World's Biggest Chocolate Bar

That's right.  Yerevan, Armenia is the maker of the world's biggest chocolate bar!  On September 10th, 2010, Grand Candy celebrated it's 10th birthday and to celebrate, they made a huge bar of chocolate!  On October 16th, they had a big celebration downtown and gave pieces of the big bar away.  We went to check it out.  Pretty exciting.  And completely crazy!

They wanted to give away their candy bar so they broke it up and loaded it into some of their Grand Candy trucks.  Then they parked the trucks around the sides of Republic Square and opened the doors...  Everyone raced to the doors and tried to get chocolate.  Kev said it was something like a planned riot.  Everyone was just grabbing and pushing and shoving.  Needless to say, we did not get to the front of the masses to get ourselves a piece of the world famous chocolate.  We snapped a couple pictures to show we were there to celebrate and then we bought a plain ol' bar of Grand Candy chocolate on the way home!  Heh.  We still got ourselves some chocolate.  (And the next day we heard that there were some fights that broke out downtown!  Good grief!)

Kev kept trying to figure out the best plan to fix the situation!  Heh.  If they had started lines with enter and exit spots or people were shown to to go through in a clockwise direction, at least...  Everyone pushing forward and the people in the trucks yelling to get back - that didn't really work.  There were even military guys there pushing people back.  We thought - get a line!  Organize this thing up a bit!

But lines aren't really an Armenian thing.  Really.  In the US, we practice being in lines from the time we first start going to preschool.  As a preschool teacher, that was one important thing I taught the kids their first year of school.  To work in a group you need to learn to wait your turn and stay in line.  In Armenia, if you are strong enough and courageous enough...  you get to the front!  Or sometimes if you're old, you also get to cut to the front of the group.  That's cool, too.  When we first came to Armenia and had four little (tired) kids with us in the airport, they took us right up to the front of the window to get our visa stuff worked out.  So in that case, it wasn't a bad thing for us to be able to "cut".  It could be considered polite, even!  That's not always something that happens in the US.  In the states, most people figure you can keep your place in line and be patient.  That's what we're trained to do.

As I talked about that with the kids, they remembered times when they got to be "line leaders" in school. Or when they got to be the important caboose!  That was alright, too...  They told me that most of the kids tried to get in right behind the line leader so they could be second in line!  Heh.  If you can't be first, be second?!  Maybe we all have a compulsion to be at the front of the line...  at the head of the group...  the leader?

Today I heard Elijah's reaction to his paper airplane come in last in their contest...  At first he was sad about it.  The he rememberd:  All the losers get a crown!  (~taken from Audio A.'s Get Down)  Heh!  :)

Matt 23:11&12 The greatest among you will be your servant.
For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.

Whether you push to the front or hold your place in line, Jesus asks us if our heart is humble and if you act like a servant.  That's where the reward will be in the end.

Whew...  what about chocolate now?!  :)

Just to let you know, in case you were super sad that the kids didn't get any of the world's biggest chocolate bar, today our friend came over and brought some for us!  Her son got some through his school and the shared it with us!  The kids were Thrilled!

Shnorhavor, Grand Candy and Yerevan, Armenia!  You made the biggest bar of chocolate, until the Swiss decide to outdo you to get their name in the book as the best...  Hummm...  :)

Rocky Jon

Rocky Jon

I just realized that September marked one  year of our life with a puppy for a pet!  :)  Our Ani prayed for a puppy after she fell in love with a stray that we couldn't keep.  Our housing manager said no dogs were allowed in our apt, otherwise we might have taken that pup home.  Hannah was heartbroken.  So she decided to pray.

That was August 17th, Kev's and my wedding anniversary!  Just a few days later, guess who we met living two doors down from us?  A tiny puppy they called Rex.  He learned our schedule and would come to our door every day when the kids had their morning recess.  One day we were late for recess and he was on our front step waiting when we opened the door.  The manager told us that the neighbors who owned the dog were moving and he would have to "do something" with the dog...  We could keep it, if we kept it outside.  At the same time we were waiting to move around the block to a place that had a little deck out the back door.  We'd have a safe place to keep a puppy outside.  Okay.  I guess we have a dog!  Ani and God worked out it out!  Rex became Rocky.  And Rocky became ours!  Our Rocky jan.

