CALIFORNIA MUSINGS #2
The surroundings in which we find ourselves are truly beautiful, colorful and interesting. It’s no wonder so many people find themselves living here, including a lot of Armenians. I can do without all the cars (in Ararat there were hardly any), but if you time your comings and goings and don’t take the freeways, it isn’t too bad.
I like the streets that are lined with huge palms, sort of like 50-80 ft tall or more with a pineapple on top. Other streets have different trees lining them and they’ve grown so big that the trees from the opposite side of the street form a canopy that shades the entire block. We’ve walked in all directions from where we are living and managed to find a French bakery (darn, but really not) along the way. Sort of defeats the purpose of healthy walking, but a nice way to reward oneself for having done it.
We enjoyed Family Home Evening on Monday with some of the Armenians. There were a few investigators along with some member families…about 30 in all. Pizza and other foods were served after a lesson was given about what should happen in a family home evening as a spiritual start to the evening. The children were entertained by Lacey Ammar (who I’ve heard is an excellent violinist) and Wendy Santiano (mother of three of the children in attendance) before starting the evening, and Artur Yeritsyan led everyone in a game to finish up. Everyone seemed to have a great time. Henry Ammar is the group leader for the Armenians, but neither he nor Rod Santiano are Armenians, but have a desire to help and want to learn Armenian and be part of the group. Henry is Lebanese and Rod is Filipino/Hispanic (I think) and speaks Portuguese as he was a missionary to Brazil. He also knows a lot of Armenian.
We were able to get better acquainted with Hratch Baghdoyan, 80, and his son Armen. Hratch is an Armenians from Syria. Helga Gharibians is from Iran and her daughter Christine Andreasian, was born and raised in California and says she’s an anomaly because she is LDS and never been to Utah. Armen Gevorgyan, whose wife was part of the translation team for the Book of Mormon translation into Armenian was also there. His family is in Armenia currently while he is here working.
We also had our first missionary meetings this week with the full-time elders and Henry to do some planning and reporting. In the evening, we were able to go with the full-time elders to visit Susannah, one of their investigators. This woman is the one that Elder Craft met while street contacting in Gyumri (she was visiting in Armenia a while ago) and then as she was walking down the street in Glendale, she noticed the church and someone who happened to be outside at the time, invited and insisted that she come into the Armenian FHE which was in progress. She and Elder Craft didn’t at first put it all together, just thought that there was something familiar about each other. It’s exciting that she is taking the lessons and preparing for baptism on May 9th. It’s sort of funny, too, that when Elder Craft asked her if she knew what May 9th was, she said, “the day the Russians took over?”, and he said how about “Mother’s Day”. That’s a better day to remember your baptism, I’d think.
We also started to make contact with some of the less actives or those in other wards with Armenian names. We met with a couple, Gloria and Henry Vartanian, in their lovely home. He is an architect by trade. Gloria is the member, but not Armenian and Henry is the Armenian (through Iran), not interested in joining the church, but I think supportive of his wife going. They have a couple of older daughters, and an older son (he appears to be handicapped in some way) living with them as well a granddaughter. When Gloria attends church she goes to the LaCanada Ward and because she’s not Armenian she prefers to keep attending her current ward. She and her husband did say that they might want to attend an FHE.
It’s interesting that the one other family we’ve contacted is also named Vartanian. No one answered the phone, so we just decided to drive over and see if they were still there. A daughter, Annie, answered the door, but her mother was working. We later talked with the mother, Iskhanik (Susan) who came to the States when she was 16, but has moved all around. I asked her about family history and genealogy but she is really uncertain about it at all. We are looking at having families do genealogy as a way to get them back active and wanting to go to the temple to do work for their ancestors. There is a dad, Karnik, a non-member and a son Ara who moved to Pomona, and is going to school. There is also a daughter Mary who is 21 and then Anahid (Annie), 17. The children are all members and Annie sometimes goes with her mother who attends the Sunland Ward. She prefers to go to her own ward as it is only a few minutes away and not the 25 minute drive to be with the Armenian group. She might be interested in FHE.
