Western Diocese

On Tuesday, June 30, 2009, the Christian Youth Mission to Armenia (CYMA-WD) will embark on its sixth summer mission to Armenia departing from Los Angeles bound for Yerevan for a one month spiritual and cultural pilgrimage to Armenia.

In its five short years as the official youth mission to Armenia of the Western Diocese, the CYMA program has taken over 75 ACYO members to Armenia. Each summer the CYMA program has specialized in a different area of Armenian life.

This year's theme is "Moving Mountains." Chairman of CYMA David Yaldezian explained, "Moving Mountains is about coming together as a CYMA family, experiencing local Armenian life, and then uniting around a special cause."

CYMA participants, with the help of local Armenians will team up to rebuild a dilapidated house in Gyumri. The house and affected family were hand chosen by His Holiness, Karekin II. With a generous gift from the Western Diocese, CYMA will donate $15,000 to help facilitate the rebirth of this home. This is the first such home rebuilding project that CYMA has taken part of and will be a great addition to the already spiritually challenging program the CYMA program endures bringing to life the objective of "Moving Mountains."

In addition to their special mission in Gyumri, the 14 CYMA participants will spend three days in Vanadzor at a special youth camp as well as four days in Artsakh with a local ACYO.

Co-coordinator Armine Semerjian stated, "This will be my second time on CYMA. I am so excited to come back to help lead the trip. I have been dreaming about coming home to Armenia since I left in 2007 and my dreams will come true next Tuesday."

The Christian Youth Mission serves to unify and strengthen the Armenian community by establishing a BRIDGE between the diasporan Youth and Our Homeland through participation in the social, religious, professional and cultural life of Hayastan.

For more information on CYMA-WD and its summer spiritual program, please visit www.cyma-wd.org or contact CYMA publicity coordinator, Sarah Mergeanian at sarah@cyma-wd.org.

Established in 2004, CYMA-WD (www.cyma-wd.org) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization under the auspices of the Western Diocese of the Armenian Church of North America as a mission of the Armenian Church Youth Organization. Headquartered in Burbank, CYMA serves to unify and strengthen the Armenian community by establishing a BRIDGE between the diasporan Youth and Our Homeland through participation in the social, religious, professional and cultural life of Hayastan.