September 30, 2002

Dear praying friends,

Greetings from Morogoro, Tanzania. I have been in Morogoro now for 9 weeks, and I have 7 more weeks to go before I am finished in November. I am looking forward to finishing with the language school and putting into practice the skills that I have learned here in Morogoro. Morogoro is regarded as one of the best language schools in East Africa, and I am so grateful that I have had the opportunity to go to such an excellent school for the language of Swahili. The teachers here are very experienced, having taught the language of Swahili for 19 years. We are continually adding to our class, as many missionaries are coming for the shorter one-month course. Our class is very
large now, and I have enjoyed meeting the new missionaries and hearing about their works that God has for them here in Tanzania. I have also been challenged in the mornings during the devotional time. It has been quite an experience, but I look forward to returning to Kitale and the ministries there that God has for me.

I really appreciate the classes that I have been able to take in cross-cultural education. The head of the language school leads us every Tuesday afternoon in a discussion of the culture of Tanzania, as well as other topics that are very important for missionary work in Africa. I am very fortunate to be able to study and learn under him, as he has ministered on the continent of Africa for 40 years. I have been taking notes, so I will be able to reflect on the thoughts
and teachings that have been shared during these times.

Last week, we took a break from our normal discussion time and took a field trip to an orphanage here in Morogoro. When we arrived, 20-25 orphans greeted us, and they sang to us a welcome song entitled “Karibuni,” which is “welcome” in Swahili. We then were able to take a tour of the orphanage and to see the ministry that is going on there. My heart was really touched as I thought of each of these children and their futures. So many of them just wanted someone to love them, and it was very challenging to me. This was the first orphanage that I have visited in Africa, and I am grateful that I was not only able to go for the challenge, but also to get ideas for further ministry opportunities in Kitale.

In closing, please pray for my health, that I would be able to stay in a good condition for the remainder of the course. Many missionaries have had health problems, and so far, I have been very fortunate to stay in good health. Please pray that I would continue to have good health, as well as finish the course well. Because there is so much stress with all that there is to learn, it is easy for the body to become weak and have health problems. I am so thankful that God has allowed me to learn more of the language day by day. Also, please remember the jail ministry project that I discussed last month. In brief, I am planning a project at the Kitale main prison for Christmas. I would like to provide each prisoner with gift pack of toiletries, a copy of the gospel of John and Romans, and general information about our church. This will be a great start for the ministry I plan to begin at the prison. I have determined that I will need $1,500 dollars for the project and the deadline for the gifts is November 1st. If you would like to give a donation for this ministry, please send it to the address marked “Ministry Donations” at the end of this letter. I would love to hear from any of you that would like to write. God bless you.

Sincerely,

Nathan Radford
Philippians 4:13