Archive: September 29, 2011

Day 9 – Sevan

September 29, 2011
Our days in Armenia are quickly coming to end. Today was our last sight seeing trip before the weekend meetings begin. Hovnan, Araik’s son joined us today to visit Sevan. 



Sevan is in the Gegharkunik Province 66 km north-east of Yerevan. It is a popular summer resort in
Armenia. As well until 1934 it was known as Elenovka or Yelenovka, it was founded in 1842 by Russian schismatics.
One of the main features besides the beautiful blue Lake Sevan is the Sevanavank Monastery which can be dated to the 9th-10th century. The monastery is located on a high hill and the climb can leave you breathless but keep going until you reach the very top of the hill, it is worth the climb.


Initially the monastery was built on a small island and it was meant for the monk of Echmiadjin who had sinned. During the Stalin era they artificially drained Lake Sevan which dropped the water level about 20 metres and created a peninsula. With this came easy accesibility to the monastery which brought tourism to the town.

There are katchkars that are carved from local green stone and stand out amongst all the other katchkars which are made from tuff – volcanic ash.
This is one of the few active monasteries in Armenia and the altar one of the nicest in Armenia.
Now ever trip has a couple of special stories that put a smile on your face. On this day half way up the hill there was a young man who was selling his paintings. His work is amazing. I wish I could have bought everyone of them and brought them home instead I picked the one that stood out the most to me, a vibrant painting of three poppies. Dad also bought a painting of a red pomegranite for my sister.
While we were chatting with the artist and looking through his work an older man (85 years old) came over with a traditional ‘banjo’ and started to sing for us. What a happy man he was. He will always remain with me.
The song in the last video is actually quite funny, there was a young couple watching him and at this point in the song is says “you are young and in love and one day you will be old and in love with someone else”. BAH HA HA… sorry but I laugh each time I watch this clip.
By the way, I Googled ‘old man with banjo armenia’ guess who showed up? He’s famous!
NOTE: I corrected the spelling of Arayik’s name to Araik. He spells it without a ‘Y’.

Day 8 – Khor Virap & Echmiadzin Part II

September 28, 2011

Our next stop was Vagharshapat, 18 km west of Yerevan, better known as Ejmiatsin in Eastern Armenian and Echmiadzin in Western Armenian, to an Armenian this is their spiritual center, the Catholicos of All Armenians. Echmiadzin is the Armenian equivalent of the Vatican.

Mother Cathedral of Holy Echmiadzin

Echmiadzin Cathedral

Painted mural in the entrance of the Cathedral
The compound houses the Cathedral, a printing house, a seminary, a museum, tombs, a display of katchkars, dorms for the priests, and much more.

By late afternoon we were back at Arayik’s home and had a late lunch. After a short rest dad headed to a local printer with Arayik to discuss the printing of the Eastern Armenian tracks locally. A later post will have more information and details about this.

I stayed behind and had a wonderful visit with Nelli and her sister Lili. In a short time the 3 of us have bonded and were able to share experiences and talk openly about difficulties we had been through and how God was always there to help us.
Arayik and Nelli’s daughter, Leia, has been singing folk songs in an ensemble since the age of 12, at the time she was the youngest. She invited me to join her at a folk song concert in downtown Yerevan. I was interested in going because I’ve never had exposure to our Armenian songs and music. I was not disappointed. It was a colorful event.
As much as I enjoyed the entertainment on stage I was also enjoying what was happening around me. At one point a dozen spectators were up and dancing traditional dances and then there were a group of young soldiers up in the balconies dancing as well. All in all it was a fun way to wrap up a busy day.

Day 8 – Khor Virap & Echmiadzin

September 25, 2011

One of the most visited sites in Armenia is Khor Virap (meaning ‘deap dungeon’). The monastery is quite close to the neutral zone between Armenia and Turkey. 

Khor Virap is where Grigor Luisavorich (St Gregory the Illuminator) was imprisoned for 13 years in an underground chamber before he cured King Trdt III of a disease. This was the start of Armenia becoming the first nation to embrace Christianity as a state religion, the year was 301.

The view of Mt Ararat is breathtaking from the top of the Monastery. The clouds dispersed long enough to be able to see it fully.

On the way up you can buy a dove, make a wish and release the dove. We saw this at a couple of our stops. Dad held a couple for the picture and then gave them back and gave the guy some change.