We did splits with the missionaries, except we added Christine to Elder Peterson and I. We visited 4 places and didn’t find anyone home, or if they were home, not willing to visit with us. I guess rejection is pretty standard with missionary work. It appears one of our contacts may have moved and another had moved or the name on our list was spelled wrong. It’s nice to be able to clear up records as we go.
April 23rd:
We are continuing to make attempts to find people on the ward lists, and last night as we were going out with Elder White and Christine, we finally found someone at home who actually invited us in. It was nice to visit (mostly in Armenian) and be able to invite them to Family Home Evening coming up next Monday. They said they would come, but then, Armenians generally tell you what they think you want to hear and you can be disappointed if you count on it too much. So, we’ll see.
It’s really interesting here how every morning, other than birds, the first sounds we hear are of weed eaters, hedge trimmers and lawn mowers. Someone is always having their yards manicured; it makes for a very nice living area, however. Today, we went for a very long walk that included some trail hiking. If you know Elder Peterson, he loves to go exploring and when he noticed, the trail behind the Brand Library, up the hill we trudged. It was pleasant and, with good scouting skills, he maneuvered us past the French bakery and we just had to go in.
Tomorrow is the commemoration of the Genocide of the Armenians in 1915 by the Ottoman Empire (Turkey). We have noticed lots of signs on businesses that they will be closed and there are lots of protests (gatherings) all around the area…and considering this is referred to as Little Armenia, it isn’t surprising. We continue to do well and appreciate all your love, prayers, and support.
Friday, April 23, 2010
Sunday, April 11, 2010
California Arcadia Mission Musings #1
Well, we made it to California. We have been set apart as missionaries in the Arcadia California Mission and we’re excited to get back to business. We’re meeting on Sunday with the Stake President and Mission President and should have a better idea of responsibilities and what they’d like us to focus on.
I want to tell you a little about where we are staying. The Lee’s (Kathy and Kent) have been gracious enough to take us in for the couple of months we have still to be in the US before returning to Armenia. We did learn from the missionary department that our time home for medical did not count towards time served, so the 3 months we were home for medical treatment will be added on to time we will be in Armenia. This means that we will be home around July of 2011 and not April.
At any rate, the Lee’s are a wonderful couple. We learned one interesting thing. They were in attendance at Mike and Doris’ Andelin’s wedding so knew Zach’s parents. Kathy works as a third grade teacher and her husband has his own business doing drive shafts. We also met the office couple (Snow’s) at the mission office and they also knew Andelins as they are also from St. George. Sister Snow said she had been involved in music some with Doris and also Brother Snow had taught some of the Andelins at Dixie as that was his profession before missions. It seems a small world when you get out in it.
The weather here is beautiful and I must say it was quite a study in color as we drove down the freeway. The desert had flowers of myriad colors. First was a beautiful apricot color (in Nevada) and then the yellows, both bright and lemon colored, and then we got to California: bright pink and fuchsia, then purple and then all sorts of different plants. I love the way the freeways are now being artistically designed with various ground covers, rocks, flowers, etc. When we arrived at the Lees, there were the azaleas all in bloom (reminded me of Oregon). Their home was built in 1929 and on about ½ acre (large for a property in the LA area…I guess unless you are of the Hollywood set). They have a pool and large lawn area and even a garden area. We may be able to help with gardening and maybe even take a dip, if time allows. Kathy and Kent both work full-time and he is the bishop of their ward and she is in the Relief Society Presidency, so they are busy people. She loves to cook and we enjoyed a lovely meal this evening.
The Lee’s will take us on a drive tomorrow morning to get better acquainted with the area and help us locate the churches and institute we will be working with. We are so grateful to have our GPS as we would really get lost without it. Traffic here is busy, busy, and depending on the time of day, it can often be more like a parking lot.
