It’s hard to believe that it’s time for another update! The last two months have been jam-packed full of ministry, outreach, and everyday life. At the end of August, Faith Baptist Church hosted the last big group of the year: Medical Missions Outreach. This medical clinic has been a huge blessing to our church and the community here in Morogoro. While the doctors, nurses, and host of volunteers saw to the physical needs of those who came through, our church members saw to their spiritual needs. Over 500 people trusted Christ as their Saviour during that week!
In September, we held a one-day Vacation Bible School for the children. It was well attended, with more than 300 kids and 30 salvations! I had the privilege to preach the message with the help of a translator.
Faith Baptist Church has also seen an additional 150 people come to trust Christ between September and October—over 680 brand-new souls destined for an eternity spent with our Lord and Saviour! Landon loves to go out soul winning on Saturdays and help pass out John and Romans. He’s adjusted so well to being here.
Both of our Sunday school classes are doing well and growing! On October 31, we started running a van route out to the international school, picking up the boarders for church. Our first Sunday, we had 5 students attend; now we have 18 students showing interest in attending English Sunday School! The students are divided up by age between Mrs. Wyatt’s class and my own. Kellie’s class has had a steady number of visitors as well. We are blessed to be a part of this ministry.
Vehicle
Once our work permit was granted, we knew it was time to look for a vehicle. We had a 2001 Toyota Prado that we were very much interested in, but we were unsure of the asking price. We contacted the owner and submitted our offer; then we waited and prayed. We knew that the price was negotiable, but we really had an amount set in our hearts and did not want to exceed the limit. God answered our prayers, and our first and only offer was accepted! We had a family member who has graciously set aside funds for us to use in our ministry as we see fit, and we were able to use part of those funds to purchase our Prado. It is the perfect vehicle for the road conditions here, has plenty of storage space, great A/C, and is a great family vehicle for our family of three and, Lord willing, additional children in the future.
Our 2006 Dodge Grand Caravan sold shortly after my dad posted it for sale. That van was the one we traveled in throughout all deputation and was a reliable vehicle for the years we had it. It was bittersweet to see it go, but we no longer have a need for it.
House
We were also able to complete some house projects on our future home. Both bathrooms are fully finished, part of the front wall has been torn down and rebuilt, walls have been painted, windows have been put in, and Kellie’s kitchen has one set of cabinets installed. Our friend Alpha came down from Dar es Salaam and helped translate and oversee a lot of the construction work for us. He has been such a blessing to our family!
Kellie celebrated her birthday in October, and I surprised her by eating our first meal in our future home! I’m blessed to have a wife who has always supported God’s calling on my life.
Container
At the end of October, our container was finally lifted up by two cranes and placed on a flat-bed chassis! It left Cedar Rapids, Iowa, for Chicago, Illinois, where it was loaded onto a train headed for New York. Once it is on a vessel with a final destination to Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, we will receive a tracking number. We would love a Christmas miracle and have our container here by the end of the year, but with the way the ports are right now in America, it may take longer for the container to arrive. We are delaying moving into our home, because everything we own is on the container. We are comfortable in our fully furnished rental home, but this is only temporary.
Please pray for traveling mercies for the container, for TRA to show us favor on the duty tax, and that nothing will be stolen during the inspection. We had to submit a very thorough manifest, detailing what and how much is in each box. We also had to put a price value on every box. We are expecting a 30% tax fee off of the final value. Our sending church is paying for the shipping fees, and if there is anything left over in the budget, then they will also pay for the tax fee as well.
God has provided and met all our needs so far. We are thankful to have a heavenly Father Who takes care of His children. We trust Him to meet this one in His timing as well.
Your missionaries to Tanzania,
Montana, Kellie, and Landon Morrow