December 2004
The past few months have passed very quickly, and this prayer letter will have much more information enclosed within it. I am amazed how quickly the time passes each year. As the book of James says, "Our lives are as a vapor," it reminds me how little time we have on this earth and how much we must use our lives for the glory of God and for reaching others with the precious gospel of Jesus Christ. This prayer letter will have both joys and sorrows, as I attempt to give you the most recent update.
The biggest highlight and joy of the year for me was marrying my sweetheart, Carrie, on October 16th in Pennsylvania. Carrie and I persevered through many things, as we were separated for extended periods of time while I continued with my first term in Kenya. There are so many positive qualities that my wife possesses, but among the highest of these are persistence, genuine care and concern for others, support, encouragement, dependability, and a true, genuine love for the Lord. It is truly difficult to find a young lady with these qualities in our world today, and I was content to wait until the Lord brought the right one into my life. (Psalms 27:14) This waiting period was not easy, and there are very few single male missionaries serving on the harvest fields today, but I was perseverant to wait until the Lord answered my prayer for a virtuous wife. Proverbs 31:10 states, "Who can find a virtuous woman? For her price is far above rubies." I truly found a virtuous woman, one that I will treasure and love until death, one that shares the same vision and goals for Kenya that I share, and one that will make an excellent mother someday, if the Lord would bless us with children. I truly rise up, and call her blessed, (Proverbs 31:28) and it is a privilege to share the rest of my life with her.
Please pray for us now, as there are many marital adjustments to be made. Marriage is a big responsibility, and I will have been married two months by the date of this letter. Many have asked how to pray for me - please pray that I would always be patient, loving, caring, and truly unselfish for my wife and her needs and that I would always place her needs above my own. This is what true love is, for we are told to esteem others higher than ourselves in the Scriptures. We both would covet your prayers during this time of adjustment and joy, and that the Lord would grant us strength and encouragement for the days and years ahead that we will share together.
I am thrilled with the progress and reports that I am continuing to get with the prison ministry. My main goal was to train others to reach others and to truly develop national leadership. I believe a successful missionary is able to leave and entrust his work to a national and that the national will be able to truly be "indigenous," or to be able to stand on his own without any help from the missionary. This is a major struggle for many missionaries, and it is my prayer that the Lord would provide a strong, capable, wise leader that would possess these qualities. The Lord answered this prayer right before my return to America, and the leader that I left in charge continues to do an excellent job. I receive reports that many continue to be saved and have the strong desire to reach others once they have received Christ. There truly is "spiritual multiplication," and this is very exciting for me. The classes have doubled in size since I have left the country, and there are talks of further expansion in the prison. One ministry I have been praying about is to plant a church in the prison, as I have recently been ordained. This is certainly a possibility, so please be praying about this with me, that God would grant me wisdom in this endeavor and continue to open many doors to reach prisoners with the gospel.
One of the sorrows of this past year was the tragic news that the mayor of Kitale was killed in a car accident in the month of October. Many of you are aware that my ministry with the mayor was one that I cherished and looked forward to each week. Many times I would have to meet with him on his schedule, as he had many activities going and was very busy, but I praise the Lord that I was able to build into his life for nearly a year and a half during my first term in Kenya. This came as a big shock to Kenyans living in the Kitale area, and also to me. I do thank the Lord that he trusted Christ as His Savior and has a home in heaven, but this does not negate the loss that his family and friends feel at this time. I truly do not understand why things happen, but we are to trust the Lord at all times and to realize that His ways are not our ways and His thoughts are not our thoughts. (Isaiah 55:8,9) Please pray for his family, for myself as I must adjust to this loss during my second term, for Kenyans in the Kitale community, and for his successor in the next few days. This is truly difficult, as I have lost a friend and a ministry that I really enjoyed in Kitale. I must leave it to the Lord and trust Him, although at times this is not easy.
Please also pray for my wife, as we are continuing to pray about her future in our ministry in Kenya and how the Lord would use her overseas. She is mainly interested in orphanage ministry, and would do very well at this type of work. Please pray that the Lord would give us wisdom that we would pursue the appropriate ministry opportunities for her in God's time and His plan for our lives.
Concerning our support needs, we praise the Lord that we have received additional support, but we need more funds, as many new needs are arising. We are presently around 77% of our support and trusting the Lord for full support for our return next year, Lord willing. It is wise to be at full support before leaving, so that is our sincere prayer and desire. Would you prayerfully consider, either as an individual or a church, praying about your involvement in reaching others with the gospel in Kitale, Kenya? One of my favorite passages is Psalms 55:22 which states, "Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and He shall sustain thee: He shall never suffer the righteous to be moved." Many times it gets discouraging, as raising support is very difficult, but I claim these types of verses and realize that God has called me, and continue to press toward the goal of returning to Kenya with full support. I am praying that God would burden others, both churches and individuals, to partner with us. These are definite needs, as I am now married and have additional responsibilities. Please prayerfully consider this and how God would use you to reach others. If you are a current supporter, please continue to faithfully send your funds to the address below. Carrie and I absolutely cannot continue with the work without your help, and it is vital to receive regular, stable, monthly support even while in the States. We appreciate your attention to this matter. If the Lord would burden you to become a new supporter, please begin sending funds to the address below or contact me by phone or email. God bless you and have a wonderful Christmas and New Year!
Celebrating Christ's love over the holidays,
Nathan and Carrie Radford
For ministry donations:
Pastor George Sledd
Treasurer of BFM
P.O. Box 471280
Lake Monroe, FL 32747-1280