Obviously, I didn’t get this posted and now it is Sunday, April 11th. We had a great day here. We were able to attend a Sacrament and Sunday School meeting with the Armenian Saints here in Glendale and some interlopers. They scheduled it as a testimony meeting and it was wonderful to hear prayers and testimonies in Armenian. It was also great to get acquainted with the elders who had served in Armenia prior to coming here; Elder Craft, Judd (who goes home on Tuesday) and Elder White. All seem to be doing well and the missionary work is progressing. We also had an opportunity to visit with the Stake President, President Morgan and with the mission president, President Pike, to map out some plans and ideas for what we can do while we serve here. We now have a list of all members in the Stake with Armenian names and we will get to work to meet them, bring them back to church if they are inactive, participate with them however we can. We are going to try and help them do some family history so they can have their own names to take to the temple the end of May. We’re also hoping to make connections with those who have family members still in Armenia…to sort of synergize our efforts. Maybe it will work that those in Armenia who have family names and can’t readily get to the temple, will be able to work with California Armenians to get the work done for their families. They would also like us to help find and activate members who could serve in leadership positions in Relief Society and Priesthood. They may be able to meet again as a branch if there is enough leadership and attendance. They are also going to be starting ESL classes the first week of May and we can help identify Armenians that would benefit by participation in these classes. At any rate, it’s exciting to think about what we can do. We will work with the full-time elders, too, to coordinate our efforts.
As the mission president said today, quoting from one of the prophets, “it’s great to be back in the harness.”
We send our love to all of you and hope you are having a wonderful week of Spring.
I want to tell you a little about where we are staying. The Lee’s (Kathy and Kent) have been gracious enough to take us in for the couple of months we have still to be in the US before returning to Armenia. We did learn from the missionary department that our time home for medical did not count towards time served, so the 3 months we were home for medical treatment will be added on to time we will be in Armenia. This means that we will be home around July of 2011 and not April.
At any rate, the Lee’s are a wonderful couple. We learned one interesting thing. They were in attendance at Mike and Doris’ Andelin’s wedding so knew Zach’s parents. Kathy works as a third grade teacher and her husband has his own business doing drive shafts. We also met the office couple (Snow’s) at the mission office and they also knew Andelins as they are also from St. George. Sister Snow said she had been involved in music some with Doris and also Brother Snow had taught some of the Andelins at Dixie as that was his profession before missions. It seems a small world when you get out in it.
The weather here is beautiful and I must say it was quite a study in color as we drove down the freeway. The desert had flowers of myriad colors. First was a beautiful apricot color (in Nevada) and then the yellows, both bright and lemon colored, and then we got to California: bright pink and fuchsia, then purple and then all sorts of different plants. I love the way the freeways are now being artistically designed with various ground covers, rocks, flowers, etc. When we arrived at the Lees, there were the azaleas all in bloom (reminded me of Oregon). Their home was built in 1929 and on about ½ acre (large for a property in the LA area…I guess unless you are of the Hollywood set). They have a pool and large lawn area and even a garden area. We may be able to help with gardening and maybe even take a dip, if time allows. Kathy and Kent both work full-time and he is the bishop of their ward and she is in the Relief Society Presidency, so they are busy people. She loves to cook and we enjoyed a lovely meal this evening.
The Lee’s will take us on a drive tomorrow morning to get better acquainted with the area and help us locate the churches and institute we will be working with. We are so grateful to have our GPS as we would really get lost without it. Traffic here is busy, busy, and depending on the time of day, it can often be more like a parking lot.
