It is with great excitement that Andie and I share with you our plans to travel to Russia and surrounding countries this coming September for four months.  As many of you know, our oldest daughter, Talitha, and I visited Russia and Kazakhstan just over a year ago for two weeks to “impart some spiritual gift to them…to make them strong…that we would be mutually encouraged…” (Rom 1).  And encouraged we were!  While in Russia it was obvious that the Lord was working on the church leaders there in regard to family discipleship and offering their children a distinctively Christian education. This is particularly exciting to see church elders and pastors desiring to establish a Biblical form of education and discipleship in their families because their influence in the church body will be great upon other families with children.  After returning from that trip last year, we were asked if we would consider coming back for a longer period of time specifically to help these families get started in the important ministry of home education.  Not unlike America, the Slavic countries have a very Godless government education system that is slowly destroying the faith of the next generation and something must be done to stop the damage it inflicting upon these believing families. However, very unlike America, these Slavic families have not been given even a fraction of the teaching and resources we have been given in the area of family discipleship.  Since hearing of this need, our family has been discussing the idea of living in Russia for an extended period of time in order to accomplish the goal of building stronger foundations of family discipleship within the context of the local church body.  Those who know us know that we love God’s local expression of His church and see that through it, families are best able to grow and children to be discipled. Our desire is to see a realization of Psalm 78 where many generations of faithful children are raised up to “put their confidence in God.”  Is our family equipped to do this?  Certainly not on our own!  We need the favor of the Lord and the support of our friends.  So, I write this to appeal to you for financial support, for regular prayer, and to faithfully follow and promote our mission blog.

Now allow me to answer the question we are finding to be the first that is asked: How in the world will you raise enough money to fly a family of ten to Russia and live there for four months!?  Answer: we have no idea in the world, but believe that “every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of heavenly lights” (James 1).  Yes, raising nearly $28,000 seems like a lot; but if God can create the heavens and the earth out of nothing (Gen 1), if He can provide continuous oil for a widow and her child in a famine (2 Kings 4), and if He’s willing to “clothe the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire,” (Matt 6) how much more will He “clothe” us and provide for our needs?  We do not know the will of our heavenly Father in this matter, only that He is able and He is good!

Regarding prayer, our hope is that we can keep our family and our mission in the forefront of your minds through regular communications and through the use of our mission blog.  We will need prayer for financial provision in securing passports, airline tickets, and our room and board while there; for all the necessary preparations in leaving our home, upholstery shop and events coordination for Christian Home Educators of Colorado, and other ministry responsibilities that Scott will oversee from afar; as well as for wisdom in how best to equip Slavic families to educate their children with regard to legal issues and available curriculum and resources.

Which leads me to what we hope will be a great way to follow our family’s progress over the next several months before we leave and while we’re there: www.DavidsonsInRussia.com.  Andie has created this new website and blog for all our friends to see what we’re up to with this mission trip.  In it, we plan to explain more fully what the Lord has been accomplishing already in Russia and the surrounding countries over the previous decades, as well as some opportunities we can take advantage of while we’re there to promote family discipleship and home education.  You will be introduced to the many precious Slavic families deeply desiring a Christian education for their children and you will be able to follow as we try to make that dream a reality.  We will offer a ‘Minute with the Davidsons’ video series while we are in country to keep you posted on the work God is accomplishing in His church.  Please talk the time to check it out and see what we have so far!