Missionary Update: Mike & Beverly Creiglow in Brazil [March 2012]
Mike and Beverly Creiglow have served the Lord in Cruzeiro do Sul, Acre, Brazil together for 40 years. In addition to pastoring First Baptist of Cruzeiro do Sul, Mike builds his own boats and frequently travels up and down rivers to share the Gospel with those who have never heard.
March 7, 2012
Dear Brethren,
One of my trips this month was much longer than usual, but was not a river trip. While still in the States I received an invitation to be the keynote speaker at a seminary in southern Brazil. At the time, I didn’t know that we were going to be in the States longer than anticipated, nor did I realize how cramped for time after returning to the field. Anyway, I took out 10 days to speak to an average of 200 students and local pastors at Maranatha Bible Institute in the state of Paraná. It was their 50th anniversary celebration. The conference was 4 days and I spoke 7 times. All the lessons and theme were from John 3:30. Although my speaking style is much different from what they are used to, I am hoping that the Holy Spirit uses it to enlarge His kingdom.
The return trip was exhausting. One 9-hour leg by bus, followed by a 15-hour flight from São Paulo to Rio Branco, and a 12-hour layover before the 1-hour flight home.
Things are going great here. There have been a number of folks saved and several requests for baptism. One couple from our small group was saved and made a profession of faith in the Friday night prayer meeting at church. My son Andrew is the leader of our group, which meets every 2 weeks. Andrew pastors me in this group. He also pastors my son-in-law, Dauro, who is one of our local pastors, too. The group is already twice as big as it is supposed to be. We usually have over 20 people.
We held our first baptism service of the year on March 3. There were 29 people baptized. One more person was saved and there were other requests for baptism the same day.
We are working hard on the annex. It is already in limited use. We can use the garage and some of the second floor. We have been in desperate need of more space for some time. I have been devoting quite a bit of my time to getting the next floor poured. As soon as that is finished I plan to build the metal structure and roof for the third floor. What we really need to do is relocate, so pray that something will open up.
We are praying for you. We know that things have become extremely tough financially in the US. I can definitely say that I feel your pain, because our support has dropped dramatically over the past 5 months. So, as God blesses you, please try to bring up or bring back your offerings to the General Fund of Baptist Faith Missions.
Thanks for all of your prayers and support. God bless you as much as He has us.
In Christ,
Mike and Beverly Creiglow
Caixa Postal 24
Cruzeiro do Sul, Acre, Brazil 69980
mdcreig [at] hotmail.com
Click here to donate to BFM.
Read more
2012 BFM Spring Missions Conference
We heartily invite you to join us for the
2012 BFM SPRING MISSIONS CONFERENCE
April 2, 3, 4
Hosted by Thompson Road Baptist Church, Lexington KY
Dave Parks, Pastor | daveparks@insightbb.com | 859.223.8374
THEME: “THE FUTURE AND HOPE OF BAPTIST FAITH MISSIONS”
Jeremiah 29.11 / Luke 12.32
Monday Evening, April 2
5:00 Supper
7:00 Praise
7:20 Randy Jones – Multimedia Message: “The Future and Hope of Baptist Faith Missions: ‘What hath God wrought!’ [Numbers 23:23] through the missionaries supported through BFM”
8:00 Praise
8:20 Pastor Joe Collins, Faith Baptist Church, Versailles KY
Tuesday Morning, April 3
9:30 Praise
9:45 Louie Carver, Simpsonville SC (Former pastor and missionary supported through BFM) “What the Lord has done in South Korea and The Philippines through the ministries of BFM”
10:25 Break
10:30 Seminar / Workshop: “Calling on God for His purposes, plans, and prospects for the increased outreach of Baptist Faith Missions into the nations of the world” (Matthew 22:14- And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.)
12:00 Lunch
1:30 OPEN FORUM FOR Q & A / SUGGESTIONS AND ADVICE
5:00 – 6:00 Supper
Tuesday Evening, April 3
7:00 Praise
7:20 Randy Jones – Multimedia Message: “The Future and Hope of Baptist Faith Missions: ‘The future and hope we believe the Lord is giving BFM – and the steps we are taking to follow Him’ (Luke 12:32- Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.)
