Thursday, February 14, 2008

Nebuloustically Speaking...

For all who are praying with and for us, but who have not seen us yet, a short update is definitely overdue. We feel like we have finally gotten to the point where we can stop asking, "Will this ever be over?" That is, the process of trying to fix our document problems so as to stay in or return to Russia, and then the process of gathering the needed documents so as to leave Russia. It's over, and that's sinking in slowly but inexorably.


Thank you for your prayers. Thank you for your love and support. Without you, who are "the sweet savour of Christ in those who are saved, the savour of life," our encouragement and mainstay, our spiritual brace and support in a world that for us has been turned upside down... this all would have been nearly unbearable. We thank and praise our God and Father for each and every one of you. We love you, and your love is one of the greatest blessings our family has seen throughout this difficult time.

Our plans are still a bit nebulous, but they are still plans. We want to keep moving forward in life and ministry - not start 'coasting' just because we have left Russia. We will be visiting here in Florida for a couple of weeks, then we'll have a couple of weeks with my family in NC. After that, we have a month reserved at a home for traveling missionaries in NC. During all of the time we have here, and especially the month we'll have to ourselves, we want to be defining the what, where, why and how of our next step in ministry. Right now our plan is to find a place in eastern Ukraine to minister in a similar capacity as we did in Russia. That's rather... nebulous, undefined, vague, yes. However, that is what we are praying and thinking about at this point. Please pray for wisdom and direction for us.

We want to make these decisions in a fairly short amount of time so as to be able to make the most of my Russian visa. It is still good, and will allow me to enter and exit Russia until the 10th of May. We left a good bit of our belongings with friends in Kovrov, with the hope that I would be able to return and expedite their transportation to Ukraine. Return to Kovrov, that is, from Ukraine, having already moved there by that time. = o) We have therefore a very definite time frame to work within, and that's actually a good thing. You can see our tentative travel schedule on our home page.

Again, your prayers, notes, love and encouragement have been a true source of spiritual, emotional and psychological strength and solace for us. Thank you. Keep praying!

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thanks for this great update! We have been praying in this direction, but didn't know a "time frame" about which to be praying!! We will begin immediately and can't wait to see you again, Will, and Phyllis and the children before long!! Happy Valentine's Day and lots of love, Mom

Anonymous said...

Thank you for the specific prayer requests. I will be praying about your future with you all. I can't wait to see where God leads next. Sounds exciting though, just from what you said.

Laura T. :)

Debbie said...

Thanks for sharing. Blogging is such a great way to be able to keep up with what you are doing when I can't actually talk with you. It is, also, a good way to good info out to a lot of people so you don't have to repeat yourself so many times. Thanks for sharing and being faithful to the Lord. I pray the kids are adjusting well.

Anonymous said...

I'm crying now! :O) I pray the Lord will fulfill the desires of your heart to get back to Russia in a round about sort of way. ;-) I, of course, am delighted to have you be in Ukraine for a time. =) Maybe we will even meet over there?

May the Lord richly bless your family time here in the States!

lindafay said...

What a range of emotions you must be feeling right now. I know I am. My older children are having a hard time being back. Sometimes they like it, other times they cry. We are waiting on Him for the next step.

I pray that the Peace that passes all understanding will surround you during this time of transition.

He is good
But He isn't tame.

Warmly,
lindafay

Anonymous said...

I know a couple who are missionaries in Ukraine (Rivne area) and have been there for 7 years now. Their focus is church and orphans. They are here until middle of March and then they head back. They're there with the Free Methodist Ministry. While being here for a few months and sharing with the church, they express needs and one of them is having a couple helping in certain areas. We're going to visit them one of these days and if you're interested in contacting them let me know and I'll connect you guys. :-)

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