Rejoice and Pray – Paul and Sheri Moreland March 2015 Ministry News from Colombia

Dear friends and co-laborers in God’s harvest field,

Greetings from Pereira!  February started off busy with the national convention of the Christian churches in Colombia. We met in the city of Bogotá to hear how things are going around the country and to encourage each other in the Lord’s work.  Mario went with me as representative of the church in Pereira and we took a young man named Alejandro with us as he needed to report to the Army headquarters in Bogotá regarding his military status.  The trip up and back went smoothly and we had ample time to fellowship along the way.  It was great to see representatives from most of the churches we work with and to hear how the Lord is working in different parts of the country.

We’ve been studying Denver Sizemore’s book “13 Lessons On Christian Doctrine” in Spanish with a group of new people in the church on Tuesday evenings.  It has been quite a blessing to be able to talk about different aspects of the Christian faith with them and to help them to grow in their knowledge of God’s Word and in their spiritual life.  We finished the book and are looking at what course of study to pursue next with them.

In January we asked for prayers for a U.S. citizen who was hospitalized here in Pereira.  Over the course of two months we visited him frequently and kept in contact with his son in the U.S..  He passed away after almost two months in the ICU at the local hospital.  We continue to do what we can to minister to the family in the U.S..

The first couples’ meeting of the year went well, with two new couples joining us for an evening of fellowship and study.  This ministry is quite important as it effects people on a very personal and important level, the foundation of a strong family unit. We also began the weekly men’s prayer breakfast after pausing for the holiday season.  We have been able to integrate a couple of new men into this weekly activity and look forward to encouraging them in their walk with the Lord.

During our annual meeting, Mario volunteered to take on the youth ministry area and several people volunteered to help where they can.  This is a big step for him and a great opportunity to help our young people grow in the Lord and reach out to others.  We’d really appreciate prayers for him and the kids and the others who will be participating in this new outreach.

The ladies of the church that are not working full time outside the home are meeting bi-weekly.  This has been a great way for them to be able to bond and encourage each other in their Christian walk. They are taking turns hosting the group, meeting from house to house and reaching out to other women as well, as a means of evangelism and family ministry.

Last year I was elected president and legal representative of the association of churches for a two year term.  This position requires a lot of travel and gives the opportunity to interact with different congregations.  As February was coming to a close I traveled to the city of Villavicencio to assist the local congregation in some banking matters which required my signature as the legal representative.  While there they asked me to participate as well in a kick off meeting for their youth and children’s ministry.  We had a good group of men, women and youth present and I shared with them a message about the vital character of ministering to young people.

The bylaws of the association of churches need some tweaking to comply with both the Scriptures view of the church and to fulfill Colombian law, so we have been working with the Colombian leadership on this project as well.  From Villavicencio I rode my motorcycle up to Bogotá where we spent a couple of days in going over the new bylaw project, discussing how to “give unto Caesar that which is Caesars” without taking from God that which is His. In a couple weeks we’ll be meeting again to continue the work we’ve already begun and hopefully we’ll have the project ready to present to the government well before Sheri and I travel in May to the U.S..

Speaking of our upcoming visit to the U.S., our plans are to leave Pereira on May 16 and return on September 24.  Between those two dates we already have quite a number of speaking engagements.  May is already full of activities and so is June, with only one date to confirm.  July and August and September still have available slots if you’d like for us to visit you during those months, send us an email!

The coming months will be busy as we get ready for our upcoming visit to the U.S. and as we help prepare the church here for our absence as well.  Please continue to lift up our local leadership as this time will be a real test for them and their commitment to the Lord’s work here.

In Christ,

Paul and Sheri Moreland