New American Village to be Built North of Moscow
a new neighborhood, 1/2 hour drive west of Rostov Veliky, over 3 hours north of Moscow
Moving to Russia is hard. It takes time to learn the ropes here, figuring out what works and what doesn’t. Thankfully, it’s worth the effort! For the next few paragraphs, I’ll briefly share some highlights of our family’s journey here over the past 7 years. Then I’ll share tips about what Americans need to really be successful when immigrating to Russia. Then I’ll discuss some details about the new American village which the local authorities are planning to build near our current family home.
Our Family’s Journey in Russia
Several years ago when my family and I arrived here on tourist visas, we were complete newbies, with no clue how to immigrate, how to find work, or even how to communicate. At first, we needed friends to help us with everything. Even simple trips to the grocery store aren’t simple, if you can’t read Russian. Our first week here was during the coldest Christmas Russia had experienced in over a century. All ten of us started out in Rostov, in an old apartment, with no room for a garden, and no yard for the kids to play in. We were glad to be here, but at first, it was rough.
Fast forward nearly seven years, and life here has become much easier. We are now Russian citizens, we now have a big family home and over 100 acres of farmland, we have gotten a lot better at communicating in Russian, and we have found multiple ways to earn income here and support our family. Our eight children have adjusted well. Our twin daughters (now age 20) chant in the church choir, they have acquired Russian drivers licenses, they have found ways to earn a dependable income, and they have been receiving inquiries from respectable young Orthodox Christian men who are hoping to become their suitors. My teenage sons have acreages of their own, and they look forward to building their future homes on their own land. Our family garden is huge and productive. Our family cow gives us plenty of fresh milk, cheese, butter, yogurt, sour cream, and ice cream. Our chickens give us fresh eggs. And our new pigs, no doubt, in the near future will make significant contributions to our family breakfast. Four American families regularly attend the church where I serve, for a total of 26 Americans in our small-but-growing congregation. Some native Russians attend as well. A portion of the liturgy is in Slavonic (old Russian), and a portion of the liturgy is in English. Life is good.
A few years ago, Tim Kirby shot a video here where I live. A full transcript of the documentary is available. If you haven’t already seen the video, be sure to take a look:
Keys to Success when Settling in Russia
Over the past 7 years, we have learned some important lessons about what conditions are necessary to really help American immigrants thrive here:
Integrate in the local Russian community. — It is important to make friends with local Russians. One of the best ways to do this is to be formally introduced. If one of their trusted friends also knows you and trusts you, and introduces you to them, then they will trust you as well.
Live near Americans who have made the same journey as you. — It is important to have American friends nearby, who already know the ropes, who can help translate, and who understand how bewildering a new life in a different country can sometimes be. The local Russians may love you, but they don’t understand English, and they don’t know what it’s like to leave one’s homeland and relocate to a vastly different country several thousand miles away. Somtimes, it is very helpful just to have some Americans nearby who can assist with all the many details of immigration paperwork, who have an understanding ear that’s willing to listen, and who know exactly what you are going through.
Own a home in Russia. — If at all possible, it is important to have your own home in Russia. This sends a message to the immigration authorities that you are serious about living here long term, and that you have an available place where you can be legally registered. It is possible to find apartments for rent in Russia, but unfortunately, most landlords are unwilling to provide tenants with legal registration. And without registration, it is not possible to immigrate to Russia, or even to legally live here. Owning your own home solves all these problems. Thankfully, labor and materials are inexpensive here. You can build a family home in Russia, brand new, for less than $30,000 USD.
Choose your neighbors wisely. — If you need a bigger house, you can build it. If you need more income, there is online work available. If you want to start a farm, there is plenty of land available. These sorts of issues can be addressed. But if your neighbors are loud, obnoxious, Muslims, pagans, or drunks, that can be difficult to resolve. So it is important to live in a neighborhood where you are surrounded by good, kind, friendly, helpful, Orthodox Christians who you’ll be glad to see when you are walking around outside. Not all Russian villages are created equal.
Learn the Russian Language. — Hopefully the reasons for this are obvious.
Get all your documents in order before you move. — Russian immigration authorities take their documents very seriously. It is important to have everything that you need. For more details, see these 16 Steps to Legal Residency in Russia.
A New American Village in Russia
We recently sent a letter to the governor of the Yaroslavl oblast, and had a meeting with the mayor of the Borisoglebsky region (1/2 hour drive west of Rostov). Based on our discussions so far, the govt administration is willing to support this project in the following ways:
They said they are willing to rezone more than 50 acres of land near my home, changing its status from agricultural to residential. This will make it possible to build residential homes on this land, and it will make it possible for foreigners to purchase these properties outright. American immigrants will be able to own full title to these homes, even if they are not yet Russian citizens.
They said that the power company will bring electricity to this new neighborhood.
They said that they will build roads for this new neighborhood.
They said that they are already working on a project to bring natural gas to this area by 2025, and that they will bring natural gas to this new neighborhood.
