Bits and Pieces Jan/Feb 2011

As we start the new year.  We have gotten use to our new apartment.  We enjoy the 1 plus mile walk to work each day.  We ride the bus home a lot of the time because it is up hill.  We have learned to live in and really enjoy Armenia.  We discovered a little restaurant around the corner from the Mission Office, which we refer to as the "Around the Corner Cafe" not to be confused with our favorite Italian Restaurant, the "Corner Cafe", which is no longer on a corner since they moved, but that is another story.  The Around the Corner Cafe has really good Armenian food.  There are a couple of old guys that come in an play music each evening.  We showed them that it is okay to dance to their music.

The "Band"

The "Entertainment"

Buying eggs is another adventure.  They are not refrigerated and they are sitting on flats with 30 eggs.  You tell the store keeper how many you want and they put them in a plastic bag. If the lady knows you, she will pick out the cleanest ones for you.  We do wash them when we get them home.  It is a good thing that the shells are much harder than the eggs at home.  We are still very careful with the bag.

A bag of eggs

 There is a young man in our Branch who decided that if a Church were to be true that it would have to be centered around Jesus Christ.  He did some internet research and found the LDS Church.  By the time the Missionaries got to him, he had read the Book of Mormon a couple of times and knew that it was true.  He is destined to be someone in the Church in Armenia.  He taught the lesson in  Young Men's his third Sunday in the Church. His Baptism was a very spiritual experience.

Edgar and the Elders

Edgars mother, grandmother and brother

We went out to Edjmiacin to look at some new projects.  This town is west of Yerevan and is the headquarters for the Armenian Apostolic Church, or the Temple Square of Armenia.  We went out to a farm and got acquainted with a few animals.  We then went to a Dental Clinic for lunch, which they prepared there.

Cute little critter

These will make great pork chops someday

This one wanted to know what was going on

Chickens scratching around

The farmer and the dentist that supports him

A way of cooking BBQ inside

It produced really good BBQ chicken

We like to drink Coke Light and since we are always walking, you don't get large quantities.  In fact most of Armenia shops on a daily basis.  We have found a small shop up the street from the office that stocks Coke Light.  All we have to do is show up and the guy comes out and gets the bottle of soda, puts it in a plastic bag and we pay him his 550 dram ( about $1.50 ).

The coolers are normally outside, because the shops are really small.

The coolers are kept locked and are not self serve

When we lived in Yarat Mas, it was lower that it is here on Komitas Street.  We would get rain there, but we get snow here.  We have awakened a couple of times to snow.  They don't do any snow removal here so it just stays on the ground.  We bought Yak Traks at REI before we came. They clamp to the bottom of our shoes and give us good traction in the snow.  There is a gas station across the street from our apartment and we were surprised to see what they did with the snow that was on the ground there.

We are definitley not in St George

Sis and Masis ( the peaks of Mt Ararat )

The night crew had too much time on their hands.

The young women were assigned to clean the Church.  This is Lia.  She has received her Mission Call for Temple Square.  She also holds 5 different callings including Young Woman's President in our Branch.  She is a real bundle of energy.

If you get to Temple Square, tell her hello, after she gets her Visa

The seniors all went out to a French Restaurant for Valentines dinner.  It was a lot of fun.We not only had most of the Seniors in Yerevan, but we also had President and Sister Carter and President and Sister Budd.  President Budd is in the military and assigned as the military attache to the US Embassy.  He and his family are a delight.  He also serves as a councilor in the Mission Presidency.

Fortunately Elder Jones reminded me to get a flower

Sister Rich agreed to be my valentine

Pres Budd sucking on a pixie stick.  He was really happy

This is a group of really fine people serving the Lord

We love Armenia and our Mission.  The time is really going by fast.  We don't know if we can live with out Armenian or Georgian bread on a daily basis. We want to thank all of you for your sustaining prayers and support.  We can feel the strength from all of those grandchildren praying for us.  We miss all of you and you are in our prayers each day.  We are glad that the Lord can understand our Armenian prayers.