Misha, Natasha and Elena arrived early in the morning to prepare food for Archbishop Irenee’s visit. The sounds of chopping, cutting, and stirring resounded in the kitchen as each one prepared separate dishes. In addition, much more food was sent by others. The visitors were a couple of hours late in arriving, with me fretting and worried that something might have happened, but actually all was well as Father Michael and Vladika Irenee pulled up into the parking lot. I did not have time enough to hurry to the bell tower to ring the welcoming bells. Soon we sat to eat and after many toasts we eventually went outside to have photos taken. We tried to squeeze ourselves at the top of the stairs, that is, Vladika Irenee, Vladika Lazar, Father Michael, Father Matthew, Father Moses, Father Shio, Father Alexey, Father Vasili, and of course, myself. We also had Kakha and his cousin Zurab who acted as interpreters for Father Shio. It was such a lovely visit and we hated to see the visitors leave, but we expect to see Vladika Irenee again later in the year. Misha and Elena stayed on to clean up and to take care of other chores, so that it was nine o’clock by the time they had left. I did want to thank all those who worked so hard to provide a wonderful meal for the visitors.
