Update

We don't have the kind of internet access necessary for posting pictures and videos, but I did want to at least put something up here so that those of you checking wouldn't just see the same old thing every time. Maybe in a week or two we'll have some sort of answer to the connection problem.

Anyway, I won't make this long, but we are doing quite well. Since I last posted we have completed the paperwork for our residency, meaning that we are now officially legal residents of T-land! For three years! What a relief, after years of hassling with visas both short- and long-term, to have a solution to that problem. It doesn't mean our paperwork issues are totally complete, as a year from now we can apply for permanent residency, but for now, a huge weight off our shoulders. Thanks to those who thought of that situation!

We've also been on the hunt for an apartment to buy. We weren't sure that we would be able to borrow the money to do this, but thanks to a couple of relatives, it looks like that will be possible, so now we're looking for place to call home. Living in Russia, it's really, really nice to own your own apartment, since landlords have a habit of raising prices rather dramatically and frequently. Also, it minimizes the headache of registration, since if you own an apartment you can simply register yourself there, and you don't have to try to convince a skeptical landlord to do it. Those, and other reasons, mean that buying a place will be a huge advantage to us, and we're very thankful that He (through some of his servants) provided the means to do it! Please be thinking of us as we look; it's important to us that we end up where He would like us.

And that's about it. Of course, we're still on the hunt for a couple of T people who could be our language helpers, so that's a request for you to lift up. So far, I've managed to make friends with some guys who play soccer/football near our home, but none of them has taken me up on my offer of a part time job. We have some other ideas for where to find a language helper, but to date none have worked out, so please be thinking about that. We'd like to get into our language study as soon as possible, especially now that our paperwork details have been worked out.

Thanks again for stopping by, and check in soon for a post replete with pictures, I hope!