A NEW VAN
Well, new to us. I have been looking for better transportation for more than nine months. Two months ago I had basically given up. Then Kerry Stephenson of Nacogdoches, Texas, wrote and said that folks within the church there were praying for God to meet this need. Last month, we were able to purchase a 1987 L300 Mitsubishi.

Andrey, a friend who had been through the process of registration, helped me get it done quickly. With his help, it took 3 days to get the proper documents. Even at that, it was necessary to "encourage" some of the officials not to stop the registration process completely. Andrey was so pleased that we could register a vehicle in such a short amount of time.

The biggest surprise came when I had to register it with the ministry of defense. I asked Andrey, what that was all about. He said that in case of a war, all such vehicles would be taken to transport soldiers.

After everything was done, we noticed a mistake on the car "passport". This is the all important document that is checked everytime you are stopped by the GAI. The little mistake would cause the officers to think that the motor in the van was stolen. So I went back to the registration office, and they scrawled the correct number on the vehicle's passport . I told them to give me a new vehicle passport. My, what an argument we had. So, after waiting a few more hours in line, the vehicle passport was properly corrected. What a headache, but we still praise God for the van.

COFFEE BREAK
There are a couple of young men, Sasha and Sergey, that I work with quite often. When at my home, they love to sit and chat -- and drink coffee.

Recently, I found some Folgers Instant Coffee. (I am so grateful for such a small item.) It is much stronger than the coffee we had been drinking, but they couldn't believe it. Sergey put two big heaping teaspoons in a small cup, and drank it. Then had a refill. I laughed, knowing that before long his eyes would be bulging out and he would have a tremendous headache. The next time he asked if he might try the decaf. Now he uses only a little coffee per cup, and doesn't want anything to do with regular Folgers coffee.

Pray for (Russian) laborers for this field, and our varied ministries which continue to grow. Kevin