2 things

Camp! A team is coming to help with a day camp here, August 9-13. Plans and preparations are already in full gear. Please pray for the planning process, for unity among the youth here and when we blend with the other team, and--of course!--for the children.

I completely skipped an update on K.. I should have told you that after his second court date, he ended up back in jail for two months. That has already past, and Will has gotten him settled back into the shelter. Please keep praying.

Updates

Please keep praying for all the requests I asked for K. before. His court date didn't go very well before. He tends to get confused, and that's what happened when he was in front of the judge. Now he has to go back again tomorrow.

We found a wonderful apartment! Our landlady and her son went back and forth, with her telling us that it wasn't urgent, and him pushing us to move. So, we're very happy to have found something! It's big and empty, which is exactly what I've always wanted. Please pray for us as we work on getting it into better condition and then move in. That should all be in the next week or two.

Also, this is something I hadn't mentioned before: the church here has had an ongoing discipline situation with a man and his wife, who are separated. The church leadership is asking everyone to fast and pray tomorrow for resolution of that. Please pray with us!

K.

A little over a month ago a very sick homeless man came to church, asking for help. Will got to help him and take care of him for a few days, before finding a shelter in Zaporozhya that would take him. That's been very good for him! An old friend of his is in charge there now, and they're happy to be back together.

Please pray:

• for Will and K. on April 14. It's complicated, but K. has to appear in court, and Will is going to help him.
• for K. to be able to get his documents. If he had papers, a government program could pay for him to live at this shelter. For now, we're paying.
• for K.'s salvation and physical health.

Hello again!

These are the prayer requests that I gave in our recent update:

1. For Will as he leads the church youth, and for everyone in that group. Pray that they would really show God’s love to each other and to new people.
2. For my (Phyllis’) new little Sunday school class.
3. For our trip to Poland to renew visas. We’re leaving March 22.
4. For us to find another apartment to rent. We have to be out of this one by May.
5. And praise God with us for His goodness in everything!

#3 is already answered. Praise God for a good trip!

#4 isn't quite so urgent; our landlady said to take our time, but we still need to find something. There's really not much available for rent, so please do pray!

After-holiday update

Once again, I'm sorry that I haven't updated! We recently finished the busiest holiday season we've ever had. Thank you to everyone who was praying for us, even while I was silent here.

Updates on older prayer requests:

• I had asked for prayer for electricity at church. They got it turned on! It was a huge project, but God gave strength and success.
• We had a wonderful Thanksgiving trip. Our children slept on the train!
  
• We haven't seen Anatolii.
• Lena's mother is doing somewhat better, but still needs prayer.
• Vova left the rehab center, but he hasn't come back here. (That's good.) He's in Kiev and seems to be doing well. He calls us often, and is very lonely, but he's working and says that he's not drinking. Keep praying for him!
  

And new requests:

• I am going to be teaching a preschool Sunday school class! I haven't agreed to do anything like this before, because Asya takes so much of my time and attention, and I'm still a little apprehensive about how I'll keep up with her and teach. We're going to give it a try, though. Please pray for me, for my wonderful helper Alina, and for the little ones.
• Health and rest: actually, we're doing pretty well in that area, but please do pray. We were absolutely exhausted after the holiday season. We've mostly been able to catch up on now. Will and I still have colds dragging on, so please pray that we'll be all the way healthy and rested soon.
  

Thanksgiving trip

Tomorrow we're leaving for Odessa!  We'll be away for almost a week, visiting Will's sister and celebrating Thanksgiving with her.  Please pray for safe travels and a good visit.  Please pray especially that our children will sleep on the train (16-17 hours each way!).  We'll be back on Tuesday.

Anatolii

Please pray for Anatolii, a homeless man who lived around our building.  We used to feed him often and talk to him almost every day.  Then, a while back (last time I wrote), he told Will that he wanted to go to a rehab center.  He said that he would go the next day to get the papers he needed from the police. . . and then we never saw him again.  Please pray for him.  We have no idea where he is, but we're thinking that the police sent him off somewhere else.

Lena's mother

My friend Lena's mother just called me and asked me to pray, because she's really struggling with depression.  (I don't mean that Lena's depressed; her mother is.)  Lena is out of town for several weeks, and that's especially hard for her mother.  Their home life is pretty bleak, so Mama really relies on Lena.  She also asked me to have our churches pray.  Please do!

