Claire's Mission in Armenia: "This isn't missionary work, this is missionary fun!"

Well my whole email just got deleted. Wow. that is frustrating. Well okay, rise above. Okay. 

Anyways, I will try to remember everything that I just wrote. So transfers were this week and I am back in the city. I am here in Ajapniak with Sister K (who I served with in the MTC and in Center) and Sister W (who is just a transfer behind sister K and I). Anyways, we are a fearsome threesome and it really has already been a lot of fun. I just love these girls and I have just gained such a testimony of the power of unity in a companionship and that the way to gain that unity is through having a common goal and purpose. That is what I love about this companionship. We can truly rely on each other and there is no question of whether we are going to be obedient or not, or whether we are going to work hard or not. We are all trying to do our best and serve these people to the best of our abilities. Together we are the Sister Training Leaders for the mission, which means that we have our own area, but every week we go on splits will the sisters of the mission, from Georgia to Artashat. It is a big responsibiliy but such a great opportunity to serve in another way. I love it already! 

It was a bittesweet goodbey to my dear Artshat. I had really come to love that place and those people and I think it really took the fact that I had to leave to make me realise just how much I truly loved it. There was something so pure and good about those people there and though it was probably one of the hardest transfers of my mission, I really learned so much there. 

So goodbye Artashat and hello Yerevan! It is great to be back! I sure do love this city and we live in a luxurious apartment that miraculously already had three beds in it and is down the street from a HUGE supermarket that has peanut butter whenever I want it. miracle. Also....there is no MUD! Really truly. It is still a tad chilly so we are still in winter gear but we are looking forward to shedding that VERY soon. We also have a park my our house and are waiting anxiously for it to be light enough to run outside in the mornings. Its great and I love it. Its the main bedroom community of the city, so there are tons of people around all the time and huge buildings just full of people waiting to be taught the Gospel!! We have a few investigators and it has been great getting to know them in my first couple of days here. One is an opera singer and gave us a half an hour long concert complete with choreography when we were at her house. She sang "O Mio Babbino Caro" which is one of my favs, I just wonder how her neighbors feel about her. haha. We also had a great opportunity to do some service for one of our investigators who has parkinson's disease. We washed her laundry by hand and my goodness, that is harder than it looks! We used a detergent called "Barf" which we bought just because we thought it was so hilarious and we wanted to get pictures with it. and suprisingly, it actually smelled quite nice. 

I am just so excited for these next two months. Today is my 16 month anniversary of being a missionary and I just have to say that this is the most wonderful, most rewarding thing that I have ever done in my whole entire life. I love it. This is the work of the Lord and He is here working alongside us. I feel His presence and the presence of angels helping me every step of the way. I love you all and I am so excited to just get to work and give all I have got for these last two months!! So exciting! 

Love you!

Sister Claire Margaret Haynie

My gorgeous mountain on a perfect day.