California #5 Last

California Musings #5
The missionaries here provide us with numerous opportunities…sometimes teaching, sometimes just experiences. We had our last District meeting today, May 20th and we invited the elders to go to lunch afterwards. We have been going to a little Mexican place, Baja Fresh, but today we tried something different. Alisa had recommended that we go to a Japanese restaurant in the Americana Mall, Katsuya. Elder White, particularly, really likes Japanese food, so it was a go. It was a first for me because I generally don’t eat raw fish, unless I didn’t happen to know what I was eating, which is unlikely. Well, I survived and it was very good. This mall has a wonderful fountain which was apparently designed by the same person who did the Bellagio fountain in Las Vegas. It was fun to hear the music and see the water “dance” in rhythm. My sisters may recall the fun trip we had to Las Vegas. The elders called the place the “temple of mammon”. There is another mall across the street called Galleria, but it’s not quite as upscale as the Americana.
Sunday, May 23rd, we were finally able to catch up to a man we’ve been trying to see for weeks. He has a crazy work schedule, and doesn’t return phone calls. We went with the missionaries and had to wait at the gate until someone was leaving and then were able to drive in right after the other car had come out, then up to the top of the parking area, climb 4 flights of stairs up to his apartment…sort of reminded me of Armenia, but it was an outside stairwell; the building did have a bit of a tilt to it (shades of Pisa) and the missionaries were discussing what they would do if the building came down, how they would escape…funny. We had a great visit. All the men talked together and I talked with his wife, Susie, who is a member of another faith and appears to be a very religious person. She married Krikor about 7 or so years ago. She had been a widow for over 17 years. She was in the process of making dolma (I’m going to have to get her recipe). She was cooking cabbage and was stuffing peppers and Roma tomatoes, as well, to make the dolma. She was really glad that we had come but apologetic for the messy state of things. She thinks Krikor needs his religion in his life…and so do we. We talked a bit about the Savior and how He left the 90 and 9 and went after the one lost sheep, which she said was what we were doing for Krikor. The missionaries said they try to visit him every Sunday and this is what he needs…to know someone cares about him and misses his association. Sometimes, when things are not right in your life (you may not be living as you should or are doing things your church teaches you not to do) you may feel you would be a hypocrite if you came. But the church isn’t made up of perfect people, rather imperfect people who come because they want to learn how they can improve and do better, how they can become more like the Savior.
May 24th, as I was walking I remembered one observation I had made but hadn’t noted. There are trees that line several of the streets that are covered with blossoms of purple…so you have streets that are very colorful. Then, the purple fades and everything becomes just green…lovely, though.
This was P-day for the missionaries and we took them to the Huntington Library. It is a beautiful place to visit and there are wonderful things to see and enjoy. Chris Cutri from our home ward in Provo said that if we could only do one thing in California we should go to the Huntington…we did it Chris! I especially liked the huge Desert garden…the cacti were amazing. Before we went on our sightseeing trip, we had a visit with Kris Aristakissian at his home. He’s another one we’ve been trying to catch up to and finally did. He has been a member for almost 40 years. He was baptized in the sea in Lebanon and has been in the United States for about 34 years. He has one son who is a member, but his three other children are not and his wife isn’t really very supportive either. We’re hopeful that he’ll come back to church and get involved with the Armenian group.
We made another visit to the Nagaryan family to drop off a letter and we took the young missionaries with us. The Nagaryan’s were very accepting and friendly towards them and when the elders asked if they could visit them after we leave, they said, “yes”. So, we’re excited that the friendship will continue to grow. The Nagaryan’s were very impressed with the elder’s Armenian and said it was excellent. The Nagaryan’s also expressed some interest in coming to church and we hope they do that, too. Grandma Nagaryan gave me a kiss on each cheek as we were leaving and asked me to pass it along to Ando…so here’s hoping we get to go back to Armenia to deliver it.
The last event we were able to do was sort of like reaching the peak of climbing a tall mountain. This had been our goal and we did it. We went with a bunch of Armenians and their friends to the Los Angeles Temple. I was even able to take a few of my family names and had such calm, peaceful feeling while in the temple. We had one car and a big 15 passenger van that took us there. It was a great time for strengthening our relationships and these types of experiences will do much to build the Armenian group. For some of these friends, it may be the last time we have this association, but as Debra Manoogian said, we never say goodbye because we know that we’ll see each other again.
This has been a wonderful chapter in our lives and we will miss you all. Until we meet again. Now off to Arizona and a grandson’s baptism, then on to Provo for our next journey. Until then….