The details in the stone work have just amazed me and the architecture is something to behold.
How many feet have stepped here?

It’s time for me to get ready for church. Dad is preaching at the Armenian Brotherhood Church in Yerevan. We have a full day ahead of us and tomorrow we head home. Please pray for those who will be in church this morning.

I will do my best to finish up the post for Day 8 before heading to bed tonight. And as I promised will continue to post after getting back home.

Day 7 – Heart Break Part II

September 24, 2011
We continued on to visit Garni Temple about 32 km south-east of Yerevan. The Garni Temple is a pagan temple used even to this date by those who still follow the pagan rituals of their ancestors who were Zoroastrians.
Outside the temple gates vendors are selling their wares. One of those is Arlet, dad met her in 2008 during his first vist. She and her daughter Anahid live right across of the gates to the Garni Temple and are Gregorian Orthodox.
They invited us in for coffee and a visit. They have a beautiful ‘akey’ garden in Armenian. Anahid is a professor of Economics and when she is not teaching in the university she helps her mother harvest the fruits of the trees in their garden and make homemade breads and jams to sell to tourists and visitors to the Garni Temple.
Our next stop in Garni was at a restaurant for tourists run by Mr. X you would never know this place was here unless you went with a local. The land once belonged to his grandfather and his father built the house that the family lives in today. They have a great set-up, there is fresh sturgeon brought in and live in a large tank, you can pick the one you want and they will cook it for you. they also have a demonstration of how ‘lavash’ used to be baked.
Here’s dad enjoying lavash wrapped around a handful of fresh parsely.

Mr. X has worked hard to make this a place that tour groups will want to stop at and recommend, unfortunately he has been approached on many occasions with threats and being told to sell and leave. He is a threat to other businesses. He recently received a fine that is approximately $30,000 CAD an impossible amount for him to come up with. He is waiting to go to court to fight the fine but he knows that he it is in vain. This is not an isolated situation there are many more stories that can be told of corruption in Armenia.
I walked away with angry tears, not being able to speak. This should not be allowed. We take too much for granted in North America.
In 2008, dad met Artur an amazing artist and his home was our next stop. This time his wife Anahid and son Narik were there as well. We arrived as they were seating for lunch. Anahid quickly brought plates and cutlery for us. It is amazing at how hospitable Armenians are. They want to share what little they have.
Anahid, Narik, dad and Artur
Artur’s home is filled with his art work. I had such a difficult time dragging my eyes away from his paintings. They belong in a museum I cannot begin to describe his work. He paints landscapes, animals, still life and people.
Artur gifted dad with a painting of Yerevan.
My favorite painting is the one right behind my dad.
Narik, Artur’s son, is 15 years and is the Armenian heavy weight boxing champion for his age group. He recently placed third in Europe. He is training for another event in Russia in one month’s time. He was such a humble and quiet young man.
Narik with his medals
Our last stop of the day was in Jora to visit Arayik’s cousin’s family. His family members are unbelievers. They were open to hear the Word of God and to take a tract each.
His cousin’s son Krikor (25 years old) has accepted Christ as his Saviour and had been given a New Testament. He needs our prayers, after coming back from serving in the Army he went to Russia to work and certain events caused mental disturbances.
Arayik gave him one of the Bible’s we bought the week before and asked to take a picture of him holding the Bible.
Arayik and Krikor
Their daughter’s father-in-law was there with one of his grandchildren, his story is a sad one. His wife died three months ago after a horrible car accident at the age of 46. She left behind 3 sons (ages 26, 24 & 21), 2 daughters-in-law and four grandchildren. The man, also named Krikor, needs our prayers. As most families in Armenia many generations live together, in his case all his sons, their wives and children live with him. He is a soft spoken man who you could see loved his grandchild very much.
Kriko, Hatchik (Ana’s husband) and dadeek (Hatchik’s mother)
While we were there a neighbour came by to visit. She is a believer and has been baptized but had a very angry look on her face. Arayik asked her why she looked so angry. She sighed and replied ‘I’m tired.’ He kept at her telling her that as a believer she should smile and rejoice. She would smile and then her face slipped back to that angry look.
As we were leaving she asked if she too could have a Bible. Well, will wonders never cease the change in this woman was instantaneous. She was grinning from ear-to-ear and singing praises at the top of her voice. This is what our trip is all about.

