Dear Praying Friends and Family,
Greetings: I hope this letter finds you well in the Lord Jesus and enjoying His fellowship, service, and blessings. Things are moving right along in preparation for our return to Ukraine on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean. We are getting excited as we see that the time of our return to the field is indeed a reality after so many delays and postponements. Thank you for praying for us and for your continued support during these trying times.
Green lights: Returning to our area in southern Ukraine during wartime is a very serious decision which I have debated and prayed over since the war began. I believe the Lord wants us to return to the field. However, I have cautiously prayed and asked the Lord to close the door, preferably SLAM IT SHUT(!) if I’ve misunderstood His leading. So far, we’ve received only green lights to go forward. We have received the great news that our paperwork has been both submitted AND received as of the end of April, which are two different moments in the whole paperwork process. Please pray for the timing of our letter of invitation’s preparation. It should be ready right about the time that Pastor Alexei’s exemption card from military service runs out and may cause a few weeks delay. Please pray that all works out in God’s timing.
Finishing Furlough: It has always been my intention to visit our home church and our mission board at the end of our furlough. In the past we’ve always had hurried meetings with them squeezing them in between other meetings in the area. We finally had the opportunity to visit both. As always, we feel like we did not get to spend all the time we would have liked to, but we are thankful that the Lord allowed us to visit each for a few days and try to re-tie the connections after so many years being on the field. Having had these meetings gives us a sense that our time here is quickly coming to an end and I hope that we were a blessing in some way. The Lord also gave us some great meetings in OH, PA, and TN.
Dates: Lord willing, we hope to be able to announce the actual date of our return to Ukraine in our next letter. We will apply for our visas after the physical letter of invitation is delivered to us. Then, I plan to book our return tickets as soon as our visas are in hand.
Again, we would like to thank you all for your friendship, fellowship, prayers, and support of us in this work that God has given us. May the Lord Jesus bless you as you continue to serve Him.
That Ukraine May Know him
Christopher Rue
Phil 3:10