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Home » Our work » Success Stories
 | The Hands that Bake the Daily Bread
Knarine Ghazanchyan
Training Coordinator
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Noah’s Gifts to 1700 year-old Christian Armenia Umbrella Project #27-0206-01
Thankfulness is a common characteristic among Heifer Armenia Project participants. One of our recent monitorings in the Mayisyan community, in the Armavir region of Armenia was proof of this. Every family that we visited on that day gave us a hospitable welcome, praised Heifer for its assistance and care and for its humane stance toward needy people and understanding that no rural family can do well without a cow - the main feeder of the rural people, its milk and dairy products like tasty cheese, sour cream, curds, yogurt and more. They are necessary for the children as well as adults in any family, be it rural or urban. Every parent in this world does his or her best to raise healthy children. Armenian parents went even further: children are worshiped in the Armenian families. Most likely, it was this cult that helped the Armenian people to survive and keep its identity unchanged through its uneasy history.
Laura and her husband, Misha Ghazaryan, from Mayisyan Community, met 50 years ago in the capital of Yerevan, fell in love with each other and got married. Soon the young couple increased to a family of four. Two wonderful boys, Samvel and Manvel, became the joy of their parents and grandparents.
Many years have passed since then. Now Samvel and Manvel are 49 and 47 years old respectively, and each of them has his own family. Three generations live in the same house now. Laura and Misha, Manvel and his wife Salbi and their daughter Anna with her husband, Sargis. They will soon have a baby and experience the joy of being parents, too. When Manvel shared the happy news about receiving a cow from Heifer, at first it was hard to believe such luck and support. The whole family was so excited and joyful!
Laura, now 68, is candidly delighted to be a Heifer Project participant. Her tedious and boring days became bright and full of sense when she began taking care of the new members of their family. No wonder, the cow Sirun, “Beautiful” in Armenian, and Nakhshun, “Pretty” – Sirun’s calf, are equal family members for her.
“When the cow was to calve, every member of our family was so worried and excited as if it was happening to a human being,” said Salbi, Laura’s daughter-in-law laughing.
I asked Laura how her life changed after receiving a cow from Heifer. She answered, “Believe it or not, besides giving us a various of dairy products which are rich in nutrients, the cow made our life more interesting. We have a stimulus for getting up early in the morning, being in good shape and health. Now I lead a healthy and active lifestyle. I feel that my family really needs me. I love my cows and perhaps, feeling my love and care, they respond to me with the same, they wave their tails and lick my hands thankfully."
"Being only a first lactation cow, my Sirun gives more than 10-12 liters of tasty milk daily. How not to love and indulge this cow!”
“Heifer's program is very helpful and humane. It is similar to baking, in which I put all my love, soul, heart and patience. When I bake, I feel myself cleansed of my sins, get filled with kindness and conciliation. Baking bread and milking my cows are two of my favorite things in my life. Many thanks to all the people who made Heifer's project possible in our community.”
Laura’s words sounded very sincere, as sincere as her eyes were full of generosity, sympathy and kindness. Similarly, kind and chaste were her work-weary hands that can bake daily bread that any Armenian family considers being holy. And indeed, the hands that bake bread can do only good.
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