Day 7 – Heart Break

September 22, 2011

Wednesday, Sep 21 was truly a day where all the emotions that have been bottled up inside started to surface. I have heard many stories and seen many pictures of the Armenian people. My people. My countrymen. My brothers and sisters. Seeing them with my own eyes and hearing the stories with my own ears has been very different.

My posts have mostly been a summary of our days, I have not been able to express to you my innermost feelings. Not because I do not want to but because I cannot. When we get back to the ‘Hueranotz’ (hotel) I have not been able to deal with my feelings. They are too raw, too fresh.

I do know though that I want to share the story of these amazing people and if you are interested I will do so once I am home. I will tell their individual stories one-by-one.

On this day we got an early start to visit the Garni Temple and Geghard Monastery on the way we stopped at the Ararat (Charench) Arch. This great arch was erected to give the visitor the perfect view of Mt Ararat.  Noah’s ark came to rest of the tip of Mt Ararat and it is truly a national symbol for the Armenians. It is now within the Turkish borders but still considered by Armenians as their own. No matter where you are in Yerevan you can see the tip on a clear day.

From here we continued the drive up the mountain (for those who may not know Armenia is a very mountaineous country) to Geghard Monastery built in the 4th century. It is partly carved out of the side of a mountain and later the main cathedral was built in the 12th century. The path leading up to the monastery is lined by vendors selling souvenirs and snacks (sweet ‘sujukh’, lavash (bread) and gata).

These carvings are ‘khachkar‘ which means ‘stone-cross’. No two carvings are alike.

To be contd: Garni Temple, watching lavash being made and visitations.

Day 6 – Day of Rest

September 21, 2011

We have been on the go since we got here. With the change in time plus all the traveling and visiting we have been doing dad decided that we would stay at the hotel to rest and let me catch up with my posts and my personal business back home.

We took a walk around the neighbourhood and as we neared the hotel we got a call (a borrowed cell phone that is only in Russian) from Pastor Hovhannes. Since his church is only a few minutes walk from the hotel we walked down the hill and had a nice visit with him and his wife, Shake (pronounced Sha-ke).

Since the cost of shipping Armenian tracts to Armenia is extremely expensive dad had Arayik and Pastor Hovhannes ask their contacts how much it would cost to print in Armenia. We found out that for 50,000 tracts it will cost $800 CAD a fraction of the cost to ship.

We wanted to make sure that the wording was correct and the Armenians here could understand what was being said so we asked Hovhannes to read it through.

The following two pictures are of Hovhannes reading the tract “What Are You Searching For?” in Eastern Armenian. The reason you see his wife smiling is because Hovhannes was reading it with such gusto and ferver very loudly.


We ended the day with a simple meal at the hotel next door to ours. While we were at dinner there was thunderstorm but it ended just as we were settling our bill. The walk back to our hotel was nice and fresh.

Day 5 – Witnessing

September 20, 2011

On Monday, we drove to the town of Ashtaruk to visit a family where the head of the house, Jora, is an unbeliever. His wife, Shusana, and daughters (Gayane and Marine) have been praying for their husband and father for a long time. In 2008, dad had visited this home when the Shusana was the only one at home.

On this day, her husband, sister-in-law (Laora), two daughters and one son-in-law (Hovannes) were all there. The have a wonderful ‘akey’, a garden with all kind of fruit trees and 4 chickens roaming around. Quickly the table and chairs were set up in the garden and a bountiful harvest of fruit were placed on the table.

As we sat in the garden and enjoyed all these wonderful fruits dad and Arayik had the opportunity to speak about how life changing it will be if he were to accept Christ as His Lord and Saviour. There was a lot of give and take between the men while you could see prayers on the lips of the women. These women have been praying for their father, wife and brother for a very long time.

At a certain point Arayik went to the car and brought the Chick Publication “This Is Your Life” in Armenian. He went through the booklet one page at a time, reading and explaining. Everyone in that garden listened attentively.

When Arayik finished reading the question was put to him. Would you like to pray? Very simply he answered, “No”. You could feel the heartbreak of those who love him so dearly and pray for him. He cannot give his reason. But he knows the truth and he must make this decision on his own.

His one daughter and I sat side-by-side and she held my hand so tightly that the blood stopped flowing. Women in Armenia do not easily speak up but you could see the passion in his daughter as she begged her father to have a change of heart. There were tears in the father’s eyes and yet his heart has been hardened through the years. He once was an active member of the communist party.