Rehab

Please continue to pray for Volodya.  He is still at the center.  They say that he's had some second thoughts, but seems to have decided to stay.  He said that he can feel the prayer support and is thankful for it.  Keep it up!

Also, the homeless man who lives in our area wants to go to the rehab center.  Please pray that it would work out, if that would be a good thing.  It's a little more complicated for him, because he doesn't have any documents at all.  He's officially listed as homeless here, though, and he has to report to the police periodically.  So, he'd have to get permission to travel and. . . well, it's just complicated.  Also, we don't know how motivated he really is.  Please pray for wisdom for us and for God's will to be done.

Updates

Sorry that I forgot to say that the electricity at church is back on.  It came back just before our guests (Will's parents) arrived.  However, it's just a temporary fix.  Sometime in the near future it will go off again, and there's going to have to be whole lot of digging done to fix it permanently.  So, you can keep praying.

Will's parents have come and gone, and they stayed healthy the whole time they were here!  We just a wonderful visit with them.  Praise God that they were able to come!

Weddings: I had mentioned two weddings.  Both are behind us now, and they went well.  Please continue to pray for the new couples as they start out their lives together.

Volodya is going!

Our friend decided that he wants to go to a rehab center now.  Will's taking him tomorrow; he actually had to talk Volodya out of leaving today.  Please pray for them as they travel, that Volodya will actually stay there (he's a little nervous), and that it will be a good thing for him.

Electricity at church

Almost a week ago, the electricity at church was cut off because of nearby construction.  The church leaders have been digging and trying to figure out a solution.  Please pray that they would be able to finish the trench they need and decide how to fix the problem!

Volodya again

Our friend Volodya keeps saying that he does want to go to the Christian rehab center that we had suggested.  Please pray that he really would agree to do it, though.  He's supposed to come over tonight to discuss the details with Will. . . .

Jaan's tongue

Thank you for all your prayers for Jaan!  His tongue seems to be healing beautifully.

Volodya

I was so encouraged to see how God answered prayers for Volodya last time I asked. He urgently needs prayer again tonight, though. Please pray for his physical safety especially, but also for everything else.

Update

• I don't want to give details, but Volodya needs prayer now more than ever.
• BIG EXCITING NEWS: Will's parents are coming to visit at the end of the month.  Please pray for their travels and a good visit.  Please pray especially that they would be able to stay healthy!  So far, they have gotten sick every time they have visited us, and we would really like to avoid that this time.
• Youth: This month Will is taking a break from the regular Wednesday night Bible study with the youth.  They're still getting together on those nights to plan for the upcoming weddings, though.  Yes, we have two weddings coming up soon!  And Will is still leading the regular Saturday night youth fellowship times.
• Thank you for praying for the camping trip.  Not many of the younger kids came, because of cooler weather, but the church youth, our guests, and the few kids had a great time.
• We had a great visit with Julie and Co., and they were able to get their visas renewed without any problems.
• We've enjoyed two great Zhatva celebrations so far, and I wouldn't be surprised if there are more  coming.
• School: I've started officially homeschooling Jaan.  We're having a great time with that so far!  Please pray for strength and energy and good attitudes for this new part of life.

Thank you so much for all your prayers!

Upcoming events

Please keep these in your prayers:

• Camping trip with oldest group from camp, August 21-23
  
• Julie's visit, probably arriving August 20 (Julie and two of her coworkers are coming to renew their visas.)
  
• Zhatva, August 30 (That's at our church. We'll probably visit other churches for this over the month of September, too.)
  

Volodya

We have a friend who recently got out of jail, and because of that, can't find work. This week Will hired him to do some work around our dacha, so we've been spending a lot of time with him. Please pray for Volodya as he seeks God and tries to live an honest life. We don't know exactly where he is spiritually, but he's pretty frustrated overall, and feels like God is letting him down, too. Please pray that he would be able to find permanent work, but even more importantly that he would find salvation and peace.

Vasya is home

He seems to be doing well, as he continues to recover at home.

