From: Kris & Frances Courson
To: Kris W. Courson
Sent: Saturday, September 06, 2008 10:01 AM
Subject: Courson Update

It is hard to believe that our time in the states is coming to an end. Even as I am typing this prayer letter, I am waiting for a flight to Ukraine. Ukraine??? I’ll tell you more about that later.

We arrived in the states June 14 – my birthday. It was the longest birthday I’ve ever had – both literally since we gained 9 hours on the flight so my birthday actually lasted 33 hours, and also physically/mentally. From our apartment in Moscow, till our arrival in Helena, AL, it took us about 25 hours. I think I already shared in an earlier email that we lost Robert in the Atlanta airport – after about 45 minutes of searching; he ended up 3 terminals away in baggage claim. Everything was fine but we did have to wait for a later flight.

We have spent our 2.5 months here speaking in various churches, 1 national conference, leading a week long statewide camp, attending a week long debriefing conference, participating in an IMB Deaf strategy meeting, and we took a little time at the lake for some much needed rest. We were actually travelling a total of at least 40 days for business purposes.

Our initial plan was to return to Moscow on September 1. We had gone to the lake to spend one day resting before we headed back to Russia when I received a call from the board stating that they needed me to go to Ukraine to represent the board at the first World Congress of Deaf Baptists. I had originally planned to return to Moscow and then head to the Ukraine but about a week prior to our departure, we found out that it is now taking between three to five weeks to process our new visas once we arrive in Moscow. The World Congress leadership specifically requested for the IMB to send a representative and so the board asked if I would fly straight to the Ukraine and then proceed to Moscow after the Congress. We were able to change the flights with only about 2 hours to spare as it was Friday on a holiday weekend and the travel agent was closing in a couple of hours. It was also a blessing as we were able to stay at the lake for a few days more and rest up and have some fun. Please pray for me – for safe, on time travel (one of the hurricanes is heading up the east coast this morning.)

I fly out today, Saturday, September 06. I fly from Birmingham to Charlotte, NC, have about a 4 hour layover, then fly to Munich, Germany, have another 4 hour layover, then fly on to Kiev. Frances and the kids will fly out from Birmingham next week on Saturday to Atlanta, and then catch a non-stop flight to Moscow. I am planning to arrive back in Moscow on Saturday so I can meet them at the airport and help with luggage. Please pray for Frances as she travels with 4 kids, 14 footlockers/suitcases, 5 carryons, 5 backpacks. It is hard enough when all of us travel together let alone doing it alone.

Our apartment situation is still not worked out. Yes, we do have an apartment back in Moscow but another family has been living there since the repairs on their apartment weren’t complete, and, the prior family’s belongings are still there. The Wickers have been delayed and we are not sure when they will return to Moscow. We hope we arrive back to our apartment with only our things so we can set up house – currently, there isn’t even room for us to set up our bed.

Pray for our kids. They will have missed a full month of school. They are working on assignments here, but it will still be a struggle to catch up once they return.

Just a few concluding thanks to First Baptist Church of Helena – this is Frances’ home church (actually our church now.) They have been awesome. Before we arrived, they stocked our kitchen for our arrival, brought bread and desserts over almost weekly (it would have been more, but we had to tell them to stop as our freezer was filling up!) They have been very encouraging and supportive and our kids have felt “right at home”. This church has been a blessing to our whole family. Thank you.

You, our prayer supporters are our front line of defense. We could not do the ministry we have before us without your support! Please continue to hold us up. It is also an encouragement to get news from home from time to time, so please keep us updated.

Until next time,

Kris, Frances, Kristen, Rose, Robert, and James