we have some good news and some good news.
The first good news is that our cash budget has been raised. You see, we need a certain level of commitments for ongoing support and a certain level of money actually received into our account at headquarters before we are approved to go back to Russia. Now all we need to do (financially speaking) is raise pledges for ongoing support.
The second good news is that we are at right about 90% of our pledge budget. We were able to get headquarters to remove certain items we didn't really need and adjust others to a lower but more accurate level. This, along with a slow but steady growth of commitments, has brought us within sight of the goal. We still need to keep working to raise the rest, but we're excited about how things are going, and continue to plan on returning to Russia by the end of August.
And some more good news. The extension for Deanna's I-94 has been approved. That means she may remain legally in the United States. We really look forward to when she gets U.S. citizenship, but that will be a new pile of paperwork we'll start working on in 2010.
Cecil spoke at a Chi Alpha chapter in Raleigh, NC. He really enjoyed hanging out with the students. We are praying for young people to be excited about foreign missions.
Please pray for laborers to join the work on the mission field, especially in Russia. It is a big territory that is in great need.
The kids have passed their end-of-grade tests and enjoying the warmth of spring. We went hiking up Hanging Rock while taking a break during a trip to speak at a church.
A few freaky facts about Russia:
· There are presently 32 Russian billionaires, down from 110 a year ago.
· Russia’s lakes contain approximately one-quarter of the world's unfrozen fresh water.
· Moscow is the most expensive city in the world to live in.
· Over a quarter of the world's scientific literature is published in Russian.
· There are 76 unreached people groups in Russia.
In His Name,
Cecil, Tonya, Timothy, Vera and Deanna
· There are presently 32 Russian billionaires, down from 110 a year ago.
· Russia’s lakes contain approximately one-quarter of the world's unfrozen fresh water.
· Moscow is the most expensive city in the world to live in.
· Over a quarter of the world's scientific literature is published in Russian.
· There are 76 unreached people groups in Russia.
In His Name,
Cecil, Tonya, Timothy, Vera and Deanna
