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.

March 1, 2013

Dear praying friends,

It is now March 2013, and we are now just 3 days from the election here in Kenya which is to be held on March 4, Lord willing. We have many prayer requests for this prayer letter, as well as ministry updates. May God bless each of you for your heart for missions and interest in the Lord’s work in Kenya, East Africa.

One of our main prayer requests is for the very near election which is to be held soon here in Kenya. Please pray that throughout the electoral process, that there would be peace, no unrest, and fairness in this election. During the last election, in the year 2007, we were not in the country, as we were home for furlough. This time, however, will be different, as we will be here in the country. We don’t know how things will go, and have bought a few extra supplies, so we can lay low for a few days to see how things will go. We trust the Lord in this situation, and at this time, as we know He is fully in control. I love Isaiah 26:3, which says “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.” Please pray for this election, and the safety of the country of Kenya and its people. We do not want to see any danger, and we trust the Lord through it.

These past few weeks have been very busy, as we have recently moved. We lived in our last place for seven years, but were told we needed to move, as the family of the owner moved back to Kitale and took our previous place. What a job moving was! We had much help from friends and others, and we are so thankful. There is no way we could have made the progress we did without their help. We have been busy trying to get our things situated to a new place, as well as repairing and adjusting in accordance with our needs for our family. As you know, this can take quite a while. We are thankful for the progress that we have seen to this point, and we ask you to pray for us as a family, as we adjust to a new place. God is faithful, and we are thankful for your prayers for us at this time.

The church in the village of Shangalamwe has now reached the point where it will soon be turned over to national leadership. My good friend Roger Tate and I have done our best to teach, model, advise, and assist in any way that we can, and now we have reached the point where the national church leader will be taking over his duties. Please pray for him this upcoming Sunday, as this will be the first Sunday of officially leading the service. At this point, we will observe to make sure that he is following the Scriptures and leading in accordance with the Scriptures. We hope and pray that he will follow what he has been taught for the past several months and set a good example of what a church elder should be. We will keep you updated of this ministry.

We also praise the Lord for the progress we have seen working with a national separately through the week. This national has been faithful to go, teach, and Lord willing, to start more churches in the Kitale area. He also has several other men interested in expanding the teachings in church planting to their areas and villages, for which we thank the Lord. We feel this is a good Biblical model to follow. 2 Timothy 2:2 states “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.”

The Annex prison is continuing along well, for which I thank the Lord. We are progressing well through the T4T teachings, and the men seem to be growing spiritually and excited about what they are learning. It is wonderful to see these men grow and respond well to the Biblical teachings, as they have little interactions with their families or community from the outside. Many times they feel forgotten, and have difficulty adjusting to regular life upon their release. Please pray for these men and the continued teachings from the T4T course. We appreciate your prayers for this ministry.

In personal news, our daughter Camille turned two years old on the day that we moved. We did not have time to celebrate her birthday on the day we moved, but were recently able to celebrate it together. What a blessing she is to our family. Please pray for her, and also for her sister McKenna, who will turn five in April this year, Lord willing.

May we dedicate ourselves wholeheartedly to the Lord and His service this year. The Lord has great things for us, if we will just seek His will, study His Word, and obey His leading. I will leave you with a challenging verse from Jeremiah 33:3, which says “Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.” May the Lord bless each of you, and thanks again so much for your interest in missions.

Until next month,

Nathan and Carrie Radford
P.O. Box 4150
Kitale, Kenya
East Africa 30200

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