Merry (second) Christmas

Dear Friends,

Merry Christmas! Yes, today is Christmas in Russia. They celebrate Christmas on January 7th due to the Orthodox Calendar.

We already celebrated Christmas in Canada while visiting friends there. Tonya supervised making a traditional Russian food called palmeni. Steve Pike, left, was the best man at our wedding (Oh, so long ago).
We went for walks in the outside (with plenty of snow) and also sledding. Yeeeaaaaahhhhhhhhhh!!!
Not only did Canada provide a white Christmas for us, but we were able to get a new entry for Deanna (who doesn't have U.S. citizenship yet); so she is now legal to stay in the States until June 25th. The line at the border was long, but the officials were friendly, so it was no problem. Praise the Lord.

The World Missions Summit was a blast. We arrived early to help set up, didn't have a moment of rest once the Summit started, and helped take down afterward. One of the highlights for us was the Eurasia Experience, where Cecil played the role of an Orthodox Priest and the kids played the role of beggars in the marketplace. We were to busy to even get photos, sorry. We also got to talk with a lot of folks who were interested in missions. There were almost 4,000 attendees, plus over 400 missionaries. Another WMS highlight was meal-with-a-missionary where we got to sit down and enjoy four meals with a tables-full of young folks who were interested in hearing about missions. They asked some great questions and graciously listed to our stories.
Please pray for the folks who were there that the Lord would guide them to take their place in His Kingdom.

Our girls were fascinated with the gingerbread city put up in the front lobby of our hotel.
Vera's birthday was New Year's Eve, and so we told her we had invited 4,000 students to come to her birthday party. She decided to celebrate with her friends this coming weekend.

Before we headed out of town we were able to mail out our latest newsletter. It is now posted on the web at http://101649.agwebservices2.org/SiteFiles/101649/Content/Newsletter/Newsletter%202008%20Fall.pdf If you have any problems finding, just let us know and we'll email it to you.

After speaking in a December service at Christian Life Center in Gibsonville, NC, we got a family photo by the tree.
We will be travelling and giving missions services until we return to Russia. Please pray that our schedule would be full and for the services to be spirit filled.

Merry (Second) Christmas,
Cecil, Tonya, Timothy, Vera and Deanna

Holiday work and play

Dear Friends,

we've been on the road a lot lately (especially Cecil). Since August our car has averaged over a hundred miles a day. Mostly we've been speaking in churches, but also home groups and fellowship dinners and even a Bible College. So far we've spoken in North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia and Missouri. Our kids seem to keep finding friends wherever they go. The goal of our itineration as missionaries is two-fold. First is to raise missions awareness. The second is to raise funds for our return to Russia. While offerings have been generous, we have received very few new commitments of ongoing support. We will need to increase our support level to return to Russia. Please pray that the Lord would open people's hearts to support us on a monthly basis. Please also pray that we would book more speaking events. Usually itineration is done for one year, and we really want to get back to Russia on schedule (in August '09).

While our itineration and deputation work has been the main focus for Cecil's energy, the family has also been busy with a number of things. Over Thanksgiving we all got together with extended family in Pennsylvania and had a great time with a family reunion. For Christmas we will be going to Canada and staying with the family of the man who was the best man at our wedding. Leaving the country will also meet the requirement that Deanna stay in the country no longer than six months (she doesn't have U.S. citizenship yet). Please pray that we don't have any problems at Passport Control.

On November 4th the kids went to observe how voting is done. Of course, the rest is history.
Timothy has joined a basketball team. They've played two games so far. They are the only two games he's ever played. His position is center, and he's gotten several rebounds. He's also scored one point (a free throw). The girls decided they wanted to do cheerleading. I'll send photos sometime.

Timothy and Vera also entered an art contest. There were several categories including photo, drawing and even video. Timothy entered a video that won, and has advanced to the county competition.

Vera and Deanna were invited to help bake holiday cookies with a friend just before Thanksgiving.
Cecil is still trying to get inspired to write a good newsletter. Please pray for the inspiration to come.

As many of you know at the end of this month World Missions in tandem with Chi Alpha will host the second World Missions Summit (www.twms.org). We're looking forward to having a great time and praying to meet people who would come to Khabarovsk and join the work there. We'd really like to have more Missionary Associates. Speaking of Missionary Associates, Jason is doing well and keeping busy with his language study. Please pray for him as he is alone in Khabarovsk during the Christmas holidays.

