On July 29th, we attended our first branch party and it was fun and different. We were headed to Lake Sevan and they were excited for some swimming, sun, and good food. We’re used to ward activities that may last 2-3 hours, but the activities here seem to last all day. We were to be at the church at 7:30 a.m. with the bus to leave at 8:00 a.m. We didn’t quite make it by 8, but close. When it’s a party, I think they tend to be more punctual, unlike church, when they can come at any time and know they won’t be left behind.
We didn’t go very far, when they realized that they had left the juice behind, so the bus pulled over to the side of the road and the branch presidency hailed a taxi to go back and pick up the forgotten item while the rest of us waited. After about 30 minutes, juice now on board, we started out again. We didn’t get terribly far when the bus, while going up the steep hills toward the lake, apparently overheated and we had to stop for engine cooling and adding of water. Another wait, and then we were on our way again. Well, not for too long, and we had to stop again to wait for the bus engine to cool and replace a broken belt one more time. I asked if it’s possible to get some money back for your troubles with the bus and they said that if anything the bus company might ask you for more money to make the necessary repairs as you are journeying.
I don’t know if it’s always this way, but if it is, I can understand why they start so early. We arrived at the lake around noon and normally it’s just an hour drive from Yerevan.
The lake is all privately owned (how I appreciate the public spaces we have back home) and you have to pay for your space at the beach. They do have tables that you rent and they are covered by a tarp canopy that keeps some of the sun off. I noticed there were quite a few rosier people when we left than when we first arrived, including me.
Everyone just laid out their blankets (carpets the Armenians say) and either just relaxed or went swimming or played games in the sand, and one of the principle activities was eating. When we arrived everyone brought out snacks they had brought and shared them around. A couple of hours later, we made summer salad (tomatoes, cucumbers, onions and greens sprinkled with salt) and they grilled up a bunch of hotdogs that they served in huge buns (two dogs/bun). They use catsup to accompany the dogs. We also had slices of watermelon. A few hours later, preparations were started for “khoravatz”. They made piles of wood and started them burning so they’d have coals for grilling. Then they loaded up skewers with chicken and with pork. They had a grill box that was about 6’ x 20” and they loaded it up with skewers five times or so, so there was a lot of meat. They also sliced potatoes and grilled them. They then brought out piles of lavash to eat along with the meat, and I think no one went home hungry. There were enough leftovers that some members had enough for another meal or two. Watermelon was also served again.
After dinner, there was dancing (mostly by the women, however). Mananan, the Branch President’s 18 month old daughter even is beginning to learn some of the moves the Armenians make as they are dancing. Too cute! I tried my hand at it, but “grace” is not my name. It probably is good exercise, however.
We finally “hit the road”. We did do one other stop for the bus, but that was only to do a “green stick” test of the fuel tank and we had to pull over for a fill up. We finally arrived back at the church around 10:30 p.m. and home around 11 p.m., having survived a 15+ hour branch activity.
Friday, July 30, 2010
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Back to Armenia #5
Just some observations I’ve made recently. As we walk down the alleyway by our place on our way to work, I noticed that in a couple of places there are several pipes overhead. They run from the building to a fence on the other side. On the fence side are planted grapes and now the vines are growing and spreading across the alleyway. The greenery is nice to look at, and is providing some shade and in the fall will produce grapes.
July 11th was a holiday in Armenia. It’s called “water day”. There are all sorts of people out and about, filling their buckets, containers and soakers and trying to douse whoever or whatever is in their path. We managed to avoid getting wet, but one boy fired a warning salvo that just crossed in front of Elder P. I think I gave a “mean stare down” to some who may have been tempted but then were warned off. The young elders reported being thoroughly soaked and even though the day was hot, by the end of it, they were still damp around their middles (I guess under their belts).
Another holiday, or I should say 4 other holidays in the year, are similar to our one Memorial Day. They really make a pretty big deal out of leaving this life and it’s insulting to the family if you don’t visit and participate in whatever is going on.
