we're back in the States. We're still on the road. After leaving Russia in June we attended training in Turkey. Then we flew straight from there to the States, where Cecil's Aunt Marian and Uncle Bob picked us up from the Baltimore airport. So far in the States we've bought a car (mini-van) and licensed it, gotten a new driver's license for Cecil (his had expired), sorted through years of accumulated mail, spoken at two churches, gotten a cell phone, attended School of Missions in Missouri, purchased a new computer (our other one is five years old), gotten over jet lag and visited with family in Pennsylvania and Ohio. Lord willing, we'll go see Cecil's mom in Colorado and in August we'll move into a place in North Carolina and enroll the kids in school.
O.K., now for the details.
We sure had to say good-bye a lot before we left Russia. Everyone knows we plan to return to Khabarovsk next summer, but everyone seemed to want to get together for a picnic before we left. We had several like the one below.
Turkey is eight time zones west of Khabarovsk. We attended an AGWM conference for their workers in Eurasia which is held every three years. While Mom and Dad attended meetings, the kids went to their own. Here is Timothy saying his lines during a presentation.
The girls enjoyed a face painting one day.
In the evenings we went for walks on the beach.
But the most exciting thing happened on the beach was when Timothy asked to be baptized. There is a baptismal service held after Church on Sunday in the Mediterranean Sea. Tim was the first of about a dozen to be baptized. He was baptized by Omar Beiler, a good friend of our family's, as well as our Regional Director.
After the retreat we came to the States. This was the first time for Deanna to be in the States. Here she is just after entering.
So of course this Fourth of July was also the first to celebrate American Independence. She sat on Aunt Barbara's lap as we watched fireworks in Ohio.
On our way to School of Missions we stopped in the town where Cecil had grown up. There he preached in Christ Episcopal Church, where his parents had been members. The kids really enjoyed seeing him in vestments, which the church had prepared for him. Here Cecil is talking to a parent of a high school classmate whom he hasn't seen in over 25 years.
One of the hardest parts of leaving Russia was saying good-bye to folks there, even though we should be returning in a year. We handed over the orphanage ministry to Russian volunteer workers who will try to keep things going while we are gone. We also held a graduation ceremony for five young people who graduated from an orphanage where we were ministering. We pray the Lord will hold them in the palm of his hand while we are gone.
It sure was fun watching Deanna go through so many new experiences in the last month, such as going through a revolving door for the first time, going down a water-slide, using a hotel key (the kind that looks like a credit card), playing in waves and such. Tim and Vera have been very helpful. When we were changing planes in New York, Tim taught Deanna how to use a drinking fountain. Vera enjoys explaining things about American life.
Although Deanna has a two year tourist visa to the States, the DHS determines how long any particular stay can be when entering the country. The official at passport control gave her the longest time he was allowed to, six months. This means Deanna will need to leave the States before Christmas, but will still be able to re-enter on the same visa until it expires. Please pray for us to have wisdom for us to know the best way to work things out.
We'll be spending another week in Pennsylvania before going to see Cecil's mom and stepfather. We haven't seen his folks since they came Khabarovsk to visit us last summer. Then we will finally be able to settle into our housing.
We'll be living in Greensboro, North Carolina for the coming year. There is a house there owned by Calvary Church that they provide free of charge to missionaries who are on home service. It should meet all our needs, but we'll still need to get our kids enrolled in school, send out our new mailing address, and all the things involved in moving to a new place.
We will be traveling and speaking about missions until we return to Russia, probably in August 2009. The main purpose of this is to encourage people to become involved in missions. We are also expected to raise financial support for our next term on the field, which will be a four year term. Please pray for us to have a full schedule of services. If you would like to have us come do a missionary service, just let us know.
For Him,
Cecil, Tonya, Timothy, Vera and Deanna
