Howdy, folks!

February is only 2 or three days shorter than the other months, but it always seems to fly by faster.  This year was no exception!  

“Normal” – more than a setting on the dryer
With school starting back up the rhythm of life is back to normal.  In February we started up the monthly church movie night and also the couples’ ministry meetings.  It was great to see folks again and to see them participating in the activities.  We also had our first English Conversation Club meeting, and a good turn out for it in spite of forgetting to send out the email to remind folks.
We are blessed to be participating in teaching a class on Cross Cultural Ministry and Colombian Spanish over the internet for a group of students at Summit Christian College.  We’ll be working with them this semester and are looking forward to hosting them when they come down on a short term missions visit this summer.

End of term on national board
The national convention of the churches with which we work here in Colombia was held February 20-22 this year.  We had the best attendance we’ve had in the past several years, only two of the congregations did not send a representative this year.  What a joy to share with our brethren from around the country, to hear how the Lord has been blessing them and to hear also of their challenges and prayer needs.  It was a privilege to be the president of the association over the past four years – but a great relief to pass it back to brother Edgar Osorio.  This will allow me more time for local ministry and to concentrate on the needs of the local congregation.

Johny and Lucy
We were both saddened and joyful (how’s that for conflicting feelings?) on February 23 as our foster daughter Lucy and her husband Johny left Colombia to emigrate to Montreal, Canada.  They’ve been working on this for several years now, and we see the Lord’s hand helping them along the way.  Lucy’s sister Gloria and brother Diego came from Pitalito, Huila to say goodbye.  They stayed here at our home, along with their four sons.  Gloria’s another of our foster daughters and her boys call us “abuelo” and “abuela”  (grandpa and grandma). It was great to be able to spend some time with them, including having lunch with the whole gang.  I’d just arrived from the meeting in Bogotá and was tired, but we all went out and had fun anyway.  Then we all gathered at the airport, along with Johny’s mother, one of his sisters and one of his brothers to see them off on their first leg of their journey. They arrived the next day in Montreal to be greeted with sub freezing temperatures and snow on the ground, quite a change from the tropical green of our Andean winter! Johny’s French lessons have been paying off, as has Lucy’s English that she learned while living with us.  Please pray with us for them as they adjust to the new culture and as they seek a church home there.  We’re left short handed here now, but know that the Lord has plans for them and that He is raising up people here to take their places as well.

Home Service
Plans move forward for our upcoming “Home Service” trip which will take place this year between September and December.  So far October is all confirmed, we’re waiting on a confirmation in September and November is still in pencil.  Sheri will only be with me until the first Sunday in October when she’ll be returning to Colombia.  From there I’ll be traveling on my own.  We’re still just over a half year away from our trip so there’s plenty of time to work out the details.  If you’d like us to stop by and visit with you, please let us know so we can make sure and work it in if possible.  Also, please be praying with us about the need for reliable transportation for use while we’re up there.  

THANK YOU!  
Thank you for being a part of our team, for helping us to minister here in Colombia through your faithful prayers. Thank you also for the generosity with which you bless others through our ministry.  You are making an impact that will resound through eternity as the Gospel is lived and preached and passed on to faithful ones who in turn will do the same.

In Christ,

 

Paul and Sheri Moreland

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