We had an opportunity to go to a “closing” of a humanitarian project. The project was located in the mountains beyond Lake Sevan, so is about a two hour drive from Yerevan. It was the first we’ve seen Lake Sevan so was nice and the scenery is beautiful. It was interesting that there were no trees on one side of the mountain, but as soon as we went through a long tunnel and come out the other side, the mountains were then filled with lots of trees.
In this project, the goal was to bring water to a school that had no running water. The villagers worked along with contractors to dig ditches, lay pipe, and the end result was a drinking fountain with spring-fed running water. At the closing, the ribbon around the project was cut by Sister Merkley and me and the water turned on. A loaf of freshly baked bread was brought out. The very middle of the loaf had a small depression where they put a bunch of salt. Sister Merkley and I broke off a bit of bread, dipped it in the salt and then ate it. I don’t know what the significance of this is, but you have to be careful to not dip the bread too far into the salt or it becomes pretty salty and not so good to eat. They (those attending the ceremonies) also presented us with two big bouquets of roses.
After all the speeches (of thanks for the help and you’re welcome from LDS Charities with a “plug” for the sponsor) we followed the mayor and others to a restaurant for a lovely meal. They served homemade “massun” (sort of like sour cream) in a huge casserole dish. We ate it as an accompaniment to the vegetables and other foods that followed. There was lots of bread and then came kabobs along with onions and greens. Several toasts were given throughout the meal, so we drank a lot of juices. All of the men from the village did their toasting with little shot glasses filled with vodka. They were a pretty “happy” bunch. At this point, we were feeling pretty satisfied and ready to move on, but then the waitress came out with heaping platters of pork barbecue. I took a small rib to be polite, but then one of the men in the party thought that I should eat a big chop so he leaned over across the table and forked the meat onto my plate. I ate a very little and felt bad about wasting such delicious food, but there is a point… We had a dinner appointment with the other senior couples in the evening and needless to say, we couldn’t eat another thing…but did manage a little ice cream (always room for dessert, right?)
July 11th was a holiday in Armenia. It’s called “water day”. There are all sorts of people out and about, filling their buckets, containers and soakers and trying to douse whoever or whatever is in their path. We managed to avoid getting wet, but one boy fired a warning salvo that just crossed in front of Elder P. I think I gave a “mean stare down” to some who may have been tempted but then were warned off. The young elders reported being thoroughly soaked and even though the day was hot, by the end of it, they were still damp around their middles (I guess under their belts).
Another holiday, or I should say 4 other holidays in the year, are similar to our one Memorial Day. They really make a pretty big deal out of leaving this life and it’s insulting to the family if you don’t visit and participate in whatever is going on.
We had an opportunity to go to a “closing” of a humanitarian project. The project was located in the mountains beyond Lake Sevan, so is about a two hour drive from Yerevan. It was the first we’ve seen Lake Sevan so was nice and the scenery is beautiful. It was interesting that there were no trees on one side of the mountain, but as soon as we went through a long tunnel and come out the other side, the mountains were then filled with lots of trees.
In this project, the goal was to bring water to a school that had no running water. The villagers worked along with contractors to dig ditches, lay pipe, and the end result was a drinking fountain with spring-fed running water. At the closing, the ribbon around the project was cut by Sister Merkley and me and the water turned on. A loaf of freshly baked bread was brought out. The very middle of the loaf had a small depression where they put a bunch of salt. Sister Merkley and I broke off a bit of bread, dipped it in the salt and then ate it. I don’t know what the significance of this is, but you have to be careful to not dip the bread too far into the salt or it becomes pretty salty and not so good to eat. They (those attending the ceremonies) also presented us with two big bouquets of roses.
