August 1, 2003

Dear praying friends,

It is now August of 2003 and the time continues to pass so quickly. I will use this letter to give you an update on what God is doing in the ministry here in Kitale, as well as share various prayer requests that the Lord has laid upon my heart. 

Thank you so much to the many who have asked for an update on the Bible studies with the mayor of our city of Kitale. This past month, I have been able to officially open our studies and to spend quality time with our mayor, helping him as he is growing as a new believer, and challenging him to make God honoring decisions for our city. I enjoy so much my time with the mayor, and it is quite an honor for me to be able to work with him, and challenge him to make the Godliest decisions in his position of authority. Please pray for our mayor, as he is under constant pressure to make decisions that would please people, and not the Lord. It is truly an honor to be working with him, challenging him, and watching him grow during our times together. Please pray that the Lord would give us many more times together, that his schedule would be open for our Bible study times, and that he would continue to take a stand for our Lord in the midst of much opposition.  

I have just started the class with the three youths that I mentioned in my last prayer letter. All three of these boys have tremendous potential to do great and mighty things for the Lord with the rest of their lives. They are active in evangelism, they take a stand for the Lord in their school, and one of them has even started a Bible study in his school that he leads every week. We are meeting while they are out of school on the weekends, and the boys are all growing in a large way in their faith, and I have been challenging them with many difficult questions, perhaps questions that their fellow classmates would ask them at school. They are all very serious about their studies, and are doing great in the classes. Please pray that Satan would not have the victory, that these boys would use their potential for the Lord and His kingdom, and that they truly would seek to be servants, and serve the Lord in whatever capacity He calls them to serve Him. Please pray for me as well for wisdom, as it is different for me to try to reach them at their age, with all the struggles and challenges that they face in their schools and in the community. 

Recently, I was able to go to the second church that my parents have started, Imani Baptist Church. Imani means “faith” in the Swahili language. I greatly enjoyed the service that I attended, and it really encouraged me to see those that I taught in our evangelism class in the first church, Calvary Baptist, going out on visitation and using the evangelism program that I taught, “Sharing Jesus Without Fear.” I plan to teach the class again, as there are many at Calvary Baptist that are interested in taking the class. Please pray that the students would all be faithful, that they would truly understand the concepts that they have been taught, and would be effective ambassadors and witnesses for the kingdom of God. It is truly exciting to watch those that you have trained go out and share their faith with others. It really challenges and humbles me to see those that are so serious about reaching the lost for Christ. May we all have this attitude of reaching others with the good news. 

The prison ministry continues to go well. We are working with three different groups at this time, two of the groups being men, and the other group at the women’s prison. I am challenged and excited to watch those who have accepted Christ grow in their faith. I have been very challenged by some of the questions that the prisoners have asked. They are really serious about having a close relationship with the Lord, and it is humbling to be able to help them in their spiritual walk. We have started two different libraries of Christian books, for both the men and the women, so that when we leave after our teachings, they are able to continue with their studies.

I have been receiving excellent reports on these materials, and the impact it has had on their lives. We also received a personal visit from the head chaplain in the prison, and he came and personally heard our teachings. We were very happy as he endorsed our work completely, and encouraged us to continue reaching the lost, providing them with many materials, and helping them grow into the kind of Christians that they should be. It is really exciting what God is doing in this ministry. Please pray that we would continue to be able to share and witness with no obstacles or barriers, as Satan would try anything to get us to stop the ministry there. 

Thank you so much to the many who have sent letters and emails of encouragement to me. It means so much to hear from you, and how God is blessing you there in the States. Please keep me in your prayers as I continue in His “harvest field” of Kitale, Kenya. God bless you. 

Sincerely,

Nathan Radford
John 15:5