Dear Friends,
we have tickets to Russia for September 5th, but those plans will need to change.
Two days ago Deanna had a bicycle accident and broke her jaw (both joints and a fracture in the front). At the emergency room she was given some stitches on her chin. Yesterday she had surgery that installed a plate and bars in her mouth. She lost some baby teeth in the accident and during surgery they removed an adult tooth that had been broken (a molar). She was able to come home today. The bars will be removed in six to eight weeks. She won't be travelling much until they are removed. After the bars are removed she will need to wear a brace-type thing for a year to keep her jaws lined up so the hinges can heal properly.
Deanna is recovering well. She is drinking a lot and is walking around. She will be eating only apple sauce, mashed potatoes, broth, ice cream and other forms of mush until the bars are removed. She can't talk with her jaws wired shut, but somehow manages to get what she wants. Tim and Vera are doing their best to help.
At this point we don't have clear plan. We'll be communicating with AGWM headquarters and working things out. We know God was not caught off guard by this. So things will come together.
Most likely we will delay our departure until Deanna is able to travel, and then go to Russia.
Please pray for Deanna's recovery. We will need to find a good orthopedic dentist in Khabarovsk to care for her jaw hinges (or, of course, God could heal them directly). Please also pray for the Lord to give us wisdom and a new plan for our return to Russia.
We've had a lot of good people help us through all this, and we are very grateful for that. Thankfully the mission house we are in is unscheduled for the time being, so we can stay as long as we need to. We were just days from selling the car, but still have it. Cecil has received a one-year visa to Russia, a few months delay won't effect that. So we are taken care of, even if we feel a little scatter-brained right now.
In His Hands,
Cecil, Tonya, Timothy, Vera and Deanna
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Thursday, August 20, 2009
We Have Tickets
Dear Friends,
it was a delight this past Sunday morning to attend church and not speak. We got to just be normal worshippers. This is the first Sunday this year that Cecil hasn't been speaking somewhere. Over the Summer the whole family has been on the road together speaking at about 10 churches a month. But this change is just a prelude to the BIG change. We bought one-way tickets to Russia. The tickets are for September 5th (across the Pacific, via South Korea). We're eager to get back to where the Lord has for us to do ministry. The next two weeks will be the time of a thousand details as we pack our bags, put stuff in storage, get our documents ready, make sure every bill is paid, sell our van, turn off our phones, say good-byes and all the rest.
On a related note, Cecil received his official Letter of Invitation to receive a one-year religious worker visa. He has submitted that letter - along with this passport, an application, and the proper fee - to the Russian Embassy. We expect to recieve his passport back with a visa inside it about a week before we depart to Russia. Since our plan is for him to apply for a Russian resident permit (like a "green card") once we get to Khabarovsk, the real paperwork will begin after we arrive. The rest of the family have Russian citizenship, so they don't need any visa.
Please pray that all the details will come together and all will go smoothly.
One special, extra-ordinary speaking event for us was getting to lead the "missions moments" at a family reunion two weeks ago. Over sixty family members were there, and since the last reunion (three years ago) about a dozen had been on an outreach somewhere, or was active on the field in ministry. Cecil was Master of Ceremonies, and everyone who had been on a trip got to share about their experience.
In the churches, Tonya, Tim, Vera and Deanna often lead children's church presentations. The kids were often fascinated with the Russian dolls.
Whenever we could, we'd stop to take in the scenery.
Please pray that the Lord of the Harvest would send laborers into the harvest field of Russia. We have a few individuals who are communicating with us about coming to Khabarovsk and serving with us there. Pray that God would direct them and equip them.
If you have any questions about or interest in coming to Khabarovsk sometime, please send us an email. We'd love to talk with you about it.
Blessings,
Cecil, Tonya, Timothy, Vera and Deanna
it was a delight this past Sunday morning to attend church and not speak. We got to just be normal worshippers. This is the first Sunday this year that Cecil hasn't been speaking somewhere. Over the Summer the whole family has been on the road together speaking at about 10 churches a month. But this change is just a prelude to the BIG change. We bought one-way tickets to Russia. The tickets are for September 5th (across the Pacific, via South Korea). We're eager to get back to where the Lord has for us to do ministry. The next two weeks will be the time of a thousand details as we pack our bags, put stuff in storage, get our documents ready, make sure every bill is paid, sell our van, turn off our phones, say good-byes and all the rest.
On a related note, Cecil received his official Letter of Invitation to receive a one-year religious worker visa. He has submitted that letter - along with this passport, an application, and the proper fee - to the Russian Embassy. We expect to recieve his passport back with a visa inside it about a week before we depart to Russia. Since our plan is for him to apply for a Russian resident permit (like a "green card") once we get to Khabarovsk, the real paperwork will begin after we arrive. The rest of the family have Russian citizenship, so they don't need any visa.
Please pray that all the details will come together and all will go smoothly.
One special, extra-ordinary speaking event for us was getting to lead the "missions moments" at a family reunion two weeks ago. Over sixty family members were there, and since the last reunion (three years ago) about a dozen had been on an outreach somewhere, or was active on the field in ministry. Cecil was Master of Ceremonies, and everyone who had been on a trip got to share about their experience.
In the churches, Tonya, Tim, Vera and Deanna often lead children's church presentations. The kids were often fascinated with the Russian dolls.
Whenever we could, we'd stop to take in the scenery.
Please pray that the Lord of the Harvest would send laborers into the harvest field of Russia. We have a few individuals who are communicating with us about coming to Khabarovsk and serving with us there. Pray that God would direct them and equip them.
If you have any questions about or interest in coming to Khabarovsk sometime, please send us an email. We'd love to talk with you about it.
Blessings,
Cecil, Tonya, Timothy, Vera and Deanna
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