Update on Vasya

I'm sorry I haven't had time to update those of you who are praying for Vasya.  More than a week ago he went into the hospital and had surgery to remove a tumor from his liver.  Please pray for him as he recovers.  He's still in the hospital.  Also, keep praying for his family!

Praise for camp

Thank you so much for praying for camp!  Every day there were 50-60 kids, as many as we could possible handle.  The staff worked together really well, and we just had a wonderful week.  We could see God's hand in so many ways.

Now please pray for follow-up.  There were 30 children in Sunday school this morning!  If that keeps up (which would be wonderful), they'll need more Sunday school teachers and classes.  Will also started a group after Sunday school for those who want to learn to play guitar.  There were 6 or 7 children who came for that.  And they're planning a camping trip for the very oldest group from camp; that will be August 21-23.

1st day of camp. . .

was great!

Anna's visa. . .

arrived!!!

Camp prep

Please keep praying! It's pretty busy around here. Camp starts Monday morning!

Anna

Please be praying for Will's sister, Anna. For those of you who don't know, she's headed to Odessa.  This is from the most recent email that she sent out:

The invitation for the visa arrived today and I overnighted it, along with my passport and paperwork, to the Ukrainian Embassy in DC. I am paying for three day processing, but with them closed on Wednesdays and weekends, I won't receive it back until next Tuesday or Wednesday. I am scheduled to fly out next Friday, July 31st, and would appreciate your prayers that all will go well and that the visa will be granted in time.

Camp!

Today was the last day of a great VBS program, put on by a visiting group.  Praise the Lord for how well it went!

Now we have a week to rest and finish preparations, and then the church here will be doing our own day camp.  Please pray especially for unity among the youth during this next week as they get everything ready.

Vasya and Maksim

I asked for prayer for Vasya, the man who leads the church here, when he was sick before.  He's been very sick again lately, so much that he is taking a break from church work, as much as he can.  Please pray for him and his doctors.  They still haven't figured out what is wrong with him.

Also, his son, Maksim, who was an active member of the church and youth group, went away to university and is now going through a real crisis of faith.

"The Council of Brothers"

Will has just become an official member of the "Council of Brothers" at church.  (I don't know exactly how that translates.  Elders?  Board of deacons?  Whatever you want to call it, it's the group of men who lead the church.)  He has attended their meetings since we arrived here, but not officially.  He asks that you pray specifically for wisdom and grace for him in this new role.

Praying for various people

I'm sorry it's been so long since I've written anything here!  We've had some wonderful visits with friends and other good, busy times.

I've asked for prayer for a girl I called O. before.  She's back from an extended absence, so once again I need love and wisdom for spending time with her.

Today on the way home from church we bumped into a man that Will had met on a hospital visit: Aleksandr.  Please pray for him!  He's having a hard time physically (just got seriously beaten up and is almost starving, too), mentally, emotionally, spiritually.  He has tried praying and has visited a church, but doesn't think God is listening.  He's also facing a possible jail sentence.

Registration

We got our passports back, and now we're registered for another year!  Please thank the Lord for that with us.  You can also be praying that the laws don't change any more.

Picnic answers

Thank you for praying!  The picnic went well.  You can read about it here.

Weather for picnic

We're planning a picnic at our dacha for the youth tomorrow.  Please pray for good weather!  We're really enjoying some rain, after a dry spell, but it would be really nice if the rain stopped for a while tomorrow. 

News from Kovrov

I just talked to Pavel and Tanya.  They're working on selling the church apartment and buying a house or other bigger place to meet.  Pavel asked us to pray for wisdom and for everything to go well, if this is what they should be doing.

Visiting

On Sunday afternoons Will and several others from church have been visiting sick babushki at home and/or anyone who is interested at the hospital. Please pray for those visits!

Re-registration

It's almost time for us to re-register our visas. Will is (or all of us are?) going to Zaporozhye on Thursday to at least get started. Please pray for us to be able to do this right and without any problems. No one is very sure about what the law actually says about this.

Easter

Easter is coming! (April 19 here.) It's the biggest religious holiday of the year, so please pray for all that will be happening at church. Also, pray for our family as we prepare for Easter and then celebrate the Resurrection at home.

Colds

After a long time of good health (praise for that!), we've succumbed to colds and they seem to be dragging on. It's nothing serious; we're just tired and want to be well again!

