Continued Discipleship of 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.
July 2, 2018
Dear praying friends,
We hope this finds each of you doing well and we appreciate each of you so much. God is so good, from the blessings He allows us to have, to His protection, His leading, and His guidance. We are so thankful to each of you and ask that you would please continue to keep us in your prayers.
Last month, I (Nathan) shared about the new immigration process that requires missionaries and other foreigners in the country to get their documents verified in Nairobi, the capital city. We are so grateful that the documentation verification was successful, although challenging. There were reports of huge, long lines very early in the morning, and that it was best to get there very early. A friend of ours had stood in line for seven hours waiting, so this was definitely a challenge. God was good and the verification was successful. Please pray for others that are either in the process, or have not been able to get theirs processed yet. God is in control of all these things and we trust Him. He is so faithful. A verse I like is 2 Timothy 2:13, which says “If we believe not, yet He abideth faithful: He cannot deny himself.” What a precious promise from the Word of God.
Please pray for me, as I (Nathan) am continuing with the discipleship program with a younger Kenyan man in the Rafiki village. The roads out to his village have definitely gotten worse, so I leave earlier now in the mornings to get there, allowing time to go slower to avoid as many potholes as I can. I always leave when it is light outside, but sometimes there is a fog that hovers over the road, so I go slow, with my light on, etc. I would appreciate prayer for safety on the roads as I travel there to his village. We have covered many teachings in the Word of God, and I pray that he continues to grow spiritually and have a desire to reach others. Please pray for him, and myself, as we continue along studying the Word of God.
In sorrowful news, earlier in June, there was a plane crash within Kenya in a forest area. It was a smaller plane, but 10 occupants tragically passed away from their injuries. Plane travel is generally very safe and low risk, so there are many inquiries and investigations into what happened. Please pray for all affected in this tragedy.
We are so thankful to each of you for your prayers, sacrificial giving, and encouragement. You are each such a blessing to us and we appreciate your mindfulness of missions around the world. Have a great upcoming 4th of July holiday with friends and family.
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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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
Missionary Update: Roger & Julie Tate in Kenya [May 2013]
April 26, 2013
When Dave asked us ladies to write the newsletter this month in honor of Mother’s Day, I struggled with what to say…because there is too much to say. So, let me share just a couple of joys and struggles that I face here in Kenya as a missionary woman/wife/mother.
One of my absolute favorite things about living on the mission field here in Kenya is being among a multitude of people groups and nationalities. In the States, I knew a few isolated people who were not native to our country; but, in Kenya, my family has had to learn to co-exist peacefully and respectfully with people of many diverse ethnic groups: South Korean, Pakistani, Norwegian, Icelandic, German, Swiss, Swedish, Jewish, French, English, Danish, Indian, Tanzanian, not to mention the different tribes of Kenya with their unique cultures. There is so much beauty in living among these different cultures, because it’s just a little taste of Heaven. Don’t get me wrong; I love America. I love our American heritage, and I want my children to treasure it as much as I do. But, America is not all there is in this world; we are really only a small portion of it. I am so thankful God has given Roger and I – and our children – the opportunity to learn to love the diversity of people and cultures God has put on the earth. I am also thankful for the occasion it brings to grow, stretch, be humbled, and learn to extend mercy and grace in the midst of many challenging differences. It’s amazing how people can be so alike and yet so different at the same time! One of my favorite memories was when all our friends here in Kitale gathered around to wish Emily well as she left to go to boarding school for 9th grade. In our cozy living room were people from 5 different countries – including our Muslim friends from Pakistan and our Jewish missionary friends from Israel…peacefully together in the same room.
There are also many challenges. It is difficult living in a culture where finding trust-worthy people is a bit like looking for a needle in a haystack. It is difficult sticking out like a sore thumb, being stared at, and being seen as a potential resource rather than as a real friend or even as a fellow human being. It’s difficult watching my children try to develop friendships only to have the Kenyan children bribe them and use them. It makes us all deeply thankful for the few real friendships they have. But the most difficult challenge for me right now is getting ready to send Emily off to college. Here in just a few months, we will leave for furlough as a family of five knowing that when we return, there will be only four of us. In the middle of July, Emily will graduate from high school and then will have only a few weeks at home with us. Those weeks will be filled with a lot of “lasts.” She may never be here again. She won’t come home for Christmas, Spring break, or summer break. She can’t come for weekend visits – she’ll be 8,000 miles away, and a round-trip ticket is over $1,000.00. Grandparents and other family and friends will be doing all the things for her that we, her parents, should be doing. We’ve already had some lasts: this past Christmas was likely the last Christmas she’ll have with us at home – the last time decorating the tree together, the last time taking silly family pictures in front of our own tree, never getting to hike on Mt. Elgon again, never staying at Hampton House in Nairobi together again, never again seeing people who have come to be like family to her, not having family game and movie night together…and it goes on. There is high likelihood of not getting to know her future husband well, not being able to spend time with grandchildren and getting to know them. So many things I don’t feel quite ready to sacrifice. Actually, I don’t feel ready at all. And she is only the first; this will be the path for all of my children. In fact, it will start almost as soon as we return to Kenya because Amy will then – Lord willing – begin attending Rift Valley Academy (another challenge in Kenya is schooling; Kenyan teachers cane children, beating them even over the head and shoulders with rods) which means she will be away from home 9 months out of every year. It is suddenly very clear to me the degree of sacrifice being a missionary will entail in this area, and my mother’s heart hurts.
But God…He is good. He is faithful, and He is true. He is my all –in-all and the treasure of my heart. He is my comfort and my stay. When all the props are stripped away – the malls, the entertainment, the distractions of Western living…I see all the more…He is my strong tower, and He is the Lover of my soul. He is the Lover of my children’s souls. Ultimately, it is He, and not I, who ensures their lives and their paths. This is an area you can really pray for us right now; all of us, Emily, Amy, and Josiah included. We’re all hurting a bit right now.
~Julie Tate
Roger & Julie Tate (and Emily, Amy, & Josiah)
P.O. Box 96
Kitale, Kenya 30200
rojuta[at]gmail.com
Visit their blog!
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