Bashkortostan literally means “head-land” and is populated by a Turkic people group known to be not very tall. I should have remembered it as I hurried following pastor Renat (5’3”) down the dimmed hallway in his apartment building. Bang!!! I hope I am a true Bashkort now – at least the top of my head is wearing a visible sign of visiting this otherwise very hospitable and beautiful land.
My class in the Baptist Church of Sibay was packed. They do not have many visiting pastors or teachers come to this predominately Muslim region and my presentation made a little sensation. Pastor Renat admitted that he hardly knew half of the those who came to church that Sunday morning. “I was especially happy to see these new faces” – he said – 
“From talking to some of them after the event I am sure they will come again. Thank you for igniting this spark in them. By the way, after the service I noticed at least a couple of them sneaking into the store entrance right next to the church – a ‘Muslim Boutique.’ That’s where they have been – in case their husbands will wonder.”
Only a couple of hours’ ride and I am in the city of Magnitogorsk – a Russian equivalent of the Iron Range and the Chicago foundries in one place. Luckily, the winds were blowing from the city towards the industrial area both days that I spent there. One third of the Soviet Army tanks were made of this orе and steel. I almost believe that some of their local school teachers were made from the same material – so hard was it to penetrate their armor of distrust and skepticism. I have to admit, however, that their questions were very sharp, very personal and very honest: “We were lied to so many times in the past. How can we know that this evidence is not fabricated? How can we teach this to our children if the political climate will change again and belief in God will again become illegal and dangerous?”
I was so much surprised when this Teachers’ Training Center Director told me at the very end: “Please, make sure you come and teach your material to our new group of History Teachers next time you are in town. They might not show it to you but they were very happy to be able to discuss these difficult spiritual matters so openly and so reasonably. It does not happen here very often.”