8:00 Praise
8:20 Missionary-Pastor Paul Hatcher, Tabernacle Baptist Church, Manaus BRASIL
Wednesday Morning, April 4
9:30 Praise
9:40 Pastor Bryan Baggett, Bible Baptist Church, Clarksville TN
10:20 Praise
10:30 Donovan Stewart, Associate Pastor, Baptist Church at Andover / Lexington Police Chaplain
11:10 Break
11:20 Pastor Ben Glover, Park Ridge Baptist Church, Gotha FL
12:00 Lunch
5:00-6:00 Supper
Wednesday Evening, April 4
7:00 Praise
7:30 Anthony Vance, Associate Pastor, New Life Baptist Church, Lexington KY
———————————-
Other important conference-related posts:
Accommodations & Travel Information | Explanation of the Conference Theme
———————————-
Some conference documents (PDF-format) you may want to download:
Spring Conference Promo | Spring Conference Program
Spring Conference Invitation | Spring Conference Announcement
Read more
BFM 2012 Spring Conference Theme and Other Important Info
CONFERENCE THEME:
“THE FUTURE AND HOPE OF BAPTIST FAITH MISSIONS”
Jeremiah 29.11: “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you,” saith the LORD, “thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.”
Luke 12.32: “Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.”
WHAT IS ‘FUTURE AND HOPE’?
God gave this promise to Israel to assure them that He was not done with them, and that His kingdom purposes and plans were still very much on task, on target, and on time – and that, in truth, greater service and effectiveness was yet in store for them in their future. The struggles they were going through at that time were driving them to depend more on God, call more on God, and look more to God. They must just follow God into the future He was giving them – and hope only in Him.
God’s ‘thoughts’ that He thinks toward us are His purposes and plans. God doesn’t think fleeting, passing thoughts. His thoughts are His plans, the eternal counsels of His own will [as in Ephesians 1.1-14]. And, whatever God thinks, purposes, and plans – that He will do [Isaiah 46.9-11].
So, when God assures them [and us] that His plans are to give them [and us] ‘an expected end’, He is promising them a FUTURE and a HOPE – and He will make it happen. Our King James translators have given us an alternate reading on ‘an expected end’. It is ‘Heb. end and expectation’.
• ‘End’ is ‘FUTURE’ where God is taking us, what God is going to give us, what God is going to do with us.
• ‘Expectation’ is ‘HOPE’. Hope is not mere wishful thinking. Hope is a certain assurance and confident expectation that God will do what He has promised to do and give us what He has promised to give us.
WHAT IS OUR FUTURE AND HOPE?
Jesus Christ has promised to give His kingdom to us, His churches. When He established His church, He gave us ‘the keys of the kingdom of heaven’ [Matthew 16.18-19]. He commissioned and sent us into every nation of the world to preach and proclaim ‘the gospel of the kingdom’ [Mark 1.14 & Matthew 24.14]. When unbelievers receive the Gospel and God saves them by the Cross of Christ, the Holy Spirit calls them and births them into God’s kingdom [John 3.1-8]. Then, Jesus Christ sets them in His churches as it pleases Him.
This is how the kingdom of God grows and increases in the world. This is how the will of God is done on earth as it is in Heaven [Matthew 6.9-13]. And, this is the FUTURE AND HOPE Jesus promises us when He says, “Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.” Jesus promises this FUTURE AND HOPE to His churches – and Baptist Faith Missions is a voluntary fellowship of such churches who are partnering together to preach His Gospel of the Kingdom in all the world as a witness to all the nations [Matthew 24.14]. We have been mutually committed to this purpose for the past 70 years – and we are committed to continuing His mission until He returns.
70 YEARS OF CHURCH-PLANTING AND KINGDOM-BUILDING
The missionaries who have served in many of the nations of the world through the support given by the churches in fellowship with Baptist Faith Missions have faithfully and fruitfully led thousands to faith in Jesus Christ, planted hundreds of churches, and increased the kingdom of God. Many of these churches have, in turn, become multiplying churches themselves – and the mission outreach of Baptist Faith Missions continues to network to more and more countries, disciple more and more believers, and establish more and more churches.
You will not find another group of God-called and church-sent Baptist missionaries and supporting churches who have served Jesus Christ more faithfully and effectively than those in fellowship with Baptist Faith Missions. One of the purposes of this Conference is to tell you at least a small part of their stories.