Prayer for E.

The church here is right next to the hospital, and one of the ladies from church works there.  Tonight she sent one of her patients over for Bible study, since he's so interested.  He asked for prayer, since he's having an operation tomorrow or the next day, but also because he's really searching for God.

Also, please pray for Lyuba, who works in the hospital and is constantly witnessing, and for Will and others who visit there.

G. and Y.

A few nights ago Leetra babysat, and Will and I went to visit G. and Y..  I was so happy to see their new baby!  I thought we would probably sit around talking about him, but instead they jumped right in with all kinds of questions about the Bible and church.  It was really good to get to talk to them!

O. is gone

Please keep praying for the girl I asked for prayer for before.  She is gone, so I'm not spending time with her anymore for a while, but I don't think she's in a very good situation now.

Answered prayer

I should have asked you all to pray for Leetra sooner!  She felt better almost right away after I posted that.  Thank you, Lord, and thank you for praying!

Now she'll be heading back on Tuesday, so you can pray for safe travels in that direction.

Leetra's stomach

We're having a great visit with my sister, but she hasn't felt well this whole time.  Please pray for her stomach!

Another person

Please be praying for another girl (O.), who I'm spending a whole lot of time with. She's very needy, so pray for strength for me. There are also a whole lot of things I'm praying about for her that I can't really share. Just pray!

Leetra is coming!

My sister is coming soon! Please pray for her travels and a good visit. We always like to "use" guests as a good excuse to get together with people, too, so please pray that we would be able to introduce her to lots of people here.

Youth conference

Will and some of the youth will be going to a youth conference in Kiev Feb. 23. Please pray for safe travels and a really good time there.

New people

We have been encouraged to see new faces in the group of young people that come to the church. I don't think there have been more since I last wrote, but I'd like to update on the ones I mentioned before.

(I'm going back and adding initials to the last post, if you want to look back there.) N. is a regular at youth meetings now; she can't come on Sunday mornings, because of her work schedule, but she would like to. I haven't seen Z. around for a while. G. and Y. are adjusting to life with a new baby. We gave them The Stranger on the Road to Emmaus, and they're reading it. Please keep praying for these new believers/seekers!

It's been too long

I'm sorry that it's been so long since I've updated here.  Thank you for praying for us anyway.  We survived the holidays, and thoroughly enjoyed them, too!  We're also finally feeling settled back into normal life now.

Please be praying for some new people who have been coming to youth meetings and Bible studies.  There's a girl (N.) who's been quite faithful and interested in the evenings, a guy (Z.) who really wants to get his life together, and a young couple (G. and Y.) trying to read and understand the Bible on their own.  The couple are expecting a baby soon and also need prayers for health!

"All I want for Christmas. . ."

She's back!  We have our happy Asya again!  Her tooth finally broke through yesterday, but even before that she was obviously feeling much better.  Thank you, Lord!

Vasya is feeling better

Thank you for praying! Vasya is back on his feet. He says that his blood pressure is still causing him problems, but he feels much better. He was able to lead the church service again this Sunday.

Disaster recovery

Our neighbors have taken care of their plumbing disaster, and Will got everything cleaned up down here.  Now he's working on hermetically sealing off all the holes to the place where the pipes are, so that if anything like this ever happens again, it won't come through to us.  Thank you for praying!

Vasya

Please be praying for Vasya, the man who leads the church here. He is mysteriously sick and very tired. The church really needs him!

Plumbing disaster

We're having one of those good opportunities to get to know our neighbors today. We woke up to find what looked like our neighbors' toilet had exploded above us. It's not quite that, but it's a mess! The neighbors below us have been coming up to see what's happening, and Will had to go find the man who lives above us where he works. Pray that they can get this fixed soon!

By the way, had I mentioned that since I asked for prayer about water before, it's been on almost all day every day? Praise the Lord!

(I did just say how much I love having neighbors all around, didn't I? )

Tooth and toe again

The opposite tooth is coming through now, the injured toenail fell off, and she has a cold.  We are back to this:



Pray for our usual sweet, happy Asya to come back soon!

Doing better

Thank you so much for your prayers!  This toe injury was pretty traumatic for a few days, even though it was minor.  Asya is doing much better now. She's walking well again, and her tooth is through, too.