We left there with mixed emotions. We rejoiced to be able to sit with others who believe as we do and to hear their testimonies yet there was a dark cloud.



back row: Hovannes
front row left to right: Laora, Marine, Shusane, Gayane, Me, Dad, Jora

We headed to Oshakan the burial spot of St. Mesrop Mashtots creator of the Armenian alphabet. Mesrop Mashtot was a 4th century monk who invented the alphabet which is still in use today with almost no changes.

Our next stop was in Ohanavan to visit one of the oldest churches in Armenia. The Hovhannavank Monastery in situated atop a steep gorge.

We rushed back to the hotel to quickly change and join the whole Hovsepian clan at a restaurant. Dad planned this reunion to give us an opportunity to meet and get to know everyone in one shot since our time here is so short.

The cousins all together. There are a few missing who came later.

Those who know the Hovsepians or want to see more pictures of the reunion the pictures can visit an on-line album: The Hovsepian Reunion in Yerevan, Armenia.

Day 4 – Sunday

September 20, 2011
Sunday morning we drove to Nor Aresh area to the baptist church pastored by Garik Hatsadourian. The congregation shares the building with another group. Our cousins (Anahid, Haik, Ervand and Shusane) also in attendance. The church members quickly greeted and made them feel at home. Ervand and Shusane will be followed up by the young people’s group.
Dad took the opportunity to preach about the meaning of salvation and the importance of accepting God’s free gift of salvation. There was an alter call at the end of the service and several members stepped forward. Even after the service ended there were those who were still coming forward asking for prayer. What a blessed time was had.
After a nice lunch we walked over to an open air flea market that the locals call ‘vernissage’. There are lots of local artisans, antiques and jewellery. We walked around for a while before heading to the 20th Anniversary concert of the AMAA (Armenian Missionary Association of America) 5 p.m.

Our day was not over yet. We headed to Nellie’s mom’s home for coffee. Dad met her in 2008 and prayed for healing. She is a very sweet woman who was so thrilled to see Dad again. She is the woman who raised Laurita (Nelli’s niece).

left to right: Nellie’s brother, dad, me, Laurita, Nellie’s oldest brother, Nellie, Laurita’s brother and Nellie’s mom



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Day 3 – Spitak Part II

September 19, 2011

It is amazing when a group of people get together and they have one commonality – Christ’s saving grace. The villagers of Spitak and Stepanavan opened their hearts and arms to us.

Once everyone was gathered by the river the women quickly changed into their white baptismal gowns in a dilapidated stone house while the men waited for their turn. There was an excitement in the air almost as though it were a wedding. But we all know that a baptismal service is so much more significant then any wedding day. I so loved watching the different emotions on the faces of those being baptized. I cannot begin to describe how I felt. I feel so honored and privileged to be part of something so great. It took my breath away as I imagined what it would be like in heaven. Think about it. Don’t you agree?
There were 24 men and women, the youngest 16 and the oldest 72.
The setting could not have been anymore perfect. The river was shallow but perfect for the baptismal service. The weather was just right as the baptismal service ended around 7ish the sun shone brightly and warmed them up.

I had the privilege of being front and center as I took the pictures and helped them enter and exit the river. My dad and Arayik simultaneously were baptising. My words cannot describe the stories that were written on the faces of these amazing people. I wish I had the energy to write and you had the time to read about each one of these amazing people.
The three of us standing by the river side helping folks in and out of the water and taking pictures and video were almost pulled in several times.

There was a time of worship and communion was served. You could see the importance of this to everyone there. The sharing of the bread and wine is something that they take very seriously here.

Everyone who was baptized received a New Testament and a small gold cross pin.
And with any gathering of Armenians there was food. So much food that there was a bow in that picnic table. Arayik’s son Hovnan took on the responsibility of cooking the chicken for everyone. I’ve had many a chicken in my day but this chicken cooked over a primitive but effective wood burning fire was finger licking good.
By the time we were done eating and cleaning up is was after 8:30 pm. Now all 35 or so of us had to get back to Stepanavan and Spitak and from Spitak to Yerevan. The van that had held 19 on the way to river now held 24. But what laughter and joy there was. I can still hear the chatter and excitement.

