MA26 – August 24

August 24, 2026

Today was a full day of visitation but the format was a little different: We didn’t have to leave the hotel because they all came to us!

Our first visitor was Susanna from Vanadzor. She wanted to come to Horom on the Sunday we were there but was unable to arrange transportation so she travelled about two hours by bus to see us at the hotel and spend time in fellowship and prayer. For the past several years, Susanna has faithfully posted a chapter from the God’s Workshop devotional on Facebook every day. Although she arrived on her own, a friend of hers later joined us. We were surprised to learn he lives in Montreal! The pastor was able to have good conversations with both of them.

Before that meeting had even finished, Emmi arrived with Sarkis’ mother, Tatevik, and older brother Armen. Sarkis is the little boy we met last week who is unable to walk. We found out that his condition is spina bifida, a disease we sadly also know of in Canada, for which there is treatment but no cure. The good news in this situation is that Sarkis is being followed by a team of doctors; the bad news is that some treatments are free because of his age but others are not, so his progress happens in starts and stops.

We learned of other tragedies affecting this family and promised to pray for them and do what we can to help, although our resources are limited.

During this meeting, the pastor asked Tatevik a few questions about her spiritual wellbeing. She said she believes in God and knows that He is watching out for her and her family and helping them. However, she did not know what it meant to be born again, so the pastor explained this to her. Once again, the prayer on the back of the tract was very helpful. While she did not pray it for herself today, she did accept for the pastor to pray with her. We reminded her about Pastor Stepan’s church nearby and she said she was looking forward to being in touch with them.

Just as this meeting was ending, Anahit, the pastor’s cousin, called to say she was on her way to see us as this was the last time we would be able to see each other on this trip. We spent about an hour with her before we all needed to go our separate ways.

Our last visit of the day was the only one we didn’t have at the hotel. Sanadroug and Mariam had invited us for dinner to help them celebrate their wedding anniversary and we had a nice time of fellowship at their home in Kosh. 

We have one update to add from yesterday: After we finished and sent our report, a bit earlier than usual, we walked to Republic Square as we sometimes do to spend some time by the Singing Fountains. While we were sitting there and talking, Jonathan noted that we had not seen “our Iranian couple” over the last day or two. About 10 minutes before the end of the nightly presentation, we decided to head back to the hotel, mostly to avoid the inevitable mass exodus of the gathered crowd. Along the way, “our Iranian couple” exited a building right beside us. We continued walking all together and then spent another half hour or so talking with them and learning about their ministry in Turkey and Iran. They had worked with OM (Operation Mobilisation) but are now working with an organisation called Elam. It was fascinating to hear how they navigate the sometimes perilous waters of evangelism in two countries that officially oppose or are closed to Christianity.

We also found it interesting how our paths had crossed again: If we had not finished our report early; if we had not gone to Republic Square; if we had not left early; if they had not needed to go to the building they exited just as we were passing by…

Like “our Russian family,” we do not believe that we met this Iranian couple by chance. We now have their contact information and they shared some information that could be beneficial to the Iranian refugee community that we met here.

We continue to praise God for his leading!

MA26 – August 23

August 23, 2026

For Sunday service today, we went to Pastor Stepan’s church. The three women who were baptized yesterday were present. Pastor Joseph preached a message and Ann-Margret, Jonathan, and Shubroto shared short testimonies and words of  encouragement. After the service, several people asked the pastor for private prayers for their specific situations.

A woman who only recently began attending this church, Hasmik, speaks Greek and English and she had invited us for dinner tonight the first time we attended the Tuesday night Bible study there.

At her home this evening, we were treated to homestyle Greek cuisine. . . very different from what we have gotten used to eating in Armenia, which was a nice change.

We didn’t know much about Hasmik but that naturally changed over dinner. She had also invited her mother who initially didn’t know how she would be able to come, although she eagerly wanted to, because she lives in a small village about 50 miles away. However, at the last minute, she was able to get a ride from a family member who happened to be coming to Yerevan this evening.

Not only did we all enjoy a great meal together, but we also had a great time of fellowship. It turns out that Hasmik is a translator who works for the Bible Society and knows the other contacts we have already met from there. 

Tonight’s meeting is another example of how God lined up events in order for each of us to be in the right place at the right time. It was evident that our gathering was a blessing and encouragement for us all, and we will continue to pray for these women to grow in their faith.

