June 5, 2006

Dear praying friends,

We are now halfway into the year 2006 and the time continues to pass so quickly. I am challenged more than ever to "redeem the time" that I have been given by God (Ephesians 5:16). May we each be committed to using our lives wisely, for the glory of God, with the time that God gives us on this earth to serve Him.

Last month I mentioned the need for the new permit to be granted for the prison ministry. This is an important prayer request that I have been sharing recently. Without this permit, the ministry cannot continue, so it is of utmost importance. To date, I have not been given the permit, but I have been assured by the main office in Nairobi that it will be provided this week or the following week. This has been a concern and I have repeatedly brought it before the Lord, trusting Him to provide it in His time and plan. When we read in Hebrews 11:1, we are told that, "Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." In Psalms 27:14, David says, "Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and He shall strengthen thy heart: wait, I say, on the Lord." Romans 8:25 says, "But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it." Each of these verses has encouraged me to remain in prayer, trust the Lord, and wait for Him to provide the answer in His time. By faith, I believe that this permit will be granted in the near future so that the work of God may continue in the Kitale main prison. I would appreciate your prayers for this request and believe that God will act soon to grant this need in the ministry.

The Bible school in the prison continues to do well. Each of the prisoners are responding well to the teaching and I believe are growing strong in their faith. One of my main goals in the school is to teach the truth, stand with the truth, and trust God to change hearts and lives through His Word. The Word of God will not return void and I believe that the prisoners are receiving a firm foundation in their faith as they receive the theological teaching. We have just finished thirteen of the prominent doctrines of the faith and the students are now preparing for the exams to measure their level of learning. Please pray for each student, for their continued spiritual growth, and for success on the exams in the near future.

Our team from Michigan left this past month and I believe that God used each of them in a special way to minister to the people of Kenya. Please pray for this ministry from the University of Michigan and for the possibility of future trips to Kenya. We also have two more groups of visitors coming this month, so it will be very busy. I will be sure to inform you of their time here next month.

My wife is continuing to do well in her adjustment to Kenya. There are many challenges, but she has met each challenge and done so well in her first year here. She is continuing to learn the language of Swahili, which is an exhausting task, so please pray for her in regards to her language learning. She has done so well here and is a great blessing to me and the ministry here.

That is all for this month. Please continue to pray for us, for the ministry here, for continued health, and for the financial support we need for the work God has called us to.

In Kenya,

Nathan and Carrie Radford