Claire's Mission in Armenia: "Mothers are marvelous"
Dear loved ones,
First of all, family, it was such a wonderful, wonderful thing to see your faces and hear your voices and just soak in so much love from you all! Your support and love really makes being a missionary something amazing!
So this week, though without a miracle baptism, was not devoid of miracles. This week we met with Karine, a lovely older woman who is the matriach of a large family, 6 kids, which is practically unheard of in Armenia. They live in a little village outside of the city in a little tiny, well... I guess it would be the equivalent of a single room trailer. but with no running water and little piggies in a pen outside. They are happy, lovely people though, and Karine is a woman of simple, but great faith. We have taught her the first lesson and introduced the Book of Mormon, but because we just mentioned in passing that we didn't drink coffee, she decided to quit, all on her own. During our lesson last week, she just paused and said, "I can feel God's presence here." I heard a quote once that our job as missionaries is to help people encounter Diety, and our dear, sweet, Karine recognized that. amazing. She couldn't come to chuch this week, but we are just filled with hope that she will make that vital step towards baptism and set an example which her whole family will follow. Mothers can have an amazing impact on their children.
Mara, George and Rita, our cutest little Greek family, are truly amazing. Mara bore her testimony in Gospel Principles of how living the Word of Wisdom has changed her life and how free she feels. amazing. This little family is changing this branch in such amazing ways. They love to serve and lift and love and their light is radiating to the entire branch.
A funny side note, a lady in our ward asked Sister Bobzien a few weeks ago if she could take a picture of her nose (she has a nice nose) and Sis B didn't think anything of it. Well yesterday we popped by her mom's house, because she wasn't at chuch and there was the girl on the couch with a bandage over her nose... She had her deviated septum fixed and got a nose job while they were at it and now has a remodeled nose that matches Sis B's nose. funny.
Also, let me just tell you, if I wanted to get married, I could have about 100 husbands by now. You cannot imagine how often we get youngish boys asking us to marry them and take them to America. oh dear. Yesterday (At Church!!) a new convert's grandson came up to me and asked me out. I was just so embarrased, I said I wasn't allowed (not to mention I don't want to) and then luckily Sis B whisked me away. Goodness people, I hardly wear any makeup, wear the least revealing clothes and yet they still come calling. oh dear.
The rain has been falling for the past few days, the craziest storms that come all of a sudden and then before you know it you are soaked. But the sun is shining and I am beginning to dry out.
This week I read the most beautiful talk on consecration by Elder Maxwell. Read it here http://www.lds.org/general-conference/1995/10/swallowed-up-in-the-will-of-the-father?lang=eng I love the question he tells us we should be asking ourselves. "In what way am I shrinking or holding back?" I am going to try and ask myself that question everyday. In the talk he also talks about the princinle of "Obedience to the unenforceable" which means that we are obedient to something even when it cannot be enforced. That is what the Gospel is all about, what being a missionary is all about. We are obedient because in our deepest recess of the deepest tissue of our hearts, that is our greatest desire. May we ever desire that. I love this work. I love being a missionary. I love wearing this black name tag that proclaims to the world that I am trying to follow Jesus Christ. I have never felt so close to heaven. I love you all, and I am grateful each day for my mother and for all of the mothers before her that have helped me reach this point in my life so that I could become the mother that the Lord wants me to be! With so much love I feel like I could burst!
Sister Claire Margaret Haynie
PS. HELEN!!!! That was such a fun suprise to get a package from you! Thank you so much! I can't wait to see how these little kids react to the poprocks!
Here is a little pasture that we passed on our way home from visiting Karine, sheep and cows! No fence however...
NOTICE: This email message is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain confidential and privileged information. Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure or distribution is prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender by reply email and destroy all copies of the original message.
First of all, family, it was such a wonderful, wonderful thing to see your faces and hear your voices and just soak in so much love from you all! Your support and love really makes being a missionary something amazing!
So this week, though without a miracle baptism, was not devoid of miracles. This week we met with Karine, a lovely older woman who is the matriach of a large family, 6 kids, which is practically unheard of in Armenia. They live in a little village outside of the city in a little tiny, well... I guess it would be the equivalent of a single room trailer. but with no running water and little piggies in a pen outside. They are happy, lovely people though, and Karine is a woman of simple, but great faith. We have taught her the first lesson and introduced the Book of Mormon, but because we just mentioned in passing that we didn't drink coffee, she decided to quit, all on her own. During our lesson last week, she just paused and said, "I can feel God's presence here." I heard a quote once that our job as missionaries is to help people encounter Diety, and our dear, sweet, Karine recognized that. amazing. She couldn't come to chuch this week, but we are just filled with hope that she will make that vital step towards baptism and set an example which her whole family will follow. Mothers can have an amazing impact on their children.
Mara, George and Rita, our cutest little Greek family, are truly amazing. Mara bore her testimony in Gospel Principles of how living the Word of Wisdom has changed her life and how free she feels. amazing. This little family is changing this branch in such amazing ways. They love to serve and lift and love and their light is radiating to the entire branch.
A funny side note, a lady in our ward asked Sister Bobzien a few weeks ago if she could take a picture of her nose (she has a nice nose) and Sis B didn't think anything of it. Well yesterday we popped by her mom's house, because she wasn't at chuch and there was the girl on the couch with a bandage over her nose... She had her deviated septum fixed and got a nose job while they were at it and now has a remodeled nose that matches Sis B's nose. funny.
Also, let me just tell you, if I wanted to get married, I could have about 100 husbands by now. You cannot imagine how often we get youngish boys asking us to marry them and take them to America. oh dear. Yesterday (At Church!!) a new convert's grandson came up to me and asked me out. I was just so embarrased, I said I wasn't allowed (not to mention I don't want to) and then luckily Sis B whisked me away. Goodness people, I hardly wear any makeup, wear the least revealing clothes and yet they still come calling. oh dear.
The rain has been falling for the past few days, the craziest storms that come all of a sudden and then before you know it you are soaked. But the sun is shining and I am beginning to dry out.
This week I read the most beautiful talk on consecration by Elder Maxwell. Read it here http://www.lds.org/general-conference/1995/10/swallowed-up-in-the-will-of-the-father?lang=eng I love the question he tells us we should be asking ourselves. "In what way am I shrinking or holding back?" I am going to try and ask myself that question everyday. In the talk he also talks about the princinle of "Obedience to the unenforceable" which means that we are obedient to something even when it cannot be enforced. That is what the Gospel is all about, what being a missionary is all about. We are obedient because in our deepest recess of the deepest tissue of our hearts, that is our greatest desire. May we ever desire that. I love this work. I love being a missionary. I love wearing this black name tag that proclaims to the world that I am trying to follow Jesus Christ. I have never felt so close to heaven. I love you all, and I am grateful each day for my mother and for all of the mothers before her that have helped me reach this point in my life so that I could become the mother that the Lord wants me to be! With so much love I feel like I could burst!
Sister Claire Margaret Haynie
PS. HELEN!!!! That was such a fun suprise to get a package from you! Thank you so much! I can't wait to see how these little kids react to the poprocks!
Here is a little pasture that we passed on our way home from visiting Karine, sheep and cows! No fence however...
NOTICE: This email message is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain confidential and privileged information. Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure or distribution is prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender by reply email and destroy all copies of the original message.
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