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| "Mommy, how come you're always right and Daddy's always wrong?" Sweet, sweet innocence. |
Unfortunately I did not get any pictures of our first day of church. We attend The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints which has one (count 'em one) branch for the entire country. Missionaries were only introduced here in 2005, so the Church is in its infancy; and because many of the materials are not yet translated into Georgian, it's a multilingual affair. The chapel is a rented building with a clean exterior that is otherwise quite unremarkable. The interior I found to be lovely and, frankly, more impressive (this appears to be a theme in Georgia). It has a marble bannister on the staircase leading to an open high-ceilinged chapel lined with tall windows. It's small but just the right size for the congregation. The primary children meet on the top floor which has several rooms including a stage. The main floor has classrooms, bathrooms, and a kitchen.
The meeting is conducted primarily in Georgian, with intermittent use of Russian, but when it comes to the hymns, it's a sloshy Georgian/Russian/English free-for-all. During the talks we wear headphones on which missionaries provide us with English translations. The girls thought the headphones were cool for maybe five minutes. All the people seemed to really love the baby though (there were very few children), and they all gave his chubby legs a squeeze as they passed by. Overall they were very gracious and kind, we made quite a stir when we walked in. I conversed semi-successfully with a number of people in a sort of English/pidgin-Russian/sign-language mix, I hope to vastly improve my language skills during our three-year tour.
But despite all these quirky new things, I have to say that the one thing on my mind now is how normal and similar it is in most ways. The people were warm and inviting; the chapel was organized, peaceful, and had a familiar spirit; and as a congregation we worshiped God in the same way I have my whole life. I look forward to fostering meaningful relationships and finding ways to serve.
Amber-what a beautiful rendering of your first days in Georgia. I love the time that your family is having together and in some ways, all to yourself, and how you're able to have these experiences as a family. I'm probably not making any sense, but I think this must be such a special time for your family. What beautiful children you have. Those pictures of Tova and Sophie are just beautiful! I saw that picture of Nate holding Elliott, and Nate's smile is so telling (at least I think!) that he is looking forward to the adventures that await in Georgia. I hope you do learn Russian, whoever would have thought you'd have an experience like this! Soak it up, what an amazing chance! Love you! :)
ReplyDeleteThanks Marian, yes, it's truly a unique time. I keep wondering what I'm supposed to make of it all. This big of a change is not happenstance. So far so good. By the way, I loved seeing that family picture with your four (five) handsome guys. What a legacy.
DeleteI loved reading about your first Sunday - wish I had been there! You write so well about everything. I love the chapel in Tbilisi and singing in 3 languages. Yes, they LOVE babies, yes your language skills will improve but a hug and kiss are universal, and yes, you will make wonderful friendships there - they are great saints!
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