Soul winning still works! That has been my motto for the last few months as we continue to serve the Lord here in Dumaguete. God is continuing to bless us in an incredible way, and I wish that I had time and space to tell all the amazing stories of what God has done and is still doing. I suppose we will have plenty of time for that in Heaven someday; but, in the meantime, make sure you read the stories in the box to the right. Thank you so much for your faithful prayers and support; only God knows the difference that they make in our personal lives, as well as in the ministry.
Since our last letter, God has continued to bless our family with good health. Ruth and I are doing well, and Michael and Elizabeth are continuing to grow rapidly. Elizabeth is now four and starting to ask questions about Heaven and Jesus. We pray that she will soon be ready to understand the Gospel and trust Christ as her Saviour. Michael is nearly two and is just beginning to put sentences together. When we visit the States for our vacation in November, I’m sure that he will be ready for some very “interesting” conversations with Grandma and Grandpa . . . if Elizabeth allows him to get a word in sideways.
I Love Being a Youth Pastor!
After six months of being a youth pastor, I feel like I am just starting to understand what that entails. Certainly we have already had our ups and downs, but I absolutely love working with the young people! It is so much fun watching them grow; in the last couple of months, many of them have developed a burden for the lost and have begun witnessing to their classmates at school. Just this past Wednesday (September 24), 5 different teenagers approached me to tell me that they had led at least 1 soul to Christ since Sunday! In a recent activity, my wife and I took 31 teenagers to a zoo in the nearby city of Zamboanguita. The teenagers had a great time, and God blessed us with a tremendous camaraderie throughout the day that has continued to the present. At the end of the activity, God used a simple Bible study to move many of the young people to make great decisions!
Missions Conference 2014
September 17-21 was our 4th annual missions conference here at IBC. Our theme was “Light Your World.” God blessed the conference in a wonderful way. I was able to obtain permission for many of our teenagers to be absent from school in order for them to attend the morning services, as well as those in the evening. All I can say is, “God showed up!” Dozens of decisions were made, including 5 young people who decided to go to Hyles-Anderson College of the Philippines!
Please continue to pray for us as we labor in Dumaguete. We look forward to seeing many of you in November.
Dividends on Your Investment
I will never cease to be amazed by the creativity that God displays in arranging the circumstances so that just one soul can be saved. In my last letter, I told the story of Elmer Rusiana and how God arranged the perfect opportunity for me to lead his mother to Christ on a Thursday evening. After his mother got saved, we turned our attention to the salvation of Elmer’s father. I began praying that God would give a soul winner from our church the opportunity to meet and witness to him. I know that Elmer and others were praying also. Elmer’s father works from early in the morning until late at night seven days a week, with just an occasional day off. At that point, no one from our church had even met him! I remember praying one evening, Monday, I believe. I prayed and asked God to do whatever was necessary for Elmer’s father to be saved. Tuesday evening I received a text from Elmer that his father was at home sick. The following morning I drove up to Elmer’s house. When I arrived, his father was really suffering. I could tell that Elmer was really hurting to see his dad in such a condition. His father couldn’t get out of the bed. He was in so much pain that he couldn’t even roll over onto his side. He was miserable; but he was home, and he wasn’t going anywhere anytime soon. I prayed for him and his family and then proceeded to give him the Gospel. About 30 minutes later, Elmer’s father trusted Christ as his Saviour, making him the last member of the family to get saved! Mission accomplished! However, that’s not end of the story. Elmer’s dad got saved on Wednesday. By Thursday he was able to get out of bed, by Friday he was walking, and by Saturday he was ready to go back to work! I love watching God work!
On Wednesday, June 25, I had another very unusual soul-winning experience. It was about 5:45 p.m.; the Wednesday evening Bible study always starts at 6:30 p.m. I was just finishing my preparation for the service when one of our Bible college men told me that there was a girl outside who wanted to talk to a pastor. I walked out the front door, and there was young lady, who appeared to be about 17, standing there looking very nervous. I introduced myself, and she told me that her name was Celca. I asked her how I could help her, and she asked if she could ask me a question. Of course, I said that that would be fine, and she asked me this question: “How can someone know if they have committed the unpardonable sin?” She was very serious, so I tried to hide my smile. I said, “Let me ask you a question. If you were to die today, are you sure that you would go to Heaven?” Needless to say, she wasn’t sure, and she was more than willing to listen as I shared the Gospel with her. A little while later, she bowed her head and was granted a free pardon for ALL of her sins! Amen! Celca was baptized the same day and is still faithfully attending IBC and has begun winning souls. Please pray for her. She has faced intense opposition from her family over attending the Baptist church, but God has continued to bless her resolve. A few weeks after she got saved, she came to the church for some advice on how to deal with her family. While I was talking to her at the church, Brother Stan Lawrenson was soul winning at a nearby park. When Celca arrived home that evening, her older brother Celdorf told her that he had met a man named Stan Lawrenson at Freedom Park that day, and he had gotten saved! A few days later, Celca had the privilege of leading her own mother to Christ! God is absolutely awesome! Please pray for Celca’s father and sister. They are the only two left in the family who still need to be saved.
Yours for souls,
Mike, Ruth, Elizabeth, and Michael Morrissey
