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 After
Master's visit to Armenia during Her European Lecture Tour, She
sent a group of initiates to Armenia with cashier's checks for the
contributions She had promised to various institutions while touring
in the country.
Upon the initiates'
arrival at St. Mariam Astvatsatsian Church (also known as St. Etchmiadzin
Church), Father Garegin Nersesyan accepted a check of US$20,000.
Father Garegin Nersesyan was very touched and said, "I have
heard many people express many great things about Supreme Master
Ching Hai. I regret that I did not have the honor of meeting Her
when She visited the Church personally. I hope to meet Her at my
next opportunity. I am very touched, not because of the amount of
money She has contributed, but by Her philanthropy and boundless
love. Her love has touched me most especially during this time.
I would like to send my warmest regards and deepest thanks to Supreme
Master Ching Hai. Her actions exemplify the love and grace of God."
Father Aghvan Gasparyan,
who received Master during Her visit to Armenia, said, "After
meeting Supreme Master Ching Hai and the Association members, every
night I pray for their safety and happiness. I pray that I can meet
Master and all of you once again in the near future. Every moment,
I remember you in my prayers. At night, I read and learn about the
teachings of Supreme Master Ching Hai that you have given me. As
I learn little by little, I teach it to others." After hearing
the heartfelt feelings of Father Gasparyan, one of the members of
the Supreme Master Ching Hai International Association presented
him with the "One World...of Peace Through Music" concert
video. He was extremely happy and said he would watch it soon. He
further confided, "I will pray that Master and the Association
members will once again set foot in this holy land one day soon.
Did you know that out of all the places that you have visited in
Armenia, this is the holiest place?"
Next, after traveling
for over two hours on a winding road filled with potholes, Master's
representatives reached their second destination, Gjumry. Governor
Shirak S. Petrossyan and Mayor Michael Vardanyan of Gjumry warmly
greeted the representatives of the Supreme Master Ching Hai International
Association, who then presented them with a check.
On behalf of the city
of Gjumry, Governor Petrossyan and Mayor Vardanyan, with their deepest
gratitude, thanked Master and promised that Her contribution would
be used to construct 70-75 factories to help the poor and needy
have a chance to work and provide for a better future for themselves.
In addition, they said the money would be used to construct two
new schools, one to be named the Supreme Master Ching Hai High School.
Coincidentally, the word 'Hai' in the Armenian language means "a
person from Armenia". The Governor stated, "In 1988, our
city of Gjumry was shocked by a violent earthquake, but now, exactly
11 years later, we are shocked by Supreme Master Ching Hai's great
generosity. Her deed again proves that human kindness has no boundaries.
It recognizes neither country nor nationality."
After meeting with the
Governor and Mayor, the representatives visited the Orphanage of
Gjumry and the Elderly Home & Internet of Gjumry. The residents
of these facilities were quite happy to welcome Master's representatives
and made sure to take perfect care of their guests. The directors,
Ruzanna Avakyan of the Orphanage of Gjumry and Olya Mkrtchyan of
the Elderly Home & Internet of Gjumry, could not thank Master
enough for Her generosity. They promised that Her contribution would
be used to provide food for the orphans and elderly residents. Even
though Master was not present, everyone could feel Her love still
reaching out to these less fortunate children and elders.
Following their stop
in Gjumry, Master's representatives made a two hour drive on an
unpaved road that was as bumpy as a roller coaster, finally reaching
their third destination, the city of Vanadzor. There they visited
the orphans at the Vanadzor Orphanage and the elderly center, Aznavour
Pour L'Armenie in Vanadzor. The director of the Vanadzor Orphanage,
Mr. Arshaluys Harutyuyan, was truly happy to receive the check given
to him by the initiates, and could not stop expressing his gratitude
toward Master. He promised to use the money to build a playground
for the children and cultivate a vegetable garden for their consumption.
Ms. Ruzanna Azetisyan of the Aznavour Pour L'Armenia center for
the elderly promised that she would use the money to purchase food
and medicine for the residents.
In Yerevan, Armenia's
capital, Master's representatives visited the orphans at the Children's
House of Yerevan. The director said that he intended to use Master's
contribution to purchase necessities for the resident children and
provide a good place for them to enjoy better living conditions.
After his meeting with
Master during Her last trip in Armenia, the Mayor of Yerevan, Mr.
Suren Abrahamyan, was elected to the position of Prime Minister
of Internal Affairs of his country. He told his colleagues that
this promotion was possibly due to the meeting with Master. When
the representatives arrived at the Mayor's office, Mr. Abrahamyan
was out of the office due to his schedule and could not personally
be there, but he sent his warmest regards to Her. Mr. Abrahamanyan
had his assistant, Mr. Grisha Hovhannissyan, accept the check on
his behalf and instructed him to thank Master for Her generosity.
With utmost respect, he presented Master with a book on Armenian
culture as a gift, stating that he planned to use the contribution
to construct and maintain the schools in Yerevan.
The representatives
also visited Nadezdha Sarkisian, president of the Hayer Cultural
Center. With the contribution she received, Ms. Sarkisian promised
to help needy young Armenian children with musical talent go to
school to have the chance to develop their talents. She intends
to use the contribution to construct a music school and to purchase
more audio equipment. She stated, "I feel that it is a great
honor and privilege for me to have had the opportunity to invite
Master Ching Hai to this country. This nation has had to endure
many hardships and tragic disasters for many years. Our people have
thirsted for God's love, for human warmth. We need the love which
will comfort our lives during our times of difficulty. What makes
me so touched is that not only did Master visit every corner of
Armenia to share Her love, but She also contributed generously to
those places She visited. Now, She has sent Her representatives
here at the perfect time. On behalf of my foundation, the Hayer
Cultural Center, I truly thank Master with all my heart."
When the representatives
of the Supreme Master Ching Hai International Association came to
visit the Komitas House of Chamber Music, they were warmly greeted
by its director, Robert Sahakian . Mr. Sahakian truly admires Master,
and promised to use Her contribution to renovate the facility and
install a world class audio and lighting system to advance it to
international standards, so that the people of Armenia could welcome
all the brothers and sisters of the world's great spiritual family
to enjoy the holy music performed on the Hall's unique organ. He
assured that the next time Master visits, it will be a completely
new hall.
During the visit to
distribute checks to those organizations to which Master had promised
contributions, there was not one person who was not moved by Her
great compassion and unconditional love. One reporter from the newspaper,
Ayo, Ms. Nana Stepanian, shared the following feelings with one
of the representatives: "Supreme Master Ching Hai's love and
compassion truly touched me. Her love has been shown through the
representatives of the Association. They are wonderful. I am very
happy to have had a chance to accompany them on this trip and witness
their sincerity and hard work. I truly admire them." Ms. Stepanian
agrees that a student learns to be great by having a good teacher.
The night before Master's
representatives departed from Armenia, God granted a soothing rainfall
to the people of Yerevan again, carrying blessings from Heaven to
the Earth. It reminded the local residents of Master Ching Hai's
loving presence during Her recent visit.
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