“…FELLOW WORKERS UNTO THE KINGDOM OF GOD…” Colossians 4.11
But, we also recognize that there is so much more that we need to do. And, WHAT JESUS CHRIST HAS GIVEN US TO DO THROUGH THE MISSIONARIES WHO SERVE IN FELLOWSHIP WITH BAPTIST FAITH MISSIONS IS WORTH DOING. We are committing ourselves to CALLING ON JESUS CHRIST, GOING AND PRAYING TO HIM [Jeremiah 29.12-13] for HIS FUTURE AND HOPE that He wants us to pursue and receive from Him.
We continue to struggle more and more just to maintain the essential commitments we have made to our missionaries to meet their basic needs for daily life and ministry. We want to do so much better, but it will require a concerted, increased participation from each one of us – and all of us together.
So, we will also be presenting during our Conference services several challenges we face along with some initiatives and measures we believe the Lord is giving us to implement together – all with the FUTURE AND HOPE in view that we can increase our outreach, increase God’s Kingdom in the nations of the world, and above all, INCREASE GOD’S GLORY THROUGH THE CROSS OF JESUS CHRIST AND THE GOSPEL OF HIS GRACE.
We need and want your fellowship and help. We encourage you to plan to attend with us, pray with us, worship with us, participate with us, and labor with us as we SEEK FIRST THE KINGDOM OF GOD AND HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS.
“Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on Me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto My Father. And whatsoever ye shall ask in My Name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask anything in My Name, I WILL DO IT!” [John 14.12-14]
-______________________________-
CHILDREN’S MISSIONS CONFERENCE SESSIONS
Every year we conduct sessions for the children [age 4 through grade 5] who attend our Conference services. My wife, Debbie, conducts these learning and activity sessions. Each year, we focus on a particular nation of the world, highlighting its culture and customs along with their need for the Gospel and opportunities to take the Gospel to those peoples. This year’s theme nation is INDIA. Our Children’s Center is always set up with crafts and activities which engage the children’s attention and interests in the missions lessons.
-______________________________-
CONFERENCE OFFERING:
MISSIONARIES’ TRAVEL EXPENSES ‘TO THE REGIONS BEYOND’ YOU
We want to designate our Conference offering this year to MISSIONARIES’ TRAVEL EXPENSES. These expenses are disbursed from our GENERAL FUND and are always one of the largest line items in our annual GENERAL FUND budget. For example, in 2010, we disbursed $16,000.00 just for our missionaries’ furlough transportation expenses. Last year, 2011, we disbursed another $17,000.00. We don’t anticipate that our 2012 outlay will equal those of the past two years [$5,000.00 so far this year], but we still need to try to make up as much of these General Fund expenditures as we can from additional offerings. So, our Conference offerings will go toward providing these disbursements from our GENERAL FUND.
These funds are supplied from our Thanksgiving Offerings. 2010’s Thanksgiving Offering was $63,700.00. This year’s current Thanksgiving Offering is $56,000.00. So you can see how quickly these expenses can deplete those funds.
Paul made two appeals to the churches to HELP HIM WITH HIS TRAVEL EXPENSES TO TAKE THE GOSPEL TO THE OTHER PARTS OF THE WORLD. Read Romans 15.22-24 and 2 Corinthians 10.13-17 and either bring with you or send as generous an offering as you can to MISSIONARIES’ TRAVEL EXPENSES.
By the way, Paul was appealing for this help so he could continue to take the Gospel ‘TO THE REGIONS BEYOND’ you ‘FOR THE GLORY OF GOD’! Thank you for helping us advance the Gospel in this way.
If you cannot attend the Conference, but still want to give a gift, send it to our Treasurer: Pastor George Sledd | PO Box 471280 | Lake Monroe FL 32747-1280
Or, you can contribute online either by check/debit or by credit card on our Donate/Support page. Enter your designation for “SPRING CONFERENCE OFFERING.”
Read more
BFM 2012 Spring Conference Accommodations & Travel Information
MOTEL ACCOMMODATIONS INFORMATION
We are still recommending the Quality Inn Northwest / 750 NEWTOWN COURT / LEXINGTON KY 40511 / 859.233.0561 Ask the desk attendant for Thompson Road Baptist Church event rates. Mike Clark said that if there is any question about these arrangements, ask for him personally.
ONE QUEEN BED room is $49.95. TWO DOUBLE BEDS room is $59.95. They also offer continental breakfast on the premises, in-room coffeemaker, hairdryer, iron and ironing board, and high-speed internet access.
