Weekly Update: 09/30/2013

We had a great week, and hope you had the same!

Brie is excited about her group of nursing students from UIndy this semester and is looking forward to watching them develop into well trained nurses.  Meanwhile, Aliyana has been very interested recently in counting,saying her alphabet, and learning how to pray.  It's so cute!

At work, we had a lovely couple from Tennessee come visit.  They interested in serving in Latin America as a family with their 6 kiddos.  We also got to talk with several college students who are interested in serving as interns or serving overseas when they graduate.  Next week I will be traveling to Haiti to some door-to-door evangelism using the Evangecube and passing out fix-tuned solar powered radios that pick up our Christian station in Haiti.  Please pray for open doors, hearts, and ample opportunities to share the Gospel.

Over the weekend, we were able to escape city life and go camping with my sister, her husband and little one.  We met on the border of Ohio and West Virginia and really had a lot of fun.  Ali got to eat her first s'more, roasted starburst, and loved getting to hang out with her uncle, aunt, and cousin.

We praise you and thank you for your prayers, supports, and encouragements!

The Morrell Family

Brie and me with our precious niece

Ali soaking up the sun and admiring the views

Weekly Update: 09/23/2013

Friends,

Thank you for your support and encouragement!  Our family had a fantastic week and are very blessed.

This past weekend we had lots of family time and were able to attend our churches Missions Worship Night.  It was a night dedicated to worship and hearing testimonies of what the Lord is doing overseas.  Brie and I helped out in the nursery and were excited to see all the young families interested in missions.  It's a true blessing to be a part of a church that understands and takes seriously its commitment to the Great Commission.

This week, Ali has been fighting a double ear infection and sinus infection.  She seems on the mend now that we have found a antibiotic that we can mask in her juice, yogurt, or ice cream.  Please pray for us as we battle this sickness as a family.  Briyana and Baby Morrell are doing well.  We are eagerly anticipating getting to feel the baby kick, and are looking forward to October 24th when we get to see our little one for the first time on a sonogram.  This weekend we are making a spur of the moment (or close to) camping trip where we plan on meeting up with some other family members in Ohio.  It will be Ali's first camping experience and I'm sure lots of pictures will come out of the trip.

At OMS, we have a very busy week full of people interested in serving overseas.  Please pray for the campus visits, telephone calls, and other conversations that will be had the rest of this week.  Join us in prayer as we ask the Lord to abundantly provide more missionaries to serve both overseas and domestically to help see the Great Commission fulfilled.

God Bless!

The Morrell Family

Weekly Update: 09/16/2013

Greetings!

We can't thank you enough for your prayers and support!

Last week went by fast, but we got a lot accomplished.  The Miller family came to visit OMS as they continued their journey to get involved in missions.  Please join us in prayer as they consider partnering with OMS to begin service in Ecuador, Colombia, or Venezuela.  Last week we also started talking to a guy who is interested in serving in a part of Mexico that has never had ministry before.  It's exciting to hear his heart for the un-engaged.

Last week and this week could have been called appointment weeks.  Between dentist appointments, baby doctor appointments, and even vet appointments we spent a lot of time in waiting rooms.  On a positive note though, only good news came from all those appointments and we scheduled another appointment to determine the sex of baby Morrell on October 24th.  On Saturday we took advantage of the beautiful weather outdoors and visited a local apple orchard.  Ali had a blast and we left with many good photos, apples, and apple cider!

At church we are enjoying our missions emphasis month.  Yesterday, we had a guest speaker, Brian Hogan, share his testimony and emphasize the important yet simple message of sharing the Gospel to all nations and what that could look like for each of us.  If you would like to listen to the message, you can find it here.

God Bless you!

The Morrell Family

Weekly Update: 09/02/2013

Greetings Friend!

God is a global God on a global mission to redeem people from all tribes, tongues and nations. When God says all, He means it! Jesus gave the command to Go and make disciples of all nations. One Mission Society takes this seriously, knowing the task remains and determining to do our part in helping fulfill the Great Commission. The needs are global! The rewards are eternal! In Matthew 9:35-38, Jesus says the harvest is ripe, but the workers are few. Please join us as we pray that the Lord would call the workers to the fields to sow eternal rewards and share with the people all over the world the one thing that truly matters, a personal relationship with their Savior, Jesus Christ!

On the family front, we hope each of you had just as good of a Labor Day weekend as we did. We went up to Plymouth, Indiana to visit some friends that had moved away from Indianapolis. It was a lot of fun. We had the chance to go to a blueberry festival, listen to live music on the lake side, and grill out with friends.

