Ivan's visa

A while ago Galilee Baptist Church in Minnesota invited Ivan Petrash (camp director and missionary) to visit them. His visa was denied that time. Now he's trying again. We just helped him get started on the process. Please pray that he'll be granted a visa this time!

March 4
Monday morning he'll be making the trip to Moscow to turn in his application.

March 14
Ivan's interview at the American embassy is March 22. Please pray that they'll decide to give him the visa and for him not to be too nervous.

March 22

They said yes! Ivan can pick his visa up in a few days. Praise the Lord!

April 10
Ivan's trip is coming up. He leaves on April 13.

April 30
And now his trip is almost over. It sounds like it's been wonderful. Please pray for a safe trip home.

May 2
Ivan just called to say that he's on his way home from Moscow to Viazniki. He had a good trip with no problems at all in connections, passport control, customs, etc. Praise the Lord! He says thanks again to everyone he visited, and he had a wonderful trip.

Visa trip

At the end of the month we need to leave the country and come back to renew our visa registration. We had found some really cheap tickets, but we didn't realize that we would have to pay for Jaan too, now that he's over two years old. So, now we're back to square one with the planning. Please pray that we can find an affordable place to go (probably on trains) and have a good trip.

February 14
I just wanted to add that this is turning into a frustrating and expensive process, so please pray for patience and provision! Will is headed to the train station now to find out where we can go and buy tickets. . . .

February 15
Ack! We had forgotten that Raia doesn't have a visa at all. (She was born here and has never left the country.) Please pray that we'll be able to get her one, and that it will make its way to us while we're in Riga. You can praise the Lord that we do have tickets to Riga and that plans are coming together for our trip.

February 17
Will called this morning to check on Raia's visa, and they told him that there were "some complications." Please pray, because we really need it done by tonight, so that a friend can pick it up before the weekend. Everything is closed tomorrow, and we had planned to leave on Sunday.

February 18
Praise the Lord! As I said, Raia's exit visa is ready. Now, please pray for our trip. You can pray specifically for:

the children. Raia hasn't travelled nearly as much as Jaan had at this age, and I worry about how she'll adapt.

that we won't have any trouble getting Raia's entry visa in Riga.

and just for a good trip overall!

We'll leave tomorrow morning at 5:00 and take two trains to get to Moscow. Then we'll leave from Moscow that night on an overnight train to Riga. . . two days in Riga, then back to Moscow. We'll probably by home by Saturday, but I don't know exactly, because Will has to register us in Moscow first. The children and I get to visit the Beairds while he does that!

March 3
Thank you so much for all your prayers! We had a wonderful trip.

Praises

It seems like I really focus on petitions here. I just wanted to add
several praises, too. Of course, I could go on and on, but I'll just
choose out two:
-We just celebrated five years of marriage!
-Since the Christmas busyness has passed, we have been healthy.
And if you want more, this whole page is really a testimony of God's
goodness. Just read down and see how He has answered our prayers.

"I will praise thee, O Lord, among the people: I will sing unto thee
among the nations." Psa. 57:9

Gospelink 4th quarter

We're in the midst of finishing up the 4th quarter of 2005. Will traveled to Moscow to meet with some of the men there, letters are coming in, and there are more people to meet with. Please pray for strength, safe travel, and organizational skills.

March 3
Two big praises: Dean found someone to help with the translating! And we finally got in touch with a man we had "lost"! (He's newly sponsored, and we could not find him to tell him that money had come for him.) Please keep praying, as we have several new people this quarter, and the work continues.

March 29
Now we have two translation helpers! Please continue to pray as we wrap up this quarter and specifically for the one long distance connection that we're having to make through the mail.

April 29
The fourth quarter is finished! Thank you for your prayers. We are still waiting for that one mail connection, though, and the Jan-March work started this week, so you can keep praying.

May 29
We finally got the forms we were waiting for in the mail! Praise the Lord!