Praise God! Visa Laws Changed!

http://www.russianembassy.org/Embassy_eng/Consulate/Homestay_visa.html

For those of you who haven't heard we have been extremely blessed by the recent change in Russian visa laws.  This was a huge prayer request for our family and the new laws will mean significantly less stress on us while we're on the missions field.

We will now be able to get a three year visa with which we can stay for six months at a time before taking a trip out of the country to renew our visas.  Previously, we would have had to apply for new visas every three months which would have been stressful only being sure of three months approval to stay on the field at any given time.  It also would have been a huge financial burden on us.  The three year visa will cost us the same to obtain as the three month visas would have.  Except that we're paying the fees once not twelve times over the course of those three years.

God is so, so good!  We have also been blessed to start Russian lessons... in Tehachapi! Yes, in our little town.  Eva was in swim lessons over the summer and happened to be swimming with the daughters of a Ukrainian lady.  When I approached Olga about teaching Russian she was really sweet and she has actually offered to meet with us once a week to teach us Russian, which, she is doing for free!  What a huge blessing to meet her!

God is using this time to prepare us and to really help us have a time to build stronger relationships with our church family here before we go.  I've been able to be a part of the women's Bible study as well as having taken on the role of Sunday School Superintendent.  It was something that God really impressed on my heart that I was going to be doing when we first got back from Peru.  In fact, that is the biggest part of why we moved to Tehachapi at all was to become involved in Children's Ministry at Bear Valley Church.  For a while I wondered if I had just heard God wrong, I of course expected to immediately take on this role... not that it would take a year and a half before I would even start!  But God is so good, and his timing is wonderful.  I've learned so much about different approaches to ministry over this past year that I hadn't put much thought to before.  What a blessing it has been to go through the various phases since returning from Peru!

Well, I must go for now, but am thankful that you would take the time to read this update!  We look forward to hearing from you and where God has you as well!  Please do write, and also let us know if we can send you a couple prayer cards, we would love for you to put one on your fridge or in your office to remind you to keep us in prayer!

-Jessica

August 31, 2012

Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

What a wonderful and gracious God we serve! As many of you know, for several years we have prayed that God would open the door for our family to enter the missions field in the Former Soviet Union (FSU). God always seems to work in miraculous ways doesn't he? We were in a time when we were not seeking opportunities in the FSU, rather simply praying over what God had for us next.

The director of Calvary Chapel Church Planting Mission (CCCPM) invited us to come this Fall/Winter to join their team in Russia and Ukraine. For the first three to six months we will be living in the Moscow area. During this time we will go through an intensive language training program, and Lord willing we will walk away fluent.

Following our time of preparation in Russia, we will go to a city on the Russian and Ukrainian border. God has called our family to work among Jewish people and share the gospel with them. So we will be praying over several cities in which there are large Jewish populations in Ukraine. With a team of Russians and possibly Ukrainians and/or Americans we will have a large outreach throughout the city lasting for several days. From this outreach, prayerfully we will start an in home Bible study. This will eventually turn into a church plant. We will first be applying for a long term visa in Ukraine. After a certain length of time we will be able to apply for residency there. If the Lord opens this door, we will be able to stay in Ukraine for several years without having to leave to renew visas.

God has called us to live and serve long term on the missions field. And while serving in Peru, He taught us that there are three extremely vital teams of people that we need back here in the States. Please pray about how you can be a part of one of these teams, and partner with us in ministry!

1. Prayer Team

• We are looking for people to commit to praying for us on a certain day of each month. If you choose for instance the 17^th, we would ask that you pray every month on the 17^th. We also ask that any time you see this number and it triggers a thought of us, that you would stop and pray!

2. Communication Team

• We need a solid team of people who will be writing to us and/or sending packages at least once a month. It is easy for Satan to cause you to feel forgotten, especially while abroad.

3. Financial Support Team

• We need monthly supporters who are committed to a certain amount each month. This will allow us to pay for cost of living, language training and travel. It will be roughly $2,000 for visa fees for every three months in Russia, and around $3,000 in plane tickets to Moscow. In addition to the cost of living while there. We were told that we could come on no less than $2000 a month in consistent support. It would be helpful in covering airfare and visas if supporters would consider beginning support as soon as possible. Make support payable to CCCPM, write “The Buescher Family” on a separate piece of paper and enclose in envelope together. You will receive a tax deductible statement at the end of the year. Please, mail support to CCCPM, 2318 Carriage Circle, Oceanside, CA 92056

Contact us if you would like to partner with us in one of these three areas, we would love to sit and talk with you about specifics! You can reach us by phone, (661) 771-6254 OR (661) 805-1720. By e-mail at BuescherFamily5@gmail.com or visit our blog at www.buescherfamily5.blogspot.com.

In the love of Christ,

Romeo, Jessica, Eva, Romeo, and Baby Anya Buescher