Thank you for all those who have faithfully supported our ministry throughout 2020, and some of you for as many as 20 years or more. We have certainly been blessed to have you as partners in taking the Gospel to East Africa. I pray that the Lord will bless you abundantly for your sacrificing to see the lost saved in Kenya.
It has been a very unusual year, to say the least. We returned to the U.S. at the end of 2019, expecting to be back in Nairobi, Kenya, at the beginning of 2020. We had two tickets canceled due to COVID-19 as the world shut down. Eventually, we arrived back in Nairobi on September 3.
After an adjustment period, we started looking into starting a Bible academy. I can’t begin to tell you all the issues that has brought up, but we are moving forward. Last Saturday, I had a meeting with about 30 pastors, who were not Independent Baptists by any stroke of the imagination, but they desperately need training all the same. Hopefully, one day they will be well trained and teaching correct doctrine with conviction.
They were in a state of shock when I left after having pointed out the issues with their new-version Bibles and the fact that most of them didn’t understand salvation or how to lead someone to Christ. My intent is to start an academy to help those who have had very little formal training or have found out what they have been taught is false doctrine. My objective is to train pastors so they can adequately meet the needs of their churches and teach their people how to lead others to Christ and disciple them. In the future, I would hope to see those churches sending their young men for training at the academy.
The daily work of the ministry continues, with leading people to Christ on a regular basis and trying to get them into church. I was blessed the other day with seeing my doctor receive Jesus Christ as her personal Saviour, and we are now hoping to organize discipleship lessons with her.
I also had a meeting in Kilgoris with those Kenyan pastors who may be interested in being involved in the academy. The trip to Kilgoris is usually about 6 hours by a public shuttle that seats about 7 at the moment because of the COVID-19 restrictions on social distancing. I won’t go into all the gory details; but it took 11 hours, and the last 3 matatus (minibuses) carried as many as 23 people and stopped as many as 20-30 times, with me having to get out nearly every time. It was a long day. I am pleased to say we are getting very close to having the finances to purchase our own used 4WD Toyota HiAce soon. It will carry 10-12 people and work well for both Nairobi and more remote areas such as Kilgoris.
Bearing Precious Seed shipped 1,400 Bibles this week, praise the Lord! We will receive those in March, God willing. Please pray that we will not be forced to pay any import tax. If we don’t pay import tax, then we will be able to buy some Swahili Bibles as well. Please pray!
Recently, I had a close friend in the ministry pass away after more than a year of very bad health and a lot of pain. It was a blessing to hear that he had gone to see his Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, Whom he served faithfully for decades. I wrote him a letter, and my final words were, “I look forward to seeing you on the other side, my friend.” Praise the Lord that we can say that with certainty, while many cannot. Stay faithful! Jesus is coming again.
Praying you have a Merry Christmas and a Prosperous New Year!
God bless you!
Your co-labourers in Kenya, East Africa.
Peter, Melody and Lindsay Morris
Outside the new church, working the Highways and Hedges Ministry
Visitors to church–the girl in the center is Teresia; she will be starting discipleship lessons with Melody soon.
Lindsay with a few of the local church children–she also helps lead the children in singing at the church.