The Western Diocese’s CYMA trip this summer was the single most amazing trip of my life. Just several months ago I never thought I would get to Hayastan anytime soon. When I was given the opportunity, I took advantage of it. Even if my ancestors came from Nighde in what is now Turkey, I am still Armenian, and Hayastan is where by the grace of God my ancestors came to accept the Christian faith and the love of God and be part of one of the first Christian nations on earth. I wanted to come to Hayastan to experience the Christian faith in its original homeland and to love my fellow Christians, both Hayastantsis and Spiurka-Hays. Where can I begin? I went with a great group of fellow Armenian-Americans, and we all added our own personal flavor to the group. I came to become good friends with all of them. I loved Robert’s laugh, Der Avedis's spiritual guidance, Manuk’s historical knowledge, Lorena’s positive attitude, Dalida’s love of dziranner, Danielle playing with the kid in Gyumri, Dyron’s open mindedness, Sarah’s congratulatory remarks, Tatiana’s honest opinions, and even Armine calling me “sweetest” names. I hope they all grew spiritually and closer to God on the trip. I also met some great people who lived there. I loved spending time with my host family in Gyumri; Aram and his family treated me like one of their own. All of the people we met in Gymri loved us as brothers and sisters, and I think that our week in Gyumri was a great example of true Christian love. It was great to help out a family who was in need in Hayastan instead of just visiting and leaving the place when we all pulled up our sleeves and tore that old house down. Our bus drivers were great. There were many other examples of friendships that were formed on our trip, and it was great to connect with other Christians from all around the world.

It was also great to experience the churches, ruins, mountains, culture, and land of Hayastan. The favorite badarak of my life was our first badarak in Hayastan, which was at Geghard. Praying to God in the old stone church with the scent of incense and the beautiful voices of the choir girls was one of the best moments of my life, as at that moment I felt connected to both God and our homeland. I enjoyed the brisk waters of Sevan, the winds of Aragats, the red rocks of Noravank, the ruins of Erebouni, and running through some swampy ground after dark in the Taurus. I loved dancing near Alaverdi at lunch, listening to the duduk and dumbag at Geghard, and eating khash near a mountain lake. Speaking of khash, that was so good. The fact that I enjoyed a lot of the cultural aspects is one of the things that made the trip special, as I’m a lover of God and what he created to exist in nature, whether that includes people, dinosaurs, lizards, or spiders, and I normally do not care much for culture. Anyways, the combination of connecting with God and my fellow Armenian Christians and experiencing Armenia with my ears, nose, eyes, tongue, and hands made it a trip that will always hold a special place in my heart.

Sincerely,
Andrew Moltz