If you have any questions about the possibility of coming to Russia on a short term mission, feel free to write to us. If you'd like us to come to your church and speak sometime we can send you some information to give to your pastor about us.

Because of Him,
Cecil, Tonya, Timothy, Vera and Deanna

Steps and Missions

Dear Friends,

we finally got our last newsletter posted on the internet. We think it actually looks better in the hardcopy form than when seen in a web browser. But if you'd like to see it take a look at http://hqmail.agmd.org/~cecil.eshelman/nl2008summer/NL2008summer.html

First, a praise report. We were able to get a visa to Canada for Deanna for Christmas. When we first applied they told us to send more documents. So we got the documents together and took a quick trip up to Washington D.C. We were speaking in a church in Virginia on Sunday a week and a half ago, and the kids didn't have school on Monday (teacher's work day), so we all went together. It took three hours of waiting at the Canadian Consulate, but they did issue the visa. Since Deanna needs to leave the States every six months (she doesn't have U.S. citizenship yet) this will help keep everything legal. Praise the Lord we don't need to get her airline tickets all the way back to Russia for Christmas.

We also went for a walk around the capital and visited the Air and Space Museum. At the Air and Space museum, Timothy pondered becoming a missionary to Mars.
Every time Vera would see a U.S. flag, she would stop and say the Pledge of Allegiance. Do you have any idea how many U.S. flags there are in D.C.?

From time to time we hear from Jason, who is in Khabarovsk. He's studying Russian, ministering to students, and holding things together for us while we are gone. Things seem to be going well for him. Please pray for him that the Lord would send him good friends, empower his work and give him clear direction from day to day. Jason has started keeping a blog at http://redroses4russia.blogspot.com/

Our Calendar of speaking engagements is filling up nicely, especially for Sunday morning services. We have something scheduled every Sunday from now to the middle of February (even the Sunday after Thanksgiving and the one before Christmas). This is good since the more we get around the more likely we will raise our financial support to return to Russia next summer (our target date of return is August 2009). Please pray that the schedule keeps filling up, that the services are times where the Lord moves and ministers, and that God meets all our needs.

The World Missions Summit is coming up over New Years in Ohio, and we plan to be there. The WMS is a tri-annual gathering of students and missionaries (although anyone can come). This year they expect over 5,000 students and over 400 missionaries to meet in Cincinatti. The purpose is to expose young people to the call of God and the concept of foreign missions. There will be "Meals with a Missionary" where you get to eat with a missionary and discuss subjects. There will be displays, booths and special events. Cecil will by playing the part of an Orthodox priest during the Eurasia Experience (so he's been asked to grow a beard). If you're interested and want to learn more, check out their web site at http://theworldmissionssummit.ag.org/conf_info.cfm

On a personal note, Deanna is learning to ride a bike.
And Vera got to ride a pony. Although we expect to be home schooling when we return to Russia, the kids are attending public elementary school now. Things are going well. Deanna is learning English very quickly in 1st grade. Vera is in advanced Math classes in 2nd grade. Timothy is making the "A and B" honor roll in 4th grade.

Well, it looks like it's time to start writing another newsletter. Please pray for us to have inspiration to write an exciting (or at least interesting) letter.

In His Grace,
Cecil, Tonya, Timothy, Vera and Deanna Eshelman

Field and Furlough

Dear Friends,

travel and speaking are the main things on our agenda. We've settled into Greensboro, the kids are doing well in school, and we've found where the stores and post offices are. However, we spend a lot more time travelling while we are on "furlough" than when we're on the "field." This year of home service our opportunity to meet our supporters face-to-face and let folks know about what the Lord is doing in the Russian Far East. But we're not complaining; a full calendar is a good calendar. Please pray that it continues to fill up and that the Lord would use us as we speak to churches and other groups.

We have some praise reports to share. A lawsuit was brought against the homeless shelter and the judge ruled that the building didn't have the proper permits and must be removed or dismantled. The local news gave them quite a bit of coverage during the appeals process. This was very positive for the shelter. Somewhere someone in the government gave an order, the lawsuit was dropped (before it came to court again) and the documents are being issued for the shelter to keep both the house and be given ownership of land under it. We praise the Lord they homeless who live there will have another winter in a warm and dry home.

Also, the pastor who is living in our apartment while we are on home service tells us all is well in our Russian home. He also reports that his church has grown to the point where there are usually ten to fifteen people who must stand through the services. Are you hungry enough for God to be willing to stand through an entire church service? Please pray that they can get a larger meeting place.

