June 3, 2008

Dear praying friends,

Another month has come and passed so quickly and there are many important items to update each of you on. My wife and I praise the Lord for good health, ministry opportunities here in the States, and the arrival of a new addition to our family. This update will focus on these areas.

So many have asked about my wife's pregnancy and the health of our daughter. McKenna Eileen Radford was born at Cabell-Huntington Hospital (WV) on April 26th at 6:42 a.m. She was twenty-one inches long and weighed eight pounds, seven ounces. We are thrilled that she was born healthy and that there are no problems with her development. She is now almost six weeks old, which does not seem possible. Although becoming a parent is a lot of new responsibility for us, it is also a joy and blessing to be able to invest in the life of our child and teach her in the ways of the Lord. Proverbs 22:6 says, "Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it." Our goal as parents is to train our daughter in the way of the Lord and for her life to bring honor and glory to God.

In regards to prayer requests, please pray for our health, as furlough has many challenges. Please pray that the Lord would provide the strength and grace necessary to finish well in reporting to individuals and churches. In regards to our support needs, we still need around $175 a month to reach full support and we are praying and trusting the Lord for this need.

A statement from a prominent believer I recently read really spoke to me. It said, "I have been driven many times to my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had absolutely no other place to go." May each of us stay in prayer before the Lord, to strengthen our walk with Him, and build our relationship with Him. Matthew 21:22 states, "And in all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive." Hebrews 4:16 also says, "Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need." By faith, we believe that the Lord will provide the rest of this need, and we continue to wait and trust Him. If you would be interested in supporting the ministry in Kenya, please contact us at the information above.

To date, we have received no reports of problems in the ministries in Kitale, so we praise the Lord for this. Both the prison and hospital ministries seem to be progressing smoothly in our absence. Please pray for the nationals that are presently leading the ministries. We have also received positive reports from others who have visited the country recently that peace has come to Kenya. Many of you know of the unrest that was in the country following the elections, but we have heard that this has calmed, so we praise the Lord for this also. Psalm 91:2 says, "I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in Him will I trust." We praise the Lord for protecting the missionaries that were in Kenya during this difficult time and that peace has returned to the country.

We will be sure to keep you updated regularly. Thanks so much to each who calls, writes a note of encouragement, prays for us, or supports the ministry financially. Each of you are so important to the ministry in Kenya and we thank God for you.

Until next month,

Nathan and Carrie Radford