In Russia, I Am One

Dear Friends,

In Russian, you can use the word "one" to mean alone. So, to say "I am alone" you say "I am one." Right now, alas, I am one. Everyone else stayed with Deanna to help her heal up from the bicycle accident.

I've managed to submit an application and all the supporting documents for a resident permit to live in Russia. They said I should hear back in six months or less. Please pray that it gets approved in lot less time. A resident permit (much like the American "green card") would allow me to live here without leaving the country. The present visa regime in Russia requires that I leave every three months out of six. Going through the application process was much easier than I expected, it only took about ten days of visiting government offices, having documents translated, seeing doctors, etc.

The first Sunday I was here the pastor asked me to preach a short sermon (many evangelical churches here have two sermons in a service, a short one and a long one). There was no translator there that morning, so I told him it would be only five or ten minutes. I spoke from the first three verses of the first psalm. Everyone kindly looked like they understood what I was saying in Russian. I hope it really did make sense.

We have a good report for Deanna. She is healing quickly, and the doctor is even letting her eat soft foods like macaroni. Please pray that she will be allowed to travel soon, so that we can all be in Russia by the end of October.

Fall is definitely here, and you can feel that winter is just around the corner. After the rush of getting everything done for my resident permit, I had some free time to take some walks around the city. Here is Lenin square. Most cities in Russia have a place downtown called Lenin square.

I actually enjoyed riding on the city busses and streetcars. Probably after a year I won't be enjoying them anymore. I guess I missed them while I was in the States.

I have tickets to return to the States on the 7th of October. Lord willing, I'll soon be on my way back to Khabarovsk - with my family this time!

Because of Him,
Cecil

In Russia Alone

Dear Friends,

I am writing this email while sitting in our apartment in Russia. I arrived on the 14th and my luggage arrived on the 16th of September. The rest of the family is staying in North Carolina until Deanna is able to travel. I plan to return to North Carolina in four weeks to be with them again (I'm already looking forward to it). We hope to all be in Russia before the end of October.

Deanna continues to heal well, and is in great spirits. Thank you so much for your prayers.

One thing that we did during my last week in the States is write another newsletter. It is posted in pdf format at http://hqmail.agmd.org/~cecil.eshelman/NL2009September.pdf

Please pray for Tonya as she stays with Timothy, Vera and Deanna. She'll be leading home schooling (which we expected to start in Russia, but, well, it's time for school to start even if they're still in the States).

I'll try to stay in touch while I get our household set up and tend to some other tasks in Khabarovsk. One goal is to get everything ready to submit an application for a Russian resident permit (like an American "green card"). If I can get a resident permit, I won't need to keep applying for new Russian visas.

Blessings,
Cecil

Bumps in the Road

Dear Friends,

we had tickets to fly to Russia today. Now we have a new plan. Deanna's bike accident rearranged our schedule. For a while it seemed we were going two directions at once, now we actually are. Deanna won't be able to travel for another five to seven weeks. So Tonya will stay in the States with the kids while Cecil goes and takes care of some things in Russia. He will leave in one week, on Saturday, and be in Khabarovsk for four weeks. Then he will return and the whole family will go to Russia together. We don't like being apart, but it looks like this will be the best under the circumstances.

There has been an outpouring of concern and sympathy for Deanna. Thank you so much for your prayers, they are being answered. Deanna is healing very well. She's only able to eat mush, but some mush isn't bad, especially the milkshakes and smoothies. She's not in pain any more. She's sleeping a lot at night, active during the day, and less worried about her chin than we are.

We really have sensed the presence of the Lord through all of this, and He has been good to us. Our schedule got thrown to the wind, so we just started living day by day, and everything has worked out. There are many bumps in the road of life, and this was just one of them.

We've been doing a repacking of suitcases: get out the homeschooling stuff since we need that now, put other books in Cecil's for him to leave in Russia, etc. But all of that is just details. Deanna's chin will heal, we will all get back to Khabarovsk, our ministry will continue, and our family will be stronger because of it.

One of the main goals for Cecil's trip to Russia is to submit an application for him to get a resident permit for Russia (much like our American "Green Card"). There is a lot involved with this, and it will take much of his four weeks to get everything ready. The complete medical examination will be a special nightmare of it's own. Other documents must be prepared, translated, and finally submitted. When everything is submitted it will take the Russian government a while to look it over (maybe six months or more). When issued, the resident permit will allow him to stay in Russia without need for a visa. Please pray for this whole process, which Cecil will start as right after arriving in Khabarovsk.

Please pray for Tonya as she leads homeschool and watches the family while Cecil is gone (September 12 until October 7).