Tooth and toe

Asya has a tooth coming through, and it's just tormenting her. Then, yesterday morning she smashed one of her toes. She is not a happy baby right now! Actually, she's doing a little better today, but please pray for her. Neither problem is serious, but added together they're just making her miserable. Plus, it's sad to see such a little one limping around.

Water!

It's already back on! At least, for a few hours.

Funny: Will went in to pay our water bill this afternoon. They really were working without electricity! He couldn't pay, because it was too dark for them to figure out what we owe. They were only taking money from people who already knew how much they needed to pay.

Water

The water situation here has been annoying for a while. We've gotten used to the fact that it's turned off at night. That's no big deal. However, it's been off quite a bit during the days now, too.

Then yesterday it went off and didn't come back on for the evening hours like usual. And today there are notices up from the water people, saying something like "Please excuse us for the inconvenience of no water, but the electric company turned off our electricity, so we cannot provide water. If you owe any money on your water bill, please pay it right away." Please pray that it will come back on soon!

(Yes, Mom, we can buy drinking water, and we have quite a bit saved up too, because the water goes off so often.)

The outreach

Thank you for praying! Everything went smoothly. I haven't really heard many details yet, but I know your prayers were answered.

Youth outreach night

The youth here are hosting an outreach night on Saturday.  Youth from another city and a music group will also be participating.  Please pray especially for the preparations.  This is a first for the youth here. There has been a lot of disagreement about how things should go.  Pray for unity!  Please also pray for the people who will be coming and all the other details.

Julie's off!

Julie's visa did come in yesterday, and she got on a train back to Moscow. She should be getting in there pretty soon now. Thank you so much for all your prayers! I'm sure you can keep praying as she figures out how to be able to stay there for a year now and catches up with all the work waiting for her.

Julie's visa

We were expecting that Julie's visa would arrive in Zaporozhye tomorrow, but the UPS tracking site keeps saying that it's in Kiev, and its status is "Exception," and the only explanation is that an unforeseen event occurred. Please pray that whatever that is will be worked out soon! We love having Julie here, but her work in Moscow is piling up, and she does need to get back.

Computer

Sigh. Computers are nice when they work. And Macs are wonderful...in America.

Our computer died yesterday. Really, I am mostly praising God about this, though. Just the day before I had finally backed up all our pictures and documents, after a week of trying to do that. (Do you know how amazing that is?!?!?) And we have this older laptop, so we're still in touch.

Please pray that we'll figure out a way to get our main computer fixed, that it will have a safe trip to America and back, etc.

It's all here!

Thank you so much for all your prayers! We now have everything that we had left in Russia. I don't know that it was a cheap border crossing, but it was fast and without problems.

Now can we pray away the musty smell?

Anatolii

Anatolii (the driver we hired to bring our things from Russia) made it to Kovrov, and he's heading straight back. It's a more than 24 hour trip, but I guess he could be at customs sometime tomorrow. Please pray for an easy and cheap border crossing! (The Ukrainian side of the border is notoriously corrupt.)

Stuff

Anatolii (the driver we hired) has been sick, but he's well now. He might be able to go next weekend.

Please pray for a safe and uneventful trip for Anatolii and for us to be able to fit everything into this already crowded apartment when he gets back.

Thank you for praying!

Julie was able to get her test done, results translated and sent in, all in one day. Please pray that this last document catches up with others quickly, so that her visa application can be processed.

Julie

Please pray for our friend Julie tomorrow. She found out that she does have to have an HIV test for her Russian visa application. She's going to try to get that done in Zaporozhye tomorrow. Please pray specifically that she'll be able to get results the same day and send them off. Thank you!

And praise the Lord that we can spend time with Julie!

Neighbor

Please pray for the neighbor below us. He's very grumpy about any noise that we make. We don't want to bother him, but it's impossible for little children to be as quiet as he wants.

Another step forward

Will now has all the documents ready! Now we just need to pray for timing and logistics. I'll let you know when there's a time set for Anatolii's trip.

Another week

Anatolii probably won't be going in the next few days. Will pretty much got power of attorney for him to represent us in bringing our things into Ukraine, but now that needs to be translated and amended to be valid in Russia, too. So, tomorrow Will is headed back to the notary to start on that. One step at a time. . . .

