Lua is around 15-16 here, dancing with a Bahá’í group. Her mother would let her visit me in Moscow, because she was depressed and under the care of a psychologist. Of course, I was locked out of any care of my daughter, and nobody involved me in any decisions or requested my help. Such is the life of a father after a divorce. Excluded and out of the picture.
Lua was married to Daniel Paul Ahrendt. He was 5 years older than her. To my knowledge they started dating when she was 15 or 16 y.o., meaning that she was a minor and he was an adult. I lived in another country and Lua’s mother never discussed Daniel Paul with me. I met him on one visit to Lua in Indianapolis, and I immediately saw something was very wrong. Of course, it made no difference what I thought, both in the eyes of Lua, and in her mother’s eyes. As told to me, Lua was practically adopted by Daniel’s family, strong members of the John Birch Society. The John Birch Society is a radical right and far-right organisation. In the time of Trump, they must all be the supporters of the immorality that is growing in American society. I also was told that Daniel never spent time at the home of Lua, and Carolyn didn’t really know him. When I saw him, his attitude was that of a smart aleck that thinks people can’t see exactly what game he is playing. So, the marriage took place, and even the marriage separated the Ahrendts from the Reusches. I would bet money that the Ahrendts did not like the Reusches and anything that has to do with the Bahá’í Faith. Before the marriage, I tried to talk to Lua but whatever I said was interpreted negatively. Nabil and I decided to play a trick on Lua and Daniel after the wedding, a joke. We looked for them and found they had lied to us about what they were going to do, and found them having a kind of wedding celebration at Daniel’s home– separate and distinct. I could go on but enough. The upshot is that Daniel was abusive, including physically abusive, and Lua eventually left him. I am sure that Lua was re-molded by Daniel, an adult with a young girl. He worked to discourage her from any further education, convinced her that the best for her is to work in a store, and I’m sure to forget everything her parents believed in and worked for.
This is after the funeral of my mother. We are at the house of Leah, the first wife of my brother. In Lua’s arms is her half-sister Marta. I remember well the behaviour of Ralph, my mother’s second husband. He was sincerely and honestly moved by her death, and expressed his love for her. Most of us witnessed constant quibbling and nagging between the two of them, and it wasn’t always comfortable to be with them. Such are the ways of love.
Lua visited me in Russia a few times. Once, during winter break, we spent most of the time in Moscow. She told everyone that she spent the whole time sitting on radiators trying to get warm. I told everyone one that her picture with the monkey was a family portrait. One picture she is on a cruise between Moscow and Nizhny Novgorod sitting with her half-sister, which stopped at a number of historical sites along the way. One picture is at the home of Olya’s father, where she joins life in a Russian dacha. Another picture is at my dacha, again with her half-sister. Finally, another picture was at a Bahá’í summer school in Kazan.
Lua took Russian lessons in Indy, which I thought was wonderful. I had an idea at that time that Russian language might be my final language, not expecting to make a move to Ukraine and learn yet another language, Ukrainian. However, I was spared somewhat, because although I learned enough Ukrainian to get by, my main language at home and in life is still Russian.
Svitlana and I visiting Indy and stayed at Brock and Lua’s home. I can’t recall anything particularly relevant right now except maybe the visit of Jim and Aileen. I think this is when I opened a bank account with Lua, and I started using her address for my US address. 
Winters in Russia (particularly) and Ukraine were too cold for me, and I visited the states in winter. Winter in Florida is summer in Russia and Ukraine, and I invited Lua to spend some time together. Although in this picture, she looks reasonably happy, she didn’t like camping, Florida, canoeing, and especially looking for alligators and getting close enough for a good picture. Lua did not get the “sport loving” gene, although perhaps she did she just choose to ignore it. She also doesn’t like to discuss philosophical and Bahá’í subjects, development politics, social activism, and experiences in different countries.
During school holidays Lua would visit the Netherlands between 1992 and 1998. I don’t remember how many times. This is perhaps one of the first visits, because this is located in the first apartment I rented. The Netherlands is known as an ideal place for raising children.
Before leaving NC State and North Carolina to pioneer in Sri Lanka, we bought a house in Garner. I did this so that, anytime we wanted to spend time in the states, we would have a place to stay. We decided to rent it to a Bahá’í friend, Warren Rochelle, which later leads to another story. Warren was a teacher, and wanted to spend time with Nabil, which we encouraged. I also frequently did things together with Warren. However, later, he got involved in the divorce, and I lost track of him.
Malaysia was one of the most active Bahá’í communities in south Asia. The community is a mixture of ethnic Chinese, Indians, and Malays. It was a pleasure to meet them, and be with them. It was important to me that my children met people from different cultures and countries, to learn from their example, and to see the oneness of the world of humanity. Lua experienced in her life different cultures and races, where in our world family we were all related. This is what I have always felt, and what I wanted my children to feel.
It is the responsibility of every sincere Bahá’í to visit this spot at least once during their lifetime. Whatever happens in their lives, I hope this visit will have an impact on their soul. We of course all said prayers. “Though he may, at first, remain unaware of its effect, yet the virtue of the grace vouchsafed unto him must needs sooner or later exercise its influence upon his soul.” Thus have the mysteries of the Revelation of God been decreed by virtue of the Will of Him Who is the Source of power and wisdom.”
