Odds & Ends

Elder Jones outside the Mission Office/Church. Apparently just this year they planted the grass and fixed up the outside better. Elder Scott came to visit in June before we arrived.

Our apartment still isn’t quite ready for us to move into! This is a picture of the outside, NOT KIDDING. I showed this to the other Senior Missionaries and they laughed and said, "it looks better than ours!" The inside right now needs some work, so in two weeks it will be done. I have heard, “In two weeks it will be ready,” for lots of weeks now. Good news, the concrete steps going up to our apartment look deluxe compared to a lot of others we have seen.

There are statues everywhere.  According to our taxi driver, George, this guy was famous for having something to do with nuclear bombs. I couldn’t quite understand what he was saying.

Through a lot of hand signals at a little store, the lady told me that these were the best Kleenex. I guess hand signals don’t talk in color. In real life every other tissue is either BRIGHT pink or FLOURESCENT green. This was worth a giggle. Oh if I could only read Russian… I can sound out the words on some packages, by reading Armenian, but I don’t know what the words mean… Oh, shucks!

I wish you could see how bright these colors are in real life!

This is who watches me exercise every morning! I try to do my best and Choose The Right exercises….

There are lots of Noah’s Ark pictures, t-shirts, etc here in Armenia. Even a store named "Noah's Ark"  They sell office supplies. These pictures are in the Mission Home. Bob loves this one. I don’t like it. To Science Fiction looking for me.

I like this one better. Kind of cool!

Serious note! "All because a young boy prayed." This is why I’m nearly 8000 miles from home, hoping to be a little part of bringing the Gospel to those that don’t know the love and peace that is available to all.

Love to all my friends and family that read this crazy little blog!  I appreciate your kind and loving comments.
Love, Barbie/MOM/Sister Jones

Artashat & Ararat Journey

Last Sunday we attended the Artashat and Ararat Branches which are just outside of Yerevan.  We went with President and Sister Carter. 
 
The building in Artashat was actually built by the Church, which is unusal in Armenia.  Usually they remodel or just use an existing building.  Note there is even a steeple (red) on the left end. 

These are some of the Branch Members and Missionaries.

See the sign, we know it is our Church.

We traveled in more rural areas to these two branches.  It was great to see farmland and open spaces.  What was even more awesome was seeing Mt Ararat!  These pictures were taken out the window of the van going 60 mph so they aren't the best, but it was spectacular.

Mt Ararat! It is beautiful. Armenians often call it Masis (Մասիս). (16,854 ft) elevation is a snow-capped dormant volcanic cone The Book of Genesis identifies this mountain range as the resting place of Noah's Ark after the Great Flood described there. Archeologists are said to have found remains of the ark here.

 

 

The smaller (12,782 ft) cone, is called Sas.  The Armenians say that Noah named it, when the Ark rested between its two peaks, and looking forth at the receding waters of the Flood he saw the first land emerge and exclaimed, "Yerivan!" which means, in Armenian, "It is seen!".

This is where the small Branch in Ararat meets. There is no airconditioning in this building.  It was hot.  But the members were so excited to see Pres Carter, and the District President who came with us.  It was fast Sunday and they bore their testimonies for 1 1/2 hrs.  They had lots of hugs for me!

Inside the Church

The neighborhood...

We gave these members a ride part of the way home.  They live a few miles from the church.  They told us how they are both refugees from Azerbaijan.  As they were forced to leave the country the Turks were throwing rocks at them and they left with none of their pocessions.

Back to the City!

Food and More

A lot of the food comes from Russia. It is actually better than the Armenian food. We buy this milk. Pres Carter said it is the best. Thank goodness they served in Ukraine before they came here, so they can warn us about food.

A lot of the food has Armenian and Russian writing on it. Or sometimes we have bought items that are in English and we recognize the brands, then we find a Russian sticker on them.

These cookies are almost like soft Chips Ahoy!

(Left) This is like mayo and on the right is some yummy yogurt

I really like this “stuff” I don’t know the Armenian name. It is kind of a rice or wheat that has tomatoes cilantro and other things I don’t recognize. The Elders let me try theres and so I bought some the next day. I put it on bread and it is really good. I love cilantro, thank goodness, because the Armenians put it in a lot of their food.

They wonderful fruit here this time of year.  These blackberries were extra yummy.

This is my official name tag. Quyr Jonesu Heesoos Kristosee vercheen orready sirparhee yekeretseen

At the end of a long day.

LIFE AT THE MISSION OFFICE: It is unbelievably busy…. This week we have worked atleast 10 hour days. We come home and crash… No one has ever told us what hours to work. So we just show up and go home, not when the work is done, because it is never done, but when we are too tired to stay another minute.

There are arrangements to make for incoming missionaries, outgoing missionaries, inventory, orders to submit, reports to file, newsletters, directories, Missionary Boards to keep up with, which show the companionships etc., phone calls, emails, laminating etc. etc. AND THE LIST GOES ON.. We also have to work with the Armenian and Georgian people that are called on missions. I spend a lot of time entering passwords and locking and unlocking everything. Even the refrigerator has a lock on it.

Elder Jones works with finances and housing. Paying people, places and things.. Changing US $$$ into Armenian drams and Georgian lori. The exchange rate is constantly different, so they are always making adjustments. This is a cash society so it is extremely challenging. We both have to deal with the Church’s Europe East Area people, their office is in Moscow and I place Distribution orders to Germany. I hear a lot of English that is very hard to understand and I hear a lot of Armenian that I totally don’t understand.

