AEYF Leaders Eat Kebab and Learn to be Servant Leaders by Alina Balabanian

Social Experiment by Ara Darakjian

We Are the Body by Joey Sarafian

AEYF Leaders Eat Kebab and Learn to be Servant Leaders by Alina Balabanian

A Social Experiment

by Ara Darakjian

As most readers already know, this year's AEUNA convention was held in Paramus, New Jersey. What some readers might not know is that every time the biannual convention is held on the east coast, the west coast AEYF plans and executes a tour for all the willing youth from the west coast. This year, the AEYF, led by Raffi Kaljian, explored New York and Philadelphia; two great cities filled with beautiful architecture and expansive history. However, one can only look at a building for so long, and history is bound to be forgotten someday, but the one thing we will never forget is the friends we made and the great times we had at the 2006 tour/convention.

The first portion of the tour was the AEYF's exploration of New York. Some highlights were a walk in Central Park, a viewing of Phantom of the Opera on Broadway, a boat trip which included a close view of the Statue of Liberty, and a view of New York City from the top of the Empire State Building. The rest of the time, we had a hands-on experience of the New York life by walking through Manhattan. However, I can confidently say that all of this would have bored me to the point of death had I not been with my fellow siblings in Christ. At one point in the trip, one of the group members had the misfortune of being hit on the head with bird poo. Who would I commiserate with if that had not happened? Or worse: what if that had been me and there were no people around to laugh with? The food that we ate was also incredibly good, but it would not have been so tasty without the fellowship that was also present.

The next segment of the trip was the biannual convention. We saw old friends from the east coast, and also made new ones. After each session with the speaker, we broke off into discussion groups. My group had an even distribution of people from the east coast and the west, which allowed me to get to know other Armenian evangelicals. I was surprised at how similar we were, even though we lived so far from each other. We had the same struggles and the same joys, and it reminded me of the Bible's description of the early church in the book of Acts when it says, "All the believers were together and had everything in common," even though we had only known each other a short time. Another highlight of the convention was the soccer game on the hotel's front lawn that was so intense that neither rain nor thunder stopped us from continuing.

Philadelphia, the city of brotherly love, was the last stop of the trip. On the day we arrived, we had a very nice pool party at the home of Jeannette and Vicken Keshishian. The sky was only a bit cloudy when we first arrived, but about an hour later, we found ourselves in the middle of a fierce storm. We then decided it was time for dinner and sprinted out of the pool into the warm house. The next day we visited Amish country. The Amish culture was very interesting and all, but in my opinion, the best part was the Amish restaurant we went to called "Good and Plenty." The food was amazing, and there was definitely plenty of it. There were conventional foods like ham and fried chicken, but there were also some foods that none of us had tasted before. Shoe-fly pie was one of these foods. Each person had a taste of it, and each face had the same quizzical look when chewing. We were all flabbergasted. We could not describe what it tasted like. After lengthy deliberations, we collaboratively decided it tasted like a combination of every single food we had ever put into our mouths. The rest of the trip included a tour through Hershey's chocolate factory, and an unforgettable 4^th of July experience, which was comprised of a Lionel Richie concert and lots of fireworks.

It is time to raise a scientific question: What do you get when you throw thirty Armenian evangelicals into a bus and take them to the other side of the country? According to the data recorded above, the answer is obvious: it's chemistry. Not the type of chemistry that describes the bonding of molecules, rather, the bonding between different people. Even though we all had different talents and interests, we were all like-minded because of Christ's work in our lives. This mysterious bond between Christians, despite the great variety of interests, ultimately made this social experiment a great success.

We Are the Body

by Joey Sarafian

From Armenian dancing to catching fireflies at dusk, the 2006 AEUNA/AEYF tour and convention created new bonds of fellowship between churches and strengthened those within each church. What started as yet another youth activity became a unifying and spiritual experience for everyone who participated in the tour, reaffirming our role in the Body of Christ.

Even before leaving LAX, the youth had established their own corner of the airport terminal, making our presence known to other passersby. The flight went surprisingly fast for us, but I can’t say the same thing for those who had to listen to us. We arrived at New York and thanks to our faithful tour bus driver, Peter Giossi, we made it to the New Jersey hotel in one piece. Meeting with Sam and Phyllis Hamo, the group embarked on our next destination: Manhattan. On the bus ride to each location, a youth group leader would give a message to start the day. Upon arrival in Manhattan, we were grouped into fours as we took off on horse-drawn buggies through Central Park. We congregated in the famous Apple Electronics store and nearby FAO Schwartz. After slowly making our way towards St. Patrick’s Cathedral, part of the group escaped into the H&M clothing store for some shopping. Even water was expensive in Manhattan, and the food was no exception, however worth it. We ate like kings, with Raffi Kaljian buying out every restaurant to feed our ravenous appetites. New York pizza was a heated issue, with many dissenters favoring Ray’s Pizza over Pronto pizza, but you can’t please everybody.

After pizza, and about 5 wrong turns, we found ourselves outside the famous Majestic Theatre for a Broadway production of Phantom of the Opera. I personally had never seen such special effects in a Broadway play (possibly because I had never seen a Broadway play). After the final bow from the actors, we funneled outside to the chaotic streets of Manhattan, where we separated into groups, with the only rule being that we were to meet at Virgil’s Barbecue in three hours. My group decided to tour the legendary Toys R’ Us in Times Square, and we ventured off ten blocks down Broadway to the local skateboard shop to buy a Hacky Sack. I can only account for my group, as others broke off on their own in the city. Many went shopping, others got a second lunch, but one thing’s for sure, whatever they did it was more expensive in Manhattan. Later that night we disembarked at the Empire State Building for a truly memorable tourist trap. Laughing and talking all the way up, we found ourselves looking out at the mesmerizing NY skyline. The walk down was less enchanting, but our companionship made it tolerable.

