We arrived back from our retreat in Anapa to find minus temperatures(Celsius) and last night we received our first dusting of snow. We had a good time in Anapa though only the first day was warm and sunny. We got to see many of our friends and co-workers and our girls had a great time with their friends. Two teams came from Colorado and Pennsylvania to minister to our team. Our kids were able to go swimming a lot. While we were there Lauren strained a leg muscle so Dad had to carry her around(too much swimming we think) for a day. She is all better but now she and Zach have coughs. Manda has had a cough for several weeks and is now taking antibiotics.While we were gone one young man in the church decided to become a Christian after visiting with our pastor and his wife. His name is Oleg. Just today we had an old neighbor stop by to say hello. She and her husband had visited our church a bit last year but have been busy with life and jobs. Pray for Ira and Ateel that in the busyness of life they don't forget what is most important.
Prayer Requests
On October 4th a decree was signed by the Russian Prime Minister that presents serious challenges to the immigration status of most of our team here. The decree is designed to limit the ability of foreign citizens to live in Russia year after year on the basis of one year visas. This step is in keeping with the way that most European nations handle immigration issues. However, the accompanying opportunity that most of those governments provide for foreigners to pursue residency status, without undue difficulty, is currently lacking in Russia. Our team will need to work hard in the next few months to find solutions to this dilemma. Please pray for our staff, the Field Leadership Team and for the Field Director who will work with lawyers, our partner churches and representatives of other organizations to seek solutions.
In the video Rachel is participating in a game where no two people can be doing the same thing at the same time IE sitting, standing, laying, bending over-while acting out their roles. It is funny!