We encourage churches to pay your Pastor’s (and his wife’s) travel expenses to attend this conference. It will give them the opportunity to enjoy what is always a much-needed physical and spiritual re-charging for your church’s ministry. We use these Conference occasions to highlight and update our missions partners concerning our missionaries’ ministries and also stir up all of us to greater interest, investment, and involvement in our mutual missions endeavors. He will come back to you with a greater burden, zeal, and enthusiasm for missions. Will you take the lead to ask your church to do this for your pastor, our missionaries, and your church?
-______________________________-
TRAVEL DIRECTIONS
to 320 THOMPSON ROAD, LEXINGTON KY 40508
FROM SOUTH ON I-75: Get off at Exit 104 (Athens-Boonesborough). Turn west toward town. You will be on Athens-Boonesborough Road / Richmond Road Extension. As you approach Lexington, the road will become Richmond Road around Jacobson Park. Continue straight into Lexington. Richmond Road will become Main Street. You will pass the Rupp Arena / Lexington Convention Center on your left. Turn left at the next traffic light. This is Jefferson Street. Turn right in the middle of the overpass bridge onto Manchester. About one mile down Manchester, turn right on Thompson Road and come to the top of the hill.
FROM NORTH ON I-75 OR EAST / WEST ON I-64: I-75 and I-64 merge for a few miles on the north/northeast side of Lexington. Come to Exit 115 on 64/75. This is Newtown Pike (State Route 922). Turn south toward Lexington. Follow Newtown Pike until you come to Main Street. Go straight across Main Street onto Oliver Lewis Way. Turn right at the next traffic light onto Manchester / Old Frankfort Pike. Follow Manchester about one mile. Turn right on Thompson Road and come to the top of the hill.
If you choose to stay at Quality Inn, then follow the second set of directions above and Quality Inn will be on your left behind the Shell station just before you get to the New Circle Road interchange [1 mile from 64/75].
Read more
Missionary Update: Harold Bratcher in Brazil [March 2012]
Dear Brothers of the Blessed Lord and Sisters of the Savior:
Once again we (Asa Mark and I) greet you from the Amazon Valley of Brazil, South America. The 2 million residents of Manaus, the capital of the state of Amazonas, are enjoying the pleasant weather of not quite so hot, due to the frequent rains. This rainy season we have had 2 city-wide blackouts, and several rains that flooded the city, and they are predicting this year the river will rise to record heights. During the month of February each Sunday morning, evening and Wednesday evening, I have left my house and home and gone by the taxi of one of our members Bro. Raimundo the 24th of March Baptist Church, where I either preached or heard a sermon by another preacher. Last month, the church voted for an evangelist from the Beautiful Garden (Belo Jardim) Baptist Church of Manaus, to serve the 24th of March Baptist Church as my assistant pastor, during 3 months at least. Pray for Bro. Williams Mendes, 49 years old, and his family.
This Mission Sheets month began January 11th and finishes today. During this period I preached 19 sermons, all at the 24th of March Baptist Church where I serve as the pastor. I have during this period heard a total of 19 sermons preached at 4 different places. Also, I was able to cross the river and travel by car about an hour to dedicate the new building of the mission at that community. I heard Pastor Sebastiao de Oliveira, the blind preacher from Minas Gerais, preach to a full house. One of my sermons was on Sunday night, February the 5th, in a memorial service, on the first anniversary of Marie’s Homegoing. I praised the Lord for her almost 84 years on this old earth, and our 56 years together, almost 52 here in Brasil. Sweet memories until we meet again.
May we all heed the pleas of Pastor Dave Parks for more offerings for Baptist Faith Missions. I am praying that during this new year of 2012 that the missionaries of Baptist Faith Missions, will receive their full salaries and benefits. The Bratchers in Brasil need the prayers of those we love, as well as those that love us. Please pray for Winnie Bratcher of Georgetown, because of the homegoing of her dear husband, Wes. Please pray for Stephen Bratcher, as he will turn 52 on Thursday, and at the end of the month, will arrive to be with us for 6 weeks. I am sure that he will be a blessing to us and the work here, as he always is.
Yours in the Service of the Savior,
Harold Bratcher
Rua Francisco Jose Furtado No. 2
Bairro de Sao Francisco
69.079-200 Manaus, Amazonas
Brasil, S.A.
harold_bratcher[at]yahoo.com
Click here to give now.