After all the speeches (of thanks for the help and you’re welcome from LDS Charities with a “plug” for the sponsor) we followed the mayor and others to a restaurant for a lovely meal. They served homemade “massun” (sort of like sour cream) in a huge casserole dish. We ate it as an accompaniment to the vegetables and other foods that followed. There was lots of bread and then came kabobs along with onions and greens. Several toasts were given throughout the meal, so we drank a lot of juices. All of the men from the village did their toasting with little shot glasses filled with vodka. They were a pretty “happy” bunch. At this point, we were feeling pretty satisfied and ready to move on, but then the waitress came out with heaping platters of pork barbecue. I took a small rib to be polite, but then one of the men in the party thought that I should eat a big chop so he leaned over across the table and forked the meat onto my plate. I ate a very little and felt bad about wasting such delicious food, but there is a point… We had a dinner appointment with the other senior couples in the evening and needless to say, we couldn’t eat another thing…but did manage a little ice cream (always room for dessert, right?)
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Back to Armenia #3
Back to Armenia #3
One thing we’ve learned in the course of living, is that change is inevitable. This week has been a week of changes. We were able to participate in the first South Zone Conference with the new mission president and his wife, President and Sister Carter. As he talked with all the missionaries, he shared that today was a new page for everyone. The President has not received any information from President Dunn, other than medical, about any missionaries. He said that the Lord keeps things in balance by changing leadership, so we don’t get into “ruts”. Trust is important; and there must be obedience with exactness and honor.
There were changes from Church headquarters: Zone Conferences will be held quarterly and interviews with missionaries will also be quarterly and brief (for about 10 minutes). The Mission President is to be the Master Teacher, so there will be additional training. There will be eight lessons on how to teach that will be explained to the leadership of the mission in two day conferences. The leadership will then return to their districts and share what they’ve learned. Training will continue until all involved understand (get it). There were also some changes in sister’s clothing: skirts don’t need to be long, but long enough to cover the knees when sitting; clothing should be modest and not too tight. Sisters were encouraged to wear color and patterns; nylons are no longer required and we can even wear sandals. (I was wishing I had known this before leaving home as in our 100+ temperatures, I might have enjoyed more air to the feet).
We have started to help plan Education Days (a take-off on Education Week at BYU) and we’re getting to know more about our responsibilities as Institute Directors. We’ll be meeting with the Institute Council to plan activities and we’re really grateful for all the young people we have to work with. Now if we could just get them to date (not just hang out) and be more serious about finding an eternal partner, it would be good. It seems to be such a cultural thing…not to date unless you are prepared to marry the one you’re dating. How can we get over that? Ideas?
Another change this week was receipt of additional assignments. I’m back in the Relief Society as 2nd Counselor and Elder Peterson is the new Elder’s Quorum President. I think between meetings, teaching and new responsibilities, we will be busy enough.
I discovered this week, too, that I have an aversion to rats. It was dead and in the middle of the street that we cross every day, but still…it was nasty. I could go the rest of the mission without seeing another one and I think that would be great.
We were finally able to see the show in the Republic Square. It happens every night and as one sister commented, where there are lights, water and music, it’s bound to be entertaining. I just forgot to take my camera to capture any of it, so we’ll have to go again. It sort of reminds me of the show that occurs at the Bellagio in Las Vegas, only on a smaller scale. We actually had our first rain experience in Yerevan, too. I couldn’t tell at first if it was spray from the fountain or the air, but it wasn’t much of a deterrent to our watching. I do know that a little rain made the air cooler and more enjoyable to be outside
One thing we’ve learned in the course of living, is that change is inevitable. This week has been a week of changes. We were able to participate in the first South Zone Conference with the new mission president and his wife, President and Sister Carter. As he talked with all the missionaries, he shared that today was a new page for everyone. The President has not received any information from President Dunn, other than medical, about any missionaries. He said that the Lord keeps things in balance by changing leadership, so we don’t get into “ruts”. Trust is important; and there must be obedience with exactness and honor.
There were changes from Church headquarters: Zone Conferences will be held quarterly and interviews with missionaries will also be quarterly and brief (for about 10 minutes). The Mission President is to be the Master Teacher, so there will be additional training. There will be eight lessons on how to teach that will be explained to the leadership of the mission in two day conferences. The leadership will then return to their districts and share what they’ve learned. Training will continue until all involved understand (get it). There were also some changes in sister’s clothing: skirts don’t need to be long, but long enough to cover the knees when sitting; clothing should be modest and not too tight. Sisters were encouraged to wear color and patterns; nylons are no longer required and we can even wear sandals. (I was wishing I had known this before leaving home as in our 100+ temperatures, I might have enjoyed more air to the feet).
