PETERSBURG, RUSSIA (November 13, 2007) – Leonid and Leanna Regheta, missionaries with the Evangelical Covenant Church Department of World Mission (CWM), are returning to the United States for several months due to ongoing complications with obtaining long-term Russian visas for their children.
The family has had to leave Russia four times in the last four months because of the visa troubles, which include changing immigration laws. “New Russian laws require us to apply for Russian visas (in the United States) now, so by the time we take care of this paperwork, we hope to also have our baby delivered at the Swedish Covenant Hospital in Chicago,” Leonid wrote in an email to supporters last week.
“We do not understand the reasons, but trust God’s providential and sovereign hand guiding our lives,” Leonid added. The Reghetas have been serving in Russia for two years.
Visa issues similar to the Reghetas’ are increasingly common in Russia, says Byron Amundsen, CWM director of administration and finance.