July 4, 2006

Dear praying friends,

Another month has come and gone so quickly, and there are many important items to update you about. Today is such an important day in the history of our country, and I pray that each of you will have the opportunity to celebrate with your friends and family. My wife and I thank the Lord for continued ministry opportunities, good health, and the many blessings He provides for us each month as we serve Him here in Kenya. This prayer letter will give a current update as well as share answers to prayer.

This past week, I was finally given the permit needed to continue with the prison ministry here in Kitale. This was a major concern, as the government officials concerned with the permit changed, and there were other changes in the prison system. Thank you so much to each of you who sent letters to me personally telling me to be patient and that you were praying for me. Many times it is hard to trust the Lord when we don't see results, but my faith in Him was challenged and has grown dramatically as a result of this experience. We are told to "pray without ceasing" (1 Thessalonians 5:17) and this is difficult to do at times, when we have to wait on the Lord. I praise the Lord for His faithfulness to provide, and His timing is many times very different from our own timing.

Nathan and Carrie Radford working with prisoners in the prison ministry.

This month, we have a group from our home church, Calvary Baptist Church in WV. There were five that made the financial sacrifice and also the sacrifice of leaving friends and family to come and see what the Lord is doing here. Yesterday, we were able to visit both the men and women's respective prisons as a team. Each side of the prison ministered to us in a special way, and we were also able to minister to them as well. The conditions in the prison are very difficult, but I praise the Lord for the new believers in the Bible theological school, as well as their desire and hunger to learn the Word of God. Several gave testimonies yesterday of the work that God is doing in their lives, and how God has changed them from their former way of living. We praise the Lord for the spiritual changes we have seen in the prisoners, and we ask you to pray that we would have even more opportunity to expand in the future. We are also praying that the Lord would burden new staff to come out and work with us, as the work is overwhelming and the workers are few. In Isaiah 6:8, it says "Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I, send me." Can we truly respond as Isaiah responded to the call of God? A wise missionary said "the greatest ability is availability." Can we say we are truly available, and ask the Lord to send us to fill a vital need in His harvest field? I pray that we would.

Please continue to pray for us, as the challenges here are great, but we desire to be faithful to the work God has called us to. One of the current classes that is being taught in the prison is on Biblical stewardship, and I am challenged more than ever as I teach of the need to be faithful to the Lord and the ministries God has entrusted to us. May we be challenged to fulfill His call, wherever that may be.

We would love to hear from any who would like to write. God bless you and we will update you next month.

In Kenya,

Nathan and Carrie Radford