Claire's Mission in Armenia: "first I saw the flowers, and then I read the note..."
Dear loved ones,
I am still basking in the glow of our lovely skype conversation last week. Oh how I love modern technology!
First off, let me just tell you a little story which I think is probably my new most embarrasing moment:
As a sequel to last week's email, the new convert's grandson, Henrik, has made his intentions clear. There I was innocent as can be, standing by the door of church welcoming in the members and investigators before Sacrament meeting began. The elders quickly came up to me and said, "Get inside" I step in real fast and before I know it, there is Henrik with a bouquet of roses. oh dear. Embarrasing? just wait... Then Sis B and I whisked the flowers upstairs, only to discover a note inside written in broken english, "You may just be a missionary, but to me you a simple girl that I love." oh dear oh dear oh dear. then a little paper fell out with his phone number. yikes. Well, life has to be lived and so instead of barricading myself in the primary room, we walked downstairs and Sis B played the prelude while I stayed glued to her side. Then... Henrik apparently did not come to the church to be spiritually fed, but rather to deliver his gift. So he decided to leave and before leaving came up to me and asked me to read the note. i can't even remember what I said, but then all of a sudden he was grabbing my face and quickly bringing his entirely too close to mine. As soon as I realized what was happening, I started yelling and flailing my arms and Sister Bobzien leaped from the piano to my rescue, and yelled at the offending gentleman and he proceeded to leave the building. phew. Yes we were standing in front of the entire congregation and yes, one of my favorite little tatiks dashed over to make sure that I was okay. Later that day, several of the great dads of the branch made sure that I had their number and said, "anytime of day, you call and we will come and rescue you." good to know that I am well taken care of. I proceeded to give my first formal talk since being a missionary, topic: missionary work, and it went super well! Luckily I was not terribly shaken from the day's earlier events.
Anyways, on a serious note, earlier this week we met with our dear Karine and I heard probably one of the saddest life stories I have ever heard. Her mother died when she was in her teens and so little Karine married a man she hardly knew. They proceeded to have no home, moving from little shack to little shack, 2 years here, 5 here, and they have been in their current one room trailer-ish home for 10 years. Karine has 6 children and loves them so very much. Her husband has never worked a steady job, and has been unfaithful to her for most every year they have been married, and has physically and mentally abused her, breaking 7 of her ribs and 3 of her teeth and caused several serious concussions. I am telling you all of this to explain to you that I have always felt deep in my heart a need, a desire to help the battered women of the world. Ever since I was in Young Women's and Lisa Nelson's sister came in to speak about her work with counseling battered women, I have felt this earnest desire to help them. Initially I thought that as a lawyer I could do the most good, but I decided last year that law wasn't for me. then the mission decision came and I didn't think much about it. But I remember one day walking in Gyumri and passing by a woman with a black eye. The desire awoke within me once more and I realized that as a missionary, as a representative of the number one advocate of women the world has ever known, Jesus Christ, I could offer these women something that legislation never could, the knowledge that they are important, valued and loved daughters of God, a God who is ever mindful of them and counts every one of their tears and will bring justice upon those who have hurt them at the judgement day. As I heard Karine explain that she couldn't come to church because her husband forbid it, I knew again why I was sent here. Karine explained that she so badly wants to keep learning, that she reads from the Book of Mormon everytime her husband is so drunk he is unconsious and she pled with us to tell her what she should do, because her greatest desire was to be baptized. We said that we would fast and that we knew that the Lord would tell her what to do. We are still waiting to hear back from her, and counseling with our mission president, we are not allowed to go over to her home, for our safety and for hers (though her husband, wretched man that he is, was always very pleasant to us) but I hope that whatever happens, that she knows that she is a daughter of God, that she matters to Him and that if she decides to divorce him, (as President Carter suggested) we will help her make that step to be baptized and gain the strength that comes from making a sacred convenant with God. ( word of peace to my parents, IF we do continue teaching her once she has completely separated from him, we will be VERY careful, always having a member with us and be in public places, though don't worry, the men here are so weakened by smoking and drinking that we could very easily outrun them, and he lives in a village far away from where we live. so do not worry)
The rest of the week was filled with rain and walking, new investigators needed! We have seen amazing miracles in this area and we have faith that they will continue. I read Elder Robert C. Gay's "What Shall a Man give in Exchange for his Soul," again this morning, read it here http://www.lds.org/general-conference/2012/10/what-shall-a-man-give-in-exchange-for-his-soul?lang=eng It is such a beautiful talk, about making sure that we do not let the petty, temporal things of the world cloud our understanding of eternal things. Nothing, no fame, no car, no boy, no job, is worth losing your eternal happiness in the prescence of God. NOTHING. I love being a missionary. I love it. I love this work, I love feeling a closeness with Diety that i have never felt before. I can feel it changing me, expanding me, and I am just so happy to be here, no matter how hard it may be. It will be a year on May 23rd that Armenia has been a part of my life (I got my mission call that day) as much as I may miss speaking French, and its going to take some time to reboot it post mission, I am really so grateful for this funny little country on the boarders of the Middle East. I love it. from Dolma to matnacash to marshutnis to pilaf, I love it.
I love you all!!!
