Return to Russia ... Year 5!

I emailed this to some of my blog readers already, so this may be a duplicate.

I wanted to share some information about the Russia Talk the Talk classes this year. The minister of foreign missions got a me a few other people together last Sunday to talk about this year's trip. We are going to go to Russia on September 28th. He said that the trip planning was so late because his family had "a hard summer". He didn't elaborate, so I didn't ask for any details.

But the good news is we are going! So I need you to mark September 28th-October 14th in your calendars to pray for our team. I would have liked to send out my normal support letter with the cute little pre-stamped envelopes, but there just isn't time. Due to the late start, there isn't any deadlines for financial support. So if you wish to support me in that way, you can do so whenever you have means in the upcoming months.

I thought it would be appropriate to share some of my thoughts about this year's trip. I know God is a light unto our paths, but He rarely illuminates more than one step in front of us. The fact that this year's trip is happening at all is proof of that! But I do feel Him leading me away from Russia. I have been to Russia four times starting when the English classes were in their "infancy". Some of my first year students are graduating this year, and going back next year w/o seeing them would be hard. These trips have not been about seeing old friends, that has just been God blessing His work and workers. But what I am sensing is that I have been there for "a season" and that the graduation of my first year students is a kind of closure on that season. I cannot be certain that my work there is complete, just thinking of not going back pulls at my heart strings. I guess I really have fallen in love with Russia.

Not returning on the Talk the Talk trip does not mean that I won't be going somewhere. One of my best friends at church is moving to Kazakhstan fulltime to run a Celebrate Recovery (a God centered AA) program. Since that ministry will be in its "infancy" too, that may be an opportunity. I work with pre-schoolers at church and our India mission works with kids as does our Guatemala mission. There's too much to be done to be idle. So please say a prayer for me that God will shove me in the right direction. :))

Thank you and God bless.

posted by iWantToKeepAnon at 7:01 PM |