Russia requires all foreign visitors to obtain a visa, aka “permission to enter.” Each year I feel like I’m holding my breath until the Fed Ex letter from the Russian Consulate arrives with my passport and visa sticker affixed. Then, I am “sure” I’m going. Before I can apply for a visa, however, I have to get an official “letter of invitation” from an authorized Russian agency. This process involves yet another application, time, money, and the legwork of my faithful friend Tanya in Samara. For a reason yet unknown to me, even after nine years, the agency won’t begin to…
March 11, 2009 – About trip number 9
“Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” John 14:27 Trip number nine! God has once again provided, and I have a plane ticket for Samara, Russia. As many of you already know from Tanya’s e-mails and newsletters, Samara CrossRoads is diligently ministering to Russian teachers and teens. In spite of scaled-back salaries and makeshift working conditions, Tanya, Alla, and Natasha continue to press on toward the mark. This year I am traveling sooner than I usually do, leaving April 30, and I will be making the trip alone. I will be teaching a…
