Claire's Mission in Armenia: "Dear mother, all lilacs remind me of you..."

Well dear ones,

The lilacs are blooming all over the city and because we have been spending on average about 4 hours walking everyday, I have a constant little reminder of my dear dear mum, everytime I pass a bush and smell that marvelous smell. So mumsie, you are very close to my heart, or nose for that matter, this week. Well this week we hit another big milestone, I have been a missionary for 6 months. What? how did that happen? How is it that I have just one year left? craziness. Also, I will be turning 22 in just 15 short days. wow. life is moving fast. I was reading in the little 5 year journal that Olivia and I both have and it was just 2 days ago that I decided to serve a mission. Let me tell you, this is the most amazing exeperience of my life and it scares me that I came so close to missing it. So grateful I am to have had the amazing example of my dear Olivia help me come to realize just how important a mission was going to be in my life. Anyways, lots to think about around this time of year.

Funny moments of this week. Well, when you spend a lot of time on the street, you inevitably meet a lot of interesting characters. We were sitting in one of our many lovely parks when we met this lady. She was wearing black velvet harem pants and had long purple nails. Not too out of the ordinary, but she proceeded to tell us that she was the Holy Ghost, and her grandson who lives in Austrailia is Jesus. oh dear. She also told us that she is the great great granddaughter of Tsar Nicholas of Russia and she should be living in Moscow ruling Russia right now, but the leaders of all of the known world are forcing her to stay in Armenia. interesting woman, not really interested in what we had to say, too bad.

This week was hard. We have walked and walked and sometimes it seems like nothing is going to work, and so we find something to laugh about and keep on walking. I just love Sister Bobzien. This week we found out that Garik, Marine's husband, will no longer allow her to come to church. This was a real blow since we just had an amazing lesson with her on obedience, but we have faith that his heart can be softened and that there will be a light at the end of this trial. Last night we had been walking for several hours and decided to stop in the church and stand there with the doors open and see if anyone was interested in a tour (Not nearly as exciting as the School of the Prophets, Charlotte, but we had to try something.). Nothing happened for about 45 minutes until a small family stopped to read the name of the church above the door. I started talking with them and through the course of 45 minutes we talked about families and the Gospel and have planned to meet this week with them. They had said that they had passed the church for 3 years of living in the area and had never noticed a chruch there. Well finally they noticed! and I hope that it will have lifechanging/eternal consequences for them. They are lovely and we are thrilled to begin teaching them.

Last P day we took a little field trip to Edgmiatsine, the headquarters of the Armenian church. Not terribly exciting, we didn't see the Patriarch or very many priest walking around, but the churches were lovely and went to one that was built in 603 ad. Oh I just love history so much! Some pictures included. its especially exciting because when we go to other churches we get to wear pants!! I never thought pants could be so exciting.

This week I read a talk that has seriously changed my life. It's called, "The Inconvenient Messiah," by Elder Holland. I think it was a BYU devo from the 80s. Anyways, it is life changing. read it and be changed. I don't want to give my interpretation of it, because it can have so many different meaning to different people, but I promise that by reading it, you will be filled. Here, I'll make it easy, here is link. no excuses, READ! http://www.lds.org/ensign/1984/02/the-inconvenient-messiah?lang=eng Also in other news, I finished the Book of Mormon again this week. Everything I finish it I just get so excited that I get to read it again. It is truly an inexhaustable resource of love and learning and abundant life. I think that is one of my favorite phrases from the Scriptures. they, in fact, lead us to the Abundant life. So live life, but live it ABUNDTANTLY. I love you all. We are working hard. walking lots and having more fun than a barrel of monkeys. (Did I mention that Sister B loves MONK? too great) And we eat lots of lovely things, like banana bread and oatmeal cake. Missions are great. I just become filled with joy when I think about what these last 6 months have meant to me, how they have shaped and changed me and how I really feel like I am in God's hands. I love you all, have a wonderful week.

Your favorite almost 22 year old Armenian Sister missionary,

Sister Claire Margaret Haynie


3 attachments
DSCN0612.JPG · Print
DSCN0593.JPG · Print
DSCN0603.JPG · Print