We have also had meetings with dependable, high quality, local home-builders. They have agreed to the following:
They said they are willing to build several new homes in this new neighborhood.
They are able to build almost any style of home, whether small or large, whether one storey or two storey, whether wood or brick. They are happy to build homes in an American style, if that is what the community desires.
They said that they are willing to invest in the new homes themselves. They will not require anyone to pay for materials or labor ahead of time.
When new immigrants arrive from America, they can look at the available new homes and purchase what they desire. This is when the builders will receive payment for their work. Then they will invest that money in building additional homes.
All of this is very encouraging! We are grateful to see everything coming together. Lord willing, over the next year we will begin to see all of this planning bear fruit, as this project really starts moving forward. Thanks be to God!
How this American Village is Different
As you may know, Tim Kirby has been working on building an American Village just south of Moscow. Meanwhile, up near Rostov Veliky, this new American Village is different from Tim’s in several ways:
This village is not just for Americans. We are inviting lots of Americans to live here, but we do not want to create an enclave. We truly want to integrate into Russian society. So we are also inviting devout Orthodox Christian Russians to purchase homes and dachas in this new neighborhood. We would be happy to see the resulting village be about a 50/50 mix of Americans and Russians. It’s a great way to get the best of both worlds!
There is already an established American presence here. Three American households are within 1 mile of this village. We have our family of 10 (from Texas & Illinois), a family of 8 (from Alabama), and a single man from Michigan. And within 1/2 hour drive, there are several more.
At the nearby Orthodox church where I serve, a portion of the liturgy is celebrated in English.
While Tim is opening up the southern village to people of all beliefs, in this northern village we want to restrict it to Orthodox Christians only. Protestants, Catholics, Buddhists, and Muslims can join Tim’s village, as long as they promise not to openly oppose the Russian Orthodox Church. But if a family wants to live in this American Village near Rostov Veliky, it is necessary to be a serious, devout, Orthodox Christian family who fasts, prays, attends liturgy regularly, and takes Holy Communion often. The same goes for both Americans and Russians who want to live here. We want our neighbors to be Orthodox!
To better understand what our family is like, and to see how we raise our children, consider the following speech (with transcript) recently given by my daughter:
Whether Russian or American, the sort of faithful Orthodox Christians who will be most welcome here are those who:
Attend liturgy every Sunday, vigil every Saturday, and also attend liturgy for the 12 Great Feasts of the Church
Take communion every Sunday and every major feast day
Keep the fasts — Nativity Fast, Great Lent, Apostles’ Fast, Dormition Fast, and Wednesdays & Fridays
Keep a daily personal prayer rule
And it is important to agree with these basic principles of traditional Orthodox Christian teaching:
Marriage is between one man and one woman. (For more information, read here, here, and here.)
The husband is the head of the household. His job is to work hard, support his family, lead his family spiritually, and love his wife & children. (For more information, read here.)
The wife’s responsibility is to respect and obey her husband, submit to his lead, to bear children, to care for them, and to be a good homemaker. (For more information, read here and here.)
Contraception is forbidden. For 2000 years, all Orthodox Saints who have ever spoken about birth control have forbidden it. Whether a particular form of contraception causes abortions, or whether it only prevents conception, it is not permissible for Orthodox Christians. (For more information, read here, here, here, and here.)
Abortion is murder. Taking the life of a child in the womb, is no different from killing a newborn or a toddler. It is a great sin, to be avoided at all costs. (For more information, read here.)
It is forbidden to charge interest on a loan, in almost every situation, and the Saints of the Church have explicitly forbidden it for 2000 years. (For more information, read here and here.)
Man was created in the image of God, and does not share a common ancestor with apes. Adam and Eve are real, historical people, and are the direct ancestors of Jesus, as pointed out in the third chapter of the Gospel of Luke. (For more information, read here, here, here, and here.)
The best education for children is Orthodox Christian homeschooling. The next best is an Orthodox Christian private school. Modern government public schools are poison, in both America and Russia, and is generally a place where Jesus is ignored, where moral corruption comes from peers (and often teachers), and where children are told that they evolved from lower life forms. Therefore, Orthodox Christian families should avoid public schools. (This topic is discussed here, here, here, here, and here.)
We know there are some people who claim to be Orthodox Christians, but who do not believe the things outlined above. While we would love them and would treat them with kindness, we realize that they might not be comfortable living in our particular community. They might be more at ease in a community that has different goals and standards.
As for those who do agree with these traditional Orthodox Christian teachings, we hope that they will be attracted to such a community, and that they will want to become a part of it. They are welcome here, whether they happen to be from Russia, from America, or from any other country.
A nice family and good ambitions. May God bless you where you are. The UK is facing the same corruption as the west but I go out with a team weekly to share the gospel especially with the youth. God can save those who haven't had a family like me. Nothing is beyond Him no matter what background you have. (The one thing I would say is pray for the Ukraine and the people there) Tony from UK
Hello, Father Joseph. Can you clarify one point, please? Can an American on a tourist visa buy a house BEFORE applying for residency? Thanks!