Will wrote this letter soon after we were engaged: To Friends and Family, Comrades and Cohorts near and far: I'm sure many of you have concluded long ago that I'd dropped off the face of the earth-...  and an update is definitely loooong due.  Usually the purpose of writing such a letter is to inform all and sundry of some great change in one's life.  Say, an engagement or marriage- and that very well may be, but let's set that aside for a bit, eh? As you all know I came home from my last trip to Russia with ATI in May of '97- in fact, that spring may be the last time many of you saw me.  Well, have no fear, I have been busy since then! I worked all that summer and fall with the goal of going to Bible College.  In January '98 I began my studies at New Tribes Mission's Bible Institute, in Jackson MI.  I had a wonderful two years there, growing in knowledge of the Word, cultivating friendships, ministering with my brothers and sisters there.  Attending a Bible school with a missions emphasis was great- since I considered this as part of my training to prepare me for further ministry in Russia. One of the obvious benefits of any Bible school is the opportunity to study the Bible, minister, worship, and serve together with a like-minded group of dedicated Christian young people.  Our school was small enough you could get to know everyone fairly well, staff and students alike.  I spent a majority of my time with a small circle of close friends.  None of us were dating, we had many of the same classes, we all attended and served in the same local church, basically just spent a lot of time together.  The fact that I was the only guy didn't bother me the least bit- or rather, it was superfluous.  =) After a quick two years had passed, it was time to graduate and move on.  As graduation drew closer, the realization began to dawn on me- that there was one of my dear sisters that I was much more loathe to take leave of than the others.  (Yes!!  There it is!!..  You've been waiting, right?) ;o) That would be a certain Phyllis Robertson.  Phyllis had been a good friend for a year and a half or so since she'd come to school.  We shared many of the same classes and even more than that, many of the same interests.  She had wanted to go to Russia for years, had studied the language, had friends who'd been to Russia and was planning on going over herself, as soon as possible.  There weren't a lot of people at school interested in going to Russia, per se- so naturally, we had a common bond from the start.  We even shared my Russian Bible in classes whenever possible! While attending New Tribes, we were both able to go to Russia, during the summer of '99.  Phyllis went with a New Tribes/Pioneers group to Siberia; and I went with my dear friend Nathan Clausen, to minister to and with the churches of central Russia.  I didn't see much of Phyllis that summer, but I was able to go and meet her group at the airport in Moscow.  That was of course, just one more thing to draw us closer as friends...for her to finally visit Russia and affirm her desire to serve and live there.  For me, it was a great opportunity to get a clearer idea of how I could better serve and work with the local churches. As I've already stated, as it came time to graduate (Dec.'99), I was realizing that more and more that Phyllis was one sister, one friend, I didn't want to lose touch with- or even have to say goodbye to! However, I had a somewhat vain and egotistical plan set up in my mind concerning how to remedy this.  Something along the lines of: "Well, I'll just get myself set up nice and neat for going back to Russia; get everything just so; - and simply stay in close touch with Phyllis for now, keep those ties strong, y'know...and then when I've got everything ready THEN take the next step!"  Nice, eh? Well, there was one problem with that thinking and that is that I was left completely in control of the situation rather than the Lord!  Fortunately, I asked the advice of some older friends/mentors of mine, a family serving there at the school as missionaries.  They set me straight in my thinking...in a very loving- and brutally honest manner.  They simply showed me my self-reliance - all throughout my thinking; in planning for the future and concerning Phyllis.  They challenged me to be honest with Phyllis as to my intentions...and to put myself wholly in the Lord's hands in an area where I never had before. This was the day before I graduated.  Needless to say, I didn't sleep that night!  By the time the next night came, I'd made my decision, and as scared as I was about venturing into uncharted waters, I knew that the Lord was in control- and I could truly trust Him.  That evening, Phyllis and I went for a little walk.  For two hours or so!  I did a lot of talking...and she listened and had no objections.  (Praise God!!) Neither of us had dated before.  Phyllis knew what I was proposing as well as I did.  See, I had gone over the topic of casual dating vs. dating with marriage in mind with my friends countless times.  They all knew exactly what my convictions were!  They also knew that if I were ever to approach any one of them, it would be with the intention of dating seriously, looking to marriage in the future. Soon thereafter, I found myself doing something else equally unprecedented: calling Phyllis's father!  =) I think Mr.  Robertson was as scared as I was- but he did know who I was- and gave his blessings joyfully.  (Though I do know there was some fear and trembling on his part- his firstborn daughter!...and she'd never dated, either!) I would not trade my years of singleness for anything- nor the many precious relationships given by the Lord during that time.  A single person has nearly unlimited opportunity in serving the Lord and others-but man was NOT meant to be alone.  (Sooner or later, most young men come to that conclusion on their own!) I know how greatly the Lord has blessed my life as a single man-.  I HAVE cherished these last six years.  But to look forward to a LIFETIME of ministering with, alongside of one who has the same goals, the same desires- one who I do love so..."Oh Taste and See that The Lord Is GOOD!!  Blessed is the Man Who Trusts In HIM!" For years, Psalm 37 has been something of a watchword, a reassurance, an exhortation as I sought to serve the Lord as a single man and not to seek any one person other than the Lord!  "TRUST in the Lord- DELIGHT yourself also in the Lord- COMMIT your way unto the Lord- REST in the Lord- WAIT on the Lord.."  For They that Seek the Lord Shall Not Want Any Good Thing! Phyllis and I were engaged October 20th--the Giver of every good gift has given me a precious friend--to be my wife!  We are praying and planning toward going to Russia sometime within the next year.  (We will be in NC from February on out, if anyone wants to contact us.) I apologize for the length of my epistle here- but I couldn't just write and say, "I'm getting married!!"  Thanks so much for your friendship and prayers over the years. "It is Good for me to draw near to God: I have put my trust in the Lord God That I May Declare All His Works!!" Your Brother and Friend, Will Hunsucker =o)