We were told that we should not get a dog in Armenia and that Armenians don't like them.  It would hurt our ministry here.  Well, we didn't plan for a dog but it seemed to us that it might just be that the Lord had a plan for us and for the puppy.  After time went on, we found out that lots of our friends either had a dog now or had one in the past.  They wanted to meet our puppy.  Plus, since he's mostly an outside dog, people who might not enjoy dogs don't even have to see him if they don't want to.  Funny how God blesses you and works out details on top of that, huh?  

Rocky has been a blessing to us, and mostly to the kids.  Who always loves you?  Who always understands?  Who sits waiting for your company?  Who's always ready to play?  Who's always happy to see you come home?  Who sits by your side to get a belly rub?  Only a puppy.  Best friend forever.  The kids haven't made many friends their age here.  But God brought one of our best friends right to our door!

Rocky jan.  We love you!

(In Armenian "jon" means something like "dear, or friend, or sweetie..."  they spell it "jan" but in English it sounds more like our "jon/john.")

What do you like best in school?

When I was a kid, people from the newspaper would come to our school every once in a while and ask about 10 kids some random question.  If you got picked, you'd get your picture taken and your answer in the paper!  My friend and I were picked once!  So my picture was in the paper.  I forget the question now... but I think I had my pink coat on with the white fluff around the hood!  Heh.  I think it was something about love...  My Mom might remember!!

Anyway.  It's always fun to hear what kids say so I thought maybe I'd ask them something once in a while and post what they said.  In an earlier post, I had asked where they wanted to live.

Yesterday I asked:  What do you like best in school?

Benjamin:  History and Science and Reading
Hannah:  Reading short stories, some Arithmetic, poems, songs, art
Ruth:  Reading, Math combinations (they play math GAMES for that class!), and Activity Time (which is art, poems, some basic science...)
Elijah:  BIBLE!!!  And my last subject because school's almost over.  Oh, and Activity, and Numbers, and poems, and songs, and Reading but my class doesn't do that yet.  And I like cutting.  (He and I read together but his DVD class doesn't yet...)

Benjamin, Hannah, and Ruth all agree that they don't like Spelling.  And even though they didn't all say Bible was their favorite, that's what they choose to do when go outside at recess time!  We all do Bible Time together with breakfast and our opening.  But at recess it's kids only so I am not usually invited!!  Last week Benjamin and Hannah came in and told me the finished memorizing the verse that they picked out for their own Bible time!  Isaiah 53:1-2.  Love it!  Love their hearts...

~This is "their spot" for studying!  Ruth and Elijah are invited but they're not required to be there!  ;)

Fresh

Orange juice...  Freshly Squeezed!
When we were in Turkey, the hotel provided the meals but if you wanted the good, freshly squeezed juice, that was extra!  Heh...  The kids always looked that the oranges and the juice and we talked about why that was so much more special that it was extra.  Well, it's freshly squeezed so that each day it's new.  It's not the sweet Tang and it's not packaged juice from a bottle.  It's just now been cut and squeezed and made into juice.  I guess that's why it's extra.  Fresh.


Well, they took that thought home with them.  For a month or more, Elijah said, "freshly squeezed" after anything and everything.  "Let's have breakfast, freshly squeezed!"  "Let's read a book, freshly squeezed!" Whatever came to his mind...  "freshly squeezed."  To the point that the other kids were sighing and groaning to hear another "freshly squeezed" comment!  :)  I thought it was kinda cute...


Then, of course, I got to thinking about it a little more.  Every morning, we wake up to new mercies, new compassions from the Lord.  "Freshly squeezed!"


Lamentations 3 says:

 Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed,
       for his compassions never fail.

 They are new every morning;
       great is your faithfulness.

Every morning we also get up to a new word from the Lord, if we so choose.  He wants to speak to us and since His Word is alive and active...  it's a good place to go.  He wants to teach us and tell us how He loves us.  Every day.  Not old news, but new, fresh news!  A new, good word for us each day.  

Isaiah 50:4
He wakens me morning by morning, wakens my ear to listen like one being taught.