Obviously, I didn’t get this posted and now it is Sunday, April 11th. We had a great day here. We were able to attend a Sacrament and Sunday School meeting with the Armenian Saints here in Glendale and some interlopers. They scheduled it as a testimony meeting and it was wonderful to hear prayers and testimonies in Armenian. It was also great to get acquainted with the elders who had served in Armenia prior to coming here; Elder Craft, Judd (who goes home on Tuesday) and Elder White. All seem to be doing well and the missionary work is progressing. We also had an opportunity to visit with the Stake President, President Morgan and with the mission president, President Pike, to map out some plans and ideas for what we can do while we serve here. We now have a list of all members in the Stake with Armenian names and we will get to work to meet them, bring them back to church if they are inactive, participate with them however we can. We are going to try and help them do some family history so they can have their own names to take to the temple the end of May. We’re also hoping to make connections with those who have family members still in Armenia…to sort of synergize our efforts. Maybe it will work that those in Armenia who have family names and can’t readily get to the temple, will be able to work with California Armenians to get the work done for their families. They would also like us to help find and activate members who could serve in leadership positions in Relief Society and Priesthood. They may be able to meet again as a branch if there is enough leadership and attendance. They are also going to be starting ESL classes the first week of May and we can help identify Armenians that would benefit by participation in these classes. At any rate, it’s exciting to think about what we can do. We will work with the full-time elders, too, to coordinate our efforts.
As the mission president said today, quoting from one of the prophets, “it’s great to be back in the harness.”
We send our love to all of you and hope you are having a wonderful week of Spring.
Saturday, April 3, 2010
California, Here We Come
Well, it's official. We're headed to California (Glendale) this coming week. We will be staying with Kent and Kathy Lee of the Glendale 2nd Ward.
We will be doing a temporary assignment with the Armenians there, working with young adults and less active. We're excited about the possibilities. Hopefully, it won't be too long and we'll be able to return to Ararat and resume our responsibilities there. We appreciate all your prayers in our behalf!
We will be doing a temporary assignment with the Armenians there, working with young adults and less active. We're excited about the possibilities. Hopefully, it won't be too long and we'll be able to return to Ararat and resume our responsibilities there. We appreciate all your prayers in our behalf!
Thursday, March 25, 2010
A Little Update
Well, would you believe that today we have some news about what’s next and we’re excited. Monday evening (March 22nd), we received a call from our Stake President, Richard Jackson. He related some of the recent happenings. Apparently, the reaction of Brother Doty, who heads up the committee to look at missionaries with medical issues didn’t think we would be able to return to Armenia, but then he called and talked with Doug Smith, our friend and cardiologist who answered his questions. After some consideration and discussion, the missionary committee came to a decision, that we could return to the mission field and Armenia…BUT they want us to stay stateside (either here or California, working with the Armenians) for a couple of months…and if everything is a-okay then we’ll return to Armenia. Brother Johnson of the missionary committee asked us how our Armenian was…and Elder Peterson had to admit that we recognize when someone is speaking Armenian, but just not sure what they are saying the majority of the time.
March 25, 2010: We’re still awaiting a call from the missionary department about where and when. We hopefully will know a little more by the weekend. In the meantime, we're taking a little hiatus to Las Vegas to watch our daughter, Alisa Thomason appearing in an opera, L'Eliser d'Amore. Check it out at http://www.operalv.info/ if you're in the area and want to go. We may also make a run over to Phoenix to see a couple of other children and their families...depending. We'll keep you posted! We love and appreciate all of you!!!
Remember you can check out our photos on photobucket.
March 25, 2010: We’re still awaiting a call from the missionary department about where and when. We hopefully will know a little more by the weekend. In the meantime, we're taking a little hiatus to Las Vegas to watch our daughter, Alisa Thomason appearing in an opera, L'Eliser d'Amore. Check it out at http://www.operalv.info/ if you're in the area and want to go. We may also make a run over to Phoenix to see a couple of other children and their families...depending. We'll keep you posted! We love and appreciate all of you!!!
Remember you can check out our photos on photobucket.
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
A Small Escape, Not the Great Escape
We did escape for the weekend and had a great time with Kevin and Alisa down in Pahrump, Nevada, and also spent some time with Rog's brother, Dave and his wife, Connie. It was nice to go to warmer climes (in the 60's) with blue skies and the only snow was on top of distant mountains.
