God has been so good to our family over this past month. Where to begin? We spent the rest of June and the beginning of July on the East Coast, starting with White Oak Baptist Church in Stratford, Connecticut, where we had a wonderful time with Pastor and Mrs. LeJeune. My wife and Mrs. LeJeune are from the same city in Peru and were friends in college. In fact, because my wife got saved and started attending Bible college, it played a part in Mrs. LeJeune’s coming to Bible college eventually as well. They were incredibly hospitable to our family, and we also enjoyed getting to know many people in their church. While there, they took us to New York City for the day. It was the first time any of us besides my wife had been there. I also got to present and preach at Lighthouse Baptist Church in Norwalk, Connecticut, and meet the very kind people there.
From there, we went to Holyoke, Massachusetts, where we spent Father’s Day at Mountain View Baptist Church. Pastor Chad Correia and his family were fantastic hosts, and I got to preach on Father’s Day for the first time. After a few days in Massachusetts, we headed back down to Wallingford, Connecticut, to be at Heritage Baptist Church with Pastor Tom Bish. This church had a great spirit, and we immensely enjoyed our time with them.
After that, we went to Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina, where we spent several days at Victory Baptist Church. We’ve known Pastor and Mrs. Kobernat for a long time, as we frequently saw them at North Valley Baptist Church in Santa Clara, California. Pastor Kobernat had even preached at our home church many years ago. After a great Sunday, our kids enjoyed being part of their Vacation Bible School. On Monday after the message, I had the privilege of leading two young boys, who raised their hands for salvation, to Christ! All glory to God! We traveled to Wilson, North Carolina, on Wednesday, where I presented and preached the midweek service at Tabernacle Baptist Church. I may sound like a broken record, but people are so kind and gracious to us everywhere we go. This church was no exception.
The following Saturday and Sunday, we spent with Liberty Baptist Church in Durham, North Carolina, where we got to go soul winning on Saturday and present our ministry on Sunday. Bro. Norman Kokubun and his wife hosted our family and were so sweet to our children. Pastor Scott Gray preached two great messages that day, and we were truly blessed to be a part of their services. Before leaving North Carolina, we popped into Tabernacle Baptist Church in Wilson for their Tuesday night “July Jubilee” service. I met Pastor Joe Shakour, who had been out of town the previous week, and we heard great messages from Pastors Tim Rabon and Brad Williams.
We then hustled back to Indiana to be at Bible Baptist Church in Terre Haute, Indiana, for their Wednesday night service. Pastor Kevin Szwarga and his family felt like old friends. The church voted to partner with us financially that same night! We felt truly blessed. We got to pop into our home for about two days before leaving the following Saturday. On Sunday, July 10, we spent the morning with the wonderful Putnamville Baptist Church in Cloverdale, Indiana, with Pastor Rick Brown, and then the evening at Faith Baptist Church in Cunot, Indiana, with Pastor Wes McClure. Both churches were very welcoming and excited to see what God will do in Japan through our family.
The next day, we headed to Hammond, Indiana, for FBMI’s Missions University. We spent Monday having a great picnic, getting to know new missionary families, and connecting with old friends. The rest of the week, we heard from veteran missionaries and FBMI staff on a broad range of missions-related topics. We were incredibly encouraged by everything we listened to this week and left feeling excited to tackle the challenges ahead as we get to Japan.
Finally, we spent Sunday, July 17, at two churches. The first one was Victory Baptist Church in Bloomfield, Indiana. We had a great time getting to know everyone and presenting our ministry. On our way to the next church, I met Chris while stopping at a gas station. He appeared homeless but was in a good state of mind. I had the opportunity to spend about 20 minutes presenting the Gospel to him, but he was not quite ready to receive Christ. Please pray for him! We went to Harvest Baptist Temple in Owensboro, Kentucky, in the evening. I stopped at this church in 2019 while I was in town for my grandmother’s funeral. Pastor Greg Dowdy had invited me back now that we are on deputation. I had the privilege of presenting our ministry and preaching the message that night, but what made it extra special was that my grandfather, Frank Lee, and uncle, Bruce Lee, were in attendance. Please pray for their salvation as well!
Thank you so much for all of your prayers! We praise the Lord that we heard back from more churches and are now at 70% of our needed support! God is always good!
For His glory,
Brendan Morgan