here is what my country leaders wife wrote about the situation that we are facing as a team currently with residency issues. She wrote it a lot better than I could. Please be in prayer as my roommate who is also with JV is currently in Ukraine after being denied residency.
Thank you so much for your prayers
Good Morning To All!
First, let me just praise the Lord - today is the first day that all four of our children went to school since December 17th!!! I am sitting, quietly, at my desk. I can think. And, yes, I can breathe!!! I praise Him!
Second, we would like to ask that you pray this week very fervently, and possibly in the weeks to come for all of our new staff to receive their residency into the country of Latvia!!
Most of you know that we have only had one person not receive their residency in the past. And, in actuality have only heard of two cases (one of those being ours) where missionaries did not receive their residency in the past, out of literally hundreds who have come through Latvia to minister for some time.
Unfortunately, this pattern is about to change. The first of our five new missionaries was rejected on Friday. Mike Kelly left for the Ukraine (a non-EU country, as required) yesterday, and will have to reside there until this conflict is resolved. We fear that the other four will receive their bad news on Wednesday (although this is not for certain yet - prayer # 1!!!!!!!)
It seems that EU rules are changing things significantly. In fact, our family should have been rejected in October when we re-applied, as well as our other existing missionary, Jaycee Jensen, in November. How we "slipped through" we cannot say. We suspect that the five new people applying caused a red flag and further investigation. Apparently, the way we have been registered as a not-for-profit organization does not allow us to invite people into the country to live any longer. This is hugely significant because every other missions organization in the country is listed in the same way and goes through the same process to bring missionaries into the country.
Some people have suggested we pay for a lawyer, but, in fact, this would do no good (and, actually, we paid for a lawyer with our last missionary who was rejected, and he really couldn't help us). A lawyer cannot help us change the law, and they cannot change the minds of the people working in the government office. The EU is "cracking down" and making it more and more difficult for foreigners to receive residency, and in fact, they have to do this. With all the new Eastern block countries that have been accepted into the EU, they have to control it somehow if they do not want all of Russia and the Middle East to flood through their doors. The difficult part of all this is - we have very few other options.
Right now, we are praying that possibly not all of our new people have been rejected - Eastern Europe is still that way - it can change from day to day, depending who is working. We will know for sure on Wednesday whether or not they all have to leave. Mike will be applying for residency through the Baptist Union for a religious visa, and since he does have a certificate from a seminary, we don't see that he will be rejected again - but, again, nothing is ever for sure here. The down side of that kind of visa is that it is only given for one year, so every year you have to pay high fees and face the stress of being rejected. But, as said before, we don't have a lot of other options at this point.
Pray for Mike as he has to stay in Ukraine and wait - pray that the Lord will meet Him there and minister to him. Pray that he will receive welcome back into the country very soon.
Pray for our other missionaries - Kelly and Donna Hargon, Joe Brookes, and Nick Fletcher - as they wait until Wednesday. Pray that miraculously the news is good and they have been accepted!! Pray that if it is not good, we will find a good course of action for all of them - they can't all stay with the one couple who lives in Ukraine!
Pray that we find a solution to this very upsetting mess! As said before, this will affect every other mission agency in the country, and quite possibly all of the EU!! Pray for Scott, as country leader, that he would have wisdom and discernment. Pray for someone to come along side of us who can help us sort this out! Pray for the right people to be in the right offices as they make decisions regarding our people.
The bottom line of all this is - we are shocked and confused. The good news - God is not!!! He knew it all before any of it came to be. He is in control, and now we must petition Him to work His mighty hand in this! He can do this - we cannot! But we must come to Him and pray!!
Please commit to praying for this matter to be resolved, and for our faith to be strengthened as we see Him work!
Jesus said, "Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God." - John 11:40
Thank you for standing with us in faith and belief!
In Him,
Scott and Lisa Runzo
