Armenians begin celebrating New Year's one January 1st (of course), but the celebration does not end until the 13th. (this is due to some sort of calendar issue at some point in their history). All people do for those 2 weeks is visit each other, eat, and talk. Also, Armenian Christmas is smack dab in the middle of the celebration (Jan 6). The wonderful part about this combination is that it provides the perfect opportunity to sit down and talk to people about spiritual things---in fact, they have been bringing up those topics on their own.
I've had the privilege of participating in some wonderful New Year's visits. Two of them were especially good. At one home I had the chance to share (through a translator) a little bit about opening the door for the One who knocks. At the other home, I made a good connection with a woman who teaches English. I'm hoping that she will help me organize some English clubs very soon.
I realized again today that these people understand so little about what it means to be a believer. "I am a Christian because I'm Armenian" said one man today in the village. So many lies need to be shattered and so many walls need to be broken down.
A cultural tidbit.....I am amazed at how women can prepare a table here. You walk in a home, sit down, and all the sudden the woman of the house has transformed the table into a masterpiece. There can actually not be a lot of food or very "fancy" food, but they can arrange things so beautifully. A plate of fruit is not just fruit....it's arranged just right. This is something I definitely want to take back to America with me.
Someone commented on my last post that they wanted to see pictures....I'm having trouble uploading them to this site, so you can follow this link to see some pictures!
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2044407&l=45f32&id=71300242
7 comments:
I'm so glad that you've had a good holiday season. I'm kinda jealous. You had 2 Christmases & 2 weeks of New Year's!!
It's also really great to see how God is giving you opportunity to share the Gospel during this time.
Keep up the good work.
It would be nice if in our culture we could just slow down everything and have more time for family and friends. It would be good to have some days of celebration to focus more on what Christmas means and also days to consider how the New Year relates to a new life. When a visitor comes to my home, I worry that I don't have much of anything to serve, but those women seem delighted to be hospitable in every way.
ahh your posts are so encouraging. love to hear about your work there. i want to talk to you soon.. brittany smith
I have your picture by my computer and see you often. I know it is not wedding bells and New Year horns, because nothing ever is. I know your daddy is enjoying watching you at play. I know He is so proud of you. Jayna
When did the New Year begin and when does it end? What date was their Christmas eve and Day, and what was their reason for celebrating Christmas
Thanks for the pictures. I really enjoyed them and you look so good in them. The picture of you looking out the window really touched my heart.
I looks like you have some nice friends and a good support system.
I hope I can print the pictures off and save the pictures to my hard drive. love Dad
I am not sure how it can be such a grand experience. I have spent a great many Christmases away from home and did not enjoy them as much as it appears that you have. Circumstances were different then. I think whe best would be in Jamaica, mainly because of the friends I made while working there.
Is the language difficult to learn? Having language skills is very important as I am sure you have learned.
May the Lord bless and keep you closeand pave the way for you to give the greatest gift to all who you have contact with in you time incountry.
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