September 16, 2004

Dear Friends,

We woke up early on August 25 in Richmond, Virginia, expecting the FedEx truck to pull up with our visas in time for us to get on our scheduled flight that evening from Washington, Dulles back to Russia. Our visas had been denied twice by the Russian consulate in Washington D.C., but we had learned at 2:00 p.m. the previous day that they were granted by the Russian consulate in San Francisco. (We were told it was nothing personal, just a tit for tat visa dispute between the United States and Russia.) Before the visas arrived, our neighbor Lynn Valeri came over looking uncharacteristically pale and told us with some hesitation in her voice that the morning paper reported two airplanes had exploded in mid-air over Russia the night before. This was not exactly the kind of news that encourages some one like me who is an anxious flyer anyway, but it is the sober truth one needs to take into account when traveling in times like ours.

Our visas did arrive and we made our flights back to Russia without any incident, Jeremiah and I on Air France, Laurie and Christiana on Lufthansa, us boys arriving a few hours ahead of the girls. Upon our return we learned that while we had been away, our apartment had been broken into. Our friends who were looking after things did their best to put everything back into place. Miraculously, as far as we can tell, nothing was damaged or stolen. We have been told that there are two kinds of groups in Moscow that specialize in break-ins. One type is looking only for jewelry and money. The other type is looking for computers and televisions. It seems the former type broke in to our apartment, and did not find the little bit of money that was there. (We have also heard of a third type, drug addicts, who steal and destroy randomly). Needless to say, there is a new lock on our apartment door.

The school had been rigged with explosives by the terrorists during summer renovations. More than 350 people died in Beslan. Reports tell us that 105 persons are still missing, with only 90 corpses burnt beyond recognition. Some parents, hoping against hope that somehow their children survived, have been unable to sleep, wandering about the city in search of their missing children. (I will be sending a fuller report on this event and on relief efforts soon.)

In the midst of all this, our family has returned to Moscow to begin our eighth year of ministry. We take courage and find our motivation in the words of Jesus: We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night comes, when no one can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world. (John 9:4-5)

Here is a brief update on our activities during the summer and some of our present doings.

We spent part of May, June, July and part of August in the United States after completing our second term of mission service in Russia with the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). We visited churches in Alabama, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Maine, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia. In all, I addressed 27 churches and groups in various places. It is a great thrill for me to visit, preach, and tell news of our work in Russia in churches all over the United States. I am grateful for the wam reception I received everywhere. I regret that I was not able to visit all the churches that issued an invitation this summer. In addition to engagements at many churches, our family was able to spend a week with the Allen (Laurie’s) family in South Carolina as well as the Marsden (Donald’s) family in Connecticut. We attended the 99th New Wilmington Missionary Conference in late July in Pennsylvania as well as the PC(USA) sharing conference for missionaries on home assignment (read “itineration”) in Louisville during August.

One of the biggest events of our summer was saying goodbye to our oldest daughter Hannah as she began her first year of Asbury College in Wilmore, Kentucky. In sending Hannah to Asbury our family has entered a new phase of life, one filled with tears as well as joy. We are delighted with what we have seen of Asbury College, even though we miss Hannah greatly. We cannot think of a better place for her to be in school, but our apartment in Moscow doesn’t seem quite the same without her. In a time like this we are glad to have email and telephone cards to make communication easier.

Back in Moscow, Alexei and Oxana Markevich and Larisa Zhukova of Narnia Center, who stayed at work through the summer, have been working diligently while we were in the United States. They managed to see three new books (The Making of a Leader, by Robert Clinton, Are You There God, It’s Me, Margaret, by Judy Blume and With Love, Anne-Marie, by Michel Quoist) and an edition of Narnia’s children’s ministry magazine published. Three and a half years ago, Alexei, Larisa, and I, knowing nothing about publishing, attended our first training seminar for Christian publishers in Bulgaria. When I think about the fact that we have now published 15 books and 8 magazines, I am encouraged by what has been accomplished. If you would like to see pictures of our books on the Narnia website, see http://www.narniacenter.ru/. Sorry, everything is in Russian only, no English text as of now.

In addition to her ongoing work with Opora’s recovery ministries, Laurie has returned to Moscow working hard on preparing the way for a visit later this month by Ruth Van Reken, co-author of The Third Culture Kids, and author of Letters Never Sent, who will conduct a retreat for women and will speak to families about the challenges of raising kids in a foreign country. Laurie is also the parent representative on the Hinkson Christian Academy school board this year.

I would like to close this letter with a request to churches or persons who are able to do so to make a commitment to support our salary or to increase the support you send. Our salary support has fallen off over the last couple of years. There are many pressures on the general mission budget of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), which have necessitated a reduction in the number of our mission workers around the world, not to mention big cuts of administrative staff at our headquarters in Louisville. Your support of us will help free up dollars for the support of other missionaries who are badly needed in many areas of the world today. Our Designated Mission Support account number, which receives funds toward our salary is D506711. Knowing that the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) system is not always easy to understand, I hasten to add that if you need more information about this, send me a note and I will get you an answer. Thank you for your prayers for protection and strength, and for supporting us in this ministry. It is our privilege to serve God in Russia.

Walking in the light,

Donald and Laurie Marsden

The 2004 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 340