needed right now, etc. I am so thankful for her and all her hard work in these areas, as I would not know where to even begin. Her mother is also a big help to us in this regard and we thank the Lord for her also.
Please pray for us as we are all in the process of adjustments back to life on the mission field. Simple things that we take for granted in America, such as stable electricity, stable Internet, water to come faithfully without delay, etc. are real challenges to daily life here. Please also pray for our daughters as they are adjusting back to life here. They have both done amazingly well in adjusting and we are very proud of them. Please pray for them to get regular friends, have fun activities, and for their health and well-being here. It has been a very busy past week, as I (Nathan) have been going all over trying to get bills paid, things hooked up, etc. It is always a rough few first days but I am thankful I have gotten a lot done.
Kenya held a presidential election on August 8th and a president was elected. Two weeks later, the results were annulled because of “anomalies.” What exactly those things are I don’t really know, and all that is known at this point is a repeat election scheduled for October 26th. This is disappointing, as we stayed abroad to wait for all these things to be done and over with, and now we have to prepare for it, buy extra supplies, possibly hire extra security, etc. until it is settled. Please pray for peace in the country and closure to the election process of 2017. God is in control and we trust Him. Psalm 115:3 says “But our God is in the heavens: He hath done whatsoever He hath pleased.”
We will keep you updated on life here on the mission field. We appreciate each of you so much and thank God for you. Blessings to each of you and thanks again.
In Kitale,
Nathan and Carrie Radford
Nathan and Carrie Radford
P.O. Box 4150
Kitale, Kenya, East Africa
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
