This week I want to go into what Armenia is really like now that I have been here for 3 weeks I can say
a little more. So I want to first start off with transportation. We get from place to place in either a taxi,
marshootni which is like a van that everyone just piles in, the bus, or my personal favorite is hitchhiking.
So we try and stay away from taxis because they are expensive, usually like 600 drum I know a whole
dollar and 50 cents, unless we are traveling a long way to a village it would be like 5000 drum to go 30
minutes out and back. 12 bucks still not that bad. Taxis don't make that much money at all. The next
thing is marshootni, which you only use in the city. It cost 100 drum per person a whole 22 cents to get
from one end of the city to the next. So it's definitely cheap. Those are the ones we try and use the most
if they are running they stop at 8 so sometimes we have to use a taxi at night. Then the next is the bus,
which we use to get to villages out side of the city. Depending on how far it is either 200 or 300 drum a
person, which saves a ton of money where it would be like 2500ish one way to a village. It is funny
because nothing is made for tall people here and I always either have to stand like 90 degrees in the bus
and marshootni because we always give the seats up to the women here. Armenians are so polite at least
in that aspect. On the bus when we are going to be in it for a long time I just try and stand in the entrance
which a little lower because of the stairs. Then lastly there is hitchhiking. We have been doing that to
get from the villages back to Vanedzor. I love it because we almost always get picked up, not like in
America where you wouldn't ever pick someone up. This week we were trying to get back from a village
and this guy picked us up that was going to Yerevan from Russia and we were able to preach the gospel
with him a little bit. It was really cool and luckily we had an extra Russian restoration pamphlet. I don't
know why we had it but we did, so cool. So yeah that is how we have been getting from place to place.
Now into what happened this week.
a little more. So I want to first start off with transportation. We get from place to place in either a taxi,
marshootni which is like a van that everyone just piles in, the bus, or my personal favorite is hitchhiking.
So we try and stay away from taxis because they are expensive, usually like 600 drum I know a whole
dollar and 50 cents, unless we are traveling a long way to a village it would be like 5000 drum to go 30
minutes out and back. 12 bucks still not that bad. Taxis don't make that much money at all. The next
thing is marshootni, which you only use in the city. It cost 100 drum per person a whole 22 cents to get
from one end of the city to the next. So it's definitely cheap. Those are the ones we try and use the most
if they are running they stop at 8 so sometimes we have to use a taxi at night. Then the next is the bus,
which we use to get to villages out side of the city. Depending on how far it is either 200 or 300 drum a
person, which saves a ton of money where it would be like 2500ish one way to a village. It is funny
because nothing is made for tall people here and I always either have to stand like 90 degrees in the bus
and marshootni because we always give the seats up to the women here. Armenians are so polite at least
in that aspect. On the bus when we are going to be in it for a long time I just try and stand in the entrance
which a little lower because of the stairs. Then lastly there is hitchhiking. We have been doing that to
get from the villages back to Vanedzor. I love it because we almost always get picked up, not like in
America where you wouldn't ever pick someone up. This week we were trying to get back from a village
and this guy picked us up that was going to Yerevan from Russia and we were able to preach the gospel
with him a little bit. It was really cool and luckily we had an extra Russian restoration pamphlet. I don't
know why we had it but we did, so cool. So yeah that is how we have been getting from place to place.
Now into what happened this week.
This week started us with climbing a mountain in Alivardi, which is in my district, but not my zone. We
were doing a whole district activity. The mountain was so beautiful and I loved it. Climbing up was alright
because we had a trail, but we were trying to get to the top and we kind of got lost and we couldn't climb
back down the same way we came because we had to climb up this little cliff that we could go up, but not
down. So we kind of just made our own trail down, but as were were doing that it was all thorn bushes and
my legs and arms got all scratched up. Totally worth it though and would do it again in a heart beat.
were doing a whole district activity. The mountain was so beautiful and I loved it. Climbing up was alright
because we had a trail, but we were trying to get to the top and we kind of got lost and we couldn't climb
back down the same way we came because we had to climb up this little cliff that we could go up, but not
down. So we kind of just made our own trail down, but as were were doing that it was all thorn bushes and
my legs and arms got all scratched up. Totally worth it though and would do it again in a heart beat.
Our investigators are doing alright. The work it tough out here, but we just need to keep trying hard. One
just went to Russia and will be back next month, so we are just waiting for him to come back. He is ready
for baptism and another one just fell off the face of the earth. We found out that he ended up not having
money for his phone and we couldn't get a hold of him, but he isn't even in the city. We don't know
where he went. Lastly we have one investigator that is doing really well, she is coming to church and
seems like her testimony is growing, she just needs to read more and figure out if this is really true for
herself because she says she feels the spirit when we are around, which is good. Other than that we have
been doing just normal missionary work and serving the Lord. This week we got to serve this lady in our
ward. We helped her dig her garden so that it would be ready to plant. I love service and she does a lot for
us. So the least we could do was do a little service for her in her garden.
just went to Russia and will be back next month, so we are just waiting for him to come back. He is ready
for baptism and another one just fell off the face of the earth. We found out that he ended up not having
money for his phone and we couldn't get a hold of him, but he isn't even in the city. We don't know
where he went. Lastly we have one investigator that is doing really well, she is coming to church and
seems like her testimony is growing, she just needs to read more and figure out if this is really true for
herself because she says she feels the spirit when we are around, which is good. Other than that we have
been doing just normal missionary work and serving the Lord. This week we got to serve this lady in our
ward. We helped her dig her garden so that it would be ready to plant. I love service and she does a lot for
us. So the least we could do was do a little service for her in her garden.
This week I grew in that I am beginning to realized how to recognize the Holy Ghost more. One of the
days I don't remember all of our plans fell through. So we prayed for guidance and we were just walking
around and we meet these two nice people at a bookie place none the less. She said that she is only free
on Tuesdays and she would come to the church to meet with us then and the guy knew everything about
tennis you could possibly want to know. So it was cool talking to him. We were only able to give him a
pamphlet because he works 12 hours a day and doesn't have time to meet with us, but planting the seed.
days I don't remember all of our plans fell through. So we prayed for guidance and we were just walking
around and we meet these two nice people at a bookie place none the less. She said that she is only free
on Tuesdays and she would come to the church to meet with us then and the guy knew everything about
tennis you could possibly want to know. So it was cool talking to him. We were only able to give him a
pamphlet because he works 12 hours a day and doesn't have time to meet with us, but planting the seed.
Say you prayers and thank the Lord for everything he gives you. You are all extremely blessed. I love
you and have an amazing week.
you and have an amazing week.
Elder Sproul
I forgot to say this, but this week I had sacrament out in a village with only 6 people. It was so amazing
and the spirit was so strong. Definitely the only church in the world that would go out of their way to
give the sacrament to 6 people. Kind of felt like Joseph smith times!
and the spirit was so strong. Definitely the only church in the world that would go out of their way to
give the sacrament to 6 people. Kind of felt like Joseph smith times!
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