The path of life continues to be rich and full of variety for me here in Bratislava. The journey is full of light and a few shadows as well but it is all beautiful and you never know what's around the next bend. Such was the scene at a recent bike ride near the Morava river with my friend Slavo. Much of the landscape here reminds me of my home in Minnesota. The similarities include a healthy bug population which at one point forced us to turn back on our ride. Despite that it was a fantastic evening.

Slavo is a busy man these days with a wife, a 5 yr old son, a new home and a growing ministry of which he is the director and facilitator. Operating a ministry is much more difficult here in Slovakia than where I am from. There is significantly less money, resources, interest, volunteers and support. However, multitasking on a bicycle (with a cell phone)is not recommended. Some of you may recall Slavo is the guy that God seated me next to on the plane when I moved here one year ago. I appreciate his friendship and partnership very much.

Along the trail are these little rest stops where you can have a beverage or a bite to eat. The beverage of choice for many Slovaks is Kofola. This a cola product which was created locally during the communist years when Pepsi and Coke products were forbidden to come across the borders. Kofola has some sort of coffee bean base which makes for an interesting flavor, one which I have yet to acquire a taste for.

These concrete bunkers were a common site all along the trail. They are remnants of World War II. The Slovaks built these bunkers as one of many preventative measures in an attempt to prepare for the Nazi onslaught. Like many countries in this region, the Slovaks were no match for the German war machine.

Just as we were passing under this bridge I caught the front end of this train rolling over us. Our ride on this night took us right along the Austrian border. And I am told that the trail system is extensive enough that we could ride all the way to Czech Republic if we wanted (about a days worth of riding). No thanks, I'll take the train.

On a recent outing with a friend I was shocked to discover this large monument or memorial virtually right in my own neighborhood. This was built by Slovaks many years ago in tribute to the Russian soldiers who liberated Slovakia from the Germans during WWII.

I still have much to learn about the historic happenings of this era but I had to wonder why this monument was built in light of what occured in this region during the decades following the war. Essentially, after Russia liberated the Slovaks they became the occupiers themselves. They simply did not relinquish control back to the people which eventually gave rise to communism in this region.

There were dozens of these grave stones on the site which designate the body of a Russian officer. I am told there are 5000 more Russian soldiers buried under this monument. The graves are a powerful symbol of the deep cost of freedom.

Around the base of the primary monument are the cities around Slovakia and the actual date they were liberated. From the historical records we know which direction the Russian army was moving through the country so it is possible to see how long it took to fight their way from city to city. In some places they met with heavy German resistance and so the time line here on the monument demonstrated several months between liberated cities only 15 or 20 miles apart.

There is an amazing amount of work that went into certain parts of the monument exhibiting beautiful artistry.

Some of the bronze carvings portray the brutality that took place during the war in this region.

This past thursday I had the privilege of going into this prison facility to teach/preach to a group of about 20 inmates. Unfortunately I was not able to get any better photos of the facility and certainly not the meeting room itself. Prison officials have a tendency to feel uneasy about visitors taking pictures. This particular facility was about a 2.5 hour drive fron Bratislava.

Similar to other ministry endeavors I have participated in here, I traveled with a translator and a member representing the Mass Media Center (Slavo's Ministry). They are affiliated with the Lutheran church and do a number of different evangelical activities. Because the Lutheran church remains quite damaged and frozen from the communist years, the powers that be tend to be apathetic toward the type of church growth that the Mass Media center is attempting to nurture. Things like radio and t.v. outreach, campus outreach and of course prison services all of which makes Slavo's mission more difficult. My message today centered around anger, hurt, shame and identity. The basic message attempts to help the men understand the source or fuel of destructive anger namely, personal woundedness and shame. I encouraged them to boldly confront the destructive false messages we each carry in our hearts and minds from our past. I spoke to them very plainly about our true identities rooted in biblical truth and manifested in a submissive relationship with Jesus. The time was short however well spent I believe.

Here are my partners in ministry for this day. Ironically, all three are named John. Of course, the Slovak version is different namely Jan (Yon). On the far left is Jan my young translator. He is a 19 yr old college student who hails from central SK but is in college in Bratislava. I told Jan how refreshing it is to meet a young man with such a solid faith. Jan is truly wise beyond his years. It was my pleasure to spend the day with him and he did a great job translating my message. Then, center left is Jan the pastor. Jan lives with his wife and 3 kids here in this small village and is engaged in a variety of outreach endeavors. Pastor Jan has a challenging mission because there is not alot of openness to the gospel out here in the rural areas. Everything moves quite slowly out here and strictly according to tradition. Certainly this can provide a solid sense of stability for communities but also prevent growth and fruitful change. Pastor Jan invited us into his home before we went into the prison where his wife fed us a delicious lunch. Unfortunately I forgot to get some pics from Lunch. And lastly is Jan from Mass Media Center who has been on my blog before. Neither of the last 2 Jan's speak any english so my Slovak got lots of practice today. I had to think of a way to differetiate between the three so I named my translator Janci (yon-chee), our guide Jan and my Mass Media friend Janko.