We have started to help plan Education Days (a take-off on Education Week at BYU) and we’re getting to know more about our responsibilities as Institute Directors. We’ll be meeting with the Institute Council to plan activities and we’re really grateful for all the young people we have to work with. Now if we could just get them to date (not just hang out) and be more serious about finding an eternal partner, it would be good. It seems to be such a cultural thing…not to date unless you are prepared to marry the one you’re dating. How can we get over that? Ideas?
Another change this week was receipt of additional assignments. I’m back in the Relief Society as 2nd Counselor and Elder Peterson is the new Elder’s Quorum President. I think between meetings, teaching and new responsibilities, we will be busy enough.
I discovered this week, too, that I have an aversion to rats. It was dead and in the middle of the street that we cross every day, but still…it was nasty. I could go the rest of the mission without seeing another one and I think that would be great.
We were finally able to see the show in the Republic Square. It happens every night and as one sister commented, where there are lights, water and music, it’s bound to be entertaining. I just forgot to take my camera to capture any of it, so we’ll have to go again. It sort of reminds me of the show that occurs at the Bellagio in Las Vegas, only on a smaller scale. We actually had our first rain experience in Yerevan, too. I couldn’t tell at first if it was spray from the fountain or the air, but it wasn’t much of a deterrent to our watching. I do know that a little rain made the air cooler and more enjoyable to be outside
Monday, July 5, 2010
Back to Armenia #2
Back to Armenia #2
This week has been interesting as we’ve been in the moving mode. We didn’t know we’d be leaving Ararat so quickly, but had to work with schedules of others, so on Wednesday, we departed Ararat for Yerevan. We took our last look at Mt. Ararat from our balcony and we were afraid that would be the last possibility for seeing that great mountain every day it’s visible…but would you believe, from the balcony of our 7th floor apartment in the center of Yerevan, we can still see Mt. Ararat.
We are living in a large apartment complex, but this time we do have an elevator (when it’s working) and it’s much appreciated. I do have to say this about the elevator…it holds whatever smells come along so it can be pretty rank, but we hold our noses for the convenience. We also have some air conditioning in our apartment which is great for the hot days we seem to be experiencing. We’ve taken some pictures which we hope show you what the apartment looks like. The location is great as we are about a five minute walk from the Institute, a 30 second walk to a yummy bakery and about 30 seconds to a little stand that sells fresh fruits and vegetables. The closest market is also about a 5 minute walk, so we’re going to have to get our exercise by morning walks.
During the past week, we were able to attend a Young Men/Young Women conference up in the mountains, similar to the Young Adult conference of the previous week. We traveled there with the new mission president and his wife, President and Sister Carter. They both spoke and Sister Carter even bore her testimony in Armenian which brought a standing ovation and the youth leaders trying to tell them it wasn’t appropriate. It was nice to be with the youth and watch them perform skits that only 14-18 year olds can do. The highlight was having a group perform the dance that they will be doing at the Kiev Temple dedication activities in August. It was electrifying. They were full of such energy and pride to be doing the dance.
As I mentioned, this was also the week for the changing of the guard so to speak. President Dunn returned home and President Carter arrived to begin his 3 year stint as Mission President. We will be getting more new couples in the office, humanitarian and elsewhere. The senior of the senior couples is now one that came out in October with us. Hopefully, we’ll soon be doing regular get togethers for family home evenings and other activities.
We had our first class with the young adults of the institute and decided it would be good to get acquainted and learn a little more about them and them, about us. We also taught them “Aunt Virginia’s game” and enjoyed a freshly baked apricot (got to take advantage of the world famous Armenian apricots) cobbler ala mode. We will be doing a class weekly on marriage for this group or an activity…but I don’t think I’ll be baking cobblers every time.
