A lot of the food comes from Russia. It is actually better than the Armenian food. We buy this milk. Pres Carter said it is the best. Thank goodness they served in Ukraine before they came here, so they can warn us about food.
A lot of the food has Armenian and Russian writing on it. Or sometimes we have bought items that are in English and we recognize the brands, then we find a Russian sticker on them.These cookies are almost like soft Chips Ahoy!
(Left) This is like mayo and on the right is some yummy yogurt
I really like this “stuff” I don’t know the Armenian name. It is kind of a rice or wheat that has tomatoes cilantro and other things I don’t recognize. The Elders let me try theres and so I bought some the next day. I put it on bread and it is really good. I love cilantro, thank goodness, because the Armenians put it in a lot of their food.
They wonderful fruit here this time of year. These blackberries were extra yummy.
This is my official name tag. Quyr Jonesu Heesoos Kristosee vercheen orready sirparhee yekeretseen
At the end of a long day.
LIFE AT THE MISSION OFFICE: It is unbelievably busy…. This week we have worked atleast 10 hour days. We come home and crash… No one has ever told us what hours to work. So we just show up and go home, not when the work is done, because it is never done, but when we are too tired to stay another minute.
There are arrangements to make for incoming missionaries, outgoing missionaries, inventory, orders to submit, reports to file, newsletters, directories, Missionary Boards to keep up with, which show the companionships etc., phone calls, emails, laminating etc. etc. AND THE LIST GOES ON.. We also have to work with the Armenian and Georgian people that are called on missions. I spend a lot of time entering passwords and locking and unlocking everything. Even the refrigerator has a lock on it.
Elder Jones works with finances and housing. Paying people, places and things.. Changing US $$$ into Armenian drams and Georgian lori. The exchange rate is constantly different, so they are always making adjustments. This is a cash society so it is extremely challenging. We both have to deal with the Church’s Europe East Area people, their office is in Moscow and I place Distribution orders to Germany. I hear a lot of English that is very hard to understand and I hear a lot of Armenian that I totally don’t understand.
All of this is done while trying to communicate in different languages, Armenian, Russian, and English. We have missionaries in Georgia so we have a lot of Georgian language materials as well. Plus we get people requesting materials in Farsi, Persian, Arabic, (I must admit my Persian is a little rusty!)
The miracles: I am able to work longer and harder than I have in years. I have been able to remember tasks like never before, I am learning names and facts and computer programs. All over the world new missionaries and mission Presidents are changing every year to three years and the work goes on. Try running a business with new people constantly changing… including the boss and it would never be successful. Of course our Mission “Boss” is our Heavenly Father and his work will never fail.