Paul and Sheri in Pereira, Colombia, to our far flung friends, family and supporters, Greetings in the name of Jesus Christ our mutual Lord and Savior!  May you daily experience the blessings that come from living in the Light. 

Yearly Meeting
Each year the leaders of the churches with which we work here in Colombia gather together to report on what God has been doing in their respective ministries and to seek ways to work together for the furtherance of the Kingdom.  The first full week of this month we traveled to Bogotá and spent three days together.  I brought teaching about giving to God what is God’s and to Caesar what is Caesar’s as the national government has been making changes that have an impact on the church. Mark Stringer, Sheri’s father, brought some much needed practical teaching on baptism as well as emphasizing the importance of ” the faith that was once for all entrusted to God’s holy people”.  This will be my last year as president of the association and there is much to do over the coming months.

Ministry Travel
This year there is a lot to be done and this requires a lot of travel on my part.  On the one side I rejoice for the chance to spend time with churches in other parts of Colombia.  On the other side, however, this takes time from our ministry here in Pereira.  Please pray for our local leaders as they take up some of the slack.

Traffic in Colombia
One thing that takes people from the U.S. aback when visiting Colombia is the traffic. Buses, cars, motorcycles, trucks as well as pedestrians and cyclists all compete for space on the crowded city streets of Colombia.  We are amazed that there are not more deaths, but the toll is still very high.  Recently we experienced a crash as a speeding motorcycle tore off the front bumper of our car.  We praise God that the young man was not hurt, even though his helmet was not fastened.  He got up, collected his nerves and rode off, leaving us to pay the $250 deductible on the insurance. Two young men who ran a stop sign a half block from the church building were not as fortunate. They ended up taking an ambulance ride to the hospital, one of them having been carried a long way on the hood of the SUV they crashed into.  They also did not have their helmets properly fastened. The chaotic traffic, however, is but a symptom of the deeper issue, lives run by emotion and desire instead of according to the law and order. We should be taking possession of the car later today.

Operation Christmas Child
The Samaritan’s Purse organization in the U.S. operates a ministry known as “Operation Christmas Child”.  This year we are participating in the receiving area.  We’ll be doing two separate events, the first of which we realized on February 26.  One of the families in the  church lives in a housing project with a lot of children.  The wife invited the children on her block to come for a special party, and they came!  23 children from 2 to 14 years of age came together for a time of fun with games, snacks, Bible story time and then the gifts which were packed with so much love and prayer in the U.S..  For a bit more on this event, visit www.sacm.net/the-hammer/

Basic Bible Doctrine
It’s been a while since we did a “Basic Bible Doctrine” class.  Over the past couple of years we’ve had people start to congregate with us who come from a variety of backgrounds.  Some have been Christians for a while, others are seeking to know more about Christ.  So over the coming months we’ll be looking at some of the basic doctrines of the Christian faith, and building a foundation of serious Bible study as well.  Attached to this email are a couple of pictures from some of our recent activities.

“…let us be thankful…”
In Hebrews we read: “Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe…” Time after time we are reminded of God’s great love for mankind, and for ourselves in particular.  We rejoice to know that there are people praying for us around the world, people who are lifting our ministry up before God’s throne in prayer.  And for this we give thanks to God and also we thank each of you who have a part in our ministry.  

In Christ,


Paul and Sheri Moreland

--   South American Christian Mission "... to prepare the saints..." Ephesians 4:12 www.sacm.net