This week has been interesting as we’ve been in the moving mode. We didn’t know we’d be leaving Ararat so quickly, but had to work with schedules of others, so on Wednesday, we departed Ararat for Yerevan. We took our last look at Mt. Ararat from our balcony and we were afraid that would be the last possibility for seeing that great mountain every day it’s visible…but would you believe, from the balcony of our 7th floor apartment in the center of Yerevan, we can still see Mt. Ararat.
We are living in a large apartment complex, but this time we do have an elevator (when it’s working) and it’s much appreciated. I do have to say this about the elevator…it holds whatever smells come along so it can be pretty rank, but we hold our noses for the convenience. We also have some air conditioning in our apartment which is great for the hot days we seem to be experiencing. We’ve taken some pictures which we hope show you what the apartment looks like. The location is great as we are about a five minute walk from the Institute, a 30 second walk to a yummy bakery and about 30 seconds to a little stand that sells fresh fruits and vegetables. The closest market is also about a 5 minute walk, so we’re going to have to get our exercise by morning walks.
During the past week, we were able to attend a Young Men/Young Women conference up in the mountains, similar to the Young Adult conference of the previous week. We traveled there with the new mission president and his wife, President and Sister Carter. They both spoke and Sister Carter even bore her testimony in Armenian which brought a standing ovation and the youth leaders trying to tell them it wasn’t appropriate. It was nice to be with the youth and watch them perform skits that only 14-18 year olds can do. The highlight was having a group perform the dance that they will be doing at the Kiev Temple dedication activities in August. It was electrifying. They were full of such energy and pride to be doing the dance.
As I mentioned, this was also the week for the changing of the guard so to speak. President Dunn returned home and President Carter arrived to begin his 3 year stint as Mission President. We will be getting more new couples in the office, humanitarian and elsewhere. The senior of the senior couples is now one that came out in October with us. Hopefully, we’ll soon be doing regular get togethers for family home evenings and other activities.
We had our first class with the young adults of the institute and decided it would be good to get acquainted and learn a little more about them and them, about us. We also taught them “Aunt Virginia’s game” and enjoyed a freshly baked apricot (got to take advantage of the world famous Armenian apricots) cobbler ala mode. We will be doing a class weekly on marriage for this group or an activity…but I don’t think I’ll be baking cobblers every time.
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Back to Armenia #1
Return to Armenia #1
Well, we’re back. It’s been interesting and hard to believe that we finally made it back. Getting over jet lag continues to be a challenge, but we’re working on that. We left Provo at 5:00 a.m. on June 21st. We took a shuttle with a bunch of very enthusiastic missionaries headed around the world. I think we need some of their energy infused into us.
Our flight went from Salt Lake to New York to Vienna and on to Armenia. We had a 14 hour layover in Vienna which was a new experience. We had a “day room” which is a hotel room you can use between 9 and 5. We slept for a few hours then walked a mile to the train stop and took a “schnell bahnen” into downtown Vienna. We strolled around a bit, visited the Stephens church, and then enjoyed some wonderfully marvelous wienerschnitzel at a restaurant called Figlmuller. We decided we’d share the meal and were glad we did. The schnitzel filled the whole plate and then some. I think it was about 12” across. The potato salad that we ordered was delicious, too and we were stuffed by the time we finished. I was so impressed with how clean the city seemed…I didn’t notice trash anywhere. We flew next to Yerevan and arrived a little after 5 a.m. on the 23rd, about 36 hours from the time we left Provo.
We were met by the Mission President, President Dunn (who completes his mission assignment on July 1st) and Ruben Gasparyan, the mission driver. We stopped by the mission office to drop off a couple of suitcases and our heavy winter coats and then dropped President Dunn off at his hotel where he is staying while the mission home is undergoing some remodeling. Ruben then drove us another hour up into the mountains to the town of Tsakhador where we attended a Young Single Adult Conference for the next couple of days. I think we were more “zombie like” than we would have liked, but we did enjoy being with the wonderful young people in this mission. We did a workshop on finding your celestial partner. We ate a lot of interesting food (most of which wasn’t very good) and were offered very few fruits and vegetables. If our new goal was to eat more healthfully, I don’t think we did.
