Visa Update

Thanks to all who have been praying for us regarding our current visa situation!   God's answer has been to *wait* a bit longer... :)  We've been told the paperwork will leave Moscow on Monday and then it will take a few days to be processed at the Russian Embassy in Houston.  We will have to change our plane tickets, most likely to May 7th.  We are hoping to get back home before the big May 9th holiday weekend.

As disappointed as we were about the cost of changing tickets, we did have some WONDERFUL news yesterday - the sale of the Youth Center is completed!!!  We now are the happy owners and have the right to fix up, change and use the facility however we see fit.  The paperwork has been a looonnggg two years in the making (I should mention that everything takes longer over there!) so we are very happy that God worked out every single detail.  Andrei said the youth are so happy and have been working all week removing trash from the grounds, cleaning, planting flowers, fixing the fence - he said we won't recognize the place when we return.  May God use this little wooden house as a testimony of His character and love... and may many people come to study the Bible.

I ran across an interesting 7 minute video in today's edition of the New York Times titled A crackdown on Russian Protestants.   The video can viewed at www.nytimes.com     and then scroll down to the left hand bottom corner.  (sorry I had a problem with the link.. one day I'll figure out how to do that pretty)

I thought this video did an excellent job of showing how people of Protestant faith are treated like the dreaded *sects* and lumped together with Moonies, Jehovah-Witnesses, Scientology and anyone who is not Orthodox.  Also how they explained that many Russians believe that American Protestants are trying to influence Russians and change them from their Russian Orthodox roots and therefore weaken Russia as a nation.   We need so much wisdom in talking with people and sharing with them why we live and believe what we do and why we have chosen to live in Russia.  And we hope one day people will stop calling James 'James Bond' and believing he works for the CIA. :)  Anyway, if you have 7 minutes it is very informative.

Thanks again for your continued love & prayers!