I would like to begin this letter by saying that the last two months have been very normal, calm, and peaceful. However, that would be highly inaccurate because the last two months have been CRAZY! I sent out my last prayer letter on Tuesday morning, January 11. Later that same day, Mico Calumba, one of my staff men, went to pay our monthly church rent. When he arrived at the office, the secretary refused to accept our money, informing Mico that the owner was terminating our lease agreement and giving us 30 days to vacate the premises! Wow! WE DIDN’T SEE THAT COMING! At that point, we were just starting to get our building project off the ground at our new church property, and all of a sudden, we were faced with finding a new location and moving our entire ministry while simultaneously moving forward with a full-scale building project! HELP US! I MUST HAVE MISSED THAT CLASS IN BIBLE COLLEGE! That being said, God was very, very good to us. In a matter of just a few hours, we had found an old, empty warehouse, and seven days later, we reached an agreement with the owner to lease the building for a very reasonable price! After that, it was just a race against the clock to transform that old warehouse into something that could function as a church building. By God’s grace, we made it with just a few hours to spare. In the meantime, our future church building is progressing very nicely. God blessed us with a very good engineer, who has done a great job with the project. Earlier today, I posted a video update on Facebook and YouTube regarding our current, temporary building and our future building. In the video, I give a tour of both buildings. If you’d like to see it, you can search for “Mike Morrissey Family” on facebook.com or “Truth Baptist Church, Dapitan” on youtube.com.
Truth Baptist Bible Institute
Along other lines, I’m happy to report that we were able to restart our Bible institute classes this past Friday, February 25. Due to the suddenness of our move, we were forced to cancel classes for several weeks, but now we’re back in business. We started a new class last Friday on the book of Proverbs, and in spite of all the craziness, God gave us 5 new students, bringing us to a total of 14 Bible students! Please pray that the new students will grow and remain faithful. I am thrilled to see what God has planned for their futures.
Cebu Trip with AJ
Thank you to all of you who have been praying for AJ and his heart condition. In my last letter, I mentioned that we had been forced to cancel our trip to the specialist in Cebu due to the new COVID-19 restrictions. However, in the last few weeks, things have begun to calm down again, and travel is a little bit easier. We have rescheduled AJ’s appointment for next Monday morning, March 7. Due to difficulties with airline schedules, we are planning to take a boat from Dapitan to Cebu Island at 1:00 Monday morning. It should be about a five-hour boat ride, followed by three hours on a bus. Please pray that God will bless the trip. I don’t mean to be dramatic, but there are so many things that could go wrong and cause us to miss the appointment. Please pray that God would oversee all the details. Thank you so much for your prayers, friendship, and support.
Dividends on Your Investment
I met Marvin Tome years ago at the Dapitan City Jail. I did have the opportunity to share the Gospel with him, but if I remember correctly, he was really worried about his case that day, and he just couldn’t focus on what I was trying to share with him. Time passed, and he got out of jail. Occasionally, I would see him driving his motor cab around the city; a motor cab is a common public transportation vehicle in the Philippines, consisting of a motorcycle and a large sidecar. He would always smile and wave, but I never had another chance to share the Gospel with him.
Several weeks ago, my wife called me at the church and told me that Marvin was at the house, wanting to see me. I told her I would be a little while, and Marvin said that he would wait. When I arrived home, Marvin was sitting on the curb in front of my house, staring blankly at the concrete in front of him. When I approached him, he turned towards me, but I could immediately see that something was wrong with his eyes. He went on to explain to me that over the last six months or so, he had been slowly losing his sight—first in one eye, then later in the other. By this time in the story, he was almost completely blind. When he had no one else to turn to, he turned to the Baptist pastor who had visited him in jail. The next day, I took him to two different doctors, and neither of them could find anything wrong with his eyes. The following Monday, I went to visit him at his house, where I met his girlfriend Joan. We talked about his eyes for a few minutes, and then I turned the conversation to the Gospel. This time, Marvin was ready to listen. He and Joan both listened intently as I carefully shared the Gospel. When I was finished, both bowed their heads and put their faith in Jesus Christ. Shortly thereafter, they began attending our church, and two weeks ago, Marvin made the decision to be baptized. We are still praying for Joan to do the same. Please pray for Marvin. He has had a CT scan, and now the doctor is recommending an MRI. Please pray that God will help us to find some answers very soon and that Marvin and Joan will continue to grow in their newfound faith.
Yours for souls,
Mike Morrissey