Got the number!

Will got his tax number yesterday. He was hoping to meet with the truck driver (Anatoli) to get the papers they need here, right when he got back, but couldn't get in touch with him. This morning they started those documents, though.

Please pray! This is the last step to getting our things from Russia. Anatoli wants to be at the border on Monday, because he has a friend working then. Border crossings into Ukraine by car are really, really corrupt still. (Somehow customs in the airports and on trains is easy and streamlined. They just leave all the trouble for the roads.) We need you to pray our things right across.

And praise the Lord that the tax number came through. No problems, even with different translations of NC.

Progress

Yesterday Will got his notarized passport copy in Zaporozhya! He went back today to turn it in for a tax number.

Did you know that Will was born in North California? Or even that such a state exists? That's what they put as his birthplace (NC) on the copy! You can laugh about that and pray that no one notices. (There can be problems with documents don't match up.)

Paperwork progress

Will is slowly wading through getting our things from Russia. Just an example of the frustration: we need a document from a notary. The notary can't work with anyone who doesn't have a tax number. Will calls to find out how to get a tax number: "Just bring us a notarized copy of your passport." Simple. Except that the notary won't work with him at all!

Please pray for progress! Will's in Zaporozhya today trying to figure out the next step.

Heading home

Asya and I have had a wonderful time with Julie in Odessa. We are getting ready to start our trek home. We'll arrive tomorrow morning. Please pray! The trip here was very hard. It's a little cooler now, which should help, but please pray that Asya will SLEEP!

Thank you to those of you who are praying for Julie, too. We had a big scare, because getting her visa sounded very iffy for a little while, but the Lord worked all that out, and she should have it on Friday. We were hoping that she'd be able to get it today, and leave at the same time as me. Now she'll be here alone for a few days.

Odessa!

Asya and I are running off to Odessa for a few days! Please pray for safe travel, a good visit with our friend Julie (and for her to get a new Russian visa there), and for Will at home and church with Jaan and Raia.

Camp teenagers

Thank you for all your prayers for the day camp here! I have photos posted on our blog.

Please pray that some of the oldest kids--from Will's group--will come tonight for the weekly church youth meeting.

Camp update

Camp is going well. I don't think I mentioned that Will has the oldest group, the teenagers. They're hard to work with, but at such an important age for building relationships! Please pray for a good finish. We're all tired, and tomorrow is the last day.

Camp!

Day camp starts tomorrow! Please be praying for everyone involved. Will is going to be teaching several Bible lessons, helping with music, and probably more.

Teeth and tummy, part 2

Asya's tummy has settled down; praise the Lord! Her mouth still looks like a disaster zone.

Teeth and tummy

Poor Asya isn't feeling too good these days. She's working on two teeth, and her stomach has also been upset. Please pray for her to feel better soon!

Camp evening

Thank you for praying! Will's evening at that one youth camp went well.

Please be praying for the upcoming children's day camp here. The youth are preparing. It will be August 11-15.

Susan

Please pray for our friend, Susan, and her family. (Click to go read their prayer request.)

Rejoice!

Praise the Lord with our friends, Jon and Carrie Dulin, in Russia! They got the three-year residency permit that they had applied for!

A camp visit

Will has been invited to visit a camp in a nearby village to talk to the youth tomorrow night. Please pray that will go well.

Praise!

I didn't even think to ask for prayer for this, but our friend Julie went to the American embassy in Moscow today to get Asya's Report of Birth Abroad for us. (We left Russia without it.) Apparently they didn't want to give it to her, even though we had emailed back and forth with them about it. By the time we heard that they were trying to get in touch with us and called, they had already decided to give it to her. Thank you, Lord!

Other friends from Moscow (the Sullivan family) are coming to renew their Russian visas and visit us, so they'll be bring it to us this weekend. Please pray for them as they travel, and pray that they will get their visas. We've been hearing stories of visas not being granted.

A man named V.

Will got to spend a while talking to an unsaved young man about the Lord today. This man's life seems to be falling apart right now. Please pray for him. Pray that he would see his need for salvation as the true answer to his problems, and pray for his family.

Work is finished

The projects that Will and the other men were working on are done. There will probably be more before long, but they're stopping for now. Thank you for praying!

