It goes without saying that we have been affected by COVID-19. We had three meetings scheduled for March and April that were canceled, postponed, or rescheduled. No meetings were purposely scheduled for May because that was the month that our son Landon was due.
Return From Tanzania
From the end of February till March 12, I traveled to Morogoro to begin the process of preparing paperwork for renewing our visas. This was my first time traveling alone, and I was a little nervous about making all my connections. Thankfully, my travels went smoothly, and all the necessary paperwork was prepared. It was a joy to visit the ministry in Morogoro again and reunite with some friends. During my stay, I was able to go soul winning, as well as preach with Pastor Wyatt translating for me. Please pray that when the time comes to submit our paperwork, everything will go smoothly.
Surprise Arrival
In our last letter, I mentioned that Kellie’s pregnancy was going pretty smoothly and that there were no complications. Unfortunately, all of that changed while I was in Tanzania working on visa paperwork. To make a long story short, Kellie was diagnosed with gestational hypertension (pregnancy-related high blood pressure) at 31 weeks and was told that Landon would be delivered at 37 weeks. She called me after the appointment and could barely talk because she was sobbing. It was so hard to be away from my family at that time. Then at 34 weeks, the OB ordered two sets of steroid shots to help Landon’s lungs develop in the event that Kellie had to be induced that weekend. Her condition had gotten worse; she had severe preeclampsia. She was admitted on March 28, and at 10:39 a.m. on March 29, Landon Lucas Morrow was born; he weighed 3 pounds 9 ounces and was 17.5 inches long! He was exactly 6 weeks early. He did have to spend 20 days in the NICU, which was tough for Kellie and me, but he’s doing well now. We cannot thank you enough for all of the prayers! We truly believe that those prayers are the reason why Kellie healed as fast as she did and why Landon excelled and was able to leave the NICU after just 20 days.
Blessing in Disguise
Kellie and I have talked about how the quarantine has actually been a blessing in disguise for us. God obviously knew that Landon would come early, and this unusual situation has allowed me to stay home with my family and not have to cancel any meetings or leave my family behind when they needed me most. My family is my first ministry, and while deputation and the mission field are important, I couldn’t do what I do without the support of my wife.
Next Step
We are kind of unsure as to how to proceed during this time. We are only 15% away from being 100% supported, and while our support hasn’t seemed to decrease due to the Coronavirus, I do know that some churches have been affected financially because of it. It may make scheduling new meetings in the future even more difficult. We had hoped to move to the field in June once Landon was old enough to travel. Another small blessing we have recognized is that now our families can get to know Landon before we hop on a plane and move over 8,000 miles away. I know Kellie had not been looking forward to that.
Once states start opening up again, I will be reaching out to churches for future meetings. At most, we need 13 new churches to take us on for support—not an impossibility for our God.
Thank YOU for continuing to support us during this difficult time. We have been praying for you as you navigate and try to lead your churches as best as you can right now.
Your missionaries to Tanzania,
Montana, Kellie, and Landon Morrow