The end of the conference found us driving again…and finally… returning once again to Ararat, about six months after we left. Other than some dust, things looked much as we had left them. Not quite…We discovered after Ruben left that the toilet wasn’t working and the pump wasn’t working so we didn’t have access to water to wash our pile of dirty clothes, shower or fill our water jugs….welcome to Armenia! But, there is also a lot of green that we missed when we were last here…grape vines, apricots and all sorts of greenery from blooming things. There were also a lot of swallows flying about our place in Ararat. Sort of reminds me of the swallows returning to Capistrano, California every year. I wonder how long they’ll be here?
June 26th, we have some water, but the pump isn’t working. We were able to very slowly fill a couple of jugs, but no showers or laundry this morning. Ruben and Ara arrived mid morning, fixed the pump and toilet, so we ought to be cleaner for church tomorrow. We’re off for some orientation with the Shulz’s, the CES couple we’re replacing next week.
June 27th, there is nothing like a warm shower to make you feel like a new (albeit cleaner) person. The water is still working and we were able to go back to the Ararat Branch for a hello and goodbye. It was great to give hugs and kisses to the members we’d grown attached to while we were serving here. We missed seeing some and wished we had the opportunity to visit and encourage them to keep coming. Some things never change. Our first week back has been good!
Well, we’re back. It’s been interesting and hard to believe that we finally made it back. Getting over jet lag continues to be a challenge, but we’re working on that. We left Provo at 5:00 a.m. on June 21st. We took a shuttle with a bunch of very enthusiastic missionaries headed around the world. I think we need some of their energy infused into us.
Our flight went from Salt Lake to New York to Vienna and on to Armenia. We had a 14 hour layover in Vienna which was a new experience. We had a “day room” which is a hotel room you can use between 9 and 5. We slept for a few hours then walked a mile to the train stop and took a “schnell bahnen” into downtown Vienna. We strolled around a bit, visited the Stephens church, and then enjoyed some wonderfully marvelous wienerschnitzel at a restaurant called Figlmuller. We decided we’d share the meal and were glad we did. The schnitzel filled the whole plate and then some. I think it was about 12” across. The potato salad that we ordered was delicious, too and we were stuffed by the time we finished. I was so impressed with how clean the city seemed…I didn’t notice trash anywhere. We flew next to Yerevan and arrived a little after 5 a.m. on the 23rd, about 36 hours from the time we left Provo.
We were met by the Mission President, President Dunn (who completes his mission assignment on July 1st) and Ruben Gasparyan, the mission driver. We stopped by the mission office to drop off a couple of suitcases and our heavy winter coats and then dropped President Dunn off at his hotel where he is staying while the mission home is undergoing some remodeling. Ruben then drove us another hour up into the mountains to the town of Tsakhador where we attended a Young Single Adult Conference for the next couple of days. I think we were more “zombie like” than we would have liked, but we did enjoy being with the wonderful young people in this mission. We did a workshop on finding your celestial partner. We ate a lot of interesting food (most of which wasn’t very good) and were offered very few fruits and vegetables. If our new goal was to eat more healthfully, I don’t think we did.
The end of the conference found us driving again…and finally… returning once again to Ararat, about six months after we left. Other than some dust, things looked much as we had left them. Not quite…We discovered after Ruben left that the toilet wasn’t working and the pump wasn’t working so we didn’t have access to water to wash our pile of dirty clothes, shower or fill our water jugs….welcome to Armenia! But, there is also a lot of green that we missed when we were last here…grape vines, apricots and all sorts of greenery from blooming things. There were also a lot of swallows flying about our place in Ararat. Sort of reminds me of the swallows returning to Capistrano, California every year. I wonder how long they’ll be here?