We came back on Tuesday, the 16th of February, and early in the morning (5:00 a.m.)Rog reported to the Timpanogas Hospital for what we think is the last test or procedure they will do this go round (other than monitoring medications). They did the electrical mapping of the heart, but couldn’t locate any arrhythmia, so no ablation procedures. The doctor said it was good to find his heart is all okay, but he probably would recommend that he stay on the medicines indefinitely. The doctors will make their recommendations in a report to the missionary committee so it’s a wait and see what the results there will be. We’re anxious to get going, so the wait is a challenge.
We came back on Tuesday, the 16th of February, and early in the morning (5:00 a.m.)Rog reported to the Timpanogas Hospital for what we think is the last test or procedure they will do this go round (other than monitoring medications). They did the electrical mapping of the heart, but couldn’t locate any arrhythmia, so no ablation procedures. The doctor said it was good to find his heart is all okay, but he probably would recommend that he stay on the medicines indefinitely. The doctors will make their recommendations in a report to the missionary committee so it’s a wait and see what the results there will be. We’re anxious to get going, so the wait is a challenge.
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Doctors, doctors, doctors
I thought it was about time to post to let you know what is going on with us. We’re still in Provo and have finished almost all the testing. Rog had a brain MRI (he reported that he did have one, a brain that is) and a heart MRI which were both normal. They did discover some arrhythmia in one of the tests (wore a Holter monitor for 24 hours which records heart activity) which they are currently treating with a Beta blocker and that has fairly effectively controlled the arrhythmia. He also was prescribed some cholesterol lowering medication as since we’ve left the states and returned, the recommendations for LDL are a lot lower than was considered okay previously. He is scheduled for a catheter ablation procedure on the 17th. This procedure first maps the electrical system of the heart looking for trouble spots. When spots are discovered, they are then treated (ablated). If successful, this would mean no more medication and return to normal activities. Of course, you need to realize that Rog never did feel anything out of the ordinary concerning his heart.
The next step after the procedure will be to have all the doctor’s reports and recommendations submitted to the missionary committee. The decision will then be made to either return us to Armenia or assign us elsewhere.
After being so involved with the missionary work in Armenia, this period of “limbo” as I call it, has been one to try our patience or rather to teach us greater patience. It seems to take so long between appointments and tests, and we really aren’t in control. Hopefully, we’ll soon be on our way again and doing what the Lord has called us to do.
Inasmuch as it’s almost Valentine’s Day and a time to think about those you love and care about, we want to wish you a happy day. More later!
The next step after the procedure will be to have all the doctor’s reports and recommendations submitted to the missionary committee. The decision will then be made to either return us to Armenia or assign us elsewhere.
After being so involved with the missionary work in Armenia, this period of “limbo” as I call it, has been one to try our patience or rather to teach us greater patience. It seems to take so long between appointments and tests, and we really aren’t in control. Hopefully, we’ll soon be on our way again and doing what the Lord has called us to do.
Inasmuch as it’s almost Valentine’s Day and a time to think about those you love and care about, we want to wish you a happy day. More later!
Saturday, January 23, 2010
An Unexpected Adventure
Armenia #12 to Salt Lake and We Hope Back Again
Monday night, January 4, 2010, we received a telephone call shortly before we retired that we needed to go to Salt Lake as Rog needed to have some tests runs by the doctors there. We had visited the hospital in Yerevan earlier and their tests were sent to Dr Goth in Moscow and on to Salt Lake. As it happens, this little detour in our missionary work will enable me to visit with all our family as we participate in my mother’s funeral service. I think this must be one of the Lord’s tender mercies. Although, I must say, having to speak at such a time will be a challenge. I’m known as somewhat of an emotional “boob” in my family and it’s hard not to be emotional and teary at such times. Just hope I can maintain my composure.
As airline travel goes, it was not uneventful. We flew from Yerevan to London where we experienced a 5 hour delay. London was having the worst weather in 30 years and part of the wait was due to a big long queue for de-icing. When we arrived in Los Angeles we had to wait for a long time as there wasn’t a space for the plane. Apparently there was a plane that the security wouldn’t release to travel, but finally, after what seemed forever, we were allowed to taxi up to the terminal. We missed our flight to Salt Lake so had to spend the night at the airport. I was still pretending to be on Armenia time, so stayed up trying to e-mail to let our children know just when we might be arriving. We talked to JaneAnne via Skype at around 1:30 a.m. She had been asleep until our call. She called Jana to make arrangements to be picked up in the morning. Rog had also talked to John in the same early morning hours so half our children will have a shorter night. We love you all and are glad you’ll take our calls in the middle of the night.
