Missions Update  -

+ 0 - 2 | § ¶MY CAR IS REGISTERED IN UKRIANE...SERIOUSLY!!!

BELIEVE IT OR NOT...6 MONTHS AFTER BUYING MY CAR...I HAVE IT REGISTERED IN UKRAINE.  IT ONLY TOOK, ANOTHER AMERICAN, LLOYD HANEBURY CALLING THE GUY ALMOST EVERYDAY FOR 2 MONTHS...AND THEN, $160 MORE DOLLARS!  BUT, IT'S TRUE, I HAVE A CAR IN UKRAINE AND THERE'S NOTHING UKRAINE CAN DO ABOUT IT...IF THAT MAKES ANY SENSE.  ANYWAY, THANKS MILLIONS FOR YOUR PRAYERS AND MY FAITH IS RESTORED THAT THINGS CAN HAPPEN IN UKRAINE...IT ONLY TAKES 6 MONTHS...BLESSINGS, RICK (OH, AND EXTRA DOLLARS)  AND IN THE NEXT SIX MONTHS, I WILL GET MARRIED...SO EVEN ENGAGMENTS TAKE 6 MONTHS IN UKRAINE...SOMETIMES IT WORKS AGAINST YOU AND SOMETIMES FOR YOU...:)

+ 1 - 1 | § ¶Investment/Land/Home money needed, part 2

Welcome to Kiev, Ukraine - where apartments go up by $10,000 a month.

I have battled with this for a while - but now, partly because I have come to my senses and partly because I will have the responsiblity of a family later this year (by the way, looking at July 7, 2007 as the wedding date, yes, that's 07-07-07).  Anyway, some history - when I first arrived Oct. 2005 - someone offered me 25 - 10 by 10 meters of land, for $3,000 - (about 25-30km from Kiev) - today that land is $40,000-45,000 USD!!

Another friend bought land in Kiev for $47,000, which today is worth $140,000-150,000!  Another friend bought an apartment that is not finished yet, for $157,000 (which $17,000 was a parking stall) and the apartment is still not finished and he had an offer for $250,000 but when it is finished it will be worth $450,000!

Anyway - you know that 3-room apartments (one of which I rent) are averaging about $800 a month here in Kiev.  I am on the EDGE - I mean, the EDGE of Kiev, 40 minutes by car to the center, longer by public, in the worst region (Ukrainians laugh at me for living here) - and my apartment had NO kitchen, no toliet seat, no faucets, and was bare, and I pay $410 a month!!!!!  Which will go up to probably $600-800 when this contract is over in 2008.  I had to put $5,000 in furniture, cabinets, and things just to make this place livable. 

What do I wish for?  I wish for a loan, from an individual, or many individuals, or an organization to buy land/home - maybe 25-40 km from Kiev...which might actually be as close as I live now from the center...for an investment, possibly a place to fix up and live in, because RENT will be too much for me to afford soon.  The amount - anywhere from $50,000 to $150,000.

How can I afford a loan?  Well, first, I can probably handle a $50,000, 20-year, 7 to 10 percent interest loan - with a few cut backs and/or extra work on the side, NOT A PROBLEM...but, what I am looking for is a person, or organization that might want to give an INTEREST ONLY loan for 1 to 5 years, and then I will SELL the investment I have in Kiev and pay the whole loan off.  I know that the land here will continue to grow for 2-5 more years...but I am sure it will double or triple in 2 years.  So, no matter what I will be much farther ahead if I buy NOW.  If I buy an apartment in a good area here in Kiev for $150,000, I know I can sell it in 2008/9 for $300,000 - and that will give me such a boast financially that I will be able to stay on the Mission field almost indefinately...or at least...buy a smaller place and live here much cheaper.

There is definately some URGENCY to this, because the Government is invoking new higher buying taxes for land, cars, and all kinds of things...it is getting crazy and driving prices up more and more...in a year I will only dream about having something here...

Therefore, I am throwing this feeler out there...if you know anyone, or if you are interested in making some money on interest...and helping a missionary stay on the field...please consider helping.  If nothing else, I can go to a bank and get some cash...but, it will be at a HIGH interest rate because it would be an unsecure loan, because I am not buying land/apartment in America...I can't secure it.  And the max I can get would probably be around $30,000-$50,000 from a bank because of that reason.

But, trust me, the money will be secured in land...real estate...that will be able to be sold, if needed (and things sell in days on the market here, sometimes hours)

Alright - details can be changed and worked out - if you are interested...please let me know - pastorike@hotmail.com  - and I can give you my phone number if you email me.  THANKS AND BLESS YOU!!!

+ 1 - 1 | § ¶Investment/Land/Home money needed

Greetings Friends:

As you might know - expenses in Ukraine are going up every day.  I now heard that Kiev is 21st as the most expensive city in the world to live in...here's the report:

The 50 most expensive cities in the world, according to the cost of items including housing, transportation, food, clothing, household goods and entertainment:

BELIEVE ME, KIEV IS THE NEW MOSCOW, THE FORMER USSR NATIONS HAVE THIS CRAZY ABILITY TO MIRROR THEIR FORMER GOVERMENT - WHERE ALL MODERN DAY LIVING IS IN THE CAPITAL CITY AND OUTSIDE OF THE CITY IT IS LIKE THE LATE 1800's!!!  BUT, KIEV MOST OF ALL...WILL CLIMB THIS LIST AND BE IN THE TOP 5 IN A YEAR OR TWO, I BELIEVE.  IN 2005, IT WASN'T EVEN ON THIS LIST, IN MID-2006 IT BECAME 21ST, AND IT IS ONLY MORE HIGH TODAY, JAN. 2007!

1. Moscow

2. Seoul

3. Tokyo

4. Hong Kong

5. London

6. Osaka

7. Geneva

8. Copenhagen

9. Zurich

10. Oslo

10. New York

12. St Petersburg, Russia

13. Milan

14. Beijing

15. Istanbul

15. Paris

17. Singapore

18. Dublin

19. Sydney

20. Shanghai

21. Rome

21. Kiev, Ukraine

21. Vienna, Austria

24. Tel Aviv

25. Helsinki

25. Dubai, United Arab Emirates

27. Douala, Cameroon

28. Taipei

29. Los Angeles

30. Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

31. Lagos

32. Beirut

32. Hanoi

34. Sao Paolo

34. San Francisco

36. Stockholm

37. Ho Chi Minh City

38. Chicago

39. Miami

40. Rio de Janeiro

41. Lusaka, Zambia

41. Amsterdam

43. White Plains, New York state.

44. Shenzen, China

45. Abidjan, Ivory Coast

45. Dakar, Senegal

47. Toronto

48. Jakarta.

48. Bratislava, Slovak Republic

50. Prague, Czech Republic