Journal Times Online, WI
Feb 26 2005
Group from St. Mesrob will be building a home and hope in Armenia
this summer
By Marci Laehr
Parishioners at St. Mesrob Armenian Apostolic Church know they take
for granted everyday blessings many people in their homeland will
never know. Like indoor plumbing. That is why a group from the church
is going to Armenia to help build a new home for a family there
through Habitat for Humanity International’s Global Village Program.
The St. Mesrob team members will be taking time off from their jobs
and away from their children to labor with concrete work, helping to
build a home for people they have never met before.
They are happy to do it.
“It’s for the love of our people,” said Avak Grigorian, one of the
nine people making the trip this summer.
Abe Ouzounian, the team leader, will be going back to Armenia for the
second time with the program. He called the project a “labor of
love.”
“We’re paying to go and build someone else’s house,” he said. “We’re
doing it out of sheer love.”
Abe is the only one in the church group who has made the trip before.
The others, including his wife, Michelle; Avak; and Meline Grigorian
have been inspired by him and others to participate.
Meline, who has seen video from previous trips, said she always is
brought to tears by the photographs of the homeowners smiling.
“That’s why I want to go,” she said. “I want to see that smiling face
and know I was a part of it.”
The group will be making the journey July 23 and staying until Aug.
6. They are one of several teams who will help build one home,
working alongside the homeowners. Each team does a portion of the
work until the house is complete, Michelle said.
While they haven’t been told exactly what community they will be
helping to build a home in yet, they know what to expect. According
to Habitat for Humanity, over 50 percent of the people in Armenia
live in poverty.
“It’s very primitive by American standards,” said the Rev. Yeprem
Kelegian. “Bread is still made in ovens in the ground.”
This is the fourth year that St. Mesrob has participated in the
program, Kelegian said. Habitat for Humanity International has been
working in Armenia for five years. In that time, volunteers from
around the world have helped build 90 homes, with 34 of those being
completed just last year.
However, the experience is not just about the homes being built. It
is just as much, if not more important to everyone involved, to build
friendships and bond with the homeowners and the people in their
village.
“It’s not about building a home,” Kelegian said. “It’s about respect
for humanity; helping lift people up. It’s not charity. These
families are awesome. They barely make enough to live. It’s
humbling.”
And yet they all help each other. In years past, all the people from
a village where a home is being built stop to help daily.
Those in the St. Mesrob group said they feel they need to help, and
come face-to-face with the reality of just how blessed they are. Most
of those going are first-, second- and third-generation
Armenian-Americans who hope to reconnect with the people of their
motherland, by giving of themselves.
“Some are living in dire situations,” Michelle said.
Kelegian said the last time they were in Armenia, he blessed the new
home of a family of six, who had previously been living in the
basement. It was damp, dark and they lived down there for 10 years,
because they didn’t have the money for the brick and mortar to build
up their home.
Through Habitat, the family received an interest-free loan, and
volunteers helped to build their house. Offering that type of help to
people is inspiring, and the group from St. Mesrob is excited to
participate.
Last year, Abe was reluctant to make the trip for the first time.
Michelle convinced him to go. He came back and told her she had to go
back with him.
“Now he’s our team leader for our church,” Michelle said. “That’s how
excited he is about it.”
Avak said he would like to know what Armenia is like, and see how the
people there live. “We want to be there and help people of our own,”
he said.
Meline was in Armenia 23 years ago. She is interested to see how much
has changed in the country. She also hopes to meet with some friends
she has there.
“I want to come home with the knowledge and satisfaction that we
helped a family,” she said. “It’s something God put in front of us.
It’s something we want to do every year.”
The group has already raised enough money to cover the cost of
building a home, and are now fund-raising to help offset the costs to
the group to make the trip. It will cost each team member $3,000 to
go, in addition to the vacation time they have to take from work.