Here's a couple quotes from the family:

Timothy, when meeting his great-grandma after being apart for several years asked her how old she was. Upon hearing that she was 95 years old he said, "Wow, you must have really honored your father and mother."

Deanna, while quietly walking through the park suddenly said, "God is our Father so the church is our mother."

Cecil, when asked what a typical day for a missionary is like paused for a while and then said, "well, it depends on what that day is like."

Please pray for Deanna to be able to get a visa to Canada. She doesn't have U.S. citizenship yet, and is in the country on a tourist visa. That requires her to leave the States after six months to stay legal. Since we entered exactly six months before Christmas, we want to spend Christmas in Canada and then return. This week we'll put in a visa request with the Canadian consulate for that visit.

We've gotten out a newsletter in the mail and hope to post it on our web site soon.

Blessings,
Cecil, Tonya, Timothy, Vera and Deanna

Back in North Carolina

Dear Friends,

We have been traveling around quite a bit, but have settled into a home in Greensboro, North Carolina. A church - Calvary Assembly - has a house for missionaries to stay at for free. We still have a little settling in to do (just got the phone and internet set up) but we're are starting to set up a routine. We really appreciated having a home waiting for us when we arrived, fully furnished and everything.Before arriving in North Carolina we visited Cecil's folks in Colorado. Seeing family was our first priority upon returning to the States. Deanna has now met all her family except a few cousins. One our way to Colorado we stopped at the St. Louis arch.Last week school started. Timothy in fourth grade, Vera in second and Deanna started first grade. They are all excited about it, and we hope they stay excited as long as possible. Deanna's English language skills are advancing quickly. Here is a photo of them getting on the bus. We have watched the news about the conflict in the Republic of Georgia with great concern. We lived in Georgia for two years - 2001 to 2003 - and have been to several of the cities that were bombed, such as Gori and Poti. Cecil even preached in a church in a village on the edge of South Ossetia. We never would have though Ossetia would be headline news. So we know people in the Georgian military. Having lived in Russia we also know people in the Russian military. It was grievous to think that they would be shooting at each other. At this point we don't know if anyone we know has been killed. We thank the Lord that the shooting has stopped, and pray that all the armed forces would return home.

The conflict there is nothing new, but it was quiet while we lived in Georgia. We did some relief work among the refuges from the Abkhaz conflict. The Abkhaz conflict was in '92-'93 and there were still refuges in '01-'03 living in very depressing conditions. After doing work among refuges you come to see war in a different light. There is no glory in war.

We've begun to itinerate among churches and give missions presentations. Here is a photo of us at Vineyard Assembly dressed up in our traditional Russian outfits.

This coming year we are available for missions presentations for churches, schools or whoever would like us to come. Please pray for us to have a full calendar and lots of ministry until we return to Russia (next August, Lord willing). Also, that the Lord would speak through us and bless the people who hear us speak.

Our new mailing address is:
1673 Pleasant Ridge Road
Greensboro, NC 27409

And if anyone needs it, our home phone is 336-617-8144.

Jason, our co-worker, is at this moment aboard a plane on his way to Russia. He will be keeping the ministry going while we are State-side. He is returning on a student visa and will continue to study the Russian language. Please pray for him and his reentry to Russian culture and language.

We have a special prayer request from Sergei and the Christian Homeless Shelter. There was a court hearing that ruled that he hadn't received the proper permits to construct the building for the shelter and was told to remove the building. They have appealed to another court. Please pray that they would be given permission to keep the building.

We also need to get a newsletter out. Please pray for the Holy Spirit to inspire us with the right words while we write.

We've had some problems with transferring information over to our new computer, so if you know of someone who seems to have dropped off our emailing list, please let me know.

In His Service,
Cecil, Tonya, Timothy, Vera and Deanna

Where on the planet are the Eshelmans?

Dear Friends,

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

Ready to Fly

Dear Friends,

sorry it's been so long since our last communication. We leave Russia tomorrow, so we've been a bit crazy wit packing and closing things down. First we'll go to a conference in Turkey for all the AGWM missionaries on the Eurasia field. After that we'll fly to the States and spend time with family. We'll buy a used mini-van and travel to Missouri for training at Missionary Renewal. Eventually we'll settle into Greensboro, North Carolina, and spend the following year traveling and speaking doing missions conferences, missions services, and whatever we can to build missions awareness in the churches of America.