Here’s a small anecdote. Wearing seat belts are mandatory in Armenia and if you are caught without one will get a heft fine. So here we are all 24 or so of us stuffed like sardines in this tin can that really belonged in the junk yard and four young men stuffed into the front seat made for two when I noticed the driver slip on his seat belt. Perhaps I was just tired and giddy but I pointed this out to those around me and we just started to laugh.

It is 2:39 a.m. I must get some rest, I want to write so much more about this day. I met so many amazing men and women. I want to share with you their stories. I figure that when I get back to Montreal I will continue to post for a while slowly telling their stories one at a time.

Tomorrow I will post about Day 4 which was Sunday.

Please continue to pray for strength for my dad. As you can tell our days are long and physically and mentally very tiring.

Day 3 – Spitak

September 19, 2011

Apologies to those who have been faithfully reading about our days in Armenia. Day 3 – Saturday, Sep 17 was a blessed but long day. I don’t want another day to go by without writing a few words and once we are back home I will continue to post about our experiences.

Saturday had been reserved for our trip to Spitak for a baptismal service. Our trip to Spitak was an adventure it self. Dad and I had the impression that the baptismal service was scheduled for 1 p.m. but we forgot that we were dealing with missions in Armenia. Nothing is organized in the sense that we know in Canada. Rather then heading to Spitak first thing in the morning we instead drove around picking up last minute things for the day. Our first stop was to pick up a video camera from a friend of Arayik’s who’s been very successful by Armenian standards as a mime and children’s entertainer. From there we picked up Arayik’s family where we found out that two of his three children and his niece were to be baptised. This is truly a blessing.

Once we were on the way we stopped by a large grocery which is comparable to large American grocery chain stores. I was amazed at the bounty they have unfortunately few can afford the luxuries. Many borrow money to buy food to serve us but there is no way we can refuse what is put in front of us. Armenian’s are very hospitable and refusing to drink or eat is an insult. We bought enough chicken to feed everyone that was to be part of the baptismal service.

The road to Spitak is very mountainous and the fields are dry due to the lack of rain this summer. The countryside is quiet similar to what you would see in North America except for the fact that the history behind the churches and areas are so much older and more significant then anything that we have. On the way we had one more stop and that way to get petrol, that in itself is an adventure. It took almost 30 minutes to fill that tank. Yup, you heard correctly 30 minutes.

Once again we were on our way it has been such a blessing getting to know Arayik’s family. His wife and children are warm and loving. They are filled with God’s love. The 2 hour trip passed quickly as we laughed, shared stories and compared languages.

In Spitak we stopped at sister Sveta’s home (sister and brother as used for all believers here) while Arayik continued to Stephanavan to pick up a van full of believers. The round trip to Stephanavan is 2 houts. Sister Sveta is originally from Georgia, her husband was a missionary as well who died years ago in a work related accident. She raised two young boys on her own. She is a beautiful woman filled with the Holy Spirit.

left: Nellie (Arayik’s wife) and Sister Sveta from Spitak

While Arayik was picking up people in Stepanavan a van that would never make it out of a junk yard came to pick us up. When the doors opened the van was filled and yet they made room for 5 more. There were 19 of us in a 12 passenger van. There were a couple standing and a few sitting on each other.

But as before there was laughter during the trip to the baptismal site. Everyone was excited and chatting away. We drove up and down one strip of ‘highway’ looking for the right place to stop by the river.

Most of the villages including Spitak have lost their men to large cities and to Russia, these men are looking for work. The men that have remained are young boys, men who have just finished their military service and very old men. There is a very obvious gap. Young men here are so much more mature then men their age in North America. They have a maturity that comes with responsibility.

The young men finally found a spot by the river that had a picnic table and a clearing that would allow them to build a fire to cook the chicken. We unloaded the van and the men started to collect wood for the fire while the women prepared things for the baptismal service. It was another one hour before Arayik arrived with the rest of the group from Stepanavan. By this time is was almost 5ish. My poor dad. For those who know him you must be chuckling. Can’t you just see him glancing at his watch and pacing. I had to keep reminding him that we were in Armenia and things were just different here.

The time passed quickly as dad and I were embraced by the community of believers that were gathered for the baptismal service. I was blessed by their generosity and love.

I need to close now as they are waiting for me to get going my solemn word that no matter what time I arrive tonight I will catch up with my posts.

To be continued…

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