May 5, 2002

Privyet!  (Hello!)
"Christ the Lord is Risen today!" This is Russian Easter, and we're enjoying the time to remember the resurrection.  It's definitely springtime here. We've been thoroughly enjoying the changes in the weather and all the new greenness.  This time is a holiday from school, and we just got back from a wonderful couple of days in the country with our friends, Dean and Olga Kershner, and a group of people that we know through them.

We had a very wonderful visit with Will's parents and sister for two weeks at the end of March.  Thank you to them for coming and to all of you who sent so much love and encouragement with them for us!  We spent most of the time with them exploring Moscow and visiting friends around here, and then we also took a wonderful, quick trip up to Saint Petersburg.

After the break and fun time with Will's family, we jumped right back into a new and busier schedule at school.  The other main foreign English teacher quit, and so we ended up with quite a few new classes.  I've especially enjoyed the new schedule, even though it does leave me pretty tired sometimes.  Please pray for us to be able to keep up and to finish the year out well.

We also had a chance to get back out to the orphanage Ruza, which we had visited before.  Will gave an object lesson for the kids, and they really seemed to enjoy it.  Maybe they just liked the novelty of hearing an American speak Russian, but they really listened carefully and understood.  Also, on this visit it seemed like the adults who work with the kids were more affected by having us there than before.  The kids enjoyed it, but the adults were more touched.  Please pray that God will continue working in the lives of both the children and the workers, possibly through the missionaries who live in the town.

I have been really encouraged with some progress in language lately.  There hasn't been anything dramatic, but I find that I'm being understood more often than not.  Up until now I felt like I wasn't really getting anywhere at all.  There's still a long road ahead, but I'm encouraged.  Just please don't stop praying!

The next event that we have coming up is an outreach picnic with the youth of Resurrection Church on May 9th.  It's a big deal, with many details that need to be worked out.  Everything is organized by the young people, and the goal is to invite as many unchurched friends as possible to a non-threatening, fun introduction to the church.  Please pray that all will go well, that Christ will be glorified, and that people will come to Him through this.

We would also really like to have you praying with us as we continue to look into ministry opportunities for this summer and the next year.  We still have a lot of decisions ahead of us, and we really need your prayers as we take these next steps.

Thank you so much for your prayers, love, and support.  Please keep praying for us, and let us know how we can pray for you, too.  We love to hear from you!

With love and prayers,
Will and Phyllis Hunsucker