My father-in-law used the Lamentation verse when he was here and spoke up at the Fire Bible office.  This brought my mind back to the whole freshly squeezed thought I'd had earlier since they were so similar.  The thing that he pointed out was how overseas, bread is made and eaten.  Most bread around here is fresh.  It's made that day and kept only a day or two.  In America, we save and store bread for a week or more!  So as we watched them make bread and then took it home (and ate it in the car!  yum!), it brought that thought to his mind, too.  God's Word is new for us every day.  Fresh.


Luke 11:3
Give us each day, or daily bread...


Matthew 5:6
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled!

Lord, let us be hungry and thirsty for You each day.  Wake us up excited for a fresh word from you!  What we are hungry and thirsty for... is probably what we are filled with!

Garden of Eden/Car Crash...

Elijah picked "Genesis" for his devotion this week.  I wondered which story he wanted.  After thinking for a minute he said, "The one with the snake."  So I read from the kids' Bible story book about the Garden of Eden, the poor choice Eve made when she listened to the snake and ate the fruit, and how sad everyone was afterwards.  Separation.  Tears.  Hard work.  No more garden.  I thought Elijah just might even cry after the story.  So sad.

Then the question came, "Why didn't God just FORGIVE them??"
Okay, we're getting into some deep theological conversation now.

With four little listening ears, I need to come up with a wise, simple answer to this big question.  They're still slurping up their cereal and drinking their juice.  I think for a minute.  Okay.  Let me come up with something applicable.  Another story.  Here goes:

"What if Daddy tells me that the car has a problem and I shouldn't drive it for a few days.  Simple.  Don't drive the car right now.  Later, I decide that I need to go to town to buy something important.  I figure it's fine.  It'll be a quick trip.  No biggie.  I take the car."

Their eyes get big.

"I get in the car and drive down the highway.  I'm just a little ways away from our house and whatever is broken goes out and the car won't do what I want it to.  I crash into a pole and the car is ruined."

Oh no!

"I call Daddy and say - I took the car and had an accident.  The car is ruined and I'm stuck down the road."

Oh mama...

"Daddy would ask if I was okay and would come to get me.  He would love me and could forgive me right away.  But when we look at the car, it would still be smashed.  We would either not have the car back, or we would have to wait for weeks for it to be fixed.  It would cost a lot of money.  The consequence for my action will still be there, even though Daddy still loves me."

Heads nod.

"What did God do to make things right again for us?  He wants to be with us and us to be with Him.  How did he make that possible again?"

"Jesus!"

"Yes, Jesus came to earth to fix what was wrong.  To make things right.  The consequence of sin is still there.  But so is forgiveness.  He's never stopped loving us.  Things have been and will be made new again.  Because of Jesus."

Consequences.  Because of our choices
Love.  Always from God.
Forgiveness.  Because of Jesus.

Visitors!

It had been almost two years since the kids had seen their grandparents!  For kids, that's forever!  We have seen one family member in all the time we've been here.  So, you can imagine how exciting it was to plan for Grandma and Papa to come visit us!  Whoo!  We had a count-down chain.  We talked about where we'd take them.  The kids wanted to do this and then that with them.  We wondered what they'd like to eat.  There were people we wanted them to meet.  We saw things that we've become used to as they might see them...  So for a month or two we talked about, "When Grandma and Papa are here..."  

And then they CAME!

Reunited!  Sunrise behind them!

Metro! 

Lovely day at Lover's Park 

the Grownups!  ;)

Lots of ice cream!

snuggles and pizza

snuggles

up at the Fire Bible Office

rainy at the Cascades

K...  our letter in Armenian

watching them make bread

Nuthin but the Blood

tea paty

games

chess

Armenian food

Republic Square

chai tea for the ladies

play city for the kids

Grand Candy

zoo

meeting friends at the orphanage

at the market

Khor Virap

meal with Mari jan

Barikamyootsoon...  underground shopping by the metro

last pic together...  we love Grandma and Papa!

They were here for about 10 days!  We ran around Armenia but also took lots of time to just be home and hanging out together.  The time went way too fast, which we knew it would.  And then it was time to say goodbye again!  Sad day.  But we kept telling the kids...  this time it won't take two years before we see them!  We're looking forward to spending time with family again.  Hannie thinks our whole family should move out to the neighborhood that we live in and we'd have church in the meeting room in the middle of the neighborhood!  We love family!  So glad for the time, and hugs, and encouragement, and laughter we shared together.