LEAVING FOR SMOLENSK

I LEAVE IN ABOUT AN HOUR FOR SMOLENSK. I DIDN'T GET HOME IN TIME LAST NIGHT TO POST ABOUT DAGESTAN (I DID GET HOME IN TIME TO NOTE THAT THE GRAMMAR AND SPELLING POLICEMAN IS STILL ON PATROL. HE DOESN'T MISS A THING. GLAD TO HAVE HIM WIT ME. KEEPS ME ON MY TOES).

QUICK WORD ABOUT DAGESTAN. IT TOOK 3 HOURS ON BOTH SIDES OF THE BORDER, WHICH MEANT WE GOT TO SPEND VERY LITTLE TIME ACTUALLY IN COUNTRY. WE HAD NO CONTACTS TO MEET, SO WE WENT TO THE CITY SQUARE, CITY HALL, GOT INFORMATION ABOUT LAWS, ETC. AND TALKED TO THE LOCAL FOLK AS QUIETLY AS WE COULD. AS FAR AS WE CAN TELL, IN THE PARTICULAR AREA WE WERE IN, THERE IS NO KINGDOM WITNESS. WE SAW THE MOSQUE AND THE PEOPLE SEEM TO BE MORE INFLUENCED IN ISLAM THAN THE PEOPLE IN MAYKOP. IT IS MORE PRIMITIVE AND MORE MOUNTAINOUS THAN I EXPECTED. WE DIDN'T GET HOME UNTIL ABOUT 2:30 IN THE MORNING YESTERDAY. IT WAS ALL GOOD AND WE NOW KNOW HOW TO PRAY. IT IS A DESPERATELY NEEDY COUNTRY FOR THE GOSPEL.

I AM NOT SURE HOW GOD WILL LEAD US, BUT I KNOW THAT THERE IS SO MUCH TO BE DONE YET. SOMETIMES I THINK WE GET THE FEELING THAT THERE IS SOOOO MUCH EVANGELISM GOING ON....THEN YOU GO TO A PLACE LIKE DAGESTAN AND YOU REALIZE THERE ARE MILLIONS....MILLIONS....WHO STILL HAVEN'T HEARD. HOW CAN THAT BE????

I'M NOT SURE IF DAGESTAN WILL BE THE PLACE GOD OPENS FOR US NEXT...BUT I KNOW THERE IS NEED THERE. LET'S BE PRAYING FOR WISDOM AND GUIDANCE IN WHAT DIRECTION TO GO.

GOTTA GET ME STUFF TOGETHER. I'LL WRITE YOU NEXT FROM SMOLENSK. TODAY WILL BE A LONG DAY. WON'T GET INTO SMOLENSK UNTIL EARLY MORNING TOMORROW.

WILL BE THINKING AOUT AND PRAYING FOR YA'LL AS I GO. REALLY, REALLY MISS YA'LL.

LOVE YA'LL. YA'LL LOVE EACH OTHER.