Thank you so much for your prayers and your support.

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

Deanna's Injury and New Plans

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

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

Ending and Beginning

Dear Friends,

we have just received notice that the necessary pledges have been received for us to return to Russia. Praise the Lord. Now that we have final approval from headquarters we have jumped the main hurdle. We still need to buy tickets, pack suitcases, pack the home into storage, say good-byes to lots of folks, and we'll speak in a few more churches that or on our schedule. So we'll end things here and begin things again over there.

Cecil needs to receive a visa from the Russian government. We have started the visa process. Please pray that he would receive what we've asked for, which is a one-year religious worker visa. The government office that issues the letters for that kind of visa often does not give you what you request, and has caused us problems before, so this is a real prayer request. They have already delayed our application this time by asking for a document that they've never required before.

But we're excited as we get ready to start a four year assignment in Khabarovsk. Our target date is the very end of August (but early September would still be O.K.).

We've been in the States for about a year now, speaking in churches and raising our support. For the last six months we've averaged speaking in ten churches a month and been doing a lot of travelling with that. While we've been successful, it has left us all - especially Cecil - a bit disoriented. He feels like he's packing for his next trip before he's even opened up his suitcase from the last one. Please pray that we can become reoriented and get everything done that we need to accomplish before we leave.

Here's a photo of Cecil speaking at a church in Alabama. While passing through Georgia, we had a 4th of July picnic with some friends who are missionaries to Mongolia.

We did a little camping in the mountains of North Carolina, near where we're living. We spent some time saying good-bye to some cousins, while passing through Pennsylvania, by going to Hershey Park.
We saw some cousins on the other side of the family by going to a baseball game together in Virginia.
The girls got their baseball signed by Uncle Slam.
We've built a lot of good memories to take with us back to Russia. Our children are truly a product of two cultures. All American and all Russian. I have learned that God is a God for all the peoples.

Grace and Peace of the Lord Jesus Christ to you,
Cecil, Tonya, Timothy, Vera and Deanna

Writing and Speaking

Dear Friends,

we're in the endgame of raising our support to be able to return to Russia, with about 93% of our budget raised. We're not done, however, so please continue to pray for us to receive the remainder or our required support quickly, so that we can return to Russia by the end of August. Also, we'll be travelling quite a bit in July, speaking in churches to broaden our support base. In July we'll be speaking in Alabama, Texas, Georgia, Virginia, Maryland and North Carolina (both in the Mountains and the Outer Banks). Please pray that we'll be able to minister to those we speak to, that our travels will be safe, and that we would remain refreshed rather than exhausted.

We've been trying to do a bit of writing in addition to speaking. An article about the Open Heart homeless shelter has been published in Faces of Eurasia. You can see it by clicking on http://101649.agwebservices2.org/SiteFiles/101649/Content/FacesofEurasia_June_09.pdf where we've posted it on our web site. Also, we're mailing out our latest newsletter. We've put a copy on our web site and the link is http://101649.agwebservices2.org/SiteFiles/101649/Content/Newsletter/NL2009June.pdf or you can go to our home page at http://eshelman.info and find them there along with copies of other articles and newsletters (if you have problems with the web site, let us know and we'll email you the materials). Please pray that these mailings would generate increased support for both us and the homeless shelter.

Deanna, Vera and Timothy have finished their school year well. We're very proud of them. They've also done a good job of putting up with their parents and going to all kinds of places and churches. Lately they've even been speaking in children's churches. Here they are at a scenic overlook.

We are hoping to Return to Russia by the end of August. Three main things need to happen before we are able to depart. First, we must raise sufficient financial support to meet our budget. Second, Cecil need to receive a Russian Visa. Third, we need to buy our tickets. We really can't buy the tickets until the first two things happen. Since flights into Khabarovsk are often booked several weeks in advance, everything will need to fall into place just right for us to be in Khabarovsk before September.

This year of itineration we've been staying in a "mission house" provided by Calvary Church in Greensboro, NC. They purchased the house (which is right next to the church) for missionaries to stay in when they are State-side. It has been a real blessing to us. So Tonya cooked a Russian meal for the staff, with a variety of Russian foods just like you might get in Russia. If you'd like the recipes, just let us know.
This month several of the young people we worked with in Russia will be leaving the orphanage system. We've been unable to stay in touch with them over the last year so we don't know if they have any plans for the future or any place to stay (we're quite certain most of them will be homeless). We're not sure how we could find them once we return to Russia. Please pray that the Lord would shelter them under the shadow of His wing.

Faith and Blessings to You All,
Cecil, Tonya, Timothy, Vera and Deanna

More Good News

Dear Friends,

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