Service Opportunities and Excursion to Mtskheta and Gori

Hello, family and friends! It has been two days since we have posted to the blog, but I assure you that we have been enjoying our stay in Tbilisi, Georgia. On Monday, we were given the opportunity to work at a nursing facility sponsored by the Baptist Church of Georgia. We toured the facility, spoke with the bishop, served lunch to the residents, and handed out bouquets of flowers to the female residents. Some of us also played with the children that came to visit their grandparents. Before we left the facility, a few of the Mercer Service Scholars were given the opportunity to speak with a ninety-year old woman who had lived during the time of the rise and fall of the Soviet Union. Her story proved to be a very interesting one, as she spoke about the religious persecution that she faced during the height of the Soviet Union. During the course of her story, she told us that she had received a vision from God to go to Georgia and to find the Baptist Church of Georgia and to worship there. She did precisely what the revelation revealed to her, and though she said that it was not easy to practice her faith, especially openly, she remained true to her religious beliefs. She encouraged all of us to also remain true to our faith and to let nothing stand in the way of proclaiming our Christian faith to the world. She was a highly motivational speaker, and I am so glad that I had the opportunity to speak with her. I hope that I will always be able to share my faith with others in both word and deed and to speak with the same level of devotion as she did regarding her faith. When we arrived back at the hotel, we were given the opportunity to go into town and explore the city. I did most of my sight-seeing at night, though after having dinner at a quiet, sit down restaurant located right behind the oldest church in Tbilisi. It is hard to find words to describe the beauty that one finds in this city, especially at night. Tbilisi comes alive with lights. The dome of the president's palace lights up, as does the bridge that goes over the Mtkvari River. The water tower, churches, and the Nariyala fortress are also aglow in a lovely, golden light. People congregate to play chess, sit by the fountain, purchase origami and an assortment of other handiworks sold by local vendors. Everything looks majestic, and it is like nothing else I have ever experienced before and certainly will never forget...

Today, we left the hotel around ten o'clock with the two bishops of the Baptist Church accompaning us. We boarded the bus to begin our excursion to Mtskheta and Gori. We stopped at a total of four monasteries and cathedrals. It was amazing to see their beautiful architecture and their phenomenal pieces of artwork. The frescoes located in the Cathedral in Mtskheta, known as Svetitskhoveli Cathedral, are very rich in detail and have been highly preserved since the 11th century when the latter part of the church was built. The religious history of the Cathedral at Mtskheta also is of interest. According to legend, a Jewish man brought back a piece of Jesus's clothing that he had been wearing when he was crucified. The man gave the garment to his sister who immediately died upon receiving Jesus Christ's robe. The woman was buried and St. Nino, the woman who brought Christianity to Georgia, asked for a church to be built on the grave of the woman. In order for the church to be built, St. Nino asked for seven columns to be installed. The seventh could not be installed until St. Nino prayed for its installation. Hence, the cathedral is named Svetitskhoveli because it means "life giving pillar" because the seventh pillar allegedly leaked a liquid that healed all ills. The most unique of the monateries that we visted had to be the monastery built out of the rock on the side of the mountain. Everyone had a great time taking pictures, and it was really neat to explore the underground tunnel that led to the opposite side of the monastery! Afterwards, we stopped for light refreshments and pleasant conversation with some of the members of the Baptist Church of Georgia at their residence in Gori before making a final stop at Stalin's birthplace, which is also located in Gori. We are looking forward to working more with our Baptist friends tomorrow after attending a memorial service in memory of one of the girls that had been killed in the recent train bombings in Norway. Please keep all of us in your prayers. May God bless you and keep you safe, always!

Sincerely,

Ashley Price, on behalf of the Mercer Service Scholars

The Armenian Apostolic Church, Water Celebration, and Fuller Center for Housing Community Visit

On Sunday, the Mercer Service Scholars were given the opportunity to visit a local Armenian Apostolic Church with Tatevik, our Fuller Center for Housing contact, serving as our guide. Upon entering the church, we were given two candles each to light. Tatevik explained that the Armenians often will light candles as prayers. All of the women were given scarves to place over their heads as a sign of reverence. When the ceremony started, the curtain separating the congregation from the altar was pulled back, and several altar boys carried out a banner that had the Virgin Mary and the Baby Jesus featured on it. The faithful formed two lines so that they could kiss the lower part of the banner where there were two crosses. Some of the women placed incense into a small container when it passed in front of the banner. Then, the head priest carried a cross, which he held out to the church members. Each of them kissed it, myself included, as a sign of being one with Christ. The church service then proceeded with readings and responsorial hymns, which were organized by the choir. The artwork in the church was very rich in colors and details; most of the scenes were depicted of Jesus's life commonly found in the Bible. The main picture over the altar featured a picture of the Virigin Mary and Jesus, similar to the one found on the banner. The voices of the faithful praying and the songs of the choir that sung like angels were a testimony to the devotion the Armenian people have to God. In fact, the service was so beautiful that it caused me to cry at its beauty. It was truly a moving experience for me, and it is one that I will never forget.

After church, as we had a free day, we were allowed to tour and shop around the City of Vanadzor. Tatevik had told us that a religious celebration would be taking place during the day. This celebration called for water to be placed on people as a sign of purification. I thought that it would be much like the traditional water that my home church uses to remind me of my baptismal promises, but boy was I ever wrong! Many children, most of them young to adolescent boys filled buckets, bottles, and any other containers that they could with water and threw them at the passerby, sometimes chasing them right into the street! Some of the participants even filled bags full of water and dropped them from the balconies, spraying unsuspecting people below, including myself. It was a fun occasion for all, albeit a wet one. I became soaked several times over, as did many of the other Mercer Service Scholars. To give you an idea of how much water was used, at one point, I was bombarded by ten young men, and I thought that my camera had been ruined. The water had seeped into all of my bags! Luckily, the hot Armenian sun was able to dry it, as well as the hairdryer, so there are no worries to be had!

When we returned back to the hotel, hot, sticky, and sufficiently watered down, we got ready to visit a community where many of the Fuller Houses were being built. We toured three of them all together. The first one was very small, but it adequately served the needs of the people built there. The second one was much bigger than the first. The woman who lived there said that she, her husband, and her children had lived in a 6' X 3' room for more than twenty years before they were put into contact with a representative for the Fuller Center for Housing. I cannot imagine how unbearable life must have been for them, but the woman's smiling face let me know that she was very thankful for all of the work the Fuller Center had done for her and her family. She said that it is because of good people like us that she and her family can live in a much better place, and I was very humbled by her statement. The third house was bigger than the first, but smaller than the second. There were four people living there, but there were only two small beds. In seeing the lack of beds, I thought about how fortunate I am for having a large bed at home. Coming to Armenia has really humbled me in many ways.

The rest of the time was spent playing with children in the Fuller Center for Housing community. We tossed the basketballs back and forth, blew bubbles, and played a game of dodgeball with a twist. We also listened to one of the girls play her violin in the meeting hall, and her mother accompanied her on the piano. They invited us to dance with the children, and we had a grand time. None of us wanted to leave at the end of our stay because we had met so many new friends. We hope that we will be able to see all of them again very soon.

On our way back to the hotel, we stopped at a restaurant for dinner, and when we returned, the rest of the evening was ours. Most of us talked about the exciting events of the day and prepared for another day back at work. It has been an amazing experience so far, and I am so blessed to be part of this amazing group of humanitarians! God's blessings to you and all of our families! We will write again soon!

Sincerely,

Ashley Price, on behalf of the Mercer Service Scholars