It's beginning to feel a lot like Russia...

...at least, like we thought Russia would feel. Most days it does not get above freezing now, and the snow that fell last week is still seen in patches under trees and in other shady places. (Actually, since I first started writing this, it has snowed again.) The days are getting shorter quickly now, too, with the sun not rising until around 8:30 am and coming up about 3-4 minutes later each day. We have been warned that we could be S.A.D. during the winter. For those of you who don't know about this, S.A.D. refers to the depressing effect that having so little daylight (eventually only about 6 hours per day) has on many people. When I think about this, I am reminded of the spiritual darkness and oppression that fills the hearts of people who have never heard the one true gospel message. Please pray with us that God will lift the veil that covers so many hearts and reveal the true glory of Christ, that His death and resurrection are a completed work that does not need to be "supplemented" by our own good deeds. Pray that the Spirit will move on hearts and that people will repent and turn in faith to the One who has already earned the right for us to be completely forgiven.

Prayer highlights:

• Today we found out that our visas have been officially extended until the end of June- praise God! We are excited to have at least 9 more months here.
• We are taking a short break from language classes since our wonderful friend and language tutor had to leave to go to the U.S., and we are now waiting for our new tutor to come from Moscow. Although the extra room in our schedule is nice, we pray that we will be disciplined to continue our studies during this time. We resume at the end of November.
• We move to apartment #3 next Friday. This will be another nice home, but we would love prayers for energy to learn a new neighborhood and transportation routes.
• Pray that even as cold and darker days settle over the land, God will bring light and joy into the hearts of His people in Ufa.

Thank you always for your prayers and words of encouragement. We all continue to do well and feel mostly prepared for the winter to come. We miss our family and friends but are so excited that God has brought us here. We are enjoying meeting wonderful people and seeing how God has already been working in Ufa.