Newsletter from Liz Hulley (Sukhovskaya)
May 10, 2011
Dear praying friends,
I realize not all of you “follow” me on Facebook or my blog, or receive the Stoneworks newsletters (let me know if you want to sign up). Therefore, here is an update on what I’ve been up to for the past several months.
In the fall I received my residency permit, and then I got sick several times, so it’s hard to even remember what else was going on at that point. Well, except for a few tidbits…
The truth is that I’m married! But here’s a more explanatory version:
In late August 2010 I started dating a close friend from church, Andrei. This was a much-anticipated move and an answer to our prayers. We’ve been very encouraged by everyone’s positive response and support as we move forward.
Andrei is an elder at our church and teaches Philosophy, Religion, Cultural Studies, Politics, and other subjects in 3 local universities. He leads our small group at church and organizes lectures and excursions as a ministry to friends as well as local students.
In January 2011 we announced our engagement at church and the pastor exhorted married couples to invite us to their houses and impart wisdom. So it’s been a fun season of spending time with married couples in our church and gleaning from what they have to share.
Our wedding in St. Petersburg is planned for July 30th, 2011. But our civil ceremony has already taken place: we were legally married in a St. Petersburg wedding palace on April 17th, 2011. We still have a lot to do to prepare, but everything has gone smoothly so far. We make it a point to celebrate even “small” victories so that we can give thanks and glory to God. So we wanted to share with you that this step, at least, is complete.
Paperwork
Remember my year-long journey to receive a temporary residency permit? Well, a new last name means a new passport…which means, goodbye to those precious stamps in my current passport. I’m currently in the process of transferring everything. THIS week I hope to have everything more or less sorted out.
Andrei recently received his new passport in order to travel abroad. That’s one victory! Right now we are working on a visa for him in order to visit the U.S. this summer after our church ceremony. We are aware that he might be denied a visa. We’ll be sad if we don’t get to go, but we are also certain that our plans are in God’s hands.
Witnessing at the orphanage
When you’re a foreigner in Russia, you are often asked about your motives, especially if you are “voluntarily” staying in the country. This is a good excuse to talk about God, but it can also alienate people pretty quickly. Much easier to say you are studying or just checking out the nice architecture, right? I’m still learning how to be bold. Read more