Team

The team left last night. Everything went smoothly with the children's programs and what they were doing with youth. Please pray for fruit here. Pray that children they had contact with will come to camp, August 11-15.

Relief

Today is a cool, rainy day. Such a nice break from the hot weather!

English camps

There are a few people that I know on a team doing English camps near Kiev. Also, Anna (Will's sister) is working at a similar camp in Odessa. I heard from her today that her first classes went smoothly, and that she's tired but doing well. Please pray for these camps and everyone involved.

The team

They got here on Sunday, and they're going out into the city every day to talk to youth and children and invite them to evening programs. Please pray daily for the visiting group and for the church youth.

Hot weather

The construction continues, and they're making great progress. Please pray for Will (and the others) as they work in the heat. It's hard on Will. Last week was cooler and rainy; now it's just plain HOT again. Also, they're actually working with several unsaved guys from a nearby village, so continue to pray for good conversation (and language skills. They all speak Ukrainian, so Will does a lot of guessing. )

Praise!

We're found a pacifier before bedtime! And the nap that Asya had to take before that wasn't too bad. God is very merciful.

Pacifier

Maybe this is a funny request, but Asya's beloved pacifiers are all missing right now. Please pray that we'll either find them, or that it will be easy to wean her off of them.

Church work

Today Will started working full time on the church work projects. They decided that after several weeks of doing just a few hours each evening--after work for most of the men--it would be better to hire some men who can work all day. Will will be working with two others, one from the church and one not, for a little while to try and finish up the projects that they have materials for. Pray for good work and good conversations while working. I think this will actually be better for our family, because the children and I have a routine for our days that works with or without Papa. In the evenings, when we're tired, he'll be here to help.

Team coming

There's a Russian-American team coming here in about a week to do some children's programs here. I don't really know too many details, but please to be praying for them and everyone who will be involved.

Catching up

We have had internet at home for a little while now, and it's time for me to get caught up here. God has answered so many prayers and blessed us so richly, that there's no way I can mention everything. Here are a few specific answers, though:

• Internet! - Getting it installed was a long process, but it sure is nice to be back in touch now!
• Apartment - The one I mentioned before has worked out beautifully. We've moved in and settled in, and we're enjoying our new home.
• Registration - It has taken a while, but now we're officially registered.
• Anna - Will's sister has come and gone. We had a great visit with her! So far, she's had safe travels all over Ukraine. Please keep praying for her. She'll be in this country until the end of July.

Now for some new prayer requests:

• We had to be registered before we could have our boxes brought in from Russia. Now that we have registration out of the way, Will and the driver will get together to get the documents we need to do that. Please pray especially for getting everything through customs. The Ukrainian border is notoriously bad and expensive. There are unofficial set prices for every single step of the way. (Did you know that for $1200 you can go around customs completely?) It could be complicated without us--the owners--there at the border.
• This is the second week of daily construction work for the men at church. Please pray for safety, endurance and good progress. (Pray for me at home, as I put our children to bed alone every night. That's the hardest part for me.)
• The youth meet Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday. They're very active, but they want leadership and direction. They often ask Will to lead meetings. Please pray for him as he prepares and does that.
• Day camp will probably be in August.
  

I'll probably come up with more soon, but there are some specific praises and prayers for now. Thank you for joining us in prayer!

Sweet babies

Remember, way back when I asked prayer for Lena? She had a safe birth in March. I finally got to see pictures of the babies. (That's a huge praise, too! It's such a treat for me.) Aren't they cute?

Yana (or should I say Jaana? ) and Ulyana and family

Answers

We had a safe and easy trip. Thank you, Lord!

It looks like we've found an apartment. Please pray that everything will work out with that, if it's what the Lord has for us.

Will tried to go back to Russia and was not allowed into the country. Please pray for us to be able to get our belongings here another way.

Update on various visas

• The Mankins didn't get their visas in time to leave when they were planning to. Now they're planning to go May 19. Keep praying!
• The Beairds did get their visas, but also not in time for their planned departure. They have two updates, one here and one here.
• The Dulins are waiting. They should hear in June. The S family was miraculously able to turn in their documents. Now they have to wait for up to six months before they hear the results.
• I haven't heard anything more from the Palmers.