June 26th, we have some water, but the pump isn’t working. We were able to very slowly fill a couple of jugs, but no showers or laundry this morning. Ruben and Ara arrived mid morning, fixed the pump and toilet, so we ought to be cleaner for church tomorrow. We’re off for some orientation with the Shulz’s, the CES couple we’re replacing next week.
June 27th, there is nothing like a warm shower to make you feel like a new (albeit cleaner) person. The water is still working and we were able to go back to the Ararat Branch for a hello and goodbye. It was great to give hugs and kisses to the members we’d grown attached to while we were serving here. We missed seeing some and wished we had the opportunity to visit and encourage them to keep coming. Some things never change. Our first week back has been good!
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
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….
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….
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
California Musings #4
We had our first Zone Conference, and the approach of President Pike, while different from President’s Dunn, was good and we learned more about teaching by the spirit and doing less “rote” teaching. Because of the number of missionaries, they do five zone conferences. That’s a lot of work! It was a day-long meeting from 9:00 a.m. to almost 4 p.m. with about a 30 minute break for lunch. One of the best parts was the testimony meeting at the end when all the departing and all new missionaries shared their feelings. Elder White (one of the Armenian elders) bore a heartfelt testimony and as I followed him, so did “the sign of the waterfall”. Oh well, maybe one of these days, I’ll eliminate the tears, but after 60 years, I’m not banking on it.
Missionary work continues to be interesting and rewarding. Friday (the 7th), we decided just to drop in on Ando Najaryan’s (from Ararat) family, as they hadn’t returned our call. Elder Chaney had sent the contact information to us to check out. We were expecting to find Ando’s brother, but instead found his niece, Tamara, her husband Andy and their little boy, Shant, who is almost 4. They were so friendly and we were able to share some pictures of Ando and Hasmik (had on our computer) with them and visited for over an hour. Apparently, we had Voskan’s (Ando’s brother) telephone number, but Tamara and Andy’s address. We exchanged more information and they volunteered to go with us to Voskan’s place as they said their English wasn’t that good and they could help translate. It was interesting as Tamara talked about the brothers, her father and Ando. She commented that Ando was so positive and always upbeat in spite of his trials and challenges, while her father was a bit of a pessimist and negative. I was thinking to myself, but didn’t say, that I think having a gospel-centered life and always helping and serving others is a key to a happier existence. We also had been given the name of Tamara’s brother, Vegan, but he is in Arizona, currently facing some immigration issues. The judge on his case is apparently a member of our church…Hope the results are fair and good.
May 8, 2010 was a Stake Helping Hands day at the Muir Elementary School. We all donned the yellow shirts and helped paint and landscape the school in preparation for Teacher Appreciation Day on Monday. All of the teachers will have their own garden spots planted with flowers and shrubs that their students and their families paid for (for the most part). Considering that about 45% of the students are below the poverty level, it’s pretty amazing. The principal of the school, Linda Junge, is a member of the church and her husband, Jason, is a returned missionary from Norway (just a little aside). We enjoyed dinner with the mission president and his wife and once again discovered a small world in the church. Stephanie Pike is a cousin to Vickie Taylor, and I could see some family resemblance. They also were well acquainted with Jennifer Hyde Young, daughter of Hope and Os, as the Pike’s children attended Provo High where Jennifer worked. The Pikes were also acquainted with Chipmans and Robisons (founder and partner of Caldera Engineering where Rog worked).
Mother’s Day was a wonderful day to connect with family (enjoyed Skyping and seeing most of the grandchildren and children). We also had another baptism within the Armenian group, so the numbers are growing…but not without challenges unfortunately. With the newness of the church to most Armenians, there is quite a lot of “hand holding, listening, encouraging”…not always bad, however.
I had another first. In conversation with a member who had been baptized about six years ago, she said she had been disappointed (haven’t heard since Armenia). She said she had been promised some help several years ago and nothing had come of it. I’m not sure exactly the problem (sometimes something is lost in the translation) but she considers herself no longer a member.