MA26 – August 22

August 22, 2026

Although we have often mentioned days where we did not have any clear plans, today was one of the days for which we had planned and prepared the most: baptism day!
We were able to return to the same location as last year, the house with the pool and lovely garden where there was plenty of room for everyone to gather.  There were originally 11 candidates this year, but three of them were unable to participate because of health issues. Two of those baptized were from the Horom church. It was nice to see Pastor Tigran and Timotheos again, as well as several other members of their congregation. The other candidates were from Pastor Stepan’s church or contacts of Emmi’s.
Pastor Joseph performed the usual introduction and validation of each candidate’s faith and intent, and then the baptism ceremony began.
The day was hot but the water was cold, as we could tell from the reactions of those who stepped into the pool. But each one braved the chill and, after confirming their profession of faith, willingly ducked below the water’s surface. The last candidate, however, showed no hesitation, no fear, no chill. She practically hopped into the pool and confidently walked down the few steps to meet the pastor and answer his questions with great conviction. It was a joy and a blessing to see.
After the ceremony, we enjoyed food, fellowship, and prayer for an hour or so. During this time, Samvel introduced us to a contact he had brought, a man who had been in prison and is now involved in prison ministry. Despite what we had heard to the contrary, he confirmed that not only would we be able to visit a prison, but we would ALL be able to visit AS MANY PRISONS as we wanted and we would also be able to distribute our devotional books. This is our activity planned for Tuesday, so we will see what happens. Please pray for this important opportunity.
Something else interesting and unexpected happened today. The driver who had brought the Horom group to Yerevan had nowhere to go so he spent his waiting time observing our activities. Afterward, he spoke to Pastor Joseph about baptism. However, since he is not yet born again, the pastor took time to explain the importance of salvation, which baptism then follows. The man said he understood and is ready to take the next step. Pastor Tigran will be following up with him.
When we finished at the baptism site, we returned to the hotel to relax and freshen up, then went to visit the pastor’s cousin, Anahit, where Arayik is now leading another Bible Study. Our presence once again interrupted their usual routine, but we nonetheless had a great evening of fellowship and Bible-based discussions about a variety of topics.
When reflecting on the activities of the past two weeks, we realize that almost every meeting is a Bible study in one form or another. It continues to amaze us how the people we meet are not only in need spiritually but also very open to receiving the gospel message or the spiritual guidance and counsel they are looking for.
Tomorrow starts our last week in Armenia and we are conscious of how short our remaining time here is (we leave on Thursday morning).
May God continue to sustain us as we are completing our mission. Amen.

MA26 – August 21

August 21, 2026

We started our day with a visit to the school where we have been donating Bibles for the past year. This opportunity in itself is a miracle and a fairly long story we have already told. If you haven’t heard it and would like to, please let us know and we will send you the full background. To sum it up, the pastor noted that, after 15 visits, we were finally welcomed into our first official government institution.

We met with the principal and two of the three vice-principals. This school was founded in 1964 by the principal’s father-in-law. There are 260 enrolled students ranging from 6 to 15 years old. The principal presented the pastor with a certificate of appreciation for the previous gifts of Bibles and we were able to clarify the need for future donations.

From the school, we went directly to the Bible Society to secure the next order and make a downpayment. An interesting side note: The Bibles we have been donating can be accepted in the school since the Bible Society is on the government’s approved supplier list.

We went back to the hotel to eat and rest for a bit, then joined the daily devotional call with our Temple family via Zoom; we had an earlier start this morning and couldn’t meet after breakfast as usual, so it was nice to connect with our home group.

Around 6 p.m., Emmi and our team were picked up by the Iranian contact we had met at the Bible League, to attend a Bible Study with a small group of Iranian refugees/recent immigrants. We weren’t sure what to expect since none of us speaks Persian, but as we mentioned yesterday, who are we to refuse an invitation?

The first surprise upon arrival was that this church is directly across the street from Takhoui’s house! What are the chances? More on this later…

The next surprise was the number of church members who spoke English. This made the evening very interesting, warm, and friendly; definitely easier for the non-Armenians in the group to participate.

We started the meeting with a message from Pastor Joseph, basically introducing himself and his testimony as well as a bit of our church’s history. The Iranian pastor then opened the meeting for questions, and there were several from the members. Afterward, Ann-Margret, Jonathan, and Shubroto were asked to share as well, which led to more discussions and a time of getting acquainted. By the end, we felt truly at home, as if we had just met extended family. When you think about it, we did! This was the first opportunity we had to distribute a large quantity of the Persian translation of Does Your Life Have Meaning? devotional. The book was accepted gladly by everyone present, and several of the recipients asked us to sign their books as a souvenir of our visit with them. It is amazing to think that all of these people had until recently been Muslim. This is not an easy religion to walk away from, and some of the members shared what becoming a Christian has cost them. They do not regret their decision, but they still live with the pain of being cut off from family and friends who have rejected them as a result. Shubroto’s testimony was particularly relevant for them, as he had a similar experience when he left Hinduism for Christianity.

The third surprise of the evening came in the form of a special request: One of the women was a Muslim who has not yet decided to become a Christian but is willing to join in with this community of believers. She came to the pastor and asked him if he would say a prayer of blessing over her newborn son. He, of course, agreed and was thus able to share the gospel specifically with this woman through his prayer.

As we were leaving, Pastor Joseph asked the Iranian pastor if he wouldn’t mind looking in on Takhoui from time to time. He already knows her as they are neighbours so he promised he would. This is a great relief since Takhoui is alone in Armenia.

By the way, this morning we had to bid farewell to our new friends, the Russian family, who promised to pray for us and give our greetings to their church, just as we will do for them. Ann-Margret gave one of her devotional colouring books to the mother, and the daughter was so excited that she grabbed it and immediately read the first page, stumbling over the English but determined. This deepened the connection between our groups. 

Also, while we were waiting in the lobby this morning for Arayik to arrive, a couple sitting nearby heard someone in our group mention the word “baptism” and started a conversation with Shubroto. It turns out they are also Iranian Christians, missionaries living in Turkey, and visiting Armenia for vacation. The conversation with them had to be cut short because we needed to leave, but we hope to connect more meaningfully with them at some point during the rest of our stay.

What can we say except that God is good? We came to Armenia to minister to the Armenian people, but it has been such an unexpected blessing to meet with these believers from other countries as well.