Read more
Missionary Update: Roger & Julie Tate in Kenya [March 2012]
The Tate Family has served the Lord in Kitale, Kenya since January 2008. Their main ministry is indigenous church planting.
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
The short rains have kicked in here in Kitale. It rains every day again. These rains are needed so that the ground is ready for the farmers to plow and plant. These rains last only a couple of weeks, though, and then the dust season should return for a while. The skies are rumbling with thunder far off even as I speak. The rain is nice as it washes the dust off of everything and is refreshing. Thinking about rain reminds me about one of my favorite verses in Isaiah. Isaiah 55:10-11 says “For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, And do not return there, But water the earth, And make it bring forth and bud, That it may give seed to the sower And bread to the eater, So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it”. What a great promise to remind us that God shall accomplish all His purposes here in Kenya. The work that we do and the words that we speak in his name are not for nothing. He will take our feeble efforts and our ineffective words and somehow make them serve his purpose of bringing light and salvation to lost and dying people. If that is the case then I say let the rain fall on us in torrents and floods.
The works here are progressing, maybe not exactly according to my plan but certainly according to God’s plan. (Just returned to my computer after a short hiatus I needed to take to rescue Josiah’s pet goat. Pet goats are one of the “benefits” of living in Africa). I love to worship God with the Kenyan people and teach them from the Word of God. In recent lessons I have taught them about some of the basics of a relationship with God: Salvation, baptism, prayer, daily devotions, and the functions of a church. Some people know a lot already and some know practically nothing. Most are willing to follow the teachings of any man who calls himself a pastor. One of the cultural things that is taught here is that instead of immersing a person in water when baptizing, the person can just walk under a flag. I’m still not sure where that came from or the significance of it but it is still a common practice. Another strong cultural practice is to receive a baptism card when baptized. While there is nothing inherently wrong with receiving a baptism card, in Kenya these cards can be used for identification, job applications and so on. This makes a person want to be baptized just to receive that card and not because he is identifying himself as a follower of Christ. These and other errors can only be corrected by teaching them to live their lives according to the Scriptures and not according to man-made rules of religion. It is a long, uphill battle that we face.
Finally, my family and I are excited about the upcoming visit from my parents, Norm and Mary Tate. They will arrive inKenyajust five days from today. This will be their second visit to Kenya since we arrived in 2008. On their first visit in February 2009, the Tate family here in Kitale was about to enter a long, difficult battle with culture fatigue. My parents witnessed us falling off the cliff and into the dark abyss of depression and fatigue. Hopefully, they will not have to witness this plunge again this time. It will be so good to have them here with us for the month since we so very much miss ALL of our friends and family from the States.
Until next month, beloved. May God’s peace and joy be with you.
For the glory of God in East Africa,
Roger & Julie Tate (and Emily, Amy, & Josiah)
P.O. Box 761
Kitale, Kenya 30200
rojuta[at]gmail.com
Website
Click here to donate to BFM.
Read more
Missionary Update: John Mark & Judy Hatcher in France [March 2012]
Missionaries John Mark and Judy Hatcher have been serving the Lord in Tournefeuille, France since 1999. They define their ministry as “disciple-making,”
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
The tornadoes and storms through which many of you are going have been in the news here. We think about you and pray that the Lord will protect you from harm. This relates indirectly to one of our Bible studies this week. This study is in the book of the Revelation of Jesus Christ. The judgments on the lost world symbolized by the blowing of the 7 trumpets draw our attention to the folly of human behavior.
Many people are concerned about protecting themselves from climate changes and the effects that these might bring on them. It is debatable whether we can do much to avoid these disasters. However, anyone can avoid the greatest disaster of all by trusting Christ and being eternally saved from all physical disasters. This is something that anyone, anywhere in the world can do. Yet, few are willing to surrender to Jesus Christ. Nevertheless, our mission here, and your mission there is to bring to the attention of folks around us that Jesus is the only sure hope. May our Lord help us to do the job effectively.
I want to mention three individuals for whom I am very grateful as we study the Word of God with others. The first two are my parents who are still serving as missionaries in Brazil at 86 years old. They taught me and, by example, encouraged me to read through the Bible and then continue reading through the Bible. This lifelong practice has helped me to see God’s revelation of Himself in a more complete and well rounded fashion than what is appropriated by reading most books and theological treatises and by listening to many well known preachers. Please, do not receive this as a condemnation of books or preachers. I am simply underscoring the value of knowing God’s word thoroughly and reviewing it regularly in its full scope. Thanks, mom and dad.
