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Gyumri, Orphanage, Refugee Camp...
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Please accept our apologies for missing an entry yesterday! We were doing so well about keeping up on entries, but life gets crazy when you're in a different country and living based on God's will. That's exactly how the last couple days have been.
Yesterday, May 14, we had another great time of worship in the morning before setting off for the day to Gyumri, the second largest city in Armenia only to Yerevan. The bus ride was once again rather long, but it was a good time of fellowship and naps to catch up on our rest. Once in Gyumri, we were given a small "lunch" of bread, and then we had to hurry over to a music conservatory to set up for our concert. We all agreed that our concert in Gyumri was not the best performance we had, but we know that lives were touched because after we performed, they gave a white rose to each of the girls. It was a really sweet gesture.
After the concert, we headed over to an orphanage. I really enjoyed our time there! The kids were so happy for our visit, and they even had a play prepared. It was really cute, and I'm sure it would have been even better if we could have understood everything they were saying. Once their play was over, we were able to share a puppet show with them, thanks to Bianca, Kristen, Deborah, Ray, and Todd. The kids seemed to love it! I thoroughly enjoyed watching the reactions the kids had to the puppet show. They were so adorable. The orphanage was for younger kids- newborn to 6 years old. The lady who ran the orphanage said that once they get to age 7 they are sent to another orphanage. Not only are the kids little, but they also have both physical and mental disabilities and their parents sent them to the orphanage by choice. It wasn't that their parents were unable to care for them- they weren't wanted! It nearly brings me to tears to imagine that a parent would care so little about their own child that they would send them into a life of instability in an orphanage! We were then able to share the shoeboxes with these little ones.
For me, one of the best moments at the orphanage was seeing the joyful expression on the face of a little blind boy when we tickled hi face with a soft stuffed dog. He seemed to love it, and I know I loved watching his face light up each time we would hand that toy back to him.
All too soon, we were rushed off to dinner at a pizza restaurant. I felt that we could have spent more time at the orphanage since none of us were hungry anyways! After dinner, we went back to the church near the music conservatory and saw a performance of some of the youth. They sang, danced, spoke, recited scripture, and even sang a little bit in English! It was nice to see the youth sharing their love for God with us. Then, it was another long bus ride back to Yerevan. It seems a lot of our time is spent that way. We were pretty much all exhausted and went to bed- except for few, who enjoyed the beauty of Yerevan just a little longer.
Today was once again a long day. We got a little behind schedule this morning, but it seems God had plans for the day we didn't know about yet at that point. Initially we were supposed to see the Manuscript Museum, the Genocide Museum, have 2 concerts, and go to the Refugee camp all in one day. It sounds like too much, and it is! God knew that His plan was better, and our second concert ended up cancelled. So, after the Manuscript Museum this morning, we had a concert just outside Yerevan, and then returned to Yerevan to go to the Genocide Museum. We went back to the church to drop off bells, and then headed off to lunch.
After lunch, we went to the Refugee camp. This was extremely hard for us, because it is difficult to see people living in such poor conditions. It seemed as though these people were really greedy, and at the time I think we were all a little annoyed to see the same faces at the front of the line accepting our gifts when we knew there were others who had yet to receive any. But looking back, it's easy to recognize that these people are just used to having so little that they want to get as much as they can to better their lives. We also noticed as we were leaving that those who had received a lot were sharing with the others.
We returned to the church, and were able to participate in their Bible Study, and sing some songs for them and with them. We also got to each talk a little about ourselves- sort of a mini testimony, I suppose. It was a great time to get to hear each other's stories as well as share our own with the people of Armenia. Once the Bible Study was over, we went to a late dinner at a very nice restaurant. It was really fun, because we were off in a room with just our group as well as a small group of musicians who kept playing music. We learned some Armenian dances while we waited for our food. It was a great experience to gain more knowledge of their culture.
Now, a few are sleeping, and a few are out on the balcony enjoying our last night in Yerevan, and reflecting on what God has taught us.
Thank you for your prayers for us! We really appreciate it! We have just a few days in London ahead of us before we head home to you. We miss you all very much.
By the way, I'm sorry if I babbled on and on about things too much. I have a tendency to do that. =)
-Erin Wilson
Latest Comments (1)
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Never Too Long (reply)
May 15, 2007 17:35 EST by vidavita
As always, we enjoyed hearing about the life-changing experiences of the past few days. The posts are never too long; and the detail serves only to increase the reality and emotion of what you are experiencing. Thank you all for your reports back home. We look forward to reading more before you return to the U.S., just as our prayers will continue to cover the rest of your travels. Vida Olivier
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| 10. | Gyumri, Orphanage, Refugee Camp... - Yerevan, Armenia May 15, 2007 (  1 ) |
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