Andrew Mosco, Denise Arzoomanian, Lori Hovsepian, and Barbara Hovsepian traveled to Armenia in early August for Fuller Center for Housing Armenia to help a deserving family make progress toward completing their home.
Andrew is the grandson of our former secretary Mary Ann Mozian. This year, in honor and in memory of Mary Ann, Andrew formed a small team with his cousin Denise and the Hovsepians. Thanks to the FCHA staff for making this trip so wonderful for the team. Six days of work and six days of touring lay ahead. They worked with the Gevorgyan family – father Manvel, mother Nunuphar, and adult children Vahe and Seda. The family had been living in a large, rusty cylindrical tank domik for 16 years while working on building their house. The day the team arrived for their first day of work, the tank was being removed. All the family’s belongings had been moved into their unfinished house. The house had all its outside and inside walls, windows, ceiling and roof in place. However, the floors were still the rough cement base and the inside walls had only their cement layer. The bathroom had a usable toilet and sink, but they were not attached as the final flooring was not in place.
The team started by scraping the cement walls so that the first of two layers of plaster could be applied. Accompanied by our interpreter Mayis, a FCHA volunteer, and Hagop, our driver and construction supervisor, the team worked side by side with the family, including a cousin that came to help. Boxed lunches were provided by FCHA and shared with the family. A coffee break in the afternoon gave further opportunity for the team and family to get to know
each other. Each day after the team left, the family continued the work.
Denise had to return home on Friday of the first week, but she did her share of work. She was able to tour Yerevan, visit Vernissage (the open-air market), Khor Virab, Tsitsernakabert, and Gerhard Monastery. Andrew, Lori, and Barbara continued the work. On their touring days, they were able to visit Etchmiadzin, Gayane and Hripsime Churches, Lake Sevan, Garni, and Wings of Tatev Monastery.
For the second week, Melik replaced Hagop as our driver and construction supervisor. Fortunately, Vahe’s friend from the army, who had construction skills, traveled from his village in order to help. With the additional pair of very skilled hands, the team was able to accomplish all that FCHA had laid out for them to do. Posing for a last picture with the family at lunch, it was a bittersweet goodbye. Knowing the Gevorgyan family will be in their completed home before the end of the year left the team with a sense of joy.
Returning to the USA with thoughts of forming a team next summer, Andrew kept Mary Ann’s spirit alive. She did eight home-building trips to Armenia and now her grandson and niece have continued her legacy.
