Dear family, church family, and friends,
We are finally in Vilyuisk! From our April 3rd Moscow arrival it took 24 days with many trials. Yet, God led us safely back to our beloved Sakha home and family in His perfect time.
The “road” from Yakutsk to Vilyuisk was water & mud; impossible to navigate in early April. But God sent winter back for 10 days, and the earth refroze. So our 500-mile trip was only 15 hours. New “chai-nayas” (tea stops) on the way helped. In years past, we didn’t have that luxury. So food and potty breaks made this bone-bruising trip much more bearable. Special thanks to our gifted dentist in Melbourne, FL: Brother, our bridges & caps are intact! In years past, we did our “business” on the road but times are changing—even here! Our Vilyuisk family is Luda & Vassili Yakovlev. Luda’s brother Afonya, was in Yakutsk too and he agreed to bring our supplies to Vilyuisk on a big truck. His truck broke down in route, so he tossed our stuff onto a rock pile atop a 6-ton Soviet era dump truck which had stopped to help. All our stuff arrived 4 days later; soggy and molested but well, mostly undamaged.
Luda took us to the militia last week to register us with the authorities. The head man told us to return Friday with 10,000 rubles ($400 US); as a fine for “entering Russia illegally”, even though we had registered in Yakutsk per instructions from Nickolay, Minister of Foreign Affairs. We went home and called Nickolay, who made a call. Now we’ll bring documents but no “fine”. God shielded us via 2 Sakha guardian angels (2 Thessalonians. 3:1-2)!
So there is a snap shot of some of the craziness of travel & legalities for us to be home. We are again thoroughly enjoying a subsistence diet of fresh moose from an early spring hunt. We’ve started language learning in earnest. I remember all of the sounds and am learning the grammar now. Pray that we can get home Internet access. The phone company director says there’s a waiting list till May 28. We opened a new Vilyuisk bank account here which allows direct US wire deposits—very helpful. Luda’s daughter, Olga is here in our home with little daughter, Anita, and husband, Alosha. Alosha has a car and he is our new driver; a big blessing as our dying van is in Ügülatsi until the winter “roads” reopen in Nov.
Good news! We announced our intent to move to tiny & isolated Ügülatsi when we were here in April ’06. Since then good friend Kola (Luda’s 2nd brother & village chief) lobbied several agencies, and we now have phone and crude Internet access in our tiny cabin! We hear too that our bank has opened an office there. These fall into the Matt. 6:8 realm!
The plan is: June 20-24 (just before our 32nd anniversary) Mike will be training pastors and baptizing just over 100 new saints in the Suuntar region, 3-days’ voyage up the Vilyuy River. Pray for a new outboard motor for this trip—available now in Yakutsk. From there we go up the Vilyuy River and several tributaries to Ügülatsi. Mike & Vasili will repair our log cabin, and then they’ll take a long fishing & hunting expedition together as Luda & I set up our households. We’ll each hear & speak only Sakhalyy during our separation. Thank you all so much for your faithful prayers for continued health, safety, provision, & boldness in witness.
As another May snow storm blankets the ground here this morning; this remains a place of cruel and unrelenting hardship and despair for all. In great weakness, we are starting each day together in Scripture, prayer, & worship. Focusing only on Father’s holy presence, our “momentary light afflictions” pale. We draw His strength, wisdom, and refreshing which we have found indispensable for a daily overflow of His joy and message of eternal hope for hurting Sakha hearts. He is our delight, reward, and joy in our daily pursuit of 1John 3:16.
All our love in Christ,
Diane & Michael Meagher
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