January 14, 2008

Dear Friends in Christ!

Warm greetings to all of you from chilly Moscow. It has been a cold week, but we actually have very little snow. The forecast is for somewhat warmer temperatures, which is all right, as long as it doesn’t last too long. Frankly, I am hoping for more snow.

Al and the girls are back at school, and I am settling into my winter schedule. We have few visitors in the winter months, so I generally use this time to catch up and to work on scheduling for the coming year. I do have one trip planned out to Perm—for next week, in the Ural region—and a trip to Smolensk in February, but other than that, there is not too much on the schedule for travels. That’s okay.

As I work on the schedule, I need help from those of you who are planning a visit in 2008. I have been in touch with many of you over the past months, discussing specific trips and ranges of dates, but it would be extremely helpful if you would send, if not final dates, approximate dates of your visits. Looking at my calendar, I am alarmed to find that I don’t have all the trips written in yet, so I would appreciate an email, even if you think I know everything. If you have an interest in setting up a trip in 2008, please let me know as soon as possible. If you have not already begun to, it is time for you to start looking at airline tickets. Some of you are aware that I faced uncertainties with changes in the visa law, but we think we have a solution. I will have to leave the country more often for visa purposes, but it is manageable. Unfortunately, it adds some challenges to scheduling, particularly in the summer months. I’m sure you understand the importance of planning early and often. It’s Russia; we have to adapt the schedule repeatedly. Hopefully, you won’t notice the juggling act once you get here.

It is a year and a half away, but experience tells us that it is not too early to let you know of our plans for itineration. We are due to return to the United States for a one year period of itineration in the summer of 2009. If you are planning a trip to Russia in 2009 and want to come while we are still here, you should be communicating with us now. Likely we will leave Russia for the United States on August 1 and be available for itineration after Labor Day (2009). As Meg will be starting college in the fall of 2009, we may decide to return earlier. We are not certain yet where we will be living during itineration, but we are looking at either Louisville, Kentucky, or Sheboygan, Wisconsin (where Allison lives). One of the challenges we face is with our cat and dog, Esme and Snickers. Most of the mission housing that we know of does not allow animals, so we must find an alternative. If anyone has a suggestion, we are open to other options. If you would like to get on our itineration calendar early, let us know.

We wish you all a very blessed 2008.

With love in Christ,

Ellen & Al

The 2008 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 158