Suffering from a little jet lag after a couple of days on the road or in the air/airport, we have started our first round of tests and doctor’s visits. The first day was good with nothing unusual reported, but we’ll have more tests next week and we’ll let you know how things are going as we go along.
We had a terrifically fun reunion on Friday night (8th of January, 2010) with most of the family being there. This was the beginning of our time together to celebrate the life of Dorothy Watkins, our mother, grandmother and great-grandmother. She had 4 children, 22 grandchildren and 32 great-grandchildren. We carried on the Watkins family tradition of playing Bingo. My sister Kathi had brought lots of “goodies” from home, that were offered as prizes for winning…and everyone was a winner. I think my mother used to use this game as a way of cleaning and de-cluttering her house. We also took some time to do some rehearsing of musical numbers for the funeral and putting together a picture display for the viewing. I was a bit of a zombie, but it was just wonderful to see everyone…and it was all in English.
The funeral on Saturday was a great tribute to a great lady. The family was mostly involved with talking (my sister, Kathi, brother, Bob and I)and singing. A neighbor who lives across the street also spoke. My cousin, Carolyn remarked to me that it was the “perfect funeral”. It was just as my mother would have liked, especially Alisa’s singing of “Stardust”. All the grandchildren and great-grandchildren sang, “I Am a Child of God”, which was touching. I was glad I had already spoken or I might have gotten a little more emotional. I Am a Child of God is a favorite of the family, and every reunion we sing it (members and non-members alike). The Peterson children also sang, “The Lord is my Shepherd” with Sue and Rob accompanying on their guitars, as the closing song. The bishop gave a great address and the whole thing was about an hour and a quarter, so was just the right length.
It was such a wonderful family time and now the cousins are talking about doing another reunion. It’s been far too long since they all have been together. I’m excited because it’s not my generation planning it, but has moved to the next generation.
Well, back to business of why we are back in Salt Lake. Rog has experienced a myriad of testing trying to discover what caused the TIA’s in Armenia. He had several tests and they indicated that he didn’t have anything negative going on. The most recent one he did was a Holter Monitor test and that finally produced something that might be a key to treatment. The test results indicated that he had some arrhythmia and a beta blocker was prescribed. The neurologist had also requested that Rog get his most recent Cholesterol results for him and the doctor thought they might be a little high and Rog should talk with his primary doctor about it. That resulted in Dr. Olsen prescribing something, but Rog is wondering if the beta blocker might take care of things without taking another medication. He has several more tests scheduled including an MRI (the one from Yerevan didn’t have good enough resolution to satisfy Dr. Groves (his neurologist)).
At this point in time (January 23, 2010) he’s had so many tests that he’s lost track. He did start on the cholesterol pill and doubled his beta blocker. They are going to do some electrical mapping of his heart this next week (this may show what is causing the arrhythmia) as well as the MRI.
We don’t mind being with our family, but are certainly feeling like we’re in limbo. It’s challenging to be a missionary and not be a missionary. We’re just praying this will soon be resolved and we’ll be able to return to Armenia to get back to what we’ve been called to do.
Monday night, January 4, 2010, we received a telephone call shortly before we retired that we needed to go to Salt Lake as Rog needed to have some tests runs by the doctors there. We had visited the hospital in Yerevan earlier and their tests were sent to Dr Goth in Moscow and on to Salt Lake. As it happens, this little detour in our missionary work will enable me to visit with all our family as we participate in my mother’s funeral service. I think this must be one of the Lord’s tender mercies. Although, I must say, having to speak at such a time will be a challenge. I’m known as somewhat of an emotional “boob” in my family and it’s hard not to be emotional and teary at such times. Just hope I can maintain my composure.
