Sharing the love of Jesus Christ one person at a time.
WELCOME
We at Joseph Hovsepian Ministries are excited to share with you about our Montreal-based ministry, which encompasses six decades of involvement at Temple Baptist Church as well as personal outreach projects both within our own community and in other parts of the world.
The main goal behind all that we do is to share the love of Jesus Christ with as many people as we can, in whatever ways are within our means, and to help and support others who share this vision, working alongside them whenever we can. You can view our statement of faith here. We also invite you to connect with us on Facebook.
WHAT’S NEW
Joseph Hovsepian Ministries is returning to Armenia this summer! Arriving in Yerevan on August 10 and returning to Montreal on the 31st, Pastor Joseph will be doing this mission trip with his elder daughter Ruth, his 13th visit to Armenia since 2008.
Please pray about this mission—for Pastor Joseph and Ruth, and for those they will meet with and reach out to. We will post updates and photos as often as we can. Thank you!
Joseph Hovsepian Ministries is supported by individuals whose vision is the spreading of the Good News of Jesus Christ to as many people as we are led to by the Holy Spirit. This ministry is not supported by any organizations or other ministries but solely by family and friends.
Books and other materials are available for a free-will donation (to help cover printing expenses) or freely to those unable to make financial contributions. Click here to learn more.
"All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."
"I tell you the truth, WHOEVER hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life. "
SUNDAY, August 27: In the morning we attended the worship service at the Evangelical Baptist Church of Armenia. Pastor Joseph preached and we had a joyous time of worship.
In the late afternoon, we drove to Christ Church in Charentsavan where they held a special evening service for Pastor Joseph to speak at.
We spent Monday taking care of errands in preparation for our return home in a few days. . . and celebrated Ruth’s birthday!
TUESDAY, August 29: We spent the day ensuring that the Bibles we’d been promised were delivered and picked up, and tracts were also picked up and dropped off. We also went back to Davitashen where they hold a weekly women’s home group. There was a time of fellowship, singing, sharing of the Word by Pastor Joseph and Ruth, and ending with prayer.
WEDNESDAY, August 23: Gor, the 17-year-old blind boy we visited last week, wanted to “see” us before we left so we went to visit his family. His mother, Armine, is very proud of her three children and their accomplishments. She told us that Gor taught himself to play the guitar and he also plays the piano. She brought the guitar out and he sang a beautiful Armenian song. The rest of the day we ran errands and had supper with our cousins.
We don’t have any reports for Thursday and Friday as we mainly took care of preparations for Saturday’s activities.
SATURDAY, August 26: Baptismal Day! They came from all over to be baptized today. From the young to the old, those who had recently accepted Jesus into their lives and those who had been saved for a time, were baptized. . . 15 in all. We thank you for your continued prayers and support.
SUNDAY, August 20: On our way to church this morning we pulled over to pick something up, right where we stopped an elderly street vendor was drinking water from one of the many water fountains in the city. The Pastor opened his window and offered him the What Are You Searching For? tract. The man quickly read the title and responded, “I hope I find it”. As we pulled away, we noticed him reading the tract and had gotten to the back side where the prayer is printed. Please keep this man in your prayers so that the planted seed may take root.
Pastor Joseph spoke at the Armenian Brotherhood Church of Yerevan (ABC). We connected with this church in 2011 on our first official trip. Many familiar faces and new ones, even a newly married couple from Australia.
After church, we headed to visit a family that we are familiar with. It was meant to be an hour-long visit but ended up being almost three hours. Over two hours of that visit was answering the questions of this young man, Davit. There have been many unfortunate events in this family, starting with the suicide of his father after an adulterous affair, to Davit himself ending up in prison over a woman. He now lives with his grandfather and grandmother. Please pray for this young man so that he will open his heart and accept the Lord Jesus as his personal Savior.
MONDAY, August 21: We started the day off by going to the bank and finally being able to settle the payment for the Bibles we purchased early last week. There have been a lot of back and forths with the Bible Society. This has nothing to do with the Bible Society or us. Simply the bureaucracy that we have to deal with in Armenia.
