Rejoice and Pray from the Moreland’s – “Love and Friendship” month in Colombia

October 9, 2014

Dear fellow servants of Jesus the Christ,

Greetings from Coffee Country!

September is “Love and Friendship” month in Colombia.  It is roughly equivalent to “St. Valentine’s Day” – only many Colombians stretch it out to the whole month.  Co-workers and students organize “Secret Friend” pools in work places and schools with different gifts being given (usually in the form of candies) leading up to the grand finale when everyone finds out who their secret friend was. As usual, we took the opportunity to do something different this year and the couples from the couples’ ministry gathered together at a nice restaurant in the neighboring town of Santa Rosa for a special time of fellowship together.  It was a nice break from routine as everyone enjoyed an evening away from the kids in the fellowship of adults. Several people remarked, “We need to do this more often!”

The leadership training luncheons continue going well.  We have up to 10 in attendance each Tuesday for lunch and a lesson.  We’ve been going through a series of lessons on getting one’s life in order and using that order to influence others positively.  It’s been quite interesting to hear comments from the participants as a particular lesson touches a personal need in their own life.  We rejoice to see them taking this series seriously and growing in their lives as they put the ideas into practice.

Mario preached the main message the last Sunday in September.  He has had a long road toward spiritual maturity, but it is a real blessing to see how the Lord has been working in his life.  His message on glorifying God was well received by the congregation.  It was a real encouragement to hear him and reflect that the many hours of teaching and discipleship have not been in vain.

On a family note, we are pleased to let you know that our son Timothy was selected for promotion to Staff Sergeant, effective sometime over the next several months. He also received orders to report for duty in San Diego, California.  He and his wife Paula will be traveling there in early November and should be in a place of their own in time for Thanksgiving.  Paul’s mother, Janet Moreland, is back in the U.S. and is looking at what it’s going to take to get settled down near family. Please pray with us for her as she gets settled in for this new, challenging phase of her life. She will probably be settling into the Joplin, MO or Springdale, AR area. There is a lot for her to assimilate as she gets used to life in a new country.

Thank you all for being a part of our ministry.  Thank you for making it possible for us to live and work here in Pereira.  Your ministry through us is touching lives and making a difference in this part of God’s Great Harvest Field.

In Christ,

Paul and Sheri Moreland