We hope that you have all had a blessed Thanksgiving Day with family and friends and have taken time to reflect on how our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ has blessed you.
Our Thanksgiving is celebrated each year over lunch with other missionaries and their families. We thank the Lord first of all for our salvation and the opportunity to serve Him here on the mission field of Kenya, East Africa. Then we thank the Lord for the innumerable blessings He pours upon us continually as we serve Him.
One thing in particular I would like to thank the Lord for is good medical help. November was an “exciting” month for me, as we found out that my heart rate regularly dropped below 40 bpm and that a pacemaker was required to maintain a minimum threshold of 60. I had that installed and have seen positive changes already. I am to take it easy for a few weeks so that I do not pull the wire leads to my heart out of position. After that, I will be in better shape.
God also gave us assurance this Thanksgiving of His protection and provision when one of our team members was attacked by African honey bees while at our missionary Thanksgiving lunch. He was outside near the parked vehicles when a swarm of bees attacked him. He ran about a mile trying to escape the attack. At the hospital, I saw the doctor pull out over 60 bee stingers. I only got stung once on the face, and that was bad enough. The missionary had started going semi-conscious and vomiting. Good medical help and appropriate medication saved the event from possibly escalating into a potentially life-threatening situation.
November has been an especially exciting month, as we have seen pastors working hard to implement what they learned at our Pastors’ Practical Training Academy. Here are a few examples from our Kenyan pastors on how they have seen the Lord bless.
Pastor Samuel Ogal states: “We saw 13 people baptized this week.” We are looking to help him build a church building on a piece of land that he found, which is situated in an excellent location. For the pillars and roof, it is going to cost less than US$5,000. We will also be able to use the church building as a training facility for future PPTAs.
Bro. William Keter has just planted the beginning of a new church in a town about five hours from Nairobi. “Amen. It is encouraging. I wish to confess that I failed earlier on, but since I learned from PPTA, I promise not to miss the opportunity. I am happy that God gave me such a brother . . . .”
Bro. Elphas Odero has been put off the church’s land, as it was owned by the Southern Baptists, and Bro. Odero is directing his church to follow independent Baptist Bible doctrine. He has said the following:
“Good evening, Missionary Peter. I hope you’re doing well by grace of God. I am also moving forward by the grace of Almighty God. Allow me to request you this. We are in the planting season, and I don’t have seeds of maize and fertilizer. . . . Also, I am well brother. A good tent goes for 150,000ksh (US$1,200). A tent is needed because we have no house of worship, and it can help us better. We have 35 members attending our Sunday services. Yes, we have a plot which was donated by one of our members. We have raised only 20,000ksh towards the tent. Be blessed as you continue praying for us. Amen.”
As I have previously mentioned, we can put up a structure of steel pillars and galvanized metal roof (40 feet x 26 feet) for less than US$5,000 (land purchase not included). We have other pastors who find themselves in a similar position.
Please pray for us as we contemplate the future of the PPTA and how best to handle these challenges that the pastors face when building a new work for the cause of Christ in these very remote areas.
In the new year, we will be starting the next Pastors’ Practical Training Academy. We are looking to apply what we have learned in our last 18-month course to improve on our implementation of the course and the materials used, both in class and for home study. We are also wanting to use some of our Kenyan graduates to teach parts of the new class. This will benefit both the student and the teacher over the long run. We are also introducing a program we are calling, “Adopt a Pastor,” which means that for US$2,300, you can put a Kenyan man who has been called to the ministry through a practical training course that will address courses such as Correct and False Doctrine, the KJV Bible, the Calling of a Pastor, Soul Winning, Discipleship, How to Plant and Organize a Church, and much more. We address both the spiritual, academic, and practical aspects of being a pastor and leading a church. If you would like to participate in Kenyan men becoming well-trained pastors, please contact me through FBMI or by calling me at +254 748814206 (Kenya) or +1 219 262 2579 (local U.S. number rate). Leave a message, and I will call you back. We are looking to put another 12 students through this coming 2025-2026.
We ask you to pray that the website “. . . let the truth be known . . . .” will be up and running before Christmas. It will be a great opportunity for the unsaved to hear a clear Gospel message and for pastors and Christians alike to access support material in the form of discipleship lessons, including soul winning, study materials, books, frequently asked questions and answers, articles of interest, etc., all through a simple QR code on a smartphone. We now have a thorough Gospel tract posted in eight Kenyan languages, plus Arabic and Amharic (Ethiopian).
Please pray for us as we pray for you. Thank you and God bless you.
Your co-laborers in Christ,
Peter, Melody, and Lindsay Morris
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- The Lord continues to add to His church.
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- Olorupa Lighthouse Baptist Church—Pastor John Nkome
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- An increasing number of men are joining the church.
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- Here are the beginnings of a new church—Pastor William Keter.
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- Baptisms create an opportunity for locals to hear the Gospel—Pastor Samuel Onyango Ogal.