Our first visit was in Davitashen with a sister in Christ, Gayane. She has been handing out the Pastor’s books and Bibles and holding women’s groups in her home. Gayane went with us to our second visitation which was with another sister in Christ, Anna, who is a believer since 1995 and has a heart for missions as well. Gayane and Anna went with us to our third visitation of the day to the district of Bangladesh, a suburb of Yerevan, to visit Aida. Please pray for these women who have a heart for Christ’s work.
TUESDAY, August 22: As most days, we started with a team meeting to finalize the day’s activities, talk about the upcoming baptism service, and pray together. We had several visitations today, starting with a neighbour of our missionary couple. The neighbour’s name is Laora and though she is Armenian she is much more comfortable speaking and reading in Russian. The Pastor ensured that Laora understood the meaning of baptism, prayed with her, and assured her that she would be baptized on Saturday with the rest of the group. Please pray for Laora as she has epilepsy and has bad episodes.
The second visit of the day was with a family member of our missionaries, Christina, who had requested prayer.
After these visitations, we drove back to Davitashen to Sister Gayane’s home. Every week they have a meeting in her home. Today the Pastor was asked to speak. There were about 18 of us. There were hymns sung, prayers said, a study, and testimonials were given. The meeting lasted two hours.
FRIDAY, August 18: Our first stop was the home of a family mourning the loss of one of their sons during the war. He left behind a wife and two children. The parents have built two shrines: one inside the home and one for passersby to see, rest, and drink cold water. We left the family with financial aid and prayers and encouraged them to give their pain over to the Lord and to continue attending church and having fellowship with other believers.
Our second visit was to the home of a family of five. The mother, in her early 30s, will be baptized next week. We ended the visitation by leaving them with financial aid and prayer.
Our third visit was with an older woman who attends a local church, and her brother who is visiting from Russia. Her daughter has been told she will lose her eyesight. We were able to share the gospel with the brother and daughter. Please pray their hearts will be softened and they will commit their lives to Jesus Christ.
Our fourth visit was with Mary, who was very ill with heart issues last year and had to undergo surgery. Today she is doing well and praising God for the changes in her heart. She has the most beautiful and ready smile for everyone. She attends a local church. Mary is a single mother of two boys, 13 and 6. Her husband has left them, and she is raising them on her own in very difficult circumstances. We ended the visitation with prayer and financial aid.
Our final visit was with our sister in Christ, Sveta. We met Sveta for the first time in 2011 in Spitak, where we held our first baptismal service in a very cold and hard-to-access river. Sveta is a powerhouse for the Lord. She now lives in Russia but has close ties with the people of Spitak and continues to minister anywhere she is. We met with her to go through the list of people who, through her mission work, have asked for baptism. There are yet others who would like baptism next week, so Sveta is traveling from Yerevan to Spitak on Saturday to meet with these people to ensure they understand and are ready for baptism.
Spitak is 96 km north of the capital, Yerevan, and 22 km west of the provincial center, Vanadzor. Spitak was entirely destroyed during the 1988 earthquake and was rebuilt in a slightly different location. Between 25,000 and 50,000 were killed and up to 130,000 were injured. Please pray for sister Sveta and her ongoing mission of helping the people of Spitak, and for those who will be baptized next week.
SATURDAY, August 19: Our first visit today was to a family that lives in a 5th-floor walk-up apartment. The mother is 84 years old, and the daughter (Narine) and son live with her. The son has been crippled for over 30 years, the problems having started after he served as a soldier in Siberia. He rarely leaves the apartment because there is no elevator. Last year he was baptized and that was one of the few times he left his home. He needs to go up and down sideways, a very awkward process. Narine is a nurse and the only one who can work. They depend on her salary and the pittance the government gives for her brother and mother.
No matter how poor and financially strapped families in Armenia are, they always are prepared to serve fruit, coffee, water, juice, chocolates, and other treats. We prayed with them and left them with financial aid.
Our second visit was to the home of an old friend, also named Sveta. She has been distributing books, Bibles, and tracts from her home’s front window for many years. She is ready to tell people about God’s plan for salvation. We had a time of fellowship and prayer and encouraged her to continue with her mission.
We then visited Gayane to pray with and for her mother-in-law who recently had a stroke. She has difficulty walking and her hands are weak. With all her difficulties she has a sweet demeanor and her faith is strong. We spent a bit of time talking about spiritual matters and ended with a prayer and leaving them with financial aid.
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