The next day we took off for a boat ride around Manhattan. Whenever the tour guide would announce an Armenian church, our ears would perk up and we would search the skyline for the building he was referring to. After a few short hours, the tour was over, and we were off to our next destination: the mall. This time we only had time for lunch. Throughout the whole tour, just about every group of friends would interact with every other, forming an ever-changing body of friends. This provided a crucial element in our growing as a youth group. Our next stop was Ground Zero. Even when viewed from behind  two layers of screen, this site could still evoke emotion. Pictures drawn by kids permanently marked the walls and firsthand accounts could be heard through a pair of headphones, in the back of the station. We walked back to the bus in a sober state of peace. As we left New York, any feeling of completion would be short lived as we arrived at the New Jersey Biennial AEUNA/ AEYF convention, where our trip would truly begin.

Upon arrival, we checked into our rooms and from that point forth, we would be bumping into old friends and forming friendships with fellow Armenians from across the country. The night’s festivities started off with an introduction in the Amphitheater for both the AEUNA and AEYF. After this, we separated for “Icebreakers” and were reminded what Camp was like. I won’t go into details, but it got crazy and the ice was broken. Free time allowed true interaction, as the whole youth could be found congregating in the lobby, as late as 12:00 am.

The next morning we boarded a bus and left for the Armenian Presbyterian Church. After worship, we would separate into groups and have Bible study led by either Rev. Calvin Sagherian or Rev. Jonelle Kazarian. We then broke up into smaller groups to go over questions about the passage we read. My personal experience was amazing. I was able to interact and discuss life with people going through the same things I was but from the other side of the country. We established an immediate bond with our brothers and sisters from other churches. As we discovered our similarities, we could only thank God for this opportunity of fellowship and truly genuine time of Bible study.

During lunch I followed a few friends into a tiny room with a television and a flickering cable signal that was broadcasting a FIFA World Cup game in Spanish. One would have to stick metal to the TV antennas to get any sort of signal, but as more and more people piled into this room the signal became clearer. It wasn’t long before thirty people were jammed into this tiny room shouting at the top of their lungs with every turnover. After the game was over, we let out our energy on the volleyball court in the church’s gym. We played an intense volleyball game with about thirty players on each team. We played with an inflatable, bouncy beach ball, but the fellowship was a priceless element of the convention.

The next day, in addition to worship and a speaker, we attended the AEYF business meeting, during which we broke up into groups and elected a new national youth representative, Mgrdich Mgrdichian. After lunch and seminars, the youth separated to play different sports, including Volleyball, Soccer, running, and Tennis on the hotel grounds. This is another memorable part of the convention, as members from varying churches got together according to common interests. Later that night, everyone got dressed up and met downstairs for the banquet. After a formal dinner and piano performance, the atmosphere loosened up as the Armenian music played, and within the first five minutes everyone was on the floor, dancing. We danced for hours and after the napkins had been twirled (not to mention some acrobatic dance moves), the DJ tried to put an end to the dancing, only to be convinced to play “one more song” by the beckoning youth. Leaving the dance hall, we still felt energetic (and slightly deaf). So once again, we could be found congregating in the lobby absorbing the last moments of the convention, knowing that this was our last night. While this may have been the end of the excitement for the east coast churches, the west coast tour continued on to its next location under the continuous supervision of Raffi Kaljian. Our next stop was Philadelphia.

Jeannette and Vicken Keshishian graciously opened their home and pool to us on Monday and after an afternoon of swimming, we were forced inside by an abrupt thunder shower. After the rain stopped and with the sun receding in the distance, the fireflies came out and so did we. About a hundred slowly flickering lights could be seen, hovering in the damp grass. After thanking the Keshishians for their hospitality, we climbed up the steps of the bus once again, leaving for our next hotel destination. The next day we embarked on our journey to an authentic Amish town (complete with K-mart and car dealership). Under the supervision of Raffi and the navigation of our faithful bus driver, Peter, we pressed on. We toured an Amish house and couldn’t help but notice the primitive simplicity that characterized the Amish lifestyle. This eye opening experience continued at the Hershey’s chocolate factory where we took a virtual tour of the chocolate making process. This part of the trip was highlighted by the bag of mini Hershey’s kisses we got for going on the ride.

The next day, we were bused to Downtown Philly where we admired the Liberty Bell (and shopped, of course). The excitement did not stop here. After this, we were let off at a parade and concert, at which Lionel Richie would perform. After more walking and mingling, our group collected on the grass to watch the performance and fireworks show. After singing and dancing along to “Brick House”, the fireworks were lit off. As the sky was illuminated by the breathtaking flashes of light, loud music played in the background. This memorable night marked the last of our journey and brought the trip to a beautiful conclusion. But nothing said “goodbye Philly” like authentic Philly Cheese steak the next day. 

We finally arrived at the Philadelphia airport. On the way off the bus for the last time, we each told Daniel Goglanian a word or phrase that sums up the entire experience. “God honoring fellowship” and “A once in a lifetime experience” were some of the responses given by the members on the tour. As our plane touched down in LAX, I breathed a sigh of relief, that God had allowed us to arrive safely, and that this had been one of the most fulfilling weeks of my life thus far.