America--Here We Come!

We want to start off by saying how good the Lord has been to us. We praise the Lord for the many of you who have lifted our family up in prayer as we have been through the grueling process of turning in our paperwork here in Russia. The good news is we were able to send in all of our needed documents to apply for our temporary residency permits. We will find out in June if we are approved, it takes up to six months to process. This is especially good news because we were not able to get an extension on our visas. Which means, we have to leave the country by March 3 and re-apply for another visa while we wait to get approved on our temporary residency permits.  

Although we are excited, this complicates things just a little but nothing the Lord can't help us with. We would appreciate your prayers as we will need to find an apartment within two weeks of getting back to Russia. We believe the Lord is working on this need already. We have a few possible choices and a real estate agent who really wants "the Americans" to rent from her. She is diligently looking for a place within our price range to rent out to us. There is another missionary family who rent from her and she is a huge help when it comes to turning in paperwork needed for visas. This would be a huge burden lifted as most Russians are in no hurry to process anything on our behalf if they choose to rent to foreigners.

We would also appreciate prayers, that the Lord would provide the needed finances to make this trip. With moving here to Russia, purchasing a vehicle, and settling in- we weren't planning on this expense quite this soon. We know the Lord knows and He will provide. We also will need a vehicle while we are home and are hoping not to rent one. Another blessing is that we have found a tutor for Amber, of course right in time for us to leave the country! But she will start lessons as soon as we get back. A huge blessing for her as she has been itching to learn the language.

That all being said, we can't wait to be back home! My wife is looking forward to ordering Starbucks and running in temperatures above 0F! We appreciate your prayers as we leave on February 28 and return April 2. Please pray for Jacob on this long trip- for long naps and easy travels! We thank you all for your friendship and prayers on our behalf. Thank you for holding the ropes back home. We can't wait to be home and we will be counting down the days until we return to Russia.

God is good!