How we got to this point

Ever since we were engaged, Diana and I have had Russia on our hearts. We knew somehow, sometime, God would call us back. We even have had for the last several years a large map of Russia and its satellite countries on our den wall. Three years ago Diana was invited to speak at some missions conferences in Athens and Madrid, an experience which gave her a renewed passion for moving abroad and serving God's Kingdom internationally. I knew she was on the mark because we knew it had to be coming at some point, but I was too committed to the ministry God so clearly called me to here in Richmond, Christian Ministries United.

We talked and prayed and talked and prayed over the next couple of years. About two years ago we decided it was time to get serious, but we had not clue how to move forward. We serve a God, however, who promises, "I will lead the blind in the way they do not know.” That’s what we needed, and God provided in a wonderful way, though we sure didn't see the way most of the time. I've detailed this story in my last several letters, so I’ll fill in some of the gaps I've missed before.

This August was the culmination of that journey to find a path back to Russia. After 5 months of interviews, applications, gathering references, psychological batteries, and prayer, Diana and I flew out to Anaheim for a final 8-hour interview – yes, it was a doozy! We loved ministry, the staff, their values, their direction, and they reciprocated. We are now officially on staff with Church Resource Ministries (CRM – http://www.crmleaders.org/), headed within the next year or so to St. Petersburg, Russia. Of course it is only the beginning of a long road to getting ready to go, raising our support being the largest part of our preparatory work over the next year, but we are thrilled to have a new place to call “home.”