Effingham Daily News (Illinois)
May 2, 2018 Wednesday
Prayer breakfast draws 300 people
Charles Mills, Effingham Daily News, Ill.
May 02–EFFINGHAM — About 300 people on Wednesday gathered at the Thelma Keller Convention Center to celebrate the 2018 National Day of Prayer a day early.
Claude Hudson greeted the crowd and welcomed everyone to the fifth annual breakfast. After a brief introduction and prayer, inspirational music was performed by a group of musicians directed by Rochelle Cekander while participants enjoyed their breakfast.
Kelli French, director of the Effingham Child Development Center, talked about the history of the center, which was started in 1972, and future needs of the program. French emphasized a need for all-inclusive playground equipment.
Keynote speaker for the 2018 National Day of Prayer meeting was Dr. Ruben Boyajian, who described the struggles his family endured while he was growing up.
"What an honor to be here today," Boyajian said.
Boyajian talked about the genocide that started in 1915 by the Turkish government, continuing until 1922, against Armenian Christians. He went on to say his father, Jacob, who was 9 at the time, and mother, Isabel, 11, where members of two Armenian families living in a small town close to Mount Ararat.
"Many of the members of the families disappeared," Boyajian explained. "The premeditated systematic violence left 1.5 million dead."
"Turkey's lack of contrition left descendants struggling to reconcile loss and renewal," Boyajian said. "Miraculously, American missionaries were able to rescue many of the Armenian children."
Boyajian says his parents were among the children who escaped to Uruguay. He said Uruguay, Brazil, Argentina, France and the United States generously opened their doors, accepting many refugees.
According to Boyajian, his parents met at an Armenian Evangelical Church in Montevideo, Uruguay, where they later got married.
"I'm known as the baby of the family," Boyajian said. "My parents had six children."
Boyajian said his father was a tailor and talked about how his mother read the Bible every night to the family. He talked about the loss of two of his brothers at a very young age.
"Times were difficult and food shortages were common," Boyajian said. "She would be up at five in the morning, walked several blocks to the local market to stand in line two or three hours to get 5 pounds of potatoes, dry milk and bread, then walk back home."
Boyajian said his father would start reading the Bible at 4 in the morning before work.
"There was an almost fear of fate fueled by constant prayers and reminders that we should remain thankful and hopeful for what God would provide," Boyajian said. "These principles were the main source of energy, hope, confidence and belief."
"I shall never forget the earlier years of my life." Boyajian added. "My parents' faith was unwavering."
According to Boyajian, his parents spent most of their lives in Montevideo, with a few years spent in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
He talked about how his brother became a dentist and eventually an ordained Methodist minister.
"His sermons provided guidance, hope and awareness of the unfair, and economic systems that ignore the poor," Boyajian said.
Boyajian talked about life in Montevideo in the 1960s and '70s. He talked about how his brother, who advocated biblical justice and compassion for the sick, was arrested by the military police.
According to Boyajian, his home was searched for communist literature that were components of a revolutionary cell.
"Of course, none of this was found and my brother was released," Boyajian said.
Years later, Boyajian completed his medical training and became a member of the United States Air Force. He served as chief surgeon at Chanute Air Force Base before eventually coming to Effingham.
Boyajian's father moved to Effingham to live the rest of his life and had a dream of becoming a U.S. Citizen.
"It became real at the age of 95," Boyajian said. "He became an American Citizen. He wanted to be legal."
"I learned the hard way, it is very important to make life's choices, plans, decisions without excluding God from the process." Boyajian said.