Week two in Armenia

The missionaries have been putting us through our paces with language training. We’re trying to have the alphabet down pat this week and our assignment is to write it three times. Now, if you’ve seen the alphabet you know that that might be a challenge. I recognize all the letters when I’m reading (don’t always or mostly understand what the words mean, however), but to have to write them is more difficult, but we’re trying.
This week we attended a district missionary meeting with our elders and elders from the Artashat district. The AP’s (Assistants to the mission president) also visited. They have district missionary meetings once a week where they do some language training, some discussion from Preach My Gospel and presentation of challenges they’d like help in solving. I’m so impressed with the missionaries. Its hard work but they remain so upbeat and seem to try and find something positive about each day even if none of their plans worked out.
We also took our first bus ride to Artashat to attend a seminary class. These buses are nothing like UTA, believe you me. They’re pretty rickety, have curtains at most windows and we were glad for any fresh air that came our way. It wasn’t too crowded so we were able to sit for the whole ride. We met the Artashat elders who walked us to the church. Really a very nice building compared to Ararat, but then Ararat isn’t too bad either. We got there plenty early because we weren’t sure how long the ride would take. So, we had some time to read and study while the elders went out and did some shopping for the class. As we were waiting, we heard someone walking around and an older gentleman appeared at the door of the classroom. I think he wondered what we were doing there. He didn’t speak any English, but we did understand he was Pres. Minasyan’s (Counselor in the Mission Presidency) father. We called the elders who explained to him on the phone who we were. The next thing we heard was someone running some water and soon afterward Brother Minasyan appeared with two cups of hot cocoa and a chocolate bar. Inasmuch as we hadn’t had much lunch, it was a welcome treat.
Well, the expected students didn’t arrive, so benefitted by our second language training class of the day. Buses were no longer running, so we had our cab driver, Aram, from Ararat come and return us home.
That evening, we made a visit with the elders to a place they call the “dormitory”. Apparently, back in the days when Russia was in control there were a lot of universities and so there were dormitories. Now they are low income housing (or rather free to those in need). We visited one less active sister and suddenly our apartment is looking like a palace to us. Her little room had two beds, a table and a couple of chairs. Elder Peterson and I were given the chairs and the missionaries sat on the bed while the 78 year old sister stood during our visit. There was a single bare bulb hanging from the center of the room that provided light. Dingy coverings hung at the windows and worn carpet scraps covered part of the cement floor. She had a few pictures and a clock hanging on cement walls. It’s going to be a challenge to know how to best help these people, especially when so many of them are living in similar circumstances. I think they have to share a bathroom with others. I wonder who has charge of cleaning it…probably no one.
We tried to visit another sister who is investigating the church but she was in bed, so no luck there. We went to our local “Walmart”, bought some ice cream and a juice and came back to our apartment to share a sundae with the elders. Life continues to be interesting here.