We were able to get together with more of the Najaryan family. We met Voskan (Ando’s brother) and his wife, Noura, daughter Anna, granddaughter Catherine, and mother. Tamara and Shant also were there. It was fun to get acquainted and share the photos of Ararat inasmuch as they had all lived there for a long time. In typical Armenian style, the coffee table was loaded with all kinds of fruit, cookies, etc. They would like us to help with a reference letter for the son to help with the judge’s decision regarding Vigen and also wondered if we could find out about the possibility of Ando being able to come over here to visit family, especially his mother who is 90.
We're continuing to work with the Armenians and are excited that next week we're going with a group of Armenians to the Los Angeles Temple and shortly after that we will be returning to Provo and then hopefully, Armenia. We'll keep you posted.
Missionary work continues to be interesting and rewarding. Friday (the 7th), we decided just to drop in on Ando Najaryan’s (from Ararat) family, as they hadn’t returned our call. Elder Chaney had sent the contact information to us to check out. We were expecting to find Ando’s brother, but instead found his niece, Tamara, her husband Andy and their little boy, Shant, who is almost 4. They were so friendly and we were able to share some pictures of Ando and Hasmik (had on our computer) with them and visited for over an hour. Apparently, we had Voskan’s (Ando’s brother) telephone number, but Tamara and Andy’s address. We exchanged more information and they volunteered to go with us to Voskan’s place as they said their English wasn’t that good and they could help translate. It was interesting as Tamara talked about the brothers, her father and Ando. She commented that Ando was so positive and always upbeat in spite of his trials and challenges, while her father was a bit of a pessimist and negative. I was thinking to myself, but didn’t say, that I think having a gospel-centered life and always helping and serving others is a key to a happier existence. We also had been given the name of Tamara’s brother, Vegan, but he is in Arizona, currently facing some immigration issues. The judge on his case is apparently a member of our church…Hope the results are fair and good.
May 8, 2010 was a Stake Helping Hands day at the Muir Elementary School. We all donned the yellow shirts and helped paint and landscape the school in preparation for Teacher Appreciation Day on Monday. All of the teachers will have their own garden spots planted with flowers and shrubs that their students and their families paid for (for the most part). Considering that about 45% of the students are below the poverty level, it’s pretty amazing. The principal of the school, Linda Junge, is a member of the church and her husband, Jason, is a returned missionary from Norway (just a little aside). We enjoyed dinner with the mission president and his wife and once again discovered a small world in the church. Stephanie Pike is a cousin to Vickie Taylor, and I could see some family resemblance. They also were well acquainted with Jennifer Hyde Young, daughter of Hope and Os, as the Pike’s children attended Provo High where Jennifer worked. The Pikes were also acquainted with Chipmans and Robisons (founder and partner of Caldera Engineering where Rog worked).
Mother’s Day was a wonderful day to connect with family (enjoyed Skyping and seeing most of the grandchildren and children). We also had another baptism within the Armenian group, so the numbers are growing…but not without challenges unfortunately. With the newness of the church to most Armenians, there is quite a lot of “hand holding, listening, encouraging”…not always bad, however.
I had another first. In conversation with a member who had been baptized about six years ago, she said she had been disappointed (haven’t heard since Armenia). She said she had been promised some help several years ago and nothing had come of it. I’m not sure exactly the problem (sometimes something is lost in the translation) but she considers herself no longer a member.
We were able to get together with more of the Najaryan family. We met Voskan (Ando’s brother) and his wife, Noura, daughter Anna, granddaughter Catherine, and mother. Tamara and Shant also were there. It was fun to get acquainted and share the photos of Ararat inasmuch as they had all lived there for a long time. In typical Armenian style, the coffee table was loaded with all kinds of fruit, cookies, etc. They would like us to help with a reference letter for the son to help with the judge’s decision regarding Vigen and also wondered if we could find out about the possibility of Ando being able to come over here to visit family, especially his mother who is 90.
We're continuing to work with the Armenians and are excited that next week we're going with a group of Armenians to the Los Angeles Temple and shortly after that we will be returning to Provo and then hopefully, Armenia. We'll keep you posted.
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