The Meek and Lowly in Heart

So this week:

First off, happy birthday, Dad! Whenever I heard people refer to their dad as their "old man",  I never really got that. I always thought my dad was pretty young still and barely even had grey hair. I think it's safe to say now though that dad, you are my old man :p

So a little bit about center. Center is a way busy place filled with tons of people all the time, late in the evening and early in the morning. There's always something cool to do on p-day. There are a lot of monuments here in center, which is way neat. Though we serve in center, sometimes we have to help out the other elders in Erebuni (we go down there every Sunday as well for a combined meal time) and the sisters in Shengavit. To get down there, we ride the subway, which travels from Arabkir all the way down to Shengavit.

One cool monument is the golden wheat statue which is up on the north side of center. There is a cascade of stairs and a fountain down the mountain, and at the top is a tower with a golden leaf on top. Inside the stairs is an elevator that goes all the way up, as well as several art exhibits and concert halls.

Center is also the home of Mair Hayastan (Mother Armenia), which is a giant statue of a woman caring a sword and shield, the protecting mother of Armenia. It used to be a statue of Stalin, but after the collapse of the Soviet Union, Armenia replaced it with this statue. Around the base are several Soviet era weapons such as tanks and missiles.

From my apartment, you can see the Radio Tower which is always lit up at night and changes colors every few seconds. I think there's some kind of restaurant somewhere inside that tower as well.

At the very middle of Center is Hanrabetakan Hrabarak (Republic Square) which is a giant roundabout. They always deck this out with a giant Christmas tree in the center and the buildings all around with Christmas lights. They make this look the best because the Marriott Hotel, where all the dignitaries stay, is in this square.

Our apartment is way small, I was able to take a picture of the whole apartment from one corner it, but it does have a piano inside it, which is way fun to use during free time.

It also snowed for the first time in center this week. It followed me down from Charentsavan. Thankfully, the apartments above and below us both have water heaters, so they insulate our apartment really well.

I was out mahn gall-ing (wandering around for investigators) this week when we walked past these two people that looked like homeless guys. I was about to just keep on going thinking "They're probably drunk, they'd be hard to meet with too because they probably don't have a home or a family and won't even be here tomorrow" but then a thought came into my mind. I remembered how Jesus walked among the meek and lowly in heart. So I gestured to my companion and we walked over. He was equally as apprehensive. After talking for a few minutes, they both invited us over (we didn't even have to ask them, which is really strange in this country) to their homes and to come teach their families. I was way surprised and humbled by these two people who honestly just wanted to listen. It was scary to think that I almost just passed these two people by, just because of my own personal interests.

Anyways, that was my week. I love you all :D

Elder Hammer

P.S. Sorry the pictures are dark, it was getting late :)  Also, tell everyone my Pday has been moved to tomorrow, that's why I'm not writing anyone else.

This is me and the view from the Golden Wheat Statue.

This is my apartment...all of it. kitchen/bedroom on the left, living room on the right. The bathroom is right next to my arm.

The next few pictures are a sequence that I caught. A cat that lives in a little village outside of Center decided Elder Strader was really warm. So he sought refuge from the cold by climbing all the way up his pants and then his jacket and then sat next to his head :p