After we departed from the prison we visited a Jewish cemetary nearby which Janko has a special interest in. Janko studied Hebrew in University and is a caretaker of a similar Jewish cemetary in his own village. Apparently the history of these circumstances stretch back again to WWII. Historically there has been a fairly significant Jewish population in Czechoslovakia. However when the Nazis came through and began rounding up and deporting Jewish people to concentration camps many other Jews fled the region before they were captured.

Pastor Jan told me there were 1000 people from this village alone deported to concentration camps. With most of the Jewish population either deported or fleeing there is nobody remaining to take care of their cemetaries. Sadly, vandals have destroyed about half of this site and simple neglect does the rest.

We did the best we could to put some of the stones back where they belong. Pastor Jan told us of a local Christian man who has attempted to care for the site. He also said a woman who used to live in this community when she was young comes all the way from Isreal once a year to do upkeep in the cemetary.

On the drive home we encountered quite a nasty storm which forced us off the road for a time as we took shelter in a local restaurant. However before we stopped to eat, the storm broke long enough to display one of the most amazing sunsets I have seen in quite some time. Pictures cannot do it justice.

The real buzz in Bratislava this weekend was definately the opening of a new section of highway and a tunnel which took four years to build. When I woke up yesterday morning there was quite alot of activity happening outside my window. This highway is just down the hill from my flat. I was invited up to the neighbors flat to get a better view of the festivities. There were thousands of people gathering all along the highway where a Formula 1 car raced up and down the road at high speeds while helicopters with dignitaries flew over head.

Later in the day I discovered the city had planned a full scale celebration where people were invited to come and walk or rollerblade down the highway and through the new tunnel. My friends Matej and Stefan and I decided to give it a go. It was a rollerbladers dream ride sailing down brand new pavement with no cracks or bumps and plenty of room to really fly.

Room to Roam!

The number of people who came to enjoy the grand opening was really something. This was truly a community celebration. And it was a once in a lifetime opportunity to walk/roll down a highway and through a tunnel without getting hit by a car.

There were stages at each end of the tunnel where several different music groups played throughout the day. There were booths for food and beverages, free t-shirts and lots of promotional activities.

People in these parts have been waiting for these tunnels to open for a long time. The traffic in this part of the city is brutal. Everyday from my back balcony I can see miles of cars and trucks sitting at a stand still in this area. This section brings the city one step closer to having a highway which goes all around the perimeter of the city and giving a better flow of the ever increasing number of cars on the road.

The tunnel was a cool respite from a hot summer day.

Here is the Formula 1 car which did several laps up and down the new road earlier in the day.

A great time was had by all!

Welcome to Vienna, Austria. My Russian friend Oleg and I spent last Sunday afternoon roaming the streets of Vienna which is only a one hour drive from Bratislava. Oleg came to Slovakia for ministry endeavors and I had the pleasure of hosting him at my flat during his stay.

The Moose is Loose in Vienna. What an amazing city. This was Oleg's first time here and like most people he was thoughroughly impressed. The city itself is quite large and each building is an architectual work of art. The weather could have been a little better but we had a great time walking, talking and taking in the sites.

I first met Oleg back in Richfield, Mn around 2003. We were working for different organizations in the same building. Eventually we collaborated on some projects together and became friends. Oleg grew up in Moskow and has been living in the U.S. for 16 years. He has a wife and 2 children, a daughter and a son.

Some people believe baseball started in America during the late 1800's. Austrians claim it started much earlier, maybe even in some sort of a mythical realm. This appears to be evidence to support the hypothesis.

We also had a nice time (and nice weather) at the Devin castle ruins. Oleg serves with a organization called Faith Search Ministries. His work has him traveling throughout Russia and the Ukraine on a regular basis. Oleg receives many invitations from schools, churches and other organizations to come and present a thought provoking powerpoint presentation which provides a factual, intellectual perspective of the Christian faith.

The traffic is so bad in this town!

There are not so many castle ruins in Russia so this was a treat for Oleg.

The past few days have been a real pleasure for me. Its always great to have a friendly face from home come for a visit. Thanks Oleg and God be with you in your travels.