Court Appeal Update

As was mentioned in our last prayer letter, Monday, June 19 was the date for our appeal to the regional court of Krasnoyarsk.  Our lawyer has informed us that the decision of the Vanavara court was not reversed, therefore our only recourse for further action is to appeal it to the next higher court.

The next step will be to submit an appeal to the next level of the court here in Krasnoyarsk, which is simply a formality required in order to bring the appeal before the Russian Supreme Court.  If the Supreme Court does not reverse the decision, then we will submit the appeal to the Constitutional Court which is the highest court in the land.

Again, with all of this, we are seeking for a reversal of the decision because of the precedent that has been set with the ruling which could affect the interpretation of other laws and our rights as foreigners living in the Russian Federation.  Please continue praying with us for the Lord’s will to be done as we continue the appeal process.

News and Other Requests

About 2 months ago, Bro. Dean’s neighbor approached him and asked if we would be interested in going on a week-long fishing trip up north from Vanavara.  We were, of course, interested and after talking with him further we decided to go ahead and take him up on the offer.  We will be leaving this Wednesday, July 5 and will return to Vanavara the following Wednesday, July 12.

We will fly out of Vanavara by helicopter to another village north of here, named Strelka, and from there we will take boats down river for 3 days, fishing and camping along the way, and then make our way back to Strelka (another 3 days).  The Lord has clearly opened the door for this, and we are excited both to see some new northern Siberian territory and to build on the friendship that has already developed with Bro. Dean’s neighbor.

With this also comes some prayer requests:

1. Please pray for our families as they stay back in Vanavara.  We will be without any form of communication until we return back to Vanavara, so we covet your prayers for them in our absence.

2. Please pray for our safety in our travel and our time in the taiga.  While the first bit will be by helicopter, the rest of the time we will be traveling by boat.

3. Please pray for good weather and good fishing.  Good weather and good fishing go hand-in-hand.  Here in Siberia, fishing isn’t a sport, it is their both food and livelihood for many.

4. Please pray for Bro. Dean and me to be a good testimony and to have opportunities to share the Gospel with these men.