As airline travel goes, it was not uneventful. We flew from Yerevan to London where we experienced a 5 hour delay. London was having the worst weather in 30 years and part of the wait was due to a big long queue for de-icing. When we arrived in Los Angeles we had to wait for a long time as there wasn’t a space for the plane. Apparently there was a plane that the security wouldn’t release to travel, but finally, after what seemed forever, we were allowed to taxi up to the terminal. We missed our flight to Salt Lake so had to spend the night at the airport. I was still pretending to be on Armenia time, so stayed up trying to e-mail to let our children know just when we might be arriving. We talked to JaneAnne via Skype at around 1:30 a.m. She had been asleep until our call. She called Jana to make arrangements to be picked up in the morning. Rog had also talked to John in the same early morning hours so half our children will have a shorter night. We love you all and are glad you’ll take our calls in the middle of the night.
Suffering from a little jet lag after a couple of days on the road or in the air/airport, we have started our first round of tests and doctor’s visits. The first day was good with nothing unusual reported, but we’ll have more tests next week and we’ll let you know how things are going as we go along.
We had a terrifically fun reunion on Friday night (8th of January, 2010) with most of the family being there. This was the beginning of our time together to celebrate the life of Dorothy Watkins, our mother, grandmother and great-grandmother. She had 4 children, 22 grandchildren and 32 great-grandchildren. We carried on the Watkins family tradition of playing Bingo. My sister Kathi had brought lots of “goodies” from home, that were offered as prizes for winning…and everyone was a winner. I think my mother used to use this game as a way of cleaning and de-cluttering her house. We also took some time to do some rehearsing of musical numbers for the funeral and putting together a picture display for the viewing. I was a bit of a zombie, but it was just wonderful to see everyone…and it was all in English.
The funeral on Saturday was a great tribute to a great lady. The family was mostly involved with talking (my sister, Kathi, brother, Bob and I)and singing. A neighbor who lives across the street also spoke. My cousin, Carolyn remarked to me that it was the “perfect funeral”. It was just as my mother would have liked, especially Alisa’s singing of “Stardust”. All the grandchildren and great-grandchildren sang, “I Am a Child of God”, which was touching. I was glad I had already spoken or I might have gotten a little more emotional. I Am a Child of God is a favorite of the family, and every reunion we sing it (members and non-members alike). The Peterson children also sang, “The Lord is my Shepherd” with Sue and Rob accompanying on their guitars, as the closing song. The bishop gave a great address and the whole thing was about an hour and a quarter, so was just the right length.
It was such a wonderful family time and now the cousins are talking about doing another reunion. It’s been far too long since they all have been together. I’m excited because it’s not my generation planning it, but has moved to the next generation.
Well, back to business of why we are back in Salt Lake. Rog has experienced a myriad of testing trying to discover what caused the TIA’s in Armenia. He had several tests and they indicated that he didn’t have anything negative going on. The most recent one he did was a Holter Monitor test and that finally produced something that might be a key to treatment. The test results indicated that he had some arrhythmia and a beta blocker was prescribed. The neurologist had also requested that Rog get his most recent Cholesterol results for him and the doctor thought they might be a little high and Rog should talk with his primary doctor about it. That resulted in Dr. Olsen prescribing something, but Rog is wondering if the beta blocker might take care of things without taking another medication. He has several more tests scheduled including an MRI (the one from Yerevan didn’t have good enough resolution to satisfy Dr. Groves (his neurologist)).
At this point in time (January 23, 2010) he’s had so many tests that he’s lost track. He did start on the cholesterol pill and doubled his beta blocker. They are going to do some electrical mapping of his heart this next week (this may show what is causing the arrhythmia) as well as the MRI.
We don’t mind being with our family, but are certainly feeling like we’re in limbo. It’s challenging to be a missionary and not be a missionary. We’re just praying this will soon be resolved and we’ll be able to return to Armenia to get back to what we’ve been called to do.
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