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.

MA26 – August 19 & 20

August 20, 2026

Yesterday wasn’t too busy but we were glad to visit Nelli and Arayik’s daughter-in-law’s parents. They are also believers but going through a difficult time as the wife had a stroke a few months ago and is still struggling in her recovery and the husband is dealing with a painful hernia. It is difficult to see people suffering when we are helpless to change their situation. We prayed with them and for them, which they appreciated, and we trust the time of fellowship let them know, at least, that they are not alone.

This morning, when we met for breakfast and then devotions, we weren’t quite sure what the day had in store for us. Every day we pray that the Lord will go before us and lead us to those we are supposed to meet; to open the doors we are supposed to go through and close the ones we should not; that we would be sensitive to the Holy Spirit’s leading and willing to go where He leads. The Pastor had even prayed this morning that, somehow, today someone would be saved. However, how would that happen when our one activity for the day had been cancelled and our schedule was empty? We anticipated that would change but could not imagine how.

While we waited for direction, three of us decided to visit a local market. After about an hour, the Pastor called to say that Arayik was on his way to the hotel. Without knowing what the plan was, we returned to the hotel, and Arayik picked up our team for a visitation. 

During the long drive to the village of Nalbandyan, quite near the Turkish border, we learned we were going to meet with a family Arayik has known and has been witnessing to for some time. Our host’s wife, sister-in-law, and close neighbour are all believers, but he and his son are not…or, rather, were not.

This group was close-knit, sincerely hospitable, and warm. We all quickly felt at ease. The conversation quickly moved into spiritual matters. Levon, the father, was clearly open and had a lot of questions. He knew the Bible well, but had received some confusing and incorrect teaching, which the Pastor (and Arayik) carefully clarified, referring to Bible verses to guide him. They advised him that, when in doubt, he should search the Scriptures; if what he heard wasn’t there, then it wasn’t true. Levon agreed.

Meanwhile, his 21-year-old son was sitting quietly on a sofa near the table where the rest of us were seated. We weren’t sure whether he was listening or even interested in the discussion. At one point, Pastor asked Arayik to read the “sinner’s prayer” at the back of the tract “What Are You Searching For?” We talked about the importance of being born again: taking the step from simple belief in the existence of Jesus to repentance and surrendering one’s life to Him.

The son then took the tract, pointed to prayer, and said, “This prayer was for me.”  Moments later, the Pastor asked them both if they were ready to pray that prayer for themselves and accept the Lord. Without hesitation, they both said yes. The Pastor led them through a prayer of commitment and, while they repeated his words, the women quietly wept with joy.

It is easy sometimes to question why things happen the way they do; to wonder if the time, money, and effort of making a trip to Armenia is necessary; to be tempted to take a day off, turn down an invitation, or not drive the distance. But we never know beforehand how God is going to work, or where he is going to lead, or whom we are going to meet. Our duty is simply to say yes. When we look at how empty our day started, and how full it ended, we can say that it was definitely worth it all. If the salvation of two men is the only good thing to come out of this trip, it will definitely have been worth it all!