Tuesday, August 12, 2025
After breakfast on Monday, we visited the Genocide Memorial, which was a moving experience, especially for Pastor Joseph, who lost three grandfathers in the mass killings of Armenians during World War I, and his daughter Ann-Margret. Although, at first glance, the memorial looks like little more than an abstract concrete structure, there is a lot of symbolism worked into the design, which our guide explained to us. It was a surprisingly sobering experience, and we felt that this site does not receive the international awareness it deserves. However, as we wandered through the garden leading up to the memorial, it was nice to see how many foreign dignitaries have planted a tree in memory of this horrific event.
Afterward, we were invited to the home of Arayik, our guide, and his wife Nelli. We visited with this wonderful family for a while and had a great time of sharing and prayer. Then we went to visit Nelli’s family (her mother, three brothers, and their families live in an apartment complex not too far away). Although Nelli’s mother is 85 years old, she is an amazing evangelist who sits on her balcony, greeting passersby and offering them a tract or a copy of Pastor Joseph’s book, or both.
After this visit, we made a trip to the print shop to pick up more copies of Pastor Joseph’s books (God’s Workshop and Does Your Life Have Meaning?) and then returned to Araik and Nelli’s to deposit them in their storage room.
We had dinner at a Chinese restaurant (for a change), walked a little in Republic Square, then worked on a few administrative tasks (such as uploading photos and preparing the first update).
Tuesday was spent visiting contacts made through our ministry partner Emma. Although we made only three visits, they were all such touching and eye-opening experiences that by evening, when we returned to the hotel, we were emotionally worn out. The needs of the people we are meeting are so vast and varied, and quite different from the challenges that most of us experience in the West. This in no way diminishes the significance of the needs we may have in Canada, but the people here have none of the social support structures that the government of a country like Canada offers.
The homes we visited were families we had connected with more than a couple of times in the past, some of whom Pastor Joseph has already baptized and others who needed some encouragement and counseling to help them grow in their faith and take their next steps. We want to respect the privacy of these families by not sharing personal details but we ask that you pray for them as you feel led.
May God help us to remain sensitive to the needs of all those with whom we cross paths. We appreciate your continued prayers, for us but especially for those we have the opportunity to minister to.
You can also view the photos below in this album.
English