Five Americans in Armenia

On the Fourth of July our work crew at the camp took the day off. We slept in, and of the five of us only Doug got motivated to get one thing accomplished for the day. He cut the grass at the White House with a bumbling lawn mower, while the rest of us mulled over what special thing we could do to make it a holiday. Our final decision: to drive to Lake Sevan (about 40 miles northeast of us) to go exploring.

Lake Sevan is recognized for being one of the world’s largest high-altitude fresh water lakes, at an altitude of 6,200 feet. It is large, like lake Michigan, but we discovered it is severely lacking in beaches!  We did find a picnic/swimming area and Doug and Caleb jumped in, and found the water just as cold as northern Lake Michigan in early July. We did climb up to discover another ancient church, Sevanavank (this one built in 874) overlooking the lake from a peninsula. After our explorations we went to a restaurant to enjoy fresh fish from the lake. It was a good day to be Americans in Armenia! 

Sevanavank Monastery

All is going well for us, in spite of some unexpected changes in our team! Only 14 days into our Armenian existence, we were sad to learn that Pete Alexander’s mother had passed away in California. Pete and Schell (camp managers) headed for the states, leaving us temporarily in charge of all of the happenings at the White House and the renovation work at the camp in Hankavan Valley. God has been good to guide us to make decisions and work with the three volunteers that remain here with us. We are so thankful for the support of the Young Life staff here in Armenia, and staff in the states, who have been talking us through situations and praying for us. Their support has been key to our sanity! We look forward to the return of the Alexanders this coming weekend.

Celebrating the 4th of July with
a delicious fish dinner at Lake Sevan

 On Sunday we moved to Yerevan in order to make space for a group from Young Life Armenia that will be using the White House for a planning/strategy meeting for two days. Yerevan is an exciting, vibrant city where there is much to do and see. This Tuesday the team is planning to visit the Armenian Genocide Museum. This is a special year for Armenia, as they observe the 100^th anniversary of the mass execution and relocation of Armenians from their homes in Western Turkey.

We have been enjoying our time here, in spite of the unexpected surprises and twists and turns in plans. Hankavan Valley where the camp is located is one of the most beautiful places on God’s green earth, where cows roam the roads, the river flows cold and fast from the mountains, men cut hay with scythes, and the lady at the khanut greets me with a friendly smile when I stop to buy bread. It has been a gift to be here, especially knowing that our work here will enable Armenian Young Life kids to enjoy coming to this peaceful valley to get away from their daily hassles and learn about how much they are loved by God.  

What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be^[i] against us?
Romans 8:31