Well, I really just don’t know where to begin. Have you ever noticed that the ministry just never seems to slow down? People always need to be saved, Christians need to be taught, materials need to be produced, music needs to be practiced, leaders need to be trained, people need to be counseled, and, in the meantime, life must go on. Let me give you a quick overview of where we are in our lives and ministry right now. Our family is currently preparing to move to a new house. Our church is very close to purchasing its first piece of property. We are also working to complete our church SEC registration with the government so that we will be able to purchase property. We are currently preparing for our first Pastors’ and Workers’ Conference, and I’m teaching a class in our institute on “The Purpose of Music.” It makes me tired just reading it. 😊 Our church is doing well. Attendance has been increasing, and the battles have been increasing to match. I recently told our church that I have figured out how to avoid most of the problems we’ve been dealing with: just stop soul winning, stop pushing the ministry forward, and stop trying to help people. However, since that’s not an option, I guess we’ll just go forward!
Thank you for your prayers for us and our ministry. You really have no idea the difference that your prayers make. With all the things that God has been pushing forward in our ministry, we have been facing a lot of spiritual battles and, at times, heavy spiritual oppression. I don’t know how else to describe it, but I want you to know that I can tell when God’s people are praying for us. There have been several times that I have sent out an “emergency prayer request” email, and within minutes, I can sense that people are praying. Please don’t stop. God is clearly working, but we really need His continued help right now. Let me stop for a moment to make a statement: I hope that my prayer letters never sound like complaining. I don’t ever want to be that “poor missionary” suffering for Jesus on the mission field. I can honestly say that I love what God has called me to do. I wouldn’t want to do anything else with my life, but I also want to be frank about the battles that we face because we really do need you to pray!
Land Fund Update
In my last prayer letter, I did something that I had never done before. I asked for financial help for our ministry. Specifically, I asked for help with our Land Fund, and I am happy to say that we have received a very encouraging response. I said in our last letter that we were hoping to raise about $15,000. Since that time, we have raised just over $7,500! Thank you so much to all of you who have given and prayed. Praise God! We are halfway there! Our people here continue to give, and if you would like to help us purchase our own property, the door of opportunity is still open. 😊 Thank you for your prayers and faithful support. I can’t wait to see what God is going to do in the coming weeks and months. I pray that God will continue to bless you and your ministries.
Dividends on Your Investment
A couple of weeks ago on Monday, June 28, I took my son Michael for a “ride with Dad” on the motorcycle. As we were driving around town, we passed a parking lot where the skateboarders like to hang out. Michael saw the skateboards and was instantly intrigued, so I turned around and went back so he could watch for a few minutes. As soon as he got off the motorcycle, one of the skateboarders called out, “You want to try?” I gave Michael a nod of approval, and he walked over to borrow the skateboard. While he tried his skills on the skateboard, I walked around the parking lot giving out tracts. I approached the young man who had offered Michael his board and found out that he was a Muslim. He was very friendly, but I didn’t feel like it was the right time to try to witness, so I ended the conversation and took Michael home. It was AJ’s turn next, and he wanted to see the skateboarders too, so back to parking lot we went. When we arrived, three of the skateboarders, including the Muslim young man, were sitting on a stage set up at the edge of the parking lot. This particular stage is normally used for dancing and other such wickedness, but we are under stricter COVID-19 restrictions right now, so it’s not being used. While AJ played with the skateboard, I struck up a conversation with the guys sitting on the stage. They had a lot of questions, and one thing led to another. Before I knew it, God had opened the door, and I was sharing the Gospel. It really was that easy. All three were extremely interested, and soon a fourth young man came over and joined us. It was so much fun; God’s hand was all over it. When I reached the end of my Gospel presentation, all four of them said that they wanted to trust Christ and accept His gift of eternal life, and then something happened that I have never experienced before. We bowed our heads to pray, and halfway through the prayer, the young man on the right end went into an asthmatic coughing fit! I didn’t even know he had asthma! Now, what was I supposed to do? I didn’t know what to do, so I waited. After a few minutes, his coughing calmed down; he used his inhaler a couple of times and then sat down. At that point I said, “Well, let’s try this again.” The second time round, all four of them bowed their heads and put their trust in Jesus Christ! The following Wednesday night, three of the four showed up for our midweek Bible study. I talked to them about baptism, but none of them were ready to make that decision. Please pray that they will continue to come and very soon will follow the Lord in believer’s baptism.
Yours for souls,
Mike Morrissey
