What a busy month we have had! During this past month, we have traveled well over 5,000 miles! After Easter, we left Indiana and headed to Montana. We had one meeting at Lighthouse Baptist Church in Missoula and a Missions Conference in Great Falls. We had a great time meeting new people and seeing the rugged beauty of the mountain states. We then traveled towards Washington, while stopping in the Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, area, where I lived for several years as a teenager. It was the first time I had been back in 18 years!
Our car started having trouble in Spokane, and we had it towed to a repair shop just a few miles away. Thankfully, the issue was pretty simple, and we were back on the road in a few hours.
We had a terrific meeting at Riverview Baptist Church in Pasco, Washington. I preached on the radio twice, during the midweek service, and to the youth group for one of their activities! I had several great opportunities. Leaving there, we drove through the beautiful Columbia River Gorge to get to Portland, Oregon. We had two great meetings with Timberline Baptist Church and Greater Portland Baptist Church. We truly enjoyed getting to know all of these people who have a tremendous heart for the Lord and for missions! I spent much time with the night manager, Brennan, at our hotel. He was very interested in knowing what I believed. I was able to present the Gospel very thoroughly, but he was not yet ready to make a profession of faith. Please pray for him! Our last meeting in the Pacific Northwest was at Faith Baptist Church in Spokane, Washington, where we met Bro. Rick Donley, the father of one of our sending church’s faithful men, Bro. Luke Donley.
As we made our way back home, we were able to spend a day in Yellowstone National Park! This was a wonderful experience for us and our children. We got to see so much wildlife, including elk, bison, and a bear, and all of the incredible beauty of God’s creation. Our last meeting out West was a Missions Conference at Grace Baptist Church in Colorado Springs. We had a fantastic time with 14(!) other missionary families. During the meeting, the preaching greatly challenged us. We made several new missionary friends and spent time with some old ones as well. While there, I met Chris, who had a lot of Japanese stickers on his car. I was able to talk to him and tell him we were going to Japan to start churches, which opened the door to present the Gospel to him clearly. Please pray for his salvation as well.
After getting home to Indiana, we had another meeting right away at Crossroads Baptist Church in Wanatah, Indiana. I met Pastor John Stalions at the Mt. Zion Baptist Camp in California last August when I went there as a counselor. He and his family and the whole church were so gracious to our family, and we immensely enjoyed spending our Sunday and presenting our burden to Japan with them.
We praise the Lord, as we have heard back from churches who have taken us on for financial support. We are now at 62% of our needed support! One of the hardest things about deputation is that we scarcely have enough time to spend with all of the new friends we make. We are so grateful to each and every church that allows us to come and share our burden for Japan. Thank you to each and every one of you!
For His glory,
Brendan Morgan