The other person who has had a great influence on me in understanding God’s revelation is Edward Overbey. As my pastor during my college years, he helped me greatly to work toward a correct exegesis of biblical texts. His patient and peaceful manner provided me with an outstanding example of applying Christlike principles in my interaction with others. Thanks, brother Overbey.
All of our Bible Studies are going well. We now have ongoing studies in Colossians, Revelation, II Timothy and the Gospel of John. God continues to open doors and we do the best that we know how in sowing the good seed. Last year three people who had professed faith followed the Lord in baptism. We would like to see many more saved and baptized, but our job is to display the light of the Gospel, sow the good seed, and disciple those who trust Christ.
The Hatchers sowing seeds in France!
As a boy, I was a charter member of the first church established in the work of my father in Manaus. Three baptized in one year would have been a banner year. Now that church, which has started many other churches, baptizes 50 – 100 hundred people every month. Last month they baptized 300 newly saved folks. These are folks who are serving the Lord and being discipled. I have been there among them. They are faithful to God’s word. So, what starts small can multiply…just as the Lord taught. This encourages us to keep working and trusting God.
Thank you for participating with us in the work of the Lord. Your praying and giving is not in vain. Many of you supported the planting of that little church in Manaus.
Today, Judy and I celebrate 39 years of married life serving the Lord together. It is a wonderful life. I asked God to give me the wife He wanted me to have. He gave and I have never been sorry for asking. Judy is a wonderful gift.
Serving the Lord in France,
John and Judy Hatcher
4, rue d’Aspin
31170 Tournefeuille, France
JMHatcher[at]aol.com
Click here to donate to BFM.
Read more
Missionary Update: The Radfords in Kenya [March 2012]
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 and premature babies.
Dear praying friends,
Another month has come and passed so quickly, and we are now already in the month of March for the year 2012. I am amazed at how fast time passes, and how we need to serve the Lord while there is still time and opportunity. One of my favorite quotes is: “Only one life will soon be past, only what’s done for Christ will last.” This update will share ministry progress as well as family updates.
This past month was a sad month in the life of our family. My grandfather, Mr. William Harris, passed away in February. What great childhood memories I have with him, and what a special member of our family he was. He is greatly missed by all in our family. We are thankful that he trusted Christ just a few days before he passed away. What an answer to prayer this is, and a reminder to never give up praying and to persist in prayer. It reminds me of the verse Luke 18:1, which says, “And He spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint.” May we never stop praying, no matter how discouraging things may appear or seem. We thank each of you for your prayers, love and encouragement that you gave to my grandfather over the years.
Our daughter Camille turned 1 year old this past month. That is hard to believe. She is now getting close to crawling, but not quite there. Please pray for us as parents, that we would lead and guide her in the ways of the Lord and be the example to her that we need to be. We are so thankful to have her in our family.
The church planting ministries are continuing well, for which we thank the Lord. My friend Roger Tate and I have been working to begin house churches in the Kitale area. It is exciting to watch those who have been coming to put into practice what they have been learning. Some of our goals are that the works would be sustainable and reproducible. In other words, that the people can sustain the ministries without us, and that they can reproduce to others what they are learning. Some of those coming have already led others to Christ. Others have shown or expressed excitement to teach others as well. Praise God! We are so excited about this and will keep you updated of these ministries.
The Annex prison ministry is continuing well. We have progressed through several of the lessons of “Firm Foundations – From Creation to Christ.” The men seem to be enjoying their study of the Word of God and growing spiritually, for which I thank the Lord. It reminds me of 1 Peter 2:2, where the Bible says, “As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby.” It is exciting to watch that God is doing in their lives and we will keep you updated of this ministry.
Please continue to keep us in your prayers. We need the Lord so much for all that is going on here. One thing I have discovered long ago is that the Lord doesn’t need us, but we certainly do need Him! Pray that we would stay close to Him, rely on Him, and trust in Him to lead and guide us and to follow where He leads. We appreciate each of you so much and thank you for your heart for missions. We will keep you updated.
In Kenya,
Nathan and Carrie Radford
P.O. Box 4150
Kitale, Kenya
East Africa 30200
Click here to donate to BFM.
Read more