Sincerely, Sister Claire Margaret Haynie.
I am still basking in the glow of our lovely skype conversation last week. Oh how I love modern technology!
First off, let me just tell you a little story which I think is probably my new most embarrasing moment:
As a sequel to last week's email, the new convert's grandson, Henrik, has made his intentions clear. There I was innocent as can be, standing by the door of church welcoming in the members and investigators before Sacrament meeting began. The elders quickly came up to me and said, "Get inside" I step in real fast and before I know it, there is Henrik with a bouquet of roses. oh dear. Embarrasing? just wait... Then Sis B and I whisked the flowers upstairs, only to discover a note inside written in broken english, "You may just be a missionary, but to me you a simple girl that I love." oh dear oh dear oh dear. then a little paper fell out with his phone number. yikes. Well, life has to be lived and so instead of barricading myself in the primary room, we walked downstairs and Sis B played the prelude while I stayed glued to her side. Then... Henrik apparently did not come to the church to be spiritually fed, but rather to deliver his gift. So he decided to leave and before leaving came up to me and asked me to read the note. i can't even remember what I said, but then all of a sudden he was grabbing my face and quickly bringing his entirely too close to mine. As soon as I realized what was happening, I started yelling and flailing my arms and Sister Bobzien leaped from the piano to my rescue, and yelled at the offending gentleman and he proceeded to leave the building. phew. Yes we were standing in front of the entire congregation and yes, one of my favorite little tatiks dashed over to make sure that I was okay. Later that day, several of the great dads of the branch made sure that I had their number and said, "anytime of day, you call and we will come and rescue you." good to know that I am well taken care of. I proceeded to give my first formal talk since being a missionary, topic: missionary work, and it went super well! Luckily I was not terribly shaken from the day's earlier events.
Anyways, on a serious note, earlier this week we met with our dear Karine and I heard probably one of the saddest life stories I have ever heard. Her mother died when she was in her teens and so little Karine married a man she hardly knew. They proceeded to have no home, moving from little shack to little shack, 2 years here, 5 here, and they have been in their current one room trailer-ish home for 10 years. Karine has 6 children and loves them so very much. Her husband has never worked a steady job, and has been unfaithful to her for most every year they have been married, and has physically and mentally abused her, breaking 7 of her ribs and 3 of her teeth and caused several serious concussions. I am telling you all of this to explain to you that I have always felt deep in my heart a need, a desire to help the battered women of the world. Ever since I was in Young Women's and Lisa Nelson's sister came in to speak about her work with counseling battered women, I have felt this earnest desire to help them. Initially I thought that as a lawyer I could do the most good, but I decided last year that law wasn't for me. then the mission decision came and I didn't think much about it. But I remember one day walking in Gyumri and passing by a woman with a black eye. The desire awoke within me once more and I realized that as a missionary, as a representative of the number one advocate of women the world has ever known, Jesus Christ, I could offer these women something that legislation never could, the knowledge that they are important, valued and loved daughters of God, a God who is ever mindful of them and counts every one of their tears and will bring justice upon those who have hurt them at the judgement day. As I heard Karine explain that she couldn't come to church because her husband forbid it, I knew again why I was sent here. Karine explained that she so badly wants to keep learning, that she reads from the Book of Mormon everytime her husband is so drunk he is unconsious and she pled with us to tell her what she should do, because her greatest desire was to be baptized. We said that we would fast and that we knew that the Lord would tell her what to do. We are still waiting to hear back from her, and counseling with our mission president, we are not allowed to go over to her home, for our safety and for hers (though her husband, wretched man that he is, was always very pleasant to us) but I hope that whatever happens, that she knows that she is a daughter of God, that she matters to Him and that if she decides to divorce him, (as President Carter suggested) we will help her make that step to be baptized and gain the strength that comes from making a sacred convenant with God. ( word of peace to my parents, IF we do continue teaching her once she has completely separated from him, we will be VERY careful, always having a member with us and be in public places, though don't worry, the men here are so weakened by smoking and drinking that we could very easily outrun them, and he lives in a village far away from where we live. so do not worry)
The rest of the week was filled with rain and walking, new investigators needed! We have seen amazing miracles in this area and we have faith that they will continue. I read Elder Robert C. Gay's "What Shall a Man give in Exchange for his Soul," again this morning, read it here http://www.lds.org/general-conference/2012/10/what-shall-a-man-give-in-exchange-for-his-soul?lang=eng It is such a beautiful talk, about making sure that we do not let the petty, temporal things of the world cloud our understanding of eternal things. Nothing, no fame, no car, no boy, no job, is worth losing your eternal happiness in the prescence of God. NOTHING. I love being a missionary. I love it. I love this work, I love feeling a closeness with Diety that i have never felt before. I can feel it changing me, expanding me, and I am just so happy to be here, no matter how hard it may be. It will be a year on May 23rd that Armenia has been a part of my life (I got my mission call that day) as much as I may miss speaking French, and its going to take some time to reboot it post mission, I am really so grateful for this funny little country on the boarders of the Middle East. I love it. from Dolma to matnacash to marshutnis to pilaf, I love it.
I love you all!!!
Sincerely, Sister Claire Margaret Haynie.
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