We've been pondering whether to use the traditional and more accurate spelling of Deana's name, or go with the official English spelling that was placed on Diana's passport. Deanna or Diana? We've decided that if Timothy can go by Tim and Tatiana can go by Tonya that Diana can go by Deanna. So we're going to take Deanna as a nickname and only use Diana on the official papers.

Since the processing of documents seemed to be going well and we hadn't seen Tonya's folks for almost two years, we took a quick vacation to Novokuznestk (Tonya's native city). Deanna was able to meet her new grandparents and great-grandfather (he was born in October of 1917, during the revolution). He is also a veteran of the 2nd World War.

We were asked to preach at church and at a rehab center and enjoyed ministering. We also got to visit Tonya's parents dacha where we worked in the garden and took walks in the woods. It was a great way to relax before jumping in to the final packing for our year of home service.


We returned to find that although Deanna's American visa was approved by the U.S. Consulate, there was a certain fee we didn't know about that we needed to pay. We paid it right away and we were able to get it on Wednesday. She was issued a 2-year visa. Now we have all the documents we need to come to the States. Along with that, we do have a prayer request. Although she has a 2-year visa, the Department of Homeland Security will determine the maximum length of her stay when she enters the U.S. Please pray that they give her 14 months so that we'll not have to make any extra trips outside the U.S. during our time of home service.

We've been saying farewells to a lot of friends here over the last week, and we're emotionally ready to go even if we're getting tired. Please pray for us as we go through all the transition, that we are able to keep treating each other the way God would like us to.

We've got to go and finish the last minute packing. We need to be at the airport in 12 hours.

Blessings,
Cecil, Tonya, Timothy, Vera and Deanna

Soon to be Summer

Dear Friends,

one month from today we will leave Russia, go to a missions gathering in Turkey and straight from there return to the States. So the countdown has begun. So much to do, so little time.

We are trying to figure out how we should spell our daughter's name in English. It is spelled Диана in Russian, which is pronounced DEE-anna, which we have been spelling Deanna. But her Russian passport has it spelled Diana. Since all her documents in English will copy the spelling in her passport it seems we may have to go with the official spelling to keep things simple. Decisions, Decisions.

Yesterday we sent documents via courier to the U.S. Consulate in Vladivostok. Today they will be submitted and tomorrow or Monday the Consulate officers will examine them and start the process of determining if they will issue Diana a visa to come to the States. Since she doesn't have U.S. citizenship yet she will need a visa. Please pray that Diana will be issued a two-year visa and all would go smoothly with this process.

May 9th is Victory Day, celebrating victory over the Nazis in WWII, and is one of the largest holidays in Russia. Since schools were closed, Cecil took the Royal Ranger outpost on an overnight campout. It was a small group, but they had a great time. Here they are getting ready to eat a lunch they cooked over the fire.
It was a nice place right next to the water (Amur River) and the mosquitoes weren't out yet. There is nothing quite like the initials of the Great Out Doors.

Since the weather is turning warm, we took the kids outside to do our orphanage ministry. We went to the local botanical garden and set up a treasure hunt. Here is a photo of Tonya doing a presentation about "guarding the heart" just before they started the treasure hunt.

Greg is a student in Bible College. He wanted to visit for a month and see what God is doing in Russia. When we met him in Khabarovsk we told him that if you want to see God at work you really must visit the homeless shelter. When he agreed to go we also told him to prepare a word to share with them. We were soon to discover what a good speaker he is. Tonya translated and Greg delivered a wonderful, encouraging message to the residents.

We are planning to have a graduation party on Tuesday for the orphans where we minister. It will also be a good way for us to say good-bye to them before we leave for a year of home service in the States. Please pray for them that when they leave the orphanage this summer that God would guard them and guide them.

Also, please pray for the father and two daughters that Tonya led to the Lord. They live in our apartment building so the girls come to visit us often, but there are many problems from the past they need to overcome. Salvation comes in a moment of surrender, but transformation of the mind (and life) is a process of surrender.

Cecil is developing a new web site about our ministry. It is still under construction, and he is open to suggestions. You can take a look at http://eshelman.info/

Medvedov is now the president of Russia and Putin has become the prime minister. We don't expect this to bring any major changes to Russia.

May the Lord bless you and Keep you.

In Him,
Cecil, Tonya, Timothy, Vera and Deanna (Diana?)