Dear Fellow Laborers,

Special Prayer Request 2007

Praise the Lord for the exciting things He is doing in Russia!

 

Russia at a Turning Point

I want to write about a great prayer need in the nation of Russia. I have never written a prayer letter like this but I believe it is warranted. I try not to be sensational writing an “emergency style” letter every month knowing that God is in control of every event that awaits us. He knows about it better than we do. We are commanded to pray and leave the rest to Him.

Russia has just passed a law concerning “business visas” that has the potential to make mission work here very difficult. I would like to say first, that this law does not directly affect us because my wife and I have temporary residency, and are not in Russia on a visa. However, this law affects many current and future missionaries, and could be part of a greater trend of less openness to the outside world.

The new visa rules are as follows: One can only stay in the country for 180 days out of the year. They can only stay in the country for 90 days in a row, with in a six month span. This means that people who have this type of visa must leave the county every three months, and stay away for three months.

There is more that adds to the difficulties. In order to renew this type of visa, one has to go to his country of origin where he is either a citizen or a resident. That means every year flying back to America.

Right now it is believed that these new business visa rules will be applied to religious business visas as well. Without a religious business visa, anyone who leads in a church service or conducts evangelism risks being arrested and deported, and then not allowed to return.

These rules have a foundation that seem reasonable. Any one who stays in Russia more than 180 days at a time is required to pay taxes here. Many people live here all year renewing their visas, but do not pay taxes. The Russian government is trying to get people to switch over to a “worker’s visa”, which are more regulated in this area. This seems harmless but worker’s visas are much harder to obtain, and would not allow religious work. Going back to your home country was based on reciprocity, seeing that many countries require Russian citizens to renew their visa in Russia.

There are other visa options, but they all have great limitations on evangelism and preaching. Residency is a good alternative, but many missionaries can not afford to buy a place to live, which is required to obtain residency. Our God knows all this and has a plan in it. I believe He would like us to pray concerning these new directions. If these new rules stay as is, working here as a missionary will mean only being here six months out of the year, three months at a time, or working in complete secrecy. We need God to intervene in this situation. Thank you for your prayers.

Yours in Christ,
Adam, Angela, Alex, Amelia, and Alisa