All of this is done while trying to communicate in different languages, Armenian, Russian, and English. We have missionaries in Georgia so we have a lot of Georgian language materials as well. Plus we get people requesting materials in Farsi, Persian, Arabic, (I must admit my Persian is a little rusty!)

The miracles: I am able to work longer and harder than I have in years. I have been able to remember tasks like never before, I am learning names and facts and computer programs. All over the world new missionaries and mission Presidents are changing every year to three years and the work goes on. Try running a business with new people constantly changing… including the boss and it would never be successful. Of course our Mission “Boss” is our Heavenly Father and his work will never fail.

A Saturday Walk in the Park!

Saturday, July 24, 2010


Happy Pioneer Day! I feel like a pioneer here in Armenia….

It is Preparation Day for us today. We went for a walk this afternoon. We did a little shopping, starring, wondering, observing and a lot of walking, probably about two miles. Everything in this city is either uphill or downhill. Nothing is flat, in fact a lot of the streets are quite steep. I brought entirely too many cold weather clothes, so I was on a search for a light weight blouse or t-shirt. It has been very hot here!  There are a lot of small shops. I went in nicer and really not so nice ones. In a little tiny store I was looking at this shirt and holding it up to me to see if I could figure out if it would fit. All of a sudden a little lady pushes me into a corner and drapes a shower curtain around me. It kind of hooked from one corner to the other. I paused, then decided what the heck, It wasn’t quite as tall as me so I kind of crouched down and tried the shirt on. I looked over at Bob and we smiled! Just a great moment.

Just an Armenian moment... this is a typical apartment building.

We walked through a vegetable market. Many vendors were all selling the same things. The eggs just sat out in the warm air. They had different prices on the eggs, depending on the degree of “chicken poop” that was still on them. I had a hard time looking at the meat. Some of it is scary looking. Sometimes the smells made me a little whoosie, but it was a great adventure.

I found three fabric stores close by each other on the same street. The first one smelled like the one I went to in Delta a few years ago, only x 10. I think it was a moldy smell. The next one was really cool. All it had in it were notions, buttons, ribbons, zippers, thread, etc. I so wanted to take a picture in them but I got scared. Sister Carter told me I should just have smiled and held my camera up and they would have let me take a picture. There are all different kinds of fabric in them but not quilting fabric. There was flannel in both stores. It was the cheap flimsy kind but the some of the designs were cute.

We passed by sort of a park. They had a covered awning there with about 15-20 older men were all playing chess. It looked very intense. The Elders told me that this is normal for the men to play Chess and Backgammon everyday all day long.  We also passed a little children’s area where there were amusement park type rides. Picture small wooden boats big enough to put a child in, floating in green/black sewer type water.

This is Georgian Bread

The Georgian bread is really interesting. They make the dough then slap it up against the stone oven and bake it. The oven is about 3-4 feet across and looks like a half of egg. We have eaten this bread a lot. There is a oven/store right across from the Mission Office. One loaf is 56 Cents. I will take a picture of the store next week.


The Mission Office work is very busy. I have tried to go as fast as I can. Sarqis (the office accountant) says I need to learn Armenian speed, which is much much slower. I have been very very tired at the end of each day.
Sarqis is a great guy, very sharp, taught himself English. He served a mission in Russia and is married and has three children. Very unusal here in Armenia.  He knows so much about the office operation and everything about how things operate. He tells me I am the boss now. Humm, that sounds familiar! He is very excited I am getting the office converted to the IMOS program that is Church wide.

It has been quite fun figuring out how this program works. If you were nerdy like me you would be excited also. If anyone wants the ten minute excitement talk, email me and I will tell you all about it.

LAUNDRY – Here at the mission home they have a regular looking front loading washer but it takes about 1 ½ hrs to do a load. They have a dryer also but it is different as well. In most of the apartments they have little two chamber looking things that you wash in one side and then move the laundry to the other side and spin out the water.

No luck on getting an apartment yet. Please pray for us…

LOVE TO ALL FAMILY & FRIENDS.....

A Long Journey

We made it! 9 hr layover in Chicago, then on to Munich, Germany 3 hr layover there, then to Vienna, Austria where we had a 6 hr layover.  Austria airline authorities busted me for too much carry on liquid/gel.  By the time I got there I didn't know what I had.. I cried, they didn't care!  I miss my shampoo and conditioner.....

 This is a picture from a rest room in Munich, Germany.   You wave your hand across a sensor, then the plastic rotates.  I hope that it doesn't just keep going around in a circle!

AND... Here is my bookstore in Munich.

Vienna from the air.  It really was picturesque. Beautiful fields, red roof tops and "Sound of Music" atmosphere.  "Lay ee odl lay ee odl lay hee hoo ...

This is Elder Jones checking out the grapes at the Mission Home.  I think his grapes at home are healthier.

We are homeless.  We had an apartment all arranged and then it all fell through, so we staying at the mission home.  It is very nice, but still 3+ weeks of living out of a suitcase has been the pits!   Whoa!  I think missionaries are not supposed to whine.... (Sorry)

This is lunch at Gold's Gym.  No we didn't work out, it's just that they happen to have a Gold's Gym right by the mission home.  This is the VanDyke's and the Merkley's

We went on a Branch Outing to the mountains out of Yerevan.  The Sister on the left is a concert pianist.  She played Christmas songs for prelude last Sunday.  I loved it?!?!?

This post is far from perfect, but it takes a lot of time to download pictures... and I have so little time.