we continue to be busy speaking in churches. In February we gave eight presentations, in March we are presently scheduled to do nine. We enjoy meeting so many different folks in the various churches, but please pray for us to have endurance for the miles ahead. We average more than a hundred miles a day on our odometer, and we drive in all kinds of weather. Here's a photo from this morning (school was cancelled). Imagine that, missionaries to Russia dealing with snow.
Though we are here in the States, the Lord continues to work in Khabarovsk. We were able to talk with Sergei (the director of Open Heart homeless shelter) last week. He was invited by the governor's office for a meeting, and he ended up meeting with the chief of Khabarovsk Territory's Social Services Department. The meeting went very well, and he was given several promises of assistance. As Sergei says, "now we'll see what they do." However, the previous legal problems the shelter was experiencing have completely disappeared, and the hassles they were getting from government inspectors has ceased. That alone is wonderful development. The government is expecting the problem of homelessness to increase since Russia has entered a steep economic recession.
The shelter has grown to over a hundred residents from about seventy last summer. They have, however, received another house from another ministry. A home being operated as a Christian half-way house for men coming out of prison has been turned over to them due to their great need for housing space. Their canvas military tent continues to be used for housing, but it was already a used tent three years ago when it was erected as a temporary shelter, and it is becoming deteriorated. Every time they expand their housing capacity by building or acquiring a building they hope to take down the tent, but more new people always show up to fill it.
This summer they want to finish the interior of the second floor of the first house they built and start on another building. They really want to be able to put the tent away and house people properly. Interestingly, just last week Cecil was contacted by Russian Evangelism to write an article to help raise support for this project. Please pray for him to do a good write-up.
A little while back the city government promised to give Open Heart some land. Recently they offered him a specific plot. It does not have a building and is located by the river in the flood plain. Sergei declined to take it and asked for something useful. As Sergei has been known to say, "now we'll see what they do."
We have also heard from Alexander, the pastor who is living in our apartment while we are here in the States. He and his wife and four kids are doing well. However, his church has been renting a meeting hall and their lease was suddenly ended. They've had trouble finding a new place to meet, and have even had some Sunday church meetings out-of-doors (that takes commitment in February in Russia). Please pray that his church, House of Life, can find a new place to meet.
We had a great time this last week-end in Burlington, NC, speaking at a missions convention. Here's a photo of Tonya speaking after a meal on Saturday.
We're behind schedule in getting out a new newsletter. Please pray for inspiration for the message and perspiration to print them and get them in the mail.
Please pray for more folks to be able to come to Khabarovsk and build the Kingdom there. The needs are great and the laborers few.
Also, please pray that our budget will be fully met so that we can return to Russia fully funded in August of this year. Our budget was raised considerably from our previous term, and we need to recieve more financial support (presently we have pledges totaling about 75% of our budget as set by AGWM). Lord willing, in six months we'll be ready to go.
For Him,
Cecil, Tonya, Timothy, Vera and Deanna