Ali is a sponge these days and is learning new things everyday. The other day, one of us sneezed and without prompting, Ali turned around and said, "Bless you." It caught both Brie and I completely off guard and made us grin from ear to ear. She's listening to everything we say and do, and our hope is that she would soon see how a personal relationship with Jesus Christ is vitally important.

Baby Morrell is almost 13 weeks along now. We have a doctors appointment on September 13, but we won't be able to figure out if they are a girl or boy until the beginning of November. Would you please join us as God performs the awesome miracle of developing our little one in it's mother's womb?

Your prayers and support our a vital part of our ministry, and we can't thank you enough!

The Morrell Family

Weekly Update: 08/26/2013

Greetings!

If your lives have been anything like ours this week, you've been playing catch-up all week long.  Thus the reason why our weekly update is getting out until Friday.

This week at work was filled with lots of training and good byes.  Kyoung Min and Eunjin Choi, from South Korea, left yesterday after spending two weeks with us as they explored filling a position in the mobilization department at World Headquarters.  They are such a sweet couple and we cannot wait for them to join the team.  Please pray for them as they begin the long travel back to South Korea today.  Kyoung Min developed a stomach virus as they departed to travel to Chicago to make their connection today.

Yesterday, we also said good bye to Cat Traughber.  Cat has worked in the Mobilization department for the past two years, but left yesterday to begin her maternity leave.  She and her husband are set to have their first child in less than a week.  We are so excited for them, but at the same time miss her already.  She has been a great source of knowledge as I begin to learn all the different aspects to the mobilization process.

At home, Brie and Ali arrived back safely from their trip to Texas on Sunday evening.  To say that I was excited to have them back would be an understatement, but I'm glad they had a great time and a chance to see lots of friends and family.  Thank you for your prayers for their safety while traveling.  School has started back up for Briyana and she hard at work for preparing for clinicals that begin next month.  Ali, meanwhile, is quickly improving on her speech and has been a huge cuddle bug this week.  She's also learning how to be a BIG SISTER!  That's right, baby Morrell number 2 is due on March 13, 2014.  We're so excited and look forward to this blessing of a child into our family.

Thank you for your prayers and support!

The Morrell Family

Below are some pictures of Ali while in Texas:

Weekly Update: 08/19/2013

We hope you have had a wonderful start to your week!

We want to thank you for your faithful support, love and prayers for our family!  We have been blessed by God for having friends like you!

Last week was we had lots of people interested in missions come and visit OMS campus.  Each visit is different and it's wonderful to be able to walk alongside of each one of them as they explore how to better get involved with missions.  These people were looking at positions that included Church Multiplication Facilitator (here's a link for a better definition of a Church Multiplication Facilitator, CMF), field treasurer, videographer, and holistic ministries.  Could you join us in prayer as we follow-up with these individuals and pray that they would continue to act on the Lord's leading in their lives?

This week, Ali and Brie are back in the "Holy Land" (Texas), and are enjoying their time with friends, family and supporters.  Russ and I are trying to survive without them in Indiana.  It's a lot more quiet without the pidder-patter of a toddler running around the house.  Please continue to pray for travel mercies for the girls while they are visiting friends.

At church this week, we talked about Mark 9: 31-40, and the whole sermon emphasized the need for discipleship and the need to be disciplining someone else.  I walked away with the reminder that no matter how far along someone is in their walk with Christ, they need discipleship and have something to offer as a disciple.

We pray that God shows his favor on you!

The Morrell Family

Below are some pictures of Ali enjoying Texas:

Weekly Update- 08/12/2013

Greetings Friends!

Our family praises the Lord for all of your love, support, and encouragement for our family and ministry!

As members of the Mobilization team now, we work to help fill critical positions both internationally and domestically to be sure that the Gospel is sent out to every nation, tribe, and tongue.  It excites us, and hopefully you too, to be able to send people to not just one nation, but multiple countries across the world.

This week, Brie and Ali are preparing to travel back to Texas to see friends and family, while I stay in Greenwood and learn the ropes of my new position.  Please pray for their safe travels and quality time with friends and family.

At church this week, we heard a challenging sermon about how our faith is a vital component in our Christian walk, and how it is a gift from God, but it's a gift that can be grown.  Join us as we ask God to increase our faith and try to live our our faith in the strength of the Lord.

Currently, we are actively looking for a treasurer for our Mozambique field and for a Church Multiplication Facilitator for India.  Here's a link for a better definition of a Church Multiplication Facilitator and here's a link to more info about the treasurer role in Mozambique.

The harvest is ripe, but the workers are few.  Please join us as we plead to the Lord to mobilize missionaries into the mission field.  Not for our glory, but for His.

We can't begin to thank you guys enough for your prayers and support!  Have a blessed week!

The Morrell Family