Visitors from America

In May we have 4 college students coming from Texas to go biking with some of the young muslims we have gotten to know. In preparation their leaders came over to check out the situation so everything goes smoothly.



Eli is from Huntsville and works full-time on college campuses.



Michael is a pastor whom, oddly enough, Steve met back when he was 14 at Mike's dad's church! Small world!

Steve took them on the road about 7 hours southeast to Nalchik. (FYI: 100 km from Chechnya)

Our friends, Jerry (he is in the center) and Nancy Sturgeon, work in that city.



They definitely found time for fun...




The swinging happened at a rehab center that doubles as a fish farm. The farm sustains the work with those in recovery.


Isn't it beautiful?


But the scenery was marred by the city of Beslan. They were able to visit the school where terrorists killed over 300, most of them children, in 2004.


Steve says that they haven't changed anything at the school since the tragedy. You would have thought the bombs went off yesterday. They just put up memorials and built a new school.
The men felt indescribable sadness.



Looking at all the graves, Steve said that it is unbelievable what some people can do to other people.

Men's Retreat

Men's Retreat!

Steve joined this International group of men (Russians, Americans, Australian and Brit) for a day of hiking and shashlik (Russian version of grilling meat over an open fire). They traveled about an hour from our home and arrived in a region that is part of Russia, and yet all its own. It is called Adigeya. The people who live in this region are primarily Muslim. Their homes, towns and way of life are different than the Russians living just right across the river.

Steve said they had a great time and would love to build a house right there in the middle of the woods! Ironically enough, about twenty minutes from this site, IKEA has bought